Writer’s block isn’t something that just plagues novelists and columnists. It can affect everyone who is determined to write something that is going to be read by another person. I had a teacher once tell me that writer’s block is simply fear in disguise. You fear not being able to write it well enough, to present an interesting point, or being able to find something useful to write about. No matter the root of the writer’s block that is preventing you from crafting the perfect social media posts, here are some tips to help you get past it:

social media reputation1. Talk to yourself. Yeah I said it.

If you do this in your office, within earshot of other people, they’re likely going to look at you like you’re a little bit crazy. That doesn’t mean that this isn’t a good option, however. The pathways that the brain uses for formulating speech and the ones used for writing are different. If one is being blocked, the other might not be. Just start talking to yourself about your topic and you might find that your writer’s block starts to slip away. If you don’t like the idea of just talking to yourself, consider asking someone else come in and talk about the topic with you.

2. Change up your tool.

You can quickly get into a rut if you’re always using the same tool for writing. If you usually use Microsoft Word to type up the first draft of your posts, switch over to using Google Docs. If you find that typing on the computer is part of the problem, pick up a pen and piece of paper, instead. Just this one small change can make a world of difference. You’ll jolt your brain out of its dead space and get it working again.

3. Get out of the office.

social media post templateIt might be your office (or workspace) that’s contributing to your mental block. Getting yourself out of this space and into another can be all that it takes to get those creative juices flowing again. If you always sit in the same place and use the same computer to do your work, it’s time to switch things up. Take a walk around the block. If it’s winter and too cold to do that, get in your car and drive around aimlessly, keeping your mind on your topic. You’ll find that ideas just come to you while you are out and moving around a little bit.

4. Stop thinking about your readers.

This goes against everything you’ve ever been told about how to create posts for your social media, but if you are so hung up on whether or not they will like it or respond to it, you need to let this anxiety go and just get something on the page. Right now, it doesn’t matter if the post is exactly what your readers need or want to hear. It is much more important to just get something out than for it to be perfect the first time you write it down.

5. Deviate from the plan.

digital marketing sarasotaAgain, this piece of advice goes against everything you know about writing social media posts, but if you’re not able to follow your current plan because of writer’s block, it’s time to deviate from that plan. Kick it to the curb, just for a little while. Instead of carefully and meticulously making or following the plan that you’ve set up, it’s time to just write. Write about what’s on your mind right now. Even if you don’t end up posting it, you’ll get it out of your system and be able to move on to more relevant posts.

 

6. Stop editing.

One of the worst things that you can do for writer’s block is to be continually going back over and over and over what you’ve written and trying to edit it as you’re writing it. While your social media posts might only be 140 characters long, you can stymie yourself by not allowing yourself to move on after you’ve written a few words. Instead of going back and rewriting and rewriting, just write out all of the different options separately. Once everything is on the page, you can start editing.

7. Read your best posts.

Especially if your writer’s block is a symptom of fear that your readers will not respond well to what you want to post, it’s time to go back and look at the posts that have been the most effective. This means the ones that got the best response, that were shared the most, that people seemed to identify with the post. Scroll through your feed and reread the posts that really did well. Take a minute to establish what they did well and then copy it with your new post. Working from a blueprint like this can almost always give you a leg up.

8. Read someone else’s posts.

Just about every writer will tell you that the best way to kill writer’s block is to read something really good. It gets you pumped for creating and can show you exactly what you need to do to make your writing just as good as someone else’s. If there is a social media account who’s stuff you really admire, take some time to read through their posts and get inspired.

Writer’s block isn’t something that just plagues novelists and columnists. It can affect everyone who is determined to write something that is going to be read by another person. I had a teacher once tell me that writer’s block is simply fear in disguise. You fear not being able to write it well enough, to present an interesting point, or being able to find something useful to write about. No matter the root of the writer’s block that is preventing you from crafting the perfect social media posts, here are some tips to help you get past it:

social media reputation1. Talk to yourself. Yeah I said it.

If you do this in your office, within earshot of other people, they’re likely going to look at you like you’re a little bit crazy. That doesn’t mean that this isn’t a good option, however. The pathways that the brain uses for formulating speech and the ones used for writing are different. If one is being blocked, the other might not be. Just start talking to yourself about your topic and you might find that your writer’s block starts to slip away. If you don’t like the idea of just talking to yourself, consider asking someone else come in and talk about the topic with you.

2. Change up your tool.

You can quickly get into a rut if you’re always using the same tool for writing. If you usually use Microsoft Word to type up the first draft of your posts, switch over to using Google Docs. If you find that typing on the computer is part of the problem, pick up a pen and piece of paper, instead. Just this one small change can make a world of difference. You’ll jolt your brain out of its dead space and get it working again.

3. Get out of the office.

social media post templateIt might be your office (or workspace) that’s contributing to your mental block. Getting yourself out of this space and into another can be all that it takes to get those creative juices flowing again. If you always sit in the same place and use the same computer to do your work, it’s time to switch things up. Take a walk around the block. If it’s winter and too cold to do that, get in your car and drive around aimlessly, keeping your mind on your topic. You’ll find that ideas just come to you while you are out and moving around a little bit.

4. Stop thinking about your readers.

This goes against everything you’ve ever been told about how to create posts for your social media, but if you are so hung up on whether or not they will like it or respond to it, you need to let this anxiety go and just get something on the page. Right now, it doesn’t matter if the post is exactly what your readers need or want to hear. It is much more important to just get something out than for it to be perfect the first time you write it down.

5. Deviate from the plan.

digital marketing sarasotaAgain, this piece of advice goes against everything you know about writing social media posts, but if you’re not able to follow your current plan because of writer’s block, it’s time to deviate from that plan. Kick it to the curb, just for a little while. Instead of carefully and meticulously making or following the plan that you’ve set up, it’s time to just write. Write about what’s on your mind right now. Even if you don’t end up posting it, you’ll get it out of your system and be able to move on to more relevant posts.

 

6. Stop editing.

One of the worst things that you can do for writer’s block is to be continually going back over and over and over what you’ve written and trying to edit it as you’re writing it. While your social media posts might only be 140 characters long, you can stymie yourself by not allowing yourself to move on after you’ve written a few words. Instead of going back and rewriting and rewriting, just write out all of the different options separately. Once everything is on the page, you can start editing.

7. Read your best posts.

Especially if your writer’s block is a symptom of fear that your readers will not respond well to what you want to post, it’s time to go back and look at the posts that have been the most effective. This means the ones that got the best response, that were shared the most, that people seemed to identify with the post. Scroll through your feed and reread the posts that really did well. Take a minute to establish what they did well and then copy it with your new post. Working from a blueprint like this can almost always give you a leg up.

8. Read someone else’s posts.

Just about every writer will tell you that the best way to kill writer’s block is to read something really good. It gets you pumped for creating and can show you exactly what you need to do to make your writing just as good as someone else’s. If there is a social media account who’s stuff you really admire, take some time to read through their posts and get inspired.

Published on December 6, 2016

About the Author: Chris Williams

Founder at Aginto, and an organic marketing specialist, Chris has worked on everything from SEO to social media marketing to conversion optimization. He spends his downtime raising his daughter, volunteering with the Salvation Army, and obsessing over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Twitter. You can follow him here.