One of the challenges of blogging is that you need a steady stream of content, which means you need a constant supply of new ideas. Since you do not want to waste time brainstorming a topic, we suggest creating a system for coming up with blog topics.
Generating Blog Topics
- Social Media. Check your social media feed. Look for conversations and see if there’s a topic you can address. Also look for questions people are asking that you could answer.
Pro Tip: We strongly encourage looking through LinkedIn or listening to a Clubhouse!
- Blog Comments. Whether you are looking for comments on your own blog or another blog, these questions/comments can often lead to some good ideas!
- Competitors’ Blogs. Bookmark a few competitors’ blogs to use for ideas. Don’t steal an idea as-is but see if you can take your own angle, or see if there are any related topics they’re not covering.
- Question and Answer Sites. Q&A sites like Quora are great for seeing what questions people are asking that you can answer in a blog post.
- Bookstores. Check out the local bookstore or Amazon, especially the “how to” section. Flip through books on your niche to get ideas for things you can cover.
Side Note: If you have a nearby, brick and mortar bookstore, try and go there! The owners will likely be very grateful!
- YouTube Videos. Search on YouTube using keywords related to your niche. Follow popular YouTubers in your topic area to get ideas for things you can cover on your blog. Additionally, look for questions “How do you….?” OR “_______ vs. ______”, then look at the total number of views. If the views are high, chances are, this is a hot topic!
- Keyword Search. Google is a great tool for sourcing new blog ideas. Search for keywords and find related terms. Google Keyword Planner is even better for getting suggestions.
- Expand on Existing Content. Sometimes, you can write a companion piece or a “part 2” of a post you already wrote. This is great for readers because it creates a series they can follow along with.
Side Note: This article is actually one of many blogs we have written about… well… blogs! You can read the others here: How to Create a Reader Profile to Increase Your Blog’s Readership, How Do I Choose a Great Blog Name?
- Repurpose Old Content. You can also take old content and repurpose it. This means brushing up an old blog post, taking bits of an information product, or turning videos or audios into blog posts. You can get more mileage out of old content by making it into something new.
- Accept Guests. You can create excellent blog content easily by accepting guest posts or interviewing experts in your niche and turning these interviews into posts.
- Share News. Subscribe to a few news services in your niche and share news stories with your own commentary and ideas added.
- Industry Magazines and Newsletters. Subscribe to some industry publications and see what topics THEY are covering! Though many magazines are planned long before they make it to print, the content is often still relevant!
- Follow Influencers. Follow influencers on social media and see what they’re talking about.
- Ask Your Readers. Come right out and ask your readers or social media followers what topics they’d like to see you cover. In fact, create questionnaire and give them an opportunity to opt-into an email series!
Final Thoughts
Sometimes it will feel daunting trying to constantly conjure up blog topics so the best advice we can give is to create an idea file on your computer! Every time you come across something interesting, take note! Then, when it comes time to write another blog, you will not suffer from writer’s block!