I love writing – not surprising for someone who earns a living scribbling away. However, lots of people find it hard to write to order. That’s good for me as some of these people delegate their writing to me. I do what I love and they do what they love!
For anyone who isn’t into writing, blogging is an area that has a big ‘NO ENTRY’ sign on it. After all, it means writing and if writing a page of narrative takes you all afternoon, it’s probably not the best use of your time.
The dilemma is that the World Wide Web is content driven. The more content you have out there, the more access people have to you and your expertise. Of course, you could create video material if you’re more comfortable talking than writing, but you’ll still need to plan your message so you don’t just ramble for a couple of minutes! Bear in mind that we speak at about 120-150 words a minute. So one A4 page is only about 3 minutes of video content.
What’s the problem?
I know some people just struggle to get their thoughts out of their heads and onto paper/screen, but you have lots of valuable information inside your head. Only by sharing some of it will you demonstrate your expertise to potential clients.
Is it time, fluency, focus, blank screen syndrome or something else that’s causing the problem?
Once you know what the problem is, solving it gets easier.
If you’re time poor and feel you write slowly consider delegating or outsourcing the writing to someone else. You might be surprised at how little time you’ll need to invest to talk through your thoughts to give someone enough to write a short article. You can do this face-to-face with a member of your team or by phone with a professional copywriter.
If you find your thoughts don’t come fluently try mind mapping your article. No matter what order your thoughts come in, a mind map will get your thoughts organised into a structure so you can write a well-put together article.
If focus is a problem you need somewhere to start – at the least a subject to work on. I often find that picking either a problem your clients have that you can solve or something you’re often asked about is a good place to start. Imagine you’re explaining an issue to someone – use conversational language and you’ll have a very readable blog.
Even the best copywriters get blank page syndrome from time-to-time! If every time a blog is needed you sit there with a blank screen (and a blank mind), help yourself to get started by listing all the services or products you offer. You might be surprised at how many there are, but this will give you a list of subjects to write about.
If you just hate writing, talk to a recorder and get someone else to transcribe and edit it. If you have a team working with you put together a rota and get everyone to write a blog. You might have to grit your teeth and take your turn, but at least it won’t be as often as it would be tackling it alone.
If you’re still struggling – give me a call on 01245 473296 and let’s see if I can help.
