What is your job as a communicator?
I’d say it’s to make the important information interesting enough to capture a reader’s attention.
People respond to your stories on three basic levels: 1) intellectually, 2) emotionally or 3) visually.
That’s where creativity comes into play. If you can get them to visualize the story you are telling or get them to imagine themselves in that situation or event, you’ll have a better chance at them remembering it and passing it along to someone else. People share stories, not facts.
Creativity also lets you enjoy your job more. It’ll make you a better seller and keep your customers coming back for more. It creates interest for the audience. By telling them a story in a different way, you increase the likelihood they will remember it.
Stories are better than numbers. People can relate to them and they find them more believable. That means your material is easier to understand. If you can bring difficult information to life for your readers it’ll make the material more meaningful.
So how can you bring this creativity to your writing?
First, dig for information. How are others presenting it? Are their facts you haven’t considered? Put it all down on paper and then brainstorm. How can you fit all the pieces together? Is there a way to tie the information into the everyday life of your reader? How can you make it relevant?
Still need more inspiration?
When you are writing, change the perspective. Reverse it. Instead of “how parent effect children” try it as “how children effect parents.” Show them the wrong way to get them thinking about the right way to do something. Change the who is doing the action. Change the when it happens. Make it bigger or make it smaller. What if an article about heart healthy nutrition started with the headline “How to kill your husband”? Bet you’d read the first paragraph to see what all the fuss was about.
Finally, focus on new combinations. Look for everyday events as inspiration. How can you use daily activities to create topics that draw your readers in? What problems can you solve for them? What’s making headlines? What’s trending? If you can piggyback a topic or trend, you can use that to draw readers into you blog or publications.