How to Inspire People with Your Blog (Especially When You Feel Uninspired)

It’s been too long since you published a blog post, am I right?

I’ve noticed your silence online. (Are you still there?)

I’ve looked for your latest article, but haven’t seen one for weeks.

I’ve heard you talk about the struggle to say something “worthwhile.”

And that you can’t find the time to even write (let alone write something inspirational).

In fact, you may have felt stuck for SO long that you’ve lost hope about ever getting back on track with your writing.

I’m here to tell you that hope is NOT lost.

You’re not the only one who struggles with this.

Even seasoned writers go through periods of feeling blocked and inadequate.

The way they (YOU) get through this?

Write anyway. Danielle LaPorte says, “Keep Going.”

Create a habit. A ritual.

Set aside regular time and sit your butt in the chair, no matter HOW horrible you feel and how convinced you are that you’ve got nothing to say.

Make a deal with yourself (give yourself a reward after you put in the time).

Commit to a minimum of 20 minutes and see what happens.

What amount of time could you commit to? What would feel easy enough — almost “insulting” (Pamela Slim tells herself, “Just 15 minutes“) — that you’d bypass all the excuses?

And you CAN get better at writing.

Yes, it’s possible. Yes, you can learn how to write more engaging blog posts. To add more inspiring stories to your content.

It just takes a bit of guidance and your commitment to get there.

I know this is true because I’ve seen it happen over and over and over again.

Not just with my clients, but with my peers and colleagues, too.

Want proof? Listen to the words of Shawna Hampton who worked with me earlier this year in my Biz Bloggers’ Mastermind:

“I got a huge push to the confidence I needed…”

…the confidence to start putting content on my blog that mattered and was of interest to my audience.

Tea taught me how to craft a STORY — no matter the subject — to make posts instantly relatable and practical for my readers.

The [Biz Bloggers’ Mastermind] gave me the basic building blocks for writing a solid post — enough so that I can take my blog to the next level and really leverage it as a resource for promoting my business and helping my customers.

Shawna’s experience isn’t unique. She’d been blogging for awhile, but felt like she was getting nowhere. And fast.

During our time together, she got to see that she did have a voice and stories she could tell that would be helpful and engaging to her readers.

I’ve seen these same results happen for nearly every other person who decided and declared — to themselves and to others — that this was something they were going to conquer.

Here’s some advice to get you started:

1. Understand what time of day you’re most creative. Are you a night owl? Or an early bird? When is your mind the most fresh and ready? Everyone is different. Know thyself.

2. Block out the time on your calendar. Make a writing appointment with yourself. Obviously, the more time you can dedicate to writing, the better. (Practice, practice, practice!) Find at least 30 minutes a few times each day, or block out longer spurts once or twice each week. Experiment with this. Your first thought about what works might be wrong. Try it and see.

3. Brainstorm topics ahead of time. If you find yourself stumped about what to say, that’s because you haven’t spent enough time thinking about this. I promise you: if you create the space in your schedule to think about your content and what needs to be there, you’ll open a floodgate of ideas. Have you told the basic stories that every business needs to tell? Start there.

4. Don’t blog alone. Find an accountability partner or a trusted group of peers to motivate you and keep you on track. When you work with others, you won’t feel like you’re writing into a big, dark void.

5. Find your soap box. If you want your blogging to connect with people and inspire them, you need to tap into a key insight — something that nobody in your industry talks about. The best place to start? So-called “best practices.” What is it that everyone else harps on as a should? Ask yourself if you really believe it. Is it true? What’s missing?

6. Remember that imperfect is better than nothing. What’s the worst that could happen if you publish something with a typo? Will the world come to an end? Right. AND…you can always go back in and correct that typo later.

The truth is that when you write, blog and share your thoughts on a regular basis, you’ll clarify your thoughts about your business, your audience, what they need, and what you stand for — and THAT is how you’ll get to the place where your writing inspires change.

Just remember that inspirational writing won’t just pop out of your brain, perfectly formed, right off the bat.

You’ve gotta start somewhere. Write something and over time, you’ll gain the confidence and chops to write something worthwhile.

Want some help getting started? Join us for my next Biz Bloggers’ Mastermind.

It’ll be you, me and seven other folks gaining confidence, skills and blog posts you can be proud of.

Your turn: still have a question about how to write something worthwhile? Share it here in a comment below. Or maybe you’ve got some advice to add? Please do! The more voices here, the better.