What's Inside the Blog
You’ve got major work to do on your brand’s content marketing strategy, but the idea creation, the inspiration, and most importantly, the words just aren’t coming.
Whether you’re a professional copywriter, a freelance content writer, or just the person at your company in charge of your brand’s content, you’re probably all too familiar with writer’s block.
The good news? Writer’s block isn’t new, and you’re certainly not the only person who’s ever struggled with it. The bad news? Writer’s block has no one-size-fits-every-circumstance cure, which means you’re probably going to deal with it for the rest of your life.
I’ve been dealing with writer’s block for as long as I can remember. And while it’s definitely not a big deal, it becomes a little more dramatic when, you know, you write for a living. That means I rarely have the time, the resources, or the luxury just to shrug off writer’s block and ditch whatever I’m working on for a later date.
And if you’re a writer with people depending on you and deadlines creeping in, you probably know the feeling.
So, what can you do to push through writer’s block without disappointing your audience, writing absolute junk, or losing your mind?
Over the years, I’ve developed a few tricks that get me through even the most absurd writer’s block–I hope they work for you, too.
8 Tips for Conquering Copywriting Writer's Block
Don't Be Afraid to Draft an Outline
This might seem like high school English class advice, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve avoided major writer’s block by outlining my thoughts. Sometimes, the issue isn’t that you can’t write; it’s that you have too many ideas swirling around in your head to start.
That overwhelm can lead some writers to freeze up and think they can’t put anything down. If you take the outline approach, you can let every idea pour out of your head and onto a computer screen, where it’s much easier to start sorting things out.
Now, let all those ideas be your guide. Take what you’ve come up with an outline everything in a way that makes sense. That way, by the time you’re ready to start writing, you’ve built yourself a little roadmap for if and when you get off track again.
Talk to Yourself About the Topic
Yep, I’m advising you to talk to yourself. Scary, I know. If you’re not a person who does this anyway, this might feel like a weird approach. But once you get past the awkward feeling of speaking out loud to yourself, you’ll probably find this helpful.
Sit down and have an honest conversation with yourself about what you’re trying to write about. Ask yourself questions that might seem to have an obvious answer, like:
- What’s the point of writing about this topic?
- What am I honestly trying to say?
- What are the major takeaways I want readers to get from this topic?
- What’s the goal of this piece of content?
If you’re not interested in talking to yourself about this, try talking to a friend, a colleague, or whoever you’re comfortable bouncing ideas off of. Tell them about what you’re writing and address those questions I mentioned above.
Odds are, by the time you’re halfway through explaining (to yourself or to someone else), you’ll have found some inspiration–or at least a jumping-off point.
Ditch Brand Voice for a Hot Sec
Sometimes writer’s block is less about the topic and more about how you’re supposed to deliver it. If you’re struggling to write in a brand’s voice and it’s throwing you off your game, try ditching the idea of brand voice altogether on the first draft.
Say what you need to say, get the outline written out, and take a stab at your first draft of something. You can even edit and adjust all the information as needed before going back in and infusing brand voice.
Normally, I’m a big fan of writing in a brand’s voice from the start, but if I’m really stuck and struggling, it helps to get all the info out first, then come back in and add a little brand voice spice after the fact.
Write Without Stopping–Edit After
This advice is in the same vein as the advice I just mentioned. If you find yourself stuck with writer’s block, try to remove some of the obstacles getting in the way of you getting started. If you’re writing a few sentences, then going back to edit, then getting stuck (rinse, repeat), you should try writing everything down as it comes to you. Think of it as stream-of-consciousness writing.
No, you’re likely not going to turn in this version to your clients, but this exercise can help get the ball rolling and the creative juices flowing. Once you remove the pressure of perfect copy on the first (or even second or third) try, you can cut the expectations and just do what you do best–write.
Stephen King once said, “To write is human. To edit is divine.”
As a copywriter who’s frequently dealing with writer’s block, I couldn’t agree more. Let your human nature take the reigns for a bit, and let inspiration (or whatever it might be) lead the charge. Then, go back in to edit after the fact.
Look for Other Sources of Inspo
Tell me if you’ve ever been in this –you’re staring at your client’s website, brand voice guide, or social media, just waiting for inspiration to strike, but it doesn’t come. Maybe you’ve been in this one–you’ve researched a topic to death and could likely be an expert on it, but you’re still not able to write about it.
If these circumstances are familiar to you, I implore you to stop reaching for the same sources of inspiration and look elsewhere. Read a book. Listen to music. Look at art you admire. Take a walk outside.
As humans, we believe that inspiration comes from everywhere. As writers, we force ourselves to believe inspiration comes from our source material.
What makes you think you can’t find inspiration and motivation to write a topic for content marketing outside?
If you’re a person who’s inspired by things other than your source material, allow yourself the benefit of leaning into that.
Think About the Audience (Not Yourself)
If you’re genuinely stuck on a topic, and you don’t know where to start, you’re probably taking a self-centered approach to writing.
Don’t misinterpret me; writing is actually inherently focused on the self (you’re the one writing, you’re the one flexing your abilities, and you’re the one delivering a product to a client). But that doesn’t mean all that self-focus can’t get in your way sometimes.
If you want to disrupt your writer’s block, try focusing less on yourself and more on your audience. And by that, I mean to be direct about what your audience wants out of this content. Why should they care about this content? What is it doing for them? What do they care about, in the grand scheme of things, and how does this content deliver that?
Answering these questions and taking the focus (and pressure) off of yourself can put a huge dent in your writer’s block, eventually opening up the floodgates.
Take a Break
This isn’t groundbreaking advice, but if you’re struggling with writer’s block and you have the time, step away from the computer and stop thinking about the project. If you have the luxury, sleep on it.
Sometimes, our writer’s block kicks in when we’re not giving ourselves the space to be creative or thoughtful. Taking a break–whether it’s 5 minutes or 5 days–gives us the chance to reset, refocus, and look at our content creation through fresh eyes.
Start Somewhere Other Than the Beginning
If your writer’s block is characterized by not knowing how to start, I challenge you to answer this–why are you so worried about starting? Intros are a big deal. They’re the first few lines that are supposed to hook the audience–and that’s a lot of pressure.
Sometimes, that pressure can be so overwhelming our brains feel like they stop working. That little freeze can have bigger implications, like not making your deadline, letting your clients down, and disappointing yourself, too.
Here’s a little hack to trick your brain–stop worrying about starting at the beginning.
Sure, introductions are tough, but don’t let that stall your progress. Forget the beginning; start with something simple that you know you can tackle, like the call to action. Who said you couldn’t start at the end or the middle of your project?
Write what you can, let the creativity flow, and then come back after you’re revved up and try to tackle that intro.
Kick Copywriting Writer's Block to the Curb
Are you a copywriter or content writer struggling with writer’s block? We’ve been there. The Boundless Copy team is always here to help with motivation, tips, and insight for beating writer’s block and getting the job done.
Have other freelance writing questions? We can tackle those, too. Reach out to us at any time for more advice, inspo, and helpful tips to help you conquer copywriting.
If you’re a business owner, marketing director, or brand manager who’s trying to tackle copywriting tasks on top of everything else you do, it might be time to call in the professionals.
Hiring a pro copywriter has lots of benefits–one of the biggest being that you don’t have to deal with writer’s block anymore. Call the Boundless team to take writer’s block off the table permanently (we’ll handle the copywriting stuff from here).
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