Editor’s note: This post was written by Melinda Osteen, a blogger and an editor who features the latest blogging trends in her articles and intends to share her knowledges with young specialists. She works as a writing expert and an editor at Papersgear writing service.
You put a lot of work in promoting your blog. SEO strategies and marketing techniques are an important part of blog maintenance, but technicalities cannot replace state-of-the-art content. Attracting more traffic to your blog is important, but you need to keep those readers coming back by presenting high-quality creative blog content.
Since the Internet is flooded with all types of content, it’s difficult to stand out with innovation and creativity. Nevertheless, you can’t fight ideas that keep coming out of nowhere. The following blogging tips will help you maintain your creativity on high levels.
- Practice through freewriting
Have you ever heard of freewriting? It means focusing on your ideas and writing down your thoughts, without paying attention to grammar, spelling, or logic. Sit down and don’t force yourself to think about anything specific; just write anything you can think of. This technique is supposed to get your ideas flowing, so you will probably find motivation for a blog post somewhere along the way.
- Take lots of notes
You can’t plan when to get creative. An idea can come in the shower, in a pub, or in your sleep. You should always be ready to note those ideas somehow. Use a note taking app on your smartphone, and keep notebooks and pens in the kitchen, in the bathroom, next to your bed, on the desk, and all other places you can think of.
- Brainstorm
If you want to boost your creativity, the first thing to learn is that you need to pay attention to every single idea you get. Repeat this mantra: “there are no bad ideas”! When you get a random inspiration for a blog post (it has to be associated to your niche, though), write it down and observe your thoughts.
- Make mind maps
Mind maps may seem like a waste of time, but they have great effects upon your personal blogging style. When you spend a lot of time online, it’s easy to get inspired by someone else’s work. The mind map will prevent you from following their format.
The best way to construct a mind map is to focus on its visual aspect. There are great websites and apps you can use for such purpose, but the good-old colored pens work just as well. Write keywords that come to your mind, jot down the topic in no particular order, and add some images. Then, you can come back to the map and organize it to make more sense.
- Take opposing viewpoints as inspiration
You have presented your opinions through every published blog post. Your readers acknowledge your viewpoint, but some may disagree on a particular point. Take a creative approach to the whole issue: dissect the opposing positions, compare them to your own stand and inspire a discussion.
- Collaborate with other bloggers
There is a hot topic trending in your niche? Team up with a blogger or two, have a collaborative brainstorming session and inform you readers through regular posts. By becoming part of a blogging community, your posts will reach a greater audience that will keep your creative flow moving.
- Get creative with image captions
Visual content is very important for the appeal of your blog. However, the effect will be much greater if you can think of funny or awkward captions for the images you feature. This is a great opportunity to infuse your humorous side into the post.
- Show some old photos
If you have a personal connection with your audience, then it would be fun to share some interesting old photos that show your progress. Share a new (but old!) picture each week, and include an interesting story of that period of your life. Try to motivate your readers through personal experiences.
- Publish success stories
If you inspire just one of your readers with your journey towards success, you will accomplish your mission as a blogger. What choices led you to the current point of your life? Which obstacles did you have to surpass? Who and what inspired you along the way? Don’t try to script a story; share the real struggles that send a meaningful message.
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- Make memes
No matter how silly they seem, memes are fun when they showcase the reality through sharp sarcasm. If you can think of a fun meme that presents the reality of your blogging niche, you’ll have a great chance of going viral. Remember: creativity is especially important when it comes to memes, so don’t even think of copying someone else’s idea.
- Publish interviews
If you have an opportunity to interview an industry specialist who has a lot to say, use it! Don’t try to attract the “big players in the industry”. Look for opportunities behind the scenes; you can get valuable insight from people who haven’t gotten their share of fame yet.
Also read: How to Use Interviews & Collaboration to Boost Traffic & Sales Online
- Make some videos
YouTube didn’t make blogs unnecessary; it took them a step further. If you have an established base of regular readers, they will surely want to hear you talk and see how you look like. Make the videos fun and introduce the topics before you take your readers to a more elaborate post.
- Make lists
They never get old! As long as you keep the lists creative and stay away from the points all other bloggers suggest, you’ll get a lot of attention with a list post. Try to think of unusual or even controversial topics that will spark up a discussion.
- A reader wrote you a letter? Respond publicly.
If a reader sent you a mail with thoughtful opinions, it would be smart to respond publicly. Be careful not to share something personal and offend the reader with sarcastic comments. Publish mails that feature meaningful questions, share interesting viewpoints, or add some drama to a hot topic. Then respond with an open letter and be ready to deal with the attention you get.
- What would happen if a famous character worked in your industry?
What if Audrey Hepburn was a makeup artist? What if George Bush was a programmer? How would Nikola Tesla watch the Super Bowl? There are endless opportunities for creative posts; just think of a famous character and place him in the niche you cover.
Now that you got some ideas on creative blog writing, you only need to get the work done! It’s easy to lose your blogging mojo, but it’s not impossible to get the inspiration back on track. Explore new opportunities to get creative; your readers will enjoy!