Blogging Tips for Photographers 101 (Pt. 5): But I Don't Like to Write

So you don’t like to write and that makes blogging regularly for your photography business rather challenging. Well the glorious news is that blogging isn't actually about writing. It's about sharing. What do you want to share with the world?

If you’re bored or in pain writing your blog, I’m probably going to be bored and in pain reading it. It’s going to be dry, forced, vague, BORING. Here are two options for how you can manage a regular (and interesting) photography blog despite the fact you hate writing:

Option A) Stop writing all together and start using other methods of communication. Here are some ideas to get you started....

1. Lists (Numbers & Bullet Points)
2. Word collage — like people’s Twitter profiles — describe your photo shoots with jumbles of descriptive words.
3. Photo captions — don’t be afraid to say it like it is, just literally explain what we’re looking at and what you think about it. Photo by photo.
4. Collect quotes that are relevant / inspiring and share them in your blog posts with photos.
5. Video instead of words. Speak don’t write. Just because you don’t like writing doesn’t mean you don’t like talking. This will definitely help people connect with you on a more personal level. You can summarize what you say in your videos with a little paragraph (that way you can pack in some important keywords too!)
6. Challenge: Limit yourself to 5 sentences. Helps you feel less overwhelmed by the task of ‘having to write’. Set the bar low. 5 sentences is do-able and still enough to get some valuable content on your blog.
7. 7) Ask other people to write and use their words with your photos. Instead of describing the photo shoot yourself, ask your clients/models to write a paragraph about their experience. That could actually be a fantastic way to advertise word-of-mouth / share reviews that are masked as information.
8. Just include credits : Who, what, when, where, why, how
9. Use Guest Bloggers or share interviews, conversations, and replies to other blog posts.
10. Create useful Info-graphics for your readers.

Option B) Try creating some writing 'systems' that make the whole process less-painful. My friend Cheryl Ford has struggled in the past with writing on her blog and recently she's discovered a way to overcome this obstacle! She's started publishing a weekly feature called her 'Weekly Round-Up". She basically recaps her week by categorizing it into: 'The Best', 'The Worst', 'The Absurd' & 'The Gratitude'. 

When Cheryl goes to write her blog post, she has a template in Wordpress and she just fills it in. She says it's helped her because it lets her write without having to think up an interesting topic or content. She just answers the questions and zooms through, writing blog posts like a pro! I do something similar with my 'Grateful on Sunday' posts. 

What are your blogging tips for photographers?

What tricks do you have for overcoming your dislike of writing in order to blog for business?

Any other ideas for Option A?

Part 1: Challenges of Blogging for Photographers
Part 2: SEO
Part 3: 10 Ways to Come Up with Interesting Blog Content
Part 4: The Pretty Journal Syndrome
Up next is Part 6: "Finding Time To Blog"