Lack of Content is a Lazy Excuse
Have you ever come across a blog whose latest, most recent post was published 1 month ago? 6 months ago? A year ago?
I have, several times, and it’s sad.
It’s sad because I know (like I’m sure most of you know too), just how much work it takes to get a blog up and running. And, once it’s up and running, how much work, time and dedication it takes to maintain it. I’m almost 100% sure that all of you who have blogs now or are planning to start a blog soon do not have “stop blogging” marked at any point on your calendars.
So the question is: why do bloggers stop blogging?
Well, it may be for a number of different reasons:
- Lack of time.
- Lack of energy.
- Lack of results.
- Lack of content.
- Moved on to bigger and better things.
I can only hope that #5 is the reason all of the blogs I’ve visited no longer produce content, but to really believe that would be erroneous.
A lack of time and energy I can understand.
Like I mentioned before, starting a blog is a big commitment, one that many people fail to realize exactly how much time and energy is required to care and nuture your blog until it grows into something awesome. Time is a constant and the number of hours in the day will never change, so that’s why when time becomes an issue, it’s the blog that gets put aside.
A lack of results I can understand too.
I really do believe that any struggling blog at any moment in time can make certain changes to eventually see results. However, I can understand how after a certain period of time, people may realize that what they’re doing isn’t really what they want to do. The “results” doesn’t always have to be income or traffic, it can be happiness and comfort. And thus, they’ll move on to the next project. I can respect that.
Lack of Content
I bolded this reason in the list above because this is the one that bothers me the most.
Why?
Because to me, it’s a cop out excuse. A lazy excuse. You should never have nothing to write about. There is always content to be written, and there are a million and one ways to write it.
We just have to be smart about how we approach what we write.
Every idea about any topic can be approached a number of different angles, giving you virtually an unlimited amount of blog posts you can write about.
Let’s take, for example, the topic of “house training your dog“. For those of you who don’t know what house training means, it’s basically teaching your pet to go potty in the correct spot (i.e. not on your carpet).
From this topic, we could obviously write a blog post entitled: How to House Train Your Dog. But, if you leave it at that you’re missing out on several other blog posts that you could write about on the same topic:
- 5 Tips Everyone Should Know About House Training Your Dog
- The ONE Mistake that Most People Make When House Training Their Dog
- An Interview with Steve Slater, Professional Dog Trainer, About House Training
- Special Tricks to House Train an Older Dog
- Case Study: My House Training Success Story
- How to House Train a Golden Retriever (or Maltese, Chihuahua, Labrador, etc.)
- Ask the Readers: What Did You Do to House Train Your Dog?
- Use This Homemade Scent to Help House Train Your Puppy
- How 5 Experts Suggest Praising Your Dog During House Training
I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. And it’s not like they are all talking about the same thing, even though they are about the same topic. Spaced out over a long period of time, these posts could actually make a great series of posts, or maybe even an eBook too.
So if you’re ever feeling like you’re running out of information to write about, don’t worry. You’ll just have to take some time to think of the different approaches the topics that you’re writing about or have already written.
For more about finding content to write about, I recommend checking out Glen Allsop’s post about generating a year’s worth of content in an hour. I’m sure he would agree with me when I say that “lack of content” is just a lazy excuse.
Have a good week everyone, and keep crushing it!
Posted on : May 17th, 2010
Related posts:
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- Content Without Design is Dumb
- Using Content Sites to Build Residual Income
- Niche Site Duel 003 – How to Setup a Niche Site: Before You Add Content
- Creating Passive Income is like Working Out
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89 Comments (Click Here to Leave a Comment Below)
I definitely agree. You can basically thinking of TONS of ways to spin content also.
Thanks for the tips!
No prob PA! Thanks for your comment, as always!
Well said Pat,
Being able to be consistent and persistent are what most newbie bloggers lack of. Bloggers who treat blogging as a serious business will find ways to keep their blog fill with contents. Not only just normal “plug-and-play” content but true quality one that will keep readers from flowing back to read.
It’s just like blog, after being a follower for sometime, I look forward to every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on what you will write.
cheers
I like how you mentioned that quality is important, because it does play a key role in the long lasting success of a blog. Cheers Daniel!
