beat blogger’s block: ramble.

One of the number one questions I get asked is how to come up with great content for blog posts, Facebook status updates, or sales copy. One of my super powers is helping people come up with exactly that kind of thing.

How do I do this? I get people to ramble. I ask them direct questions about the thing they’re really passionate about and just let them talk. And talk. And talk.

And all the while, I’ve got a pen in my hand, jotting key phrases, additional questions, and ideas into my gridded Moleskine journal.

This is pretty easy to recreate for yourself if you have a mildly perceptive friend. It probably helps a bit if your friend blogs… but it’s not necessary.

• Get your friend on Skype, the phone, into a coffee shop.
• Have them start talking to you about your passion.
• As you ramble on about what you love, why you love it, why other people should love it too, why you think things need to change, etc…
• Have your friend jot down anything that seems remotely interesting. If you turn an interesting phrase, have them note the wording.
• When you’ve rambled past the point of no return, stop and have your friend read back what caught her ear. If there’s something more to ramble about there, grab another iced latte and keep rambling.
• Turn the notes into a list of titles. They don’t have to be perfect, catchy titles but they should inspire some key points in your mind as soon as you read them.

At that point, rest.

You’ve probably got at least a few week’s worth of blog post ideas ready to go. As soon as you have time, draft an introductory paragraph to each idea to keep it fresh in your mind. I do this right in my blog’s back end and save the posts as drafts. While I’m writing that intro, I often jot down 3 main subheadlines or a list to keep my piece flowing. When inspiration strikes, I pull up the relevant draft and have at it.

Blogger’s block banished.

If you don’t have a friend with an ear & 45 minutes to spare, I’m offering my Blog Brainstorm & Action Plan for $50 to 10 lucky bloggers. Here’s the catch: in exchange for getting $25 off the price of this service, you allow me to use a portion of your session as a post or promotional content. If that sounds good to you, use code GOBLOGGO at check out. Click here to beat your own blogger’s block.