No More Blogger's Block

For some people, writing a blog post a couple of times a week is downright intimidating. There's nothing worse than sitting at your computer, your eyes wandering around the room ogling piles of unwashed laundry or dust bunnies under the desk and wondering whether there's a compelling story somewhere in you.

What's a woman to do? Look to these sources of blog inspiration:

1. Industry News. Whether your field is beauty products or SEO optimization, the reason you might not have anything to say is because you're not reading enough industry news. Reading the same dozen bloggers in your field isn't the same thing. Familiarize yourself with trends in your industry. 
   
   Don't forget trade shows and other events. The people at Wry Baby did a great blog post about getting ready for the New York International Gift Fair. Before they even left for the event, they showed a picture of their cute little scale model of the booth--as they describe it, "complete with scale people with scale credit cards." How can you not love that?
    
2. Provide helpful information. Readers want to come away from your blog feeling as though they got something out of it--whether it's insider news, a good laugh or just a tip on how to be a better entrepreneur or CEO. French toy company Kaloo has a fairly traditional blog about its toys but sometimes adds informative articles related to its products. 
   
   For example, using a psychology journal as a reference, a recent blog post discussed why children need "doudous" or comfort objects. "When the child realizes that he and mommy are two separate people, fear of losing her arises and the doudou helps to comfort and reassure. Its familiar scent helps the child cope with separation anxiety from the parents." When a parent reads about how important such security objects are, it's a short jump to the adorable photo of the doudou right beside it that just happens to be on sale.
    
3. Go off-topic. Every once in a while, throw in a colorful blog that isn't exactly on topic. Do keep your audience in mind. If you do public relations and you blog about marketing strategies for CEOs, then an occasional foray into your personal life might be fine. Sharing kiss-and-tell moments from last weekend's date night with your husband might not be. A crafter who blogs primarily to other mommy bloggers has more leeway because she has more shared interests with her readers. 
   
   For example, jewelry designer Amy Peters usually writes about her designs, her business and other related matters in her blog, but occasionally takes time to share big news in her personal life--like buying her new home. Posts like this help readers (i.e., potential customers) connect with business owners on a more personal level.
    
4. Follow your feedback. What kind of comments do you get? What are your readers saying? They will bring up issues, concerns and ideas that they are focused on. Scroll through and see if they have introduced some topics you could address in more depth.
    
5. Ask for guest posts. You can also go to a fellow blogger and ask to interview him or her. The great thing about this is, not only will you get material for your blog, but the interviewee will most likely link to it. For a really easy gig, invite the interviewee to post a guest blog--that means she does all the work. 
   
   It goes without saying that you don't ask a competitor but someone in a complementary field. If you sell hand-woven scarves, for example, then a fashion blogger or even the llama owner who supplies your yarn might make for an interesting combination.