You ever write a great social media post and feel like its missing some personality? Or maybe you’ve just published a quality blog, but it’s lacking that…something? Chances are, that missing thing is a *creative spark*.
That’s why our favorite pink-haired marketer, Sonia Simone from Copyblogger, recorded her latest podcast. She’s letting us in on the secret of adding spark into our writing. Gonna dive right in bc there’s a lot to cover…
- (02:25) Tell a good story. Stories can really enhance your content, but they’re very difficult to nail.
- (03:12) Read popular non-fiction to see how they nail storytelling. When you find one that tells a good story, take notes. Write down how that author establishes the characters, the conflict, and the moral of the story.
- (04:15) Keep an eye out for interesting metaphors/analogies. Don’t use cliches here. Come up with your own, and try to think outside of the box. Copyblogger has a whole blog post on this topic.
- (05:39) Mix the senses. Work hard to invoke specific images in your readers’ minds. Write about sounds, colors, scents, etc.
- (07:40) Try humor. This one is reallllly difficult, but it can work really well. Don’t create content that is funny the whole way through, a bit of humor can really connect with your audience. Try a wry observation or an aside.
- (09:58) Find your voice. You get your voice by practicing. You can’t just come up with one. Practice it. Social media is a great place to play with your voice. This is why so many writers use Twitter.
- (12:12) Get outta your echo chamber. If you’re a writer, meet people who aren’t writers. Read books about things that don’t pertain to your job. If you don’t, you’re gonna get very boring, very fast.
- (13:15) The Seth Godin Hack. Throughout your day, you’re going to encounter things you love and things you hate. Keep a list of these things. This list will help you be more interesting. It’ll help you create better stories, invoke emotion, and a whole bunch of other things.
