How To Create Content When You Have Nothing To Say

If you feel the pressure to be a regular content creator, there will come a time when you feel like you have nothing left to say. Every idea falls flat, and you’ll likely rationalize that you’ve said it all before – so what is the point of even trying?

This is a trap.

This is the resistance to creating and it happens to everyone who creates regularly. There are some days when the ideas are plentiful. And, if you’re like me, there are also some days where you grapple to find something to write about.

When this content-writing block happens to me, there are 3 things I do to help myself get over the resistance:

1. Go for a walk.

When you step away from your desk and computer and get some fresh air, this change in state and space is often enough to prompt new ideas.  

Just this afternoon, when I did this, I realized there were a bunch of things I could write about. 

I noticed how one of my dogs, Sunshine, is always running ahead, eager and excited for the journey we are on. While Eddy, my other dog, lags behind, wanting to stop and smell everything. He puts his paw breaks on and refuses to budge unless I turn back towards the safety of home.

I have clients like this: some are full of ideas and have the passion and energy to move forward with zeal, and others are overwhelmed by their ideas and rarely make progress. 

I could write about this, but I digress.

The point is, going for a walk opens up the opportunity for you to observe things around you and consider how you might be able to turn those observations into something valuable for someone else. 

2. Read a book.

When you read a book, you’ll often notice that the metaphors are as plentiful as the words. It will inspire you to come up with ways to take someone else’s ideas and turn them into your own.

I am not talking about plagiarism here – I am talking about adapting and modifying a model or concept.

Right now, in Thought Readers, we are reading The One Page Marketing Plan. 

It’s a great book, and I’ve already taken the concept of a one-pager and applied it to my strategic marketing roadmap to help my clients prioritize. (I’ve also got some ideas on how you can brainstorm quarters worth of keyword-rich content ideas all on one page that… maybe I will write about later.)

3. Make a list of your firsts.

This concept first came to me from my friend and colleague Noah Fleming. He writes a Tuesday Tidbit each week and shares stories from his life. He suggests you make a list of all your firsts and consider how those stories could be used as content for your audience.

It could be things like: your first job, your first big failure, your first kiss, your first business, your first big money mistake, your first marketing failure, etc.

You get the idea, right? 

When you explore the first time you won or lost at something, there’s a story, a lesson, and some valuable insights you can share with someone else. 

I’ve written about the first and only time I was hired within 24 hours before, so I won’t bore you with that again. Except, I want to remind you that even the stories that happened when you were a kid are extremely valuable.

The overarching message that I want you to take away is this: 

When you feel the pressure to create, you stifle your creative juices. 

But when you choose to start (you can do anything for five minutes, right?) and explore things from a different point of view, you can avoid the trap of rationalization and instead, find yourself accidentally creating something of value.

What do you do when you are trying to create content but feel like you just don’t have anything left to say?