I have used the suggestions by Glen in his post and a similar idea from Erica.biz to generate tons of different new ideas and improve readership by making them more optimized for searching. My challenge now is organizing these ideas into an overall strategy that creates a foundation for my blog.
It’s always great to use inspiration from others to create something of your own. That’s how I got to this point, getting inspired by people like Darren and Yaro, and Sterling and Jay from internetbusinessmastery too. Keep it up Tyler, and thanks for your comment!
I followed a little tip that Darren Rowse mentioned at ProBlogger about making a schedule. Basically I mapped out the content for the posts I wanted to write for the next six months. Since I tried to post three times a week, that added up to 72 new posts. Provided you adhered to that schedule, you’d have enough content for 12 posts each month.
If you run out of content because you’re too lazy to look, well… maybe blogging isn’t for you.
I think a big problem with bloggers is lack of focus. Also, there are a number of us out there who have full time gigs and do the blogging on the side, but try to keep a schedule like a full-time blogger. (This is my case)
It’s VERY difficult to stay ahead and requires a LOT of extra work. I’d rather be struggling to physically write the content due to time than not to have any content at all..
Yep – I definitely agree with you Drezz. If you don’t have the content, then maybe blogging isn’t for you, or at least blogging about that subject.
I like to create a list of posts to possibly write, however I don’t take Darren’s advice there and schedule 6 months worth, because I know for sure something will come up, or guest posts will come along that throw the schedule off a bit.
As always, thanks for your great comments, Drezz!
Yeah it is a bit long. I suppose it works more for blogs that offer a lot of structured lessons. I find it works really well for my site since I try to post tutorials – but if you’re blogging about current trends or trying to accommodate for guest posts, it can change things up.
Actually, if I recall – Darren’s schedule had a section for guest posts as well. Either way, it’s just another way for bloggers to keep organized and on track somewhat. So long as the content comes out – that’s the important part.
We all have so much more to write about than we think we do. So many of the minor details/events in our lives actually provide material that can be used in our posts to give them universal appeal regardless of our niche.
A lot of what I write about is personal experience and things that happen daily. I think you’re right that it gives it more universal appeal. Great stuff Jean, thanks!
as the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun. Being creative and finding analogies or anecdotes to bring your point home will definitely give you a fresh list of ideas
I totally agree with you James. Nothing really is new, but the way we present and think about things that we already know about is what can make what we do great. It’s like comedians who talk about the most common everyday things. We know such and such is a certain way already, because we live it, but when they are creative and present it in a way that’s funny, it’s always that much more hilarious.
Haha, I hope that makes sense.
I have to jump on the bandwagon here too..lack of content really is no excuse. In my blogging experience I can def identify with being too busy and not having the time though. When you’re running a business and blogging like I am sometimes putting the real world dealings ahead of a new post comes first. Don’t get me wrong though I give my blogging responsibilities as much time and effort as any other part of my schedule. The reason for that is that spreading awareness on financial issues is important and I, as a person, can only be in front of one client at a time. Blogging helps me reach soo many more people.
Indeed, blogging is a great way to reach more people. I know I wouldn’t have this many connections and friends online without this very blog.
As long as you know what your priorities are and you stick to them, you can accomplish all that you want to accomplish.
Thanks Nunzio!
hmm, I’m not really so sure. I think depending on your niche, you can definitely run out of original content. I’m a big reader of personal finance blogs, and I am subscribed to some that haven’t really churned out any type of new information in a long time. It’s just the same points written in a different way.
Yeah, it’s true that a lot of blogs in certain niches reproduce content, but just reiterate it in a different way, but you know it’s those bloggers who create new, fresh content that succeed, and that’s what we should strive for. There’s always something new to learn, and a new way to present it that can be useful for everyone, I believe.
I am a new blogger and I know this is crap! There is no possible way to run out of content. I mean look at magazines. Look at tv shows, movies, everything.
I think that you can put a twist to everything. Hey if you are writing about how to become a great blogger…write how to become a great blogger pt 2, or the prequel or sequel. I don’t know you just saw Pat how he came up with 9 ways more from one post!
