From stuck to inspired: How to come up with ideas for your newsletter

You've been working hard on your email newsletter, but suddenly you run out of ideas for content.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and frustrated when you hit a roadblock like this. Don't worry, there are plenty of things you can do to get past this creative rut. Here are a few tips that will help you get inspired and start creating great content again.

Take a break and do something different

If you've been working on your newsletter for too long, it might be time to take a break and do something unrelated. This could be going for a walk or playing a game, anything that will help you to let go of any writer's block you might have.

This will give your mind a chance to rest and recharge, and you may find that new ideas come to you more easily after a break.

Revisit your goals and objectives for the newsletter

Reflecting on what you want to achieve with your newsletter can help you focus on the most important topics and ideas, and it can also give you a starting point for generating new content. Perhaps you want to inform people about a certain issue, or maybe you want to share stories that will inspire and motivate your readers.

Taking a step back and revisiting your goals and objectives for the newsletter can help you get back on track. For example, if your goal is to educate your audience about financial literacy, you can create content such as how-to guides and quizzes to help them improve their understanding of the topic.

Talk to other people and ask for their ideas

Whether it's colleagues, friends, or even your audience if you have a way to reach them—other people may have fresh perspectives and ideas that you haven't considered.

For example, if you run a blog about parenting, consider asking your readers what topics they would like to see covered. You can also ask other people in the same industry as yourself for their opinions; this is a great way to get different perspectives and gain insight into how people think and act.

Look for inspiration from other sources

Searching online and offline can bring up a wealth of ideas. You might want to look at books, articles, YouTube, or websites that are related to the topic of your newsletter.

Maybe there's a trending topic that you can cover in your newsletter, or perhaps there's an event or news story that is relevant to your audience.

Exploring social media or online forums will also show you what people are talking about in your niche or industry. You can take this even further by using the Google Trends tool to see what topics have been trending in specific locations across the world.

Recycle old content

If you want to keep your newsletter fresh but don't have the time or energy to create new content, you can always recycle old material.

Look through past newsletters and articles that you've written, and see if there's anything you can adapt. This could be updating an old post with new information or writing a follow-up piece on a popular topic. For example, if you wrote a blog post about managing finances, you could write a follow-up article on how to invest wisely.

You can also repurpose your social media posts. Expand on a tweet or post and turn it into a blog article or even an entire newsletter. You can even take content from other platforms to use in your newsletter, like creating an infographic from a blog post. There are plenty of ways to make your existing content work for you.

Interview industry experts, employees, and customers

By interviewing different people in your niche, you can gain valuable insights into what's happening in the industry and find great stories to share with your readers. Aligning yourself with industry leaders can also help to establish your authority and raise your profile.

You can also interview employees or customers to get an insider's perspective on your business.This will give you interesting content that is unique to your company, and it will also show readers the people behind the scenes.

Reach out to customers for feedback on how they use your products or services and what they like about them. You can use their feedback to create content that resonates with your readers and can be shared beyond the newsletter.

You can even take the interviews a step further and record a video or podcast that can be shared across multiple channels and you link to in your newsletter.

Don’t be afraid to include personal stories

Storytelling is a powerful tool and one that can help to bring your newsletter alive. Sharing personal stories not only helps you deepen the connection with readers, but it also makes for interesting content that people are more likely to engage with.

Share stories about yourself, or ask people in your team to contribute their personal experiences. You could even have customers share their stories as this will give your newsletter a sense of authenticity and make it more interesting for readers.

Try a different format or approach

If you usually write long, detailed articles for your newsletter, try something shorter and more to the point. Or, if you're used to including graphics and images, consider creating a video or an infographic instead.

Experimenting with different formats can help to keep things interesting and give your readers something new every time they open their email inbox.

Summary

When you run out of ideas for your newsletter, don't panic. There are lots of things you can do to get the creative juices flowing again. You can explore social media or online forums, recycle old content, interview industry experts or employees, and reach out to customers to gain valuable insights. And don't be afraid to include personal stories in your newsletters. Storytelling is a powerful tool that can help to deepen the connection with readers. Finally, try experimenting with different formats or approaches to keep readers engaged with your newsletter and coming back for more.