Blogs are becoming more and more popular as the popularity of the internet increases. People love sharing their opinions with whoever will listen (or read, in this case). Blogs have also become a powerful medium for internet marketers and webmasters to make money almost without effort. When starting a blog, you will probably hear many people tell you to pick a small, “micro-niche”. While micro niches can be very good, blog burn out often happens. Blog burn out is essentially writers block for bloggers. It is when you, as a blogger, simply cannot think of a new topic to write on.

So how can you avoid blog burn out? How can you keep your blog fresh with new content for an extended period of time? There is no one answer, but rather, a list of suggestions, which I have listed below. If you follow these steps, you should not experience blog burn out.

Make a Plan

One of the best things to do to avoid blog burn out is to make a plan and stick to it. By plan, I mean a schedule of when you are going to post. If you have experience with blogging and/or you pick a general topic, you can plan to post daily. However, I would encourage novices to post 2-4 times per week. That way, you can stretch out the content.

Expand Your Niche

If you feel the pressure of blog burn out building, and you feel you are running out of things to talk about, consider expanding your niche. By this I mean that if you have been blogging about, say, deep sea fishing, try expanding your blog to cover river fishing, fly fishing, etc. If you decide to do this, it may be a good idea to create a new section to your blog. Create a new category, and keep your posts separated. Don’t go too general – try to stay within your niche.

Plan Your Content in Advance

Write down any ideas you have as soon as you get them. If you have an epiphany in the middle of the night, get up, and write it down! Don’t let great ideas escape you! Always keep a list of possible topics for future blog posts.

Ask Your Audience

Many bloggers feel that it is unprofessional to ask their readers for help. I have to disagree. I think that interacting with your loyal readers will actually increase their level of respect for you. If things are getting tight and you are having trouble coming up with new ideas, simply make a post asking what your readers want to see. Open the post for comments, and ask your users to submit whatever they have wanted to know or see. Chances are some of your readers have questions or wants that they previously thought would never be answered, and giving them the opportunity to make their opinion known will make them love your blog even more.

Avoid Distractions

If you are like me, you get distracted far too easily. If you are easily distracted, go away from any possible distractions. If there is a TV near your computer, turn it off. If you have a phone (who doesn’t…?), turn it off. If you find yourself getting distracted by the internet, work offline. Use paper and a pencil if you have to!

Pace Yourself

I touched on this briefly in my first tip, but this is an important step. Always pace yourself, writing only as much as you want to. Try to post regularly, but understand that missing one or two days will not ruin your blog. Don’t stress out! Blogging is and should always be fun, and if it is not for you, you are obviously not doing it right!

Adapt to Your Audience

Your readers are the most important thing about your blog, and you should treat them like royalty. If they ask for something, do it. After all, any suggestions from your readers give you a fresh idea for a new post. You should also consider increasing your post rate as your traffic grows. For instance, if you are only getting about 10 visitors per day, you may not want to post every day. If you are getting 100 per day, try to post as much as possible.

Do Your Research

The internet is a treasure trove of fresh content for you to write about – use it! If you niche is video games, try searching for other video game blogs on the internet, and seeing what they are writing about. I am not encouraging plagiarism, but rather encouraging bloggers to learn from their peers.

Follow the News

A great source of new ideas is the news itself. Follow the news of your niche, on TV or online. Post any important industry news, new developments – whatever shows up for your niche. Try searching on Google News or another top news source.

Make an Off-Topic Section

Normally it is a good idea to stick to your niche at all costs. However, if you are experiencing blog burn out, consider making an off topic section of your blog. Post about politics, sports, whatever – even if your blog is about off-road vehicles!

Take Time Off

It seems like taking a break would be the worst thing to do if you are experiencing blog burn out. However, in actuality, it is one of the best. Most of our best ideas are produced in our leisure time. Take a break, spend some time with family or friends, or go out to dinner. Again, don’t stress out about your blog!

Focus On Your “Struggling” Blog

Most bloggers have multiple blogs. Some have tons, 10, 20, even more. If you are a multi-blog kind of guy, great! However, if one of your blogs is becoming a victim of blog burnout, focus on that one. Try to heal your suffering blog back to health. Decrease the amount of posts on other, less important blogs, or even stop posting all together. Abandon or sell blogs that aren’t performing, or that don’t interest you greatly.

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