When Writing Is Like Pulling a 10-Ton Truck…

Let’s be honest. Even prolific writers have bad days when they can’t seem to hit their stride. Not to mention business owners who avoid writing unless they have to!

Sometimes the words just flow. (Isn’t that the best?) And other times… well.

So what do you do when writing feels like pulling a 10-ton truck? How do you prime the pen and get the ink flowing?

Here are three ideas that work like a charm…

Idea #1: Get your market to ask you questions.

One of the best ways to break writer’s block and grease the mental skids is to ask your market what questions they have… what challenges they currently face.

This process is magical because it’s waaay easier to answer a question than it is to write something from a standing start.

In the case of a sales letter, you might try writing a Frequently Asked Questions page first. Portions of what you write here can then be rewritten to fit with your copy.

Idea #2: See what other people have written about your subject.

Also called competitive research!

This is super-easy to do with the help of Google. Just type in “articles about [your topic]” and see what pops up. You’ll be amazed by how many ideas you can get in under five minutes.

If you’re writing a sales letter, just look up your competitors. See what their ads say. Then look up old ads that have run in your market. After you’ve perused a few samples, your internal idea mill will start grinding away.

Key point: Do NOT copy another person’s article or sales letter! All you want to do is absorb ideas from a variety of sources — and then synthesize it all into something that is original.

Idea #3: Spend some time reading oddball stuff.

This may seem counterintuitive. But sometimes you just need to give your brain a rest from whatever you’re trying to write.

Go pick up a book about a subject you wouldn’t normally be interested in. Read a few pages or a whole chapter.

What you may find is that your brain starts to relate your current writing project to what you’re reading. And once you start making those creative connections — seeing how normally unrelated things connect — you’ll be off to the races and writing like a mad man (or woman!).

Next time you find yourself struggling to write, put these ideas to the test. I think you’ll be pleased with the results.

– Ryan

P.S. Want more in-depth copywriting lessons like these? Then check out Copywriting Code here.