7 Unique Ways to Overcome Common Blogging Obstacles

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This is a guest post by Mitch O’ Conner. Should you wish to write for this blog, check out the guest post guidelines.

Previously, Lye covered three common obstacles bloggers face and offered a few solutions. The problems outlined in that post are issues that I struggle with as well. However, research, relaxation, and remembering the six P’s – proper prior planning prevents poor performance – have helped me come up with some unique ways to combat these problems.

Fear and Procrastination:

Stop wondering “What if ___ happens?” or letting procrastination hold you back. Instead:

1. Create a Plan for Your Content

Outline your content plan on a spreadsheet in four columns: Article Title, Publication Date, Resources, and Completion Date. In the leftmost column, list the titles of posts you want to write in the future. In the next column to the right, set a proposed date for publication. The third column is for a list of URLs, books, newspaper articles, social media links and other resources that will benefit each post. The fourth and final column simply represents whether or not you have completed and uploaded your post.

If you cover many different topics on your blog, create a different tab for each category. For instance, say you like to blog about holiday-themed costumes and accessories. Create two tabs – one for Costumes and the other for Accessories. The Article Titles on the Costumes tab could contains entries such as Zombie Costume Creation and Superhero Costume Ideas, along with proposed publication dates, resources and dates of completion. The Accessories tab could contain post ideas such as Affordable Christmas Lights, Hand-Painted Easter Eggs, and so on.

2. Stick to a Schedule

Now that you have a content plan in place, complete with resources for each proposed article, it’s time to set a schedule and stick with it as best you can. Try to be as specific as possible – don’t let deadlines stress you out, but try to aim for publishing at specific times of the day. Also, if you’re aiming for volume, schedule in some time-saving techniques. For example, if you plan on posting twice daily, you can use guest posts in addition to your own posts to free up some time. With that extra time, you can write more articles to be posted in the future. This will help keep your schedule manageable and flexible.

Writer’s block:

3. Go Easy on Yourself

Writer’s block can be frustrating, depressing and aggravating. However, you’ll find that being tough on yourself for having a block doesn’t make the block go away; in fact, it can make the block last longer. So, keep calm and try a few writer’s block-smashing techniques. According to writers at the University of Richmond, freewriting helps dispel writer’s block. Write or type whatever comes to mind, no matter what it is, for one to ten minutes. Freewriting allows you to at least get something on the page, which can be a huge hurdle to overcome (also, you might just come up with some great ideas). Relaxation can also help alleviate writer’s block, both mental and physical. So…

4. Do Something Else for a While

Take a stroll outside if the weather permits, read a newspaper or book for a few minutes, put away the dishes, do a load of laundry, or play with your pets. Just do something other than think about writing. Perform some yoga stretches, call and talk to a friend, or play a game. Engage in an unstructured activity to loosen up, and after a while your mind may be ready to revert back to a focused state, ready for more structured writing.

Lack of traffic:

5. Get Involved in Forums

Find the most popular forums for your areas of expertise and become an active member. Forums present opportunities for networking with other bloggers in related niches, and possibly finding affiliates. The more often you post on forums, the more likely forum members are to visit your blog, especially if your posts are insightful or funny. Search the forums for questions, and answer the ones that others have answered poorly or not at all – give the inquirer information that isn’t easily found. Use anecdotes or humor if appropriate, and give them links to your own blog for more information when applicable. Speaking of answering questions…

6. Use Yahoo Answers

Yahoo Answers is great, not just for answering questions and driving targeted traffic to your blog, but also because people can vote for the best answer (hopefully yours). As with forums, browse for questions that you can answer thoroughly, as well as questions where you can link to one of your blog posts for more information. It only takes a few minutes to answer questions, and you can answer several of them throughout the day.

7. Sell Something at Fiverr

Fiverr is a website where you can buy or sell a number of products and services for just $5 each. Fiverr members earn $5 by offering a number of things: Recording their voices for business answering machines, creating custom icons with company logos, selling hand-painted holiday greeting cards, and writing an in-depth report on certain topics.

For instance, you can pull together facts, figures, charts and your own insights about a niche into a report. Then, simply sell it for $5. Include a link to your blog in the report – the link could even lead to a landing page or squeeze page if you choose. Ask satisfied buyers to leave comments on Fiverr that you can use as testimonials.

Author Bio: Mitch O’Conner is an online marketer and writer. When he’s not busy testing sites, generating traffic or writing content, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, watching TV, playing games or going camping.

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