If you’ve ever sat at an empty page struggling what to write about, then you know just how painful it can actually be. Whether you’re just getting started and can’t think of any topics to cover, or you’ve been blogging for awhile and have hit a wall, idea generation can be tough.
And sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike is rarely the right answer. With the tips we offer below you won’t have to suffer from “blank page symptom” or have a dry well of ideas ever again.
Below we show you how you can come up with a steady supply for topics and ideas for your blog, no matter your experience.
1. Look at Others in Your Space
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every post you write. Sometimes it can help to draw a little inspiration from other blogs across the internet. Of course, this doesn’t mean you’re going to write the exact same post they have, but you can take similar headline formats, and use them on your own blog.
Or, if it’s a blog that’s in the same space as yours you can take a different angle on the same topic they just wrote about.
If you’re still stuck, then you could also use the tool called Buzzsumo. Essentially, the monitor and measure social data for websites and topics. Simply navigate to the site above and either type in a URL or a topic to see what posts in that niche have been the most popular.
Then, write something similar on your own blog.
2. Remember Your Early Years
It can be easy to forget everything we already know. When you’ve been writing for a while it’s easy to forget about what it used to be a beginner. And even if you feel like a total beginner, you’re still an expert to someone.
So, take a trip down memory lane and remember the things that tripped you up in the early days. Then, write a blog post that helps others overcome those issues.
3. Take Inspiration From What You Read
Since you run a blog, you probably have a steady stream of other blogs that you keep tabs on. Were there any of these posts that really inspired your own writing? Or, was the topic something that you thought could be talked about further?
If so, then write a post about it. You could even link back to the original blog, or send them an email, letting them know they inspired you so much you decided to share your own take on the topic.
4. Turn to Post Templates
Okay, so none of the above templates struck your fancy? Then maybe this final one will do the trick.
One great resource for nearly unlimited post ideas is a free report called Headline Hacks from Jon Morrow. This free guide has dozens of headline formats you can adapt for your own blog. It’s a fill-in-the-gaps template that’ll have you generating dozens of new post ideas.
What are you waiting for, check it out!
5. Repurpose an Older Piece of Content
Your old content doesn’t have to die and wither away.
Sometimes the content on our blogs has grown dated, but instead of letting it die a slow death we can revive the content and create something new.
All you have to do is go through an older post, make it relevant, update any links that might be bad, and re-publish the new content with a current date.
If you’re looking for even more ways to brainstorm potential blog post topics, then take a look at this post.
We hope the tips above can help to take your blogging and content strategy to the next level. If you want help designing the perfect content strategy for your brand or business, then reach out to our creative team today.
Image via Oliver Klein