So stop being lazy and start brainstorming something and yes check out Glen Allsop He’s the man…
Thanks brother always coming out with the best shiznits!
Here here Wilson! Thanks for the shout out!
There has been many-o-time that I have said to myself, “Time to make the blog post” and felt like quitting, but then a get a spark under my butt and get it down. Lack of motivation has come into play a number of times, but perseverance prevails.
Good to hear Ms. Freeman! If you quit blogging, then you’d probably quit leaving comments here too, and we can’t have that! Cheers!
Very good point….your blog is the first I read every M,W, & F
Sadly, this has been the case for the last 2 weeks for me. It is not from lack of content, but sometimes I just need to do something else with my life other than work, blog, and exercise. I been known to disappear from my blog for weeks at a time over the last three years I have been blogging, but usually because I just needed a break. I lose some subscribers, but then I gain some new ones, but the net effect is about the same number of subscribers.
It makes me wonder how much further you could be now, or how many more subscribers you could have gained if you stuck with it, even through the hard times. There are ways to produce content that doesn’t take much time and effort, and I think sticking to a consistent schedule is the most important thing one can do.
There are always more topics to cover, the question is whether they’ll be relevant to the reader and whether you’re passionate enough about it to write quality posts.
Well said Jorgen. Passion about a topic is important, but passion for a specific blog post is even more important, since it’s the blog post that people read about that topic. It’s all about what would help the reader, that’s for sure.
I can definitely see how many blogs die. To me it’s all about motivation and rarely about running out of content. We are all interested in immediate satisfaction and for the newbie blogger, that rarely happens. Took me about a year before I got consistent readers who would participate. You can only fool yourself for so long thinking that you are writing a blog for yourself, if that were the case you write in a journal that you place in your night stand.
Another part that you touched on is most people don’t realize the commitment and hard work involved in maintaining a blog. When things get to hard, most people take the easy way out.
I can always tell when a blog is dying when you see a few posts in a row that say something like…”Sorry I haven’t posted in a while.” Rarely are those blogs worth following
Wow, this is an excellent comment, Scott. I love what you said about getting a journal if you just want to write for yourself. So true, because blogging, at least this kind of blogging, is meant to help others, primarily. Or at least I think it should be that way. That’s what helped me get to where I’m at today.
Yeah, I always see that too “sorry I haven’t posted in a while” – it’s just a sign of things to come, which is nothing new.
Thanks Scott!
The thing that has stopped me before: Lack of Enthusiasm. That’s a killer!
If you lose your passion and interest with a subject it doesn’t matter how much content you could spew out. It doesn’t matter how often you try to post. It will take you down. We bloggers are always coming up with new ways to stay excited about our material. Make it fresh. But, like some hobbies, the fire just fades away.
Indeed, Richard. I’ve touched on the important of passion before, but I wanted to hit another angle about how some blogs die, and I thought I’d pick up the content portion, especially for those who struggle to come up with new stuff, but do have that passion.
It’s tough to keep that fire going after the initial spark, but in order to meet results and succeed, we must keep the fire burning!
Pat,
I would agree that lack of content is a really lousy excuse. I think there are always tons of things to write about. One of the things that I do is just keep a list of topic ideas handy and continually add to it. There are also about 25 blog posts on some top blogs with ideas for content concepts that any blogger could write about. I’ll have to check out Glenn’s post. That sounds pretty interesting.
I do the same thing, and on my iPhone notes app so I can make sure to write things down once they come to mind, wherever I’m at. Great reminder, thanks Srinivas!
How’s the podcast going?
I have to admit that I have hit the “no idea” wall a couple of times in the past. But this is only normal.
The key is to be prepared for when this happens. I prepare myself by keeping a text file open at all times so I can type in post ideas whenever I think of them.
Another is to do some mind mapping on a piece of paper about a certain topic. What I do is write down a subject my blog is about in the middle of the sheet. Then I ask myself “What would readers of my blog want to know about this?” This leads to a series of ideas which I write down on the same paper around the subject. Granted, some ideas don’t pan out but most do! Then from those post ideas, I can sometimes come up with some more ideas.
