How can I keep coming up with ideas for my blog?
Blogging: such hard work
Blog inertia is a real problem for a lot of people. You start writing and updating on a regular basis, but even though you understand the importance and benefits of the practice for your music business, sooner or later you just kind of run out of stuff to talk about.
But it can actually be a breeze, rather than a dreaded chore – if you just take a few minutes to develop a bit of a strategy for those down times when the inspiration seems to be in short supply, it can be something you can do easily, quickly, and at times when you just don’t feel like it.
There’s a simple solution, and it’s one that I’ve recently implemented myself.
Have a list of topics on hand that you are likely to have things to say about. You can write about whatever you want when you’re inspired – but when you run dry, you’ve got a stock of prompts on hand that you can fall back on whenever you need to.
Like jazz for blogs
I’ve worked with a lot of jazz musicians, and they tell me that improvisation can be tough. Coming up with new, fresh ideas on the spur of the moment can be a slog. Even if you’re moved and inspired by the players and the tune you’re stretching out on, you’re going to need something up your sleeve to play when you come up blank.
So they have a stock of phrases and a vocabulary that they know they can reliably play over a certain chord progression. It’s not wrong or lazy – it’s just good strategy. It’s a good base from which they can leap into flights of imagination.
Do the same with your blog. I’ve solved the problem for myself by having a bunch of questions that I keep getting asked about online music (and I have a list of categories that I can pontificate about if even that strikes me as uninspiring) – but you might have a stock of things that you tend to return to.
Here are some suggestions by way of example:
For a band:
- War stories from the rehearsal room
- Instruments (favourite guitar, drum tuning, worst keyboard ever…)
- An album we love
- What we’re planning to do next
- When we were just starting out…
- Down our street today…For a label:
- What Artist X has been up to this week
- Something funny happened in the office
- We all went out and saw an amazing gig
- One of the best things about working at our label
- Right outside our record label today…
And so on. You get the idea.
Come up with a list of categories of blog post, so that when you come up dry, there’s something to talk about. I’m guessing you’re never going to be short of something to say if you’re passionate about music – you just need the prompts.
Remember: not every blog post needs to be promotional. In fact, it’s way better and more effective if those ones are in the minority. This is the long game.
Table of contents for Questions
- 100 Questions
- What’s going on?
- Can I avoid the internet and just stick to what I know?
- Should I be worried about piracy?
- How can I sell my music online?
- How do I even start?
- Do I really have to blog?
- Can independent record stores survive?
- Are CDs dead?
- How do I find time for the internet?
- Is MySpace over?
- So what should be on my MySpace page?
- How can you sell mp3s at gigs?
- Is ‘pay to play’ ever a good idea?
- What should the price of recorded music be?
- What websites should I be on? (Part 1)
- What websites should I be on? (Part 2)
- How long should song samples be?
- What websites should I be on? (part 3)
- How can I keep coming up with ideas for my blog?
- How long should music copyright be?
- Should I use auto-friend-adders?
- What’s the loudness war?
- Is the Long Tail good for musicians?
- How can I put my gigs online?
- Is the album dead?
- What file size and type?
- Can the internet help improve my playing?
- What’s the best way to manage a fan list?
- How can I sell mp3s from my website?
- So what’s with all the silence?
- How many social media platforms?!!!
- Should I do something about metadata?
- How can I get a music video?
- Demo on CD or mp3?
- What should I do with all these tapes?
- But if they steal it – how can I make money?
- Can I still be enigmatic?
- Here’s a question nobody ever asks
- Who’s doing this stuff well?
- Has music been devalued?
- Is audio fidelity important?
- Is localism important?
- What’s a Netlabel?
- When should I put my music online?
- What do you mean by web-presence?
- Is Cloud Computing the Future of Music?
- Why give music away for free?
17 Comments. Write a comment or link to this post
Aron Wright
thanks for this.
Jul 18th, 2008
Aron Wright
thanks for this. great ideas
Jul 18th, 2008
Anna-Marie Ganje
Very helpful! I always enjoy your postings and musings!
Jul 18th, 2008
Atul Rana
Awesome! I have some stock ideas generally anyway and at times I like making fun of the whole band thing in a paradoy type way and inventing stories that Britney or Jessica Alba visited our website
Jul 18th, 2008
Dave
Hey Andrew
Just thought I’d drop you a line to say I love reading your blog. Thanks for all the advice and general banter. Please keep it up!
Dave
Jul 18th, 2008
Jason Kemp
The other good thing to do is work on a bunch of drafts use the “pending review” function and let them percolate in the background till they are ready.
I’m also experimenting with a new members system so that others can read and review the content as co-editors while in private mode. The standard settings on WordPress are quite so good for this but they can be adapted and that is also another way to keep the sparks flying.
Jul 19th, 2008
Liz
Hi Andrew, I started my WordPress blog after reading your “Do I Really Have to Blog” post and that has opened all kinds of new doors for me. The lists above are really useful and for bands, another item to add to the list might be: About my music teacher (s), — maybe, about my blogging teacher. Thank you SO much.
Jul 19th, 2008
Robin
I’m in a rut for today so thanks for the insights. Precious info. This is indeed a long run, and besides it must remain fun.
I network with many bands, so when I’m in need of material I post band quotes on various topics. Makes up for fresh and original content.
I really appreciate reading your blog. Keep it up.
Jul 22nd, 2008
Andrew Reynolds
I find that it’s not running out of ideas that’s the problem, it’s coming up with ideas that are of interest. I could blog about my own selfish interests all day, but then who would read it?
Jul 24th, 2008
I Have Clones
This page is great – although not necessarily all related to a pure ‘music’ blog.
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/100-blog-topics-i-hope-you-write/
Aug 1st, 2008
John Davis
Thanks! Really funny. I wish i could spend my time on writing articles…just have no time for it.
Aug 9th, 2008
Aberseexene
Good site! Successes in future
Nov 8th, 2008
ununseannog
All hello! Good site
Nov 10th, 2008
Chuhutele
Hello! Good site, much useful
Nov 15th, 2008
RaiulBaztepo
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
Mar 28th, 2009
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