If you’ve ever faced writer’s block… that moment when you really want to create a blog post, write an email or record a video and just can’t come up with any ideas, this episode is for you.
Ross and Talia uncover 5 top ways they overcome writer’s block and create content.
Transcript
Talia: So every once in a while I’m sitting in front of my computer and I need to write an email or I need to write a blog post. And I’m staring at the screen, hoping that ideas, words, something will come into my brain from somewhere and nothing happens. And I just sit there staring, and it drives me nuts because it really is so hard. I know that were constantly talking about creating valuable content, and we’re talking about how to add more value for your readers.
And that is in a form of a blog post, or maybe it’s in a YouTube video, or maybe it’s on a podcast, or maybe it’s through an email to your readers, but it’s not always easy to find ideas, what to think about, what to write about and what to send to people. And that’s actually what I want to talk about today. The best ways that you can shake that writer’s block.
Ross Simmonds:
Let’s do it.
Talia Wolf :
So Ross, what is your favorite way, if you are sitting in front of the computer now, and you’re like, “I have to get this email out.” Or, “I really need a blog post.” I want to write something new. What is one of the ways or your top way that comes to mind that helps you shake that writer’s block and actually start writing?
Ross Simmonds:
Yeah, I would say the number one way that I shake writer’s block is by reading new things. I love to go down rabbit holes and especially old books. I’m a big believer that rather than reading the newest and latest greatest book that is climbing up the charts of Audible or Amazon, that you can find some amazing value in some of those old books. So I have a huge book collection and they’re primarily books that are written pre 2015, 2005, maybe even. And the reason why I go back to some of these OG original books is because I find so much value in learning from people who created the books before they actually made it. So we all get caught up in chasing the new book that was written by Marc Benioff after Salesforce is like worth trillions of dollars. What I believe is more valuable is going back and reading what he wrote back in 2009.
Ross Simmonds:
And then taking that as inspiration to say, “Okay, this is what Marc Benioff was writing when he was just getting started with creating Salesforce.” And I use that to kind of just inspire new ideas. I think reading is underrated and it can provide so much insight for someone who’s stuck in that writer’s block situation, where you can read something about an entire different industry, an entire different space and use that for inspiration, for what you should create in the future. I was reading a book the other day about finance and it had nothing to do with marketing and content and SEO, which is the lane that I play in on a regular basis.
Ross Simmonds:
And it inspired a whole new way of thinking around how you can apply financial models to the wonderful world of marketing and that inspired a new blog post and that inspired a new video and that inspired a new talk, et cetera, et cetera. And ultimately it gave me a new gateway and a new way to think as a whole. What are your thoughts on that? Have you embraced the idea of reading new things to shake writer’s block in the past? I know we’ve kicked out in the past about children’s books that we’re all [inaudible 00:03:36] into. Has there been anything else that you’ve used to shake writer’s block in the past?
Talia Wolf :
I know this sounds funny and kind of, I guess, obsessive, but Harry Potter has actually been a very big source of inspiration to me and any comic books, whether if it’s reading Captain America or if I’m reading X-Men or if I’m just kind of geeking out on Supergirl, it always triggers something in my mind, there’s always something happening. And it actually brings me to the next idea of how to shake your writer’s block, because one of the coolest things that happens to me, I don’t know if this is the same for you and maybe I’m just a weird person, but for me, I can go about my everyday stuff and suddenly things happen to me, like anything, it could be I’m watering the grass, or I could spill a cup of coffee, or my kid would say something to me and it will spark some ideas.
Talia Wolf :
And what I would do is I would actually stop by telling a story of what happened to me. Actually, one of my most successful emails was about someone trying to sell me a lawn mower when I didn’t have grass. And that kind of spiked a whole thing. And then there was another email that I wrote about Rio’s questions because he doesn’t stop asking questions and it kind of sparked something in me. So the idea of sharing a personal story, something that happens to you throughout the day, throughout the week, maybe something that you remembered is very helpful. In fact, I can tell you as another example that I was running a Black Friday sale last year… On my God. Yes, its been a year. Oh my gosh.
Ross Simmonds:
Wild.