Love to hear of some other ways people generate their blog post ideas! The more idea-generating tools you have- the better! Cheers.
Wesley Craig Green
I think if we expect it will happen (which many newbies don’t), then we’ll be less likely to worry so much because we’ll be prepared, like you said.
Mindmapping is a great way to brainstorm and almost subconsciously think of new blog post ideas and related topics.
Thanks for the tip Wesley!
I agree with you here. But I’m very surprised to see that there’s some huge blogs (4hourworkweek.com) that only post occasionally. It doesn’t do there traffic much harm (or rankings!)
Matt, that’s because Tim’s is the ultimate authority… he can afford to do that. People love his book and look forward to his content on the blog, whether it’s twice a week or once a month.
Incredible stuff.
I agree with Moon. Tim is an exception because he’s not really a blogger primarily, and he’s reached a point where it doesn’t really matter when he posts, people are just ready for it. Maybe one day for me, but even then I’d still try to keep on schedule.
Good observation Matthew!
I agree with you about the content (and love the brainstorming based on a single idea.) I suspect most people who stop blogging do so because of a lack of time or energy, which to me translates into a lack of commitment. There’s nothing wrong with not having blogging be a priority, unless you are doing it as your business or as a method of driving traffic to a business. In that case, just be committed and find the time and energy.
Yep, that’s all it really comes down to, is commitment.
I see a lot of blogs like this and I think in a lot of cases it is that the novelty has worn off. The idea of starting your own blog, sharing your thoughts, building up a readership and (hopefully) making some money from your writing is heady stuff. But it can take time to gain traction and I think many people give up too soon and get bored when they pour their heart and soul into their blog only to get 2 visitors per day, one of which is their mom
Well said Richard, thanks!
Yeah,
You just have keep hustling and find your own approach. Like James said, nothing’s really new under the sun – the way you combine ideas and the way you flavor them can mean EVERYTHING !!
Finding a unique approach to the content that you write in any niche is the key to success. Thanks Mars!
Pat, you’re definitely right about that and it’s something I keep in my mind. How to approach one topic from multiple angles–I suppose it takes time.
That’s what makes you stand out from the rest
Definitely, Moon! Thanks!
Hey Pat, ironically, I have paused creating content on my blog, the reason is because a lack of clarity on my part on the content that I should publish, along with a “bigger and better” opportunity that presented itself.
I am getting to the point of crystal clarity for my blog and I will be posting again soon. I just read Glen’s article over at viperchill and the basic fundamentals of blogging must be in place before we continue to plow blindly forward with our blogs. His 4 fundamentals were:
1) choose a niche we love’ —> extreme self improvement: ?
2) write engaging content —> at least me and my mom think so. ?
3) network in my niche —> a HUGE no in this area, I give myself – checks here
4) stay consistent —> another HUGE no in this area, again minus checks again
I’m excited to start blogging again, as well as connect with people in my niche to support and learn from each other.
Enjoy your Monday Pat!
~Mike
Glad to hear you’re starting up again, Mike! Let me know when you have some new content up and running so I can read up! Cheers!
You are totally right. Before you start a blog you have to make the commitment as to how frequently you are going to post. Sure, people take a few days off here and there, but if you can’t think of different ways of saying something that you are supposed to be an expert about, you should never get started blogging in the first place.
If you want to blog you have to like writing or it’s not going to work at all. Get into the habit of doing it every day and your won’t take time off to worry if you are going to run out of things to say.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Great tips Joshua. If you can write about your topic or niche everyday, or at least think of things to write about, you’ll never have anything to worry about.
You put up a good point. Well sometimes their literally isnt anything to write about. Some people make blogs about a certain thing that happened in the past or present and you will eventually run out of things.
If you’re writing for a blog in a niche where there isn’t anything to write about, then it may not be great for a blog where building a community and a following matters.
If you run out of something to say you may be in the wrong niche, and your definitely not in your passion. There is creativity all around us. You just have to be aware of it! If you run a blog on jogging and love Starbucks do a post ” How Starbucks Can Help You Lose 10 Pounds.” Then park your car a mile away from Starbucks and jog there. Now you have something to post about. Your a runner obviously so it’s not tough for you to do but a nice twist.
