This happens to me from time to time, and now that my readership is growing, sometimes I do panic a bit if it’s been a few days since my last post and I haven’t a clue what to right about next.

I’ve gotten better as of late because of some techniques that alleviate my “blogger’s block”.

1) Go Off-Topic & Post Something Fun

When you have a loyal following, they don’t mind as much when you have an off-topic post every now and then. 

In fact, people often enjoy a break and it gives you a chance to showcase your personality and/or other interests.

That’s sort of what I did with my last post, If You Had a Website in 1998… It wasn’t completely off topic, but definitely different from the kind of posts I normally publish here.

However, if your blog is very new and you have a small following, I wouldn’t recommend going off topic much in the beginning.  Let your readership and blog identity grow first.

2) Wait Until You Have Something Interesting to Say

When I first started blogging, I felt compelled to post something new, just because it had been 5 or 6 days since my last post.

What I’ve learned is that it’s much better to wait until you have something useful to say than to blog just for the sake of blogging.

I’m sure the majority of your readers would rather wait an extra 2 or 3 days for a useful post than for you to publish something that is low in quality.

3)  Do Your Homework

Sometimes when I don’t have anything to blog about, it’s because I haven’t been reading the latest news in my industry and the blogs I subscribe to.

I often get ideas for my topics by reading other blogs.  I don’t copy the posts, of course, but I may take a topic and re-develop it with a different spin.

For example, as soon as Yaro Starak released Blog Mastermind, it seemed everyone started reviewing it on their blogs.

(And who would blame them? Yaro gave away high-end prizes for the top affiliates and he pays a $48 residual commission for every blog coaching sign-up.)

So instead of just writing a regular review on the book like so many others had done, I downloaded Blog Mastermind, took a single point from the book and expanded upon that. 

This evolved into the post, Most Bloggers are Poor Marketers.

4) Keep Blog Notes

Sometimes blog ideas will pop into my head when I’m not at my computer. Rather than relying on my memory, I’ll quickly jot it down on paper and transfer it to my “Blog Notes” file that I keep on my computer.

Now when I’m ready to write my next blog post, I have a selection of topics to choose from that I can develop.

If it’s a post that will take time to develop, I often fire up WordPress, type the key points and save the draft for later.

5) Highlight What’s Free

A great way to build credibility on your blog is to direct your readers to relevant quality products and services.  If they happen to be free, that’s even better!

If you can’t think of anything to blog about, make a list of some quality, relevant resources and publish them on your blog.  Good quality freebies never go out of style.

6) Get Some Rest

I’ve noticed a direct correlation between how rested I am and my writing quality. When I’m well-rested, ideas flow all over the place.

When I’m tired, sometimes even the smallest tasks like answering emails can be a challenge.

Rest is so important to the creative sector of your brain. And if you work on your site or blog full-time like I do, it becomes especially important because we have a tendency to take fewer breaks because our work is always accessible to us.

I know people who place alarm clocks on their desks to remind them to take frequent breaks. It’s easy to lose track of time and nothing for me to sit here for hours at a time without realizing it.

It’s good to love your job like that, but not necessarily the best for your health and creativity. Give yourself a break! (In fact, I’m going to take a walk right after this post. It’s a beautiful day!)

Don’t Announce You Haven’t Posted in a While

I’ve seen many bloggers post apologies or announcements about their inactivity and I’m not sure why they do it. If you don’t have anything to write about, won’t it be obvious by the fact you haven’t posted anything?

And if your slump only lasts a couple of days, chances are, most people won’t even realize it anyway.

Of course, there’s always the exception to this. If you have a regular posting schedule and a large following who awaits your posts on certain days, then you may want to inform them that you’re taking a break — especially if it’s a longer break than usual.

However, for the average blog, this is not usually necessary.

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The next time you have blogger’s block, hopefully you’ll be able to put some of these techniques to use. Don’t fret. It’s something almost all bloggers go through from time to time. I think it just comes with the territory.

I hear a lot of people say, “I’m not creative enough to build an interesting site (or blog).” And while I believe creativity comes easier for some than others, there are ways you spark creativity into your site or blog whether you feel you have that special gene or not.

1. Get Involved In Your Niche

What I mean is you need to go where your audience goes. If your site is about golf, you should have several golf-related forums, blogs, sites, etc. bookmarked that you frequent.

You need to know about the questions, problems, and concerns that your audience face so you can write about them and provide help and resolutions for them. The more connected your site is to your target audience, the more successful it will be.

The world is forever changing, so you should continue to read and research the latest topics and developments in your niche. That’s your responsibility as a Webmaster if you want to keep your audience interested and hungry for more.

2. Be Funny, Relax & Admit The Boo-Boo’s

Too many Webmasters take themselves too seriously. You’ll be amazed at how a joke or two can lighten up your site and give your audience a glimpse of your personality.

And don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. It shows people you really are human and are not afraid to admit you can be wrong.

When I launched my book Untold AdSense Facts, I posted the wrong download link on my blog. I corrected it, but followed up with another post that included a light apology.

Not only was the follow-up post a very subtle and creative way to promote the book again, but it showed my audience I’m not afraid to admit I goofed up.

3. It’s Great to Admire Other Successful Webmasters, But…

Many Webmasters spend so much time trying to mimic other successful people in their niche, they don’t allow themselves to tap into their own creativity.

Coming up with your own ideas and implementing them is what makes being a Webmaster so rewarding. So if you find yourself copying off others, you’re robbing yourself of one of the greatest pleasures of owning a site or blog.

Hopefully you chose your niche because you are passionate and interested in it. So while it’s great to get ideas from books, articles, your competition etc., use them as a launching pad to help develop your own.

Don’t just take someone’s work and rephrase it. Use the general idea and make it better in your own words. I bet you’re more creative than you give yourself credit for.

4. Move Around

I rarely write from the same location. Sometimes I’m sprawled out on the couch, other times I’m lying in bed. One day I could be at my local Starbucks sipping a Caramel Frap and another day I might be sitting in front of a window in my Lazy Boy recliner letting the sunlight pour into my soul.

I’ve found that different places inspire different ideas. And just like with anything else in life, you need change. So don’t be afraid to switch things up. You’ll be surprised at how it influences your creativity.

5. Check Your Email

A lot of my content is inspired by questions I receive via email. I figure if someone is emailing me about it, there are probably others who have the same questions.

One question could spark an idea for a very useful and informative article. Not to mention it could be a timesaver down the line. Instead of answering the same question over and over again, simply point the curious party to your article.

6. Take Five!

I’ll be the first to tell you I can spend hours in front of a computer. But I do notice I get sluggish after a certain amount of time, so I make a point to take frequent breaks.

If I have writer’s block I may go workout at the gym or watch TV for a bit. It’s amazing at how 15-20 minutes of doing something else can recharge your batteries. You’ll come back to the computer refreshed and ready to write again!

7. Need An Attitude Adjustment?

How do you feel about updating your site or blogging? Does it feel like it’s a chore all the time? If so, then you’ve either chosen the wrong topic or perhaps this Internet thing is not for you.

If you’re just getting started and are already complaining about all you don’t know and have to learn then you are setting yourself up for a mental failure.

Part of being creative and successful is believing you can be!

8. Just Do It!

Sometimes I’ll have an idea for an article, but I’m not sure what direction to take. I’ve found the best cure for that is to just start writing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how you’re going to end the article, just get your ideas down.

You begin piecing, cutting, pasting, re-wording and before you know it, your article is nearly done! Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, and once you begin, you realize you’re half way home.