Blogs are one of the ultimate tools—used by indie and traditional authors alike—to market books. It’s the key to creating a community, engaging your supporters and fans, and boosting your expertise as a professional in the publishing world. Bonus? It gives you fresh content to promote on your social media sites and keeps your writing chops well practice.
But with such an emphasis on using your blog as a promotion tool, don’t crack under the pressure to keep your followers entertained. Writing a blog should be fun, a chance to share your passions and personality, and an easy opportunity to reach out and bond with fellow readers and writers about what we all do best. Don’t sweat it when you think you have nothing new to write about. Here are a few tips to keep your brainstorming gears well oiled:
1. Keep up with what others are talking about.
Don’t feel like your blog should be solely about your book. Always be on the lookout when you’re trolling Facebook and Twitter feeds, news sites, NPR, and the evening news for current trends and breaking updates.
Be ready to jump into a conversation when you find a hot topic related to you or the topics in your book! If you’re writing a crime novel, share your thoughts on well-known or ongoing cases hitting the media. This is a great way to add variety to your posts, keep your blog on top of search engines, and attract new readers.
2. Follow blogger idols.
By reading other bloggers who are established as professionals in the industry, you are able to stay up-to-date on the buzz inside the publishing world.
Find inspiration from fantastic blog posts that already speak to your readership. If it interests you, it’ll catch the eyes of your readers, too. It’s important to stay informed and use what the greats deem “important” to cultivate your own opinions on related topics.
3. Pay attention to your own search engine.
Keep a list of questions and topics you personally want to know more about. Odds are you aren’t the only one unfamiliar with an idea and seeking answers. When you’re stumped, pick from this list and start researching.
Gain some expertise on new E-book companies or crowd-funding tips and run with it. During your search, pay attention to new angles or interesting turns your mind takes, and let it guide you into a new blog post.
4. Shout out about a great book you’ve just read.
As writers, we would be shocked to find out you’re not readers, too! Sing the praises of and support fellow authors, and then when it’s your turn for support, you’ll have a set of writerly allies who will spread word of your book and blog around the reading community.
As you develop possible ideas inspired by these tips, write them down and keep a running document when tomorrow’s writer’s block puts your new blog post on hold.
Bloggers, what ideas do you turn to when you find inspiration for your blog a bit low?