Run a blog on list building? Say you watched How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days With Your Girlie Girl the night before. Hey! How about a post ” How to Lose a Subscriber in 10 Days” Then work it in the reverse on if you do this, you will lose subscribers and then show how they can Get 50 in 1 day. That could even be a follow up post and now you have a series.
Like you said you can do this all day everyday in ANY niche. You just have to step out of your little box and look around you for inspiration.
Nice one Pat!
Brandon Ellis
Exactly, Brandon. I think if you’re passionate about a subject, you can find ways to be creative and write content with ease.
I love the Starbucks blog post title. It is a little “out of the box”, but that’s what we have to do now in order to stand out of everyone else writing blog posts in the same niche.
Thanks Brandon!
Yahoo answers and/or questions from forums in related topics are a great way to find content to write when just starting out and you do not have an audience to ask…
Awesome tip Schmidty! Thanks!
Really great post!
Content really should not be a problem if one is very creative. Many bloggers also lack passion for their blog and no matter their level of success, they will eventuallt quit sooner or later.
Thanks a lot for the great post,
-Onibalusi
Passion is indeed very important, probably the most important thing to have actually. Cheers Onibalusi!
I always do this when I am thinking of new posts: What do our readers want to read? I put myself in the shoes of someone who has visited the site for the first time and ask myself what content would be interesting. I also ask my friends to give their thoughts on good topics.
Sounds like you know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. ‘Cause that’s really what it’s all about, what your readers want to read. Good stuff! Thanks Julius!
Good Post. I like the idea of not trying to be all-inclusive of a topic in one post. Breaking it up a bit, is a better method.
Indeed! Thanks Justin!
I think having proper expectations and a business plan are important from the outset. I look at my blog as a long term passive income source. But I have to make the deposits which are adding content regularly.
I think people have fail to realize that just as $1 can’t yield $1,000 in passive investment income, a few scattered and unclear posts will not amount to passive blogging income. Overtime and with continually adding quality posts, results occur.
It’s stay in the game long enough. This is why I believe it’s so crucial to blog about something you really enjoy!
Thinking about content as “deposits” is an excellent way to put it. It really does make sense, especially if we consider how much time and effort we’re “investing” into these potential revenue streams. Thanks Mike!
Nice one Pat!
Just gotta think outside the box and the ideas will come.
Thanks Jordan!
Exactly!
There are dozens of tools to help you find post ideas let alone just taking the time to ask readers, look at your analytics, sit for a whole minute to think. Within the span of an hour just brainstorming you can easily come up with hundreds of post ideas, just keep bouncing them around.
If you’re really stumped, just use Google Wonderwheel, forums, Yahoo Answers or Wordtracker to see what people are asking or searching on. Make a list post, explore deeper into the topic, create resources, try a test and post results, even holding a poll will give you something to write about.
If you’re blog is going to die off, do it because you’re moving onto a larger project but don’t give up just because you can’t seem to find content. No excuses.
You can do it.
Perfect comment Murlu. Those are all great suggestions about how to find content! It’s amazing what can come about from even just one or two minutes of thinking and brainstorming, let alone an entire hour! Woo!
I totally agree with this since life is ongoing, there are daily experiences so there’s continuous topic coming up to write about.
Definitely Andrew! Living life should give us enough to write about, for sure!
I think this is why I thrive when building blogs focused on reporting on news rather than “how to” content. Adventures of a Barefoot Geek is going pretty good, but because there’s no external force saying “you should write about X” it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with possibility. When reporting on news though the topics are out of my control which is ironically liberating. The topics come in, I write, and that repeats. The excuse of “not having something to write about” simply doesn’t exist.
Well said, David! By the way, I really liked your post about Workflow Fluidity”, something I definitely need to work on. Cheers!
Agreed. Most of the bloggers that runs out of content, really didn’t run out of content. Because we can write anything under the sun, as long as it’s connected with your niche and provides value to your readers. it’s like article marketing, there are a lot of article marketers, that if you check their account, they got more than a thousand articles. If they can do it at article writing, there’s no way they can’t do it in blogging. Content is still the KING.