Talia Wolf :
And while this was happening I was going for this huge launch. And I got on video with my grandparents who are in London and they were warning me. They were saying, “Don’t believe in to all this spam on Black Friday, they just raise the prices beforehand so they can slash them.” And I took a screenshot of my grandparents on this video and I shared it in an email. And I said, “Yes, probably most of the stuff that you’ll see on black Friday is spam. And here’s what happened when I spoke to my grandparents. But this deal that I’m giving to you, is not spam.”
Ross Simmonds:
I love it.
Talia Wolf :
So these kinds of things, spark ideas to me. And I know I’m kind of weird in that way, so I don’t know if a lot of people feel comfortable with sharing this stuff. I don’t know. Have you ever done that Ross?
Ross Simmonds:
Yeah. I love that idea. I think taking that personal connection and sharing stories that are just from your regular life is a great way to connect with people. I’ve done it where I’ve talked about how I was in an airport once and I got a bagel and the bagel was made wrong and it just ultimately ends up being a story. I think that those are some of the best ways to hook folks with your messaging, with your content. Another way that I like to shake writer’s block is to just listen to podcasts. I find podcasts to be a great way to get ideas from other people. And to again, use those ideas to come up with new things, come up with new lanes to take with your stories and your messaging.
Ross Simmonds:
And again, if you can dive deeper into podcasts that aren’t necessarily related directly to your niche. I think there’s a lot of value in that too. I think we oftentimes make the mistake of only listening to podcasts that are in our lane. But I think you can have a lot of traction, and a lot of engagement with your content, and with the stories that you tell and shake writer’s block ultimately if you start to listen to podcasts that are in weird niches and things that aren’t necessarily so relevant to your space.
Talia Wolf :
Do you have any recommendations filled podcasts that have nothing to do with marketing that inspire you or interest you?
Ross Simmonds:
Yeah. So How I Built This, I think it’s from MPR. It’s a great podcast that talks about the stories that entrepreneurs have taken to kind of create these businesses that are pretty much household names. Another one that I listened to on a regular basis is Invest Like the Best, which is a investor sell podcast, but he interviews people from all over the world and all kinds of different backgrounds, that’s a great one too. And it’s shaped again, probably that financial lens that I’ve been applying to the marketing side of things as well. Another area that I think can be used to shake writer’s book is communities and forums, right? I think there’s so much value that you can get from just talking to other people in your peer group or people in your space and bouncing ideas off of them.
Ross Simmonds:
So if someone is asking questions, if someone is throwing ideas out there in a community or a forum or you’re seeing what content is generating the most engagement in a certain community, you can use that to shake writer’s block too. I love when I go into a subreddit and I see somebody talking about something they’re having a problem with. And then rather than me just writing a response to their question or their challenge on that subreddit or that community, turning that into an entire blog post and turning that into an entire asset. And I think this is something that again is a great way to shake writer’s block. Don’t be afraid to get lost in the rabbit hole of a Discord community, a Telegram chat or a Slack channel or whatever that may be. Don’t be afraid to go into these forums and communities and look for people who have a problem and then try to answer it and then turn that into a piece of content that you can ultimately run with. Have you done that in the past? What are your thoughts on that as a whole?
Talia Wolf :
I love it. You and I talk a lot about the whole idea of research and forums and also the Facebook groups. They come up a lot when you and I talk and not for a bad reason, seriously, there’s just so much gold in these communities on Reddit and Facebook groups, even on Twitter and just seeing what people are asking for and what they’re concerned about, what they don’t really understand or what things don’t add up is a great, great approach. I love it. And I think I’ve done it once before where I’ve created content around this, but I think it’s a great idea. And I’m going to go and do that right now actually.
Ross Simmonds:
Nice. I dig it, I dig it. So I think this might be the one of the last ways that I can come up with, but if we have other ideas on how to shake writer’s block, let’s definitely dive into them. One is to just write about something that seems old. And what I mean by that is think about something that is an old idea. Something that you might’ve written about years ago, something that you’ve written off as not necessarily being a valuable idea anymore. And then just creating something about that.
