Getting Over the Getting-Started Hump: Deciding What to Write
Without a doubt, I find the hardest part about writing a blog every week is deciding what topics to address. Yes, as advisors we know a TON about personal finance, but when you sit down in front of that blank page, it’s often like our brain empties out in sympathy.
Here are four ideas to help get the creative juices flowing:
What are your clients asking about? Look at your client notes for the past 30 days to see what topics come up repeatedly or questions you just heard for the first time ever.
What are other people writing about? Check out popular personal finance pages (NerdWallet, Dave Ramsey, Investopedia, The Simple Dollar, Learnvest, etc.) to see what is trending. Don’t copy their articles, rather put your own take on the headlines of the day.
ChatGPT that s*#t: Let AI do the thinking. Typing in questions like, “5 financial topics people are worried about” or, “10 ideas for a personal finance blog,” will give you ideas that in retrospect were probably obvious. Use this is a starting point but beware of sounding like AI is writing your content.
Whatever you decide to write about, for goodness’ sake SAY something. Give an opinion. Make a statement that could be surprising to your audience.
Don’t bother regurgitating white papers (too long and boring), market performance (do you want to be reinforcing market timing behavior), or only sending newsletters wishing people a Happy Fathers/Valentine’s/Arbor/Memorial Day (just stupid).
With a little creativity and practice, you will be the person whose newsletters your clients look forward to receiving.