Thanks for the great post.
Gary David
http://www.privatelabelunlimited.com
Yep – exactly, and I really like your reference to Article Marketers, because you’re right – some of them do have thousands and thousands of articles, so people should be able to produce similar quantities of content (hopefully good, quality content), on their blogs too. Drive and motivation play a significant role too.
Well I have been torn apart between using spun articles, rehashed materials, or creating unique great content every time I post. Of course, it is a challenge to post unique content everytime, so i try to add case studies etc (of my own experience) in my own blog to ensure a high degree of originality.
I think we work in a similar fashion, Imran.
Wow great way to put it Pat! I’ve always thought the things that you said, but you put everything into words that fit exactly with what I was thinking, as well as brought up new points that I hadn’t yet realized.
I think many people who haven’t yet felt they have a “lack of content” are afraid of it at some point in the future, so this post is great inspiration to those, and even to myself. I like how you remind us that there should never be a lack of content, because there are a million and one different ways to put things.
Thanks again for the great info, and also the great inspiration.
Yeah, I think fear plays a huge role in how people treat their blogs and what they publish. I say, don’t worry about that and let the ideas flow freely.
Thanks again for your guest post that went live today, Jonathan! Good stuff!
For some blogs, its just fine i guess. For instance DoshDosh has stopped producing content for his blog and the reason is first, he’s doing bigger things and second he doesnt feel he is obliged to add content every now and then.
Sometimes it depends. Most people do blogging just as a side complement with their jobs so for me its just fine..
But I agree with your point in lack of content. I think the better term that you should’ve used is ‘lame’ instead of lazy.
Yeah dude, DoshDosh went MIA for a LOOOOONG time. I loved his content, and honestly I was a bit upset/sad he didn’t update earlier, because his stuff is SO good. However, when he does come back for a post or two, I’m always quick to read it. I think he’s established himself so well that he can do that without much consequence. I don’t think I’m at that point yet – but I don’t feel I’ll ever stop writing so I guess it doesn’t matter =P.
“Lame” would work too.
Cheers Melvin!
a single idea can be broken into many blog post ideas…just by using a mindmap or thinking about it… ..ideas will not stop coming if you are into what you are blogging about..
well said mk akan. Yo’re absolutely right!
Hi Pat,
Thanks for the much needed kick in the butt. Hehe
I totally appreciate that you add value to your blog readers by replying to the comments. I also learned a lot from your replies too.
Cheers!
It’s true, the content doesn’t stop at the end of the blog post. Often we can learn so much by reading the comments too! Thanks Jeric!
This sounds so easy but it’s hard to see it that way when you’re relatively new to the “game”.
In theory I can do that too, but I’m not always able to implement this. However, Pat you are right. Lack of content is a lame excuse.
Thanks for reminding me. I’ll keep that in mind for implementing it when the time comes to “find excuses”
I understand what you mean, Miriam. For any new players, the game can be very confusing, and it can be hard to focus on one thing such as producing content when there are so many other things to worry about or that just take up time. Keep up the great work! Thanks Miriam!
When I first started my blog last year I quickly became lazy and stopped writing. I really wanted to write but I just wasn’t passionate about the things I was writing about. Luckily I recently found my passion and I can’t stop thinking about topics to write about. I think you are right, lack of content is no excuse especially if you are passionate about the topic you write about. Thanks Pat!
Thanks for the great post Pat! I have to admit I’m a bit guilty of this with one of my blogs. With my business blog I can write ALL day, because I love it! It’s what drives me and I’m passionate about.
)
With my mommy blog, not so much. Really get stuck with digging in and finding the motivation to keep it up, which is a shame since it already has a PR of 2 and has lots of potential.
What do you do when you are not feeling motivated (assuming this happens for you, of course
[...] focused on a very specific niche, there’s always topic’s you can write about. Check out this great post by Pat Flynn if you’re finding it hard to come up with some new ideas. You are never out of [...]
I can’t tell why alexa sent me over to your but I must say I am now certainly fascinated by the comments you have together. How many month did it take that many WWW users coming to your blog? I am pretty darn to this interenet thing.