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We as bloggers, are not always in “the writing mood”. In the blogging world however, fresh content is the one thing you can’t go without. No matter how much time you put into promotion, the less you publish, the less traffic you will get.

As obvious as it is, I am being contacted by a lot of folks, wondering why there’s no traffic to their blogs when they post like once a month. Think about it. If you are write an article once every two weeks, will people really have a good reason to visit your blog on daily basis?

The following article is for all of you who don’t feel like writing, but know they need to be consistent. The 5 tips below are helping me and will help you keep a flow of fresh content when you are not in the mood to write:

Start with Reconsidering Your Mindset Towards Writing

Although not really a direct method for producing content, that first tip does play an important role. First let’s start with a question – when writing, do you feel like practicing a hobby or rather just doing what needs to be done?

If it’s the latter, then you just discovered the key to low productivity…

One of the main reasons not to be in the mood to write is stress. Deadlines, strict schedules or just failing to do what you set out to do might be some of the causes. What I learned throughout the months is that limiting yourself in the hope to produce more in less time often has the opposite effect. See my post “7 Reasons Why Working Less Might Improve Your Marketing Results” for more on the topic.

Taking what you are doing as something that has to be done at all costs is often a reason not to succeed. Doing things just because you feel that if you don’t do them your business will suffer is generally not the right mindset.

So think about this before you move on!

Guest Blogging… Worth it?

A couple of months back I wrote an article on accepting guest articles and how can this reflect your blog (check out “Running Guest Articles on Your Blog“). There are some potential issues, but all in all it is an approach worth considering.

If you do a good job with your “Be a Guest Blogger” page and your blog is getting some decent hits and shares, you might get some decent proposals. Tweeting that I’m in search of contributors also resulted in a lot of emails and a lot of new articles being published a few months back.

All in all having a couple of guest articles is a good way to fill in the vacancies when you run short of fresh content. Over 20 posts here on Reviewz ‘N’ Tips aren’t written by me and I don’t regret it. It’s a win-win situation. You get content that grabs traffic, whilst contributors receive links that helped them establish their business.

Use Old Successful Posts as a Base

For many of you older articles probably don’t play much of a role. I mean back in the day when you published them, they might have served their purpose well. Now they are just sitting there collecting dust.

As a matter of fact taking a look at your archive can give you a good helping hand in creating content when you are out of ideas. Open it up, scan through the headlines of the old goodies and find something that’s relevant today!

After you are done with that, it’s time to rip apart the post you just discovered. Leave just a couple of ideas to use as a starting point. Think about what has changed throughout the months. Think about new experiences you had and try to look at the topic from another angle. Ask your audience different questions.

Take Advantage of Those Who Engage

Of course you can just start your writing editor and brainstorm, but that’s sometimes easier said than done. So what you can do instead is to get others to provide you with blog post ideas.

Of course the number one reasons to get poeple to visit and read articles is because you want them to convert into buyers. However some folks might comment on every blog post and never try any of your offers. To take advantage from those as well, just listen! Listen carefully to what they say, what they criticize and what advice they give.

Getting more comments and engaging is not only good for your brand – it can also help you come up with ideas. Don’t wait for commentator only though. Don’t be scared to leverage Twitter, Facebook and your email list by asking people what they’d like to see on your blog. A service called Bloggeries provides a great tool for creating polls, which you can also use for proposals.

Do an Interview with a Fellow Blogger

Similarly to allowing guest articles, interviews are also a win-win. You pretty much get someone else to create the article for you.

The great thing about that type of articles is the low chance of someone denying your interview request. Having one’s name on a headline is sure to boost credibility, which is the reason why many would be more than willing to answer your questions.

To be certain that your interview request will be approved, you need the right person. Don’t aim too high – especially if you are starting out with blogging, don’t expect any of the bigger names in your niche to put time into something like that. They neither need the backlinks, nor the traffic. Aim too low however and you will end up interviewing someone, whose opinion and point of views don’t matter to no one.

Do a bit of research around the blogger, his content, his promotion strategies, etc. and think of relevant questions to ask. The best interview outline is to begin with an introductory question and conclude with asking about the interviewee’s future plans.

Now It’s Your Turn

So those are some of the things you might want to try if you are stuck and need content that brings traffic and shares! Now it’s your turn. What are your ways to publish new posts when you are not in the mood but the time has come? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments section!