We all experience creative droughts. Musicians get it. Writers get it. When you’re updating a blog on a regular basis you’re sure to come to a point where you really don’t know what to write about too.

So, to keep your ideas fresh and your inspiration running high grab a coffee and look over these ideas, let the caffeine run through your blood and you’ll be set for at least another few weeks.

Write Everything Down

“I’ll do it in the morning.” Ring any bells? It’s probably one of the worst things you can do. You’ll either forget to do it or if you do remember the effect most likely won’t be quite the same – and this doesn’t help with the whole ‘getting into the moment’ vibe you need.

Try making a list of things you want to write about and keep it on your phone or something that’s always available to you. When it comes to the actual writing you won’t be stuck for ideas and you can pick and choose what takes your fancy rather than having a last minute ‘stress’.

Read Every Day

Whether it’s the news or a magazine related to your industry, this will always give you ideas on what’s new and what people are interested in.

Think about the issues and how these affect people and look at potential solutions and discuss these.

Socialise Online

Take part in social media conversations with Twitter and Facebook to see what people are talking about in your sector and any problems they are facing. Pick one of these problems or conversations, research it (if you need to) and provide your findings in a blog post.

If one person is having a problem then hundreds or more probably are too and you can direct them straight to your blog post.

There are many other ways you can stay inspired and pull through creative blocks so you can keep you blog up to date so if you have any further ideas please feel free to add them below. Otherwise, it just leaves me to say Happy New Year!

Script

Jenny - Hi I’m Jenny, this is Danii and this is Sarah, and we are the Content Writing Team at Creare.
Over the next few weeks we will be discussing the purposes of writing and distributing Press Releases. This will include How To Write A Successful Press Release, How To Incorporate SEO Into Your Press Release and lastly How To Distribute Your Press Release for successful online marketing.
We will begin by discussing how to get the most out of your online content marketing with How To Write A Successful Press Release.
Firstly, the two main reasons for writing a press release are to expand your presence online and improve your brand through online communication.

Danii – So, what is a press release? Well, many people know it is an industry specific piece of writing that is newsworthy and promotional.
A press release considers the following points:
Industry Specifics – This applies to your company or your industry as a whole.
Newsworthy - Your release can take two approaches:
Current events that are relevant to your companies promotions, products or services.
And current affairs. Look at what is recent in the press that applies to your industry and explain how you can provide solutions to these current situations.
Following these points, you can research and write your press release, with what you want to achieve in mind.

Sarah - So, now that Danii has covered what a press release is, I will inform you how to kick start writing your press release starting with one of the most important aspects for attracting your readers; your title and sub headline.
There are three things to remember when devising your title;

1. Must be attention grabbing and concise. More people are proven to read headlines that are short and snappy than those that contain too much information.
2. It must be relevant.  This is particularly important for releases to receive good responses. Readers dislike being deceived so make sure you give in your main body what you promise in your title.
3. Make it key word rich. This is vital for SEO purposes for both the title and main body and we will cover this more in our next blog.

Jenny - Thanks Sarah,
So, the bulk of your Press Release will be incorporated into the main body. When planning the structure of your press release there are a few things to need to consider.
Starting with the first paragraph, you need to lay down your 5 W’s – what, where, when, who, why.
Next, give a concise overview of the products and services you offer and how this is beneficial to your consumers.
Finally make your release punchy. Avoid any jargon that may not be understood by people out of your industry, being careful not to sound patronising.  It is important to cater for a whole range of audiences.
By following a structure you will never miss important factors that come together to make a successful press release.

Danii -Other elements to add into your Press release are quotes and statistics.
These can give you more authority when people read your press release. Readers will see that you have taken the time to gather facts and figures BUT ensure these are from relevant sources not just opinions from blogs.
Quotes also add a human element that readers can relate too. Ensure you have quoted someone in a senior position or someone that is a specialist in the subject you’re referring to.
Quotes and statistics give more substance to your Press Release and often make it seem more credible than simply an article that is trying to pass for something more.

Sarah - So, if you put together everything we’ve discussed today, you will not only find your press releases easier to write, but should find they receive the recognition they deserve.
Next week we will advise you on how to make your written press release SEO friendly to help you get to the top of the search engines.