I’m going to hazard a wild guess that since you’ve clicked on a link about stress free blogging, you find blogging stressful. Is that a fair assumption? The source of your stress could be the idea of getting your blog started in the first place. It could also be that you’ve got started but are finding it tough to keep going. I get it. I’m fundamentally lazy and will only work hard at something if it’s absolutely necessary. For me, the only things that fall into that category are strategic planning, client work and keeping my accounts straight. Even writing for clients gets easier as I get to know them better. Writing my own blog is about as stress free as you can get.
The thing is, if something causes you stress you’re more likely to dump it sooner rather than later. (At least, I hope you are.) But blogging doesn’t need to be stressful. You might never love writing blogs as much as I do but there’s no reason why you can’t have some fun with it.
Remember who you’re talking to
Knowing who you want to reach with your blog makes it about a million times easier than going in without a clear idea. The reason I refer to it as ‘talking’ is because it is a bit like a conversation, if a very one sided one. Writing a blog when you know what your audience is interested in is like having a chat with someone you already know. Compare that to doing a talk to 500 people you’ve never met before = loads more stress.
If you can relax and imagine the kind of person you’re talking to, your stress level drops. You can write in a way that feels natural to you.
Pick your topic
It’s a good idea to come up with a few potential topics before you plan to start writing. You can find some suggestions for ways to do that here. Then just mull it over for a bit. Which topic would benefit your customers? Is there something you particularly want to tell them about? Could you remove an obstacle that’s preventing someone from becoming a customer?
When you’ve chosen a topic, break it down. Take your time and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What knowledge do they already have and what don’t they know? Break it down into smaller subsections. Doing it this way means you can tackle each section at your own pace, which means, you guessed it – less stress.
Get fired up
When it comes to actually writing, stop being logical and just write. Your blog is your chance to talk about something that really matters to you. Enthusiasm is infectious so get excited and let people know why they need to know about this stuff. You might be thinking that the results of writing from your gut might not be too professional. I won’t say it doesn’t matter, because it does. If you want people to trust you as a professional you can’t be completely chaotic. But professional, or even formal, does not mean dull. Churning out bland content will only get boring for you and the reader. You don’t get the results you want and wonder why you’re going through all this stress for nothing.
The key thing to remember is that you can always edit. Write your first draft without putting any restrictions on yourself, then read it back. If there’s anything that won’t work for your audience, you can change it and no-one else will ever know.
If you want to get started blogging put need a push in the right direction, you can sign up for my blogging challenge using the form below. Over 5 days I’ll take you through 5 simple tasks that will leave you with a stress free, finished blog by the end of the week.