How to Come Up With Blog Post Ideas
Ahhh, blogging. For most of us, it’s a topic we discuss on a frequent — if not daily — basis, whether in reference to our own or the blog of someone else. But how many times have you read a brilliant blog post and then thought, “Why didn’t I think of writing that?” Well you could have thought of it, if you were tapping into the right resources for new and unique blog post ideas.
Some people live and breathe unique blog posts, but others need a shove in the right direction. Here are a few places to look if you’re at a loss for blog post ideas.
In Your Head
You might think it’s drivel, but all of the day-to-day thoughts and feelings you have can be used to your advantage. Are you having a crappy day and can’t believe you ever wanted this career? Write it down: “Why working in the (blank) industry sucks.” Did you just have to sit on the phone for an hour while an angry client ripped apart your latest deliverable? Write it down: “Thoughts you have while a client is ripping apart your latest deliverable.” Obviously you have to be careful when you go negative (especially if you’re writing for a business blog) but Hubspot blogger Corey Eridon says that “there’s an undeniable correlation between page views and negativity” but “if you’re going to get negative with your titles, you have to back it up with some solid content.”
In The News
Hello, Internet? Yes, tell me everything that is currently happening around the globe. And just like that, topics on topics on topics. All you do is type in a few keywords relevant to your business or industry and hit the “News” results tab. What’s great about this method is, if the topic is trending, all you have to do is read two or three articles and then summarize and post. If you already have a following, your audience will want to know what you have to say on the matter. Lifelock is a good example of using current events to supplement blog content. After news broke of the U.S. government data breach earlier this year, Lifelock posted a summary of the breach to the Education section of its website and informed readers that millions of Americans were affected. The author of the post wasn’t advertorial or promotional, it was simply relevant news. But chances are good that sharing info about the breach got Lifelock a few new customers.
In Conversations
If you’ve been a successful blogger thus far, it’s likely that your readers are pretty active in contributing their thoughts and questions in the comments section or via email. Go back through past social updates and blog posts and look over the comments sections. Are people asking questions? Compile, answer and share as an FAQ post. Are there differences of opinion? Explore the different points of view and use them as an opportunity to start a topic series. If you don’t have a following just yet, scour comment sections of blogs that are similar to yours and see what’s getting the most engagement. You can involve yourself in these engagements by providing a strong answer to the commenter’s question, then using the question as the basis of a new blog post.
