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Fresh content keeps your website interesting to potential clients but is also much loved by the Google spiders which helps you to rank better in internet searches.
For these reasons, blogging has become crucial to the online efforts of many photographers and creative spirits.
But like most things that we know are good for us, sometimes we don’t do it as much as we should.
Or more likely, you blog like crazy for a while but then editing, practicing and general blog burn out sets in and your weekly posts turn to monthly and pretty soon you sound like a major cooperation with their quarterly or semi-annual reports.
If you are in this predicament, don’t fret. You are not alone.
Peruse any number of blogs and you’ll see that many people have dips in their output. In fact, look at my photography site and you’ll see a painfully long gap between posts during this past summer.
I’m writing this not because I’m perfect at regular blog posts but because I know what it’s like to fall off the blogging wagon and what it takes to get back going again.
Here are 4 steps to getting yourself out of your blogging slump:
Step 1: Figure our what happened
If you were blogging regularly and then you stopped, identify what was the wrench that mucked up your blogging gears.
In my case, when I look back at this summer, I realized that I changed my sales process and stopped doing sneak peeks.
Before, I would do the shoot, process a 10 or 15 of my favorites and then blog about the shoot within a few days of the session.
When I stopped doing the sneak peeks, my process got out of whack. I started to wait until after the sales session to blog.
By that time I had moved on to new sessions and wasn’t really present to the details and excitement of the original session. My post got robotic and lame so it’s no surprise that my output dropped.
Stop and look at your process, figure out what was working and then what happened to disrupt your flow.
Step 2: Create a simple solution to smooth out the kinks above
Once the bumps in your road have been identified, figure out a simple solution.
If the solution doesn’t come to you, ask around.
I knew about my problem for a month or so but couldn’t figure out how to get out of it.
When I mentioned it to a fellow togger (is that a nice word) at a photographer meetup I organize and he off-handedly said “well why don’t you write about the session right away but then don’t post it until after the sales session?”
Doh!! Never even considered that and now it works great.
So if you can’t figure out a simple solution to your blogging block, keep talking to people until you find someone that can.
Step 3: Blogging boot camp
You need a kick start.
The good news is that since you have been avoiding the blank screen you must have a slew of sessions and topics to write about.
No way around this except to just do it. Sit down and write three or four posts.
You aren’t looking to create blogging masterpieces but rather to get the creative juices flowing and rediscover your voice.
It won’t be hard, but it will take more then one or two posts. My suggestion is to pick the 3, 4 or 5 sessions or topics that most interest you and take an afternoon to write them all at once.
If you have done a decent job of identifying and addressing the problems (steps 1 and 2) then you’ll find your words will flow once again.
Step 4: Re-create your schedule
Every expert on blogging will tell you that creating and following a writing schedule is key to success and longevity.
Take a few moments to write down the topics you want to discuss over the next few months and create time in your calendar. Also add in some time to address the bumps that you identified above.
What other things help you stay motivated to keep blogging? Leave a comment and let us know.
Joey Chandler is a San Francisco Photographer. When he isn’t photographing weddings and families, Joey is organizing monthly photography meetups and learning about all things construction from his 4 year old son. Currently, he is saving up to take his wife on a vacation to Bali.