Ross Simmonds:
I think there’s a lot of value in creating content about things that you personally just don’t think is that relevant because what’s going to happen is as you start to type away and you start to create that content, I believe your mind goes to a point where you start to think about, “Okay, this is how I used to think.” But as you start to flush out that idea, you start to realize, “Okay, there’s new learnings that you have gained between that time that you published this piece back in 2012 and how it looks today in 2020.” And as you start to create that content, the content itself is going to improve, and you’re going to write something that is new, that originally thought it was going to be old. So I think that’s another great way to write about or shake writer’s block.
Talia Wolf :
I love that because I thought you were going to go the whole route of dead channels. And I was like, “Well, I actually made an episode it [inaudible 00:10:38].”
Ross Simmonds:
Yeah.
Talia Wolf :
I love this. You know what you reminded me actually of another way that you can shake writer’s block? Again, me with the weird hacks. So what I have found to be super helpful is that you search for quotes on certain topics-
Ross Simmonds:
Cool.
Talia Wolf :
And try to debunk them. So you know all these crazy quotes about how things work or how to go about something, Ogilvy has so many quotes about marketing and whatever industry you’re in someone wrote a quote about it, whether if it’s golf clubs or if you run a membership program for iPhones, whatever it is, someone has written some type of quote and many quotes about your industry or about the type of product that you’re selling. And you can go in, find the most popular quote, even put it in your headline and then debunk it. And I found that to be very, very successful.
Ross Simmonds:
That’s awesome. I dig it. So I am going to cheat. I’m going to add one more way to shake writer’s block. And this is one that I think a lot of people, again, don’t embrace, but it is very powerful. Let’s say you’re in the mode. You’re ready to write. You’re ready to create some type of content. You’re ready to take over the world with this piece that you’re about to write, but then boom, writer’s block hits you. One of the ways that you can actually shake writer’s block is to step away from the keyboard, a rested mind and a mind that is just blank is actually a mindset that you want to have to come up with new ideas. That’s why everybody says, “it’s a cliche.” Everybody says that, “Oh, I get the best idea when I’m in the shower.” There is psychologically a reason why that is true.
Ross Simmonds:
It’s because when we’re in a shower, our mind is typically clear. And when our mind is clear, it allows a free flow of ideas and concepts that may be in our subconscious. So there’s typically ideas in our subconscious that aren’t necessarily in the forefront. And when we are blank in our mind, it allows them to kind of go to the forefront. And when they come to the forefront, it allows you to come up with ideas that you never even knew were inside of your head. So that is something that I also recommend that folks do.
Talia Wolf :
I love it. I think that’s amazing. And it’s such a good note to end this episode on. Thank you so much, everyone for listening. I want to actually recap everything that we spoke about today. All the tips that you can use to shake your writer’s block. So, number one, we said, read something new. So start by looking at different books and things that are interesting for you, you can go back. As Ross said, you could go back to 2009 and read books by people who wrote them then, and you can read new books now to get some ideas and you don’t have to stick to industry specific books. Another way you can do is essentially share personal stories, things that have happened to you throughout the day, that will inspire you to write a blog post or an email maybe, listen to podcasts and think about the different ways that you can share new tidbits and new tips that you’ve listened to.
Talia Wolf :
Then you can also use Ross and I’s favorite technique, which is going into forums and communities on Facebook, on Reddit, on Twitter. You can also write about something that seems old, which was one of my favorite techniques that you mentioned. And we also mentioned, what else? We have two things that we added. We had me saying, go and look at quotes and debunk those quotes. And lastly, step away from the keyboard, which I think is phenomenal.
Ross Simmonds:
That’s it. I love it. So those are some of the ways that you can shake writer’s block. I hope everyone enjoyed this episode of the Action Driven Podcast between myself, Ross Simmons and Talia Wolf. If you have not given us five star reviews on Apple, please do make some time to leave us a five star review. It keeps us fired up to want to record and make new episodes for you so please take the time to drop us a five-star review only on Apple. Feel free to subscribe on any of the famous platforms that podcasts are listened to. And also don’t forget to check us out. I know lots of call to actions with this episode, but the last one is this. Don’t forget to join our Facebook group. facebook.com/groups/actiondrivenpodcasts. We would love to connect with you there. Thank you so much for listening and we hope that you can hear us again soon. Cheers.
