If you blog, the day will come when you find yourself staring at a blank page seeking inspiration for topics. You work hard to be consistent in your blog posting schedule and the pressure is on. What to do?
Don’t panic. We have a fix for that!
Actually, we have several solutions to make sure you never run out of blog post ideas again. Sound like an impossible task? No, not at all. We are going to show you how to generate post ideas with ease.
First, we will share our system for staying prepared with ideas. It’s super simple to setup and use. Then we have our top ten list of general post categories and some cool free tools you’ll enjoy using. We will wrap up with a list of our favorite blog post starters that are applicable to any niche.
Are you ready?
Let’s dig right in…
Create a Blog Topics Notebook
An easy way to make sure you never run out of blog post topics is to set up a system for keeping track of ideas as they occur. Develop a habit of recognizing good post topics and recording them. It should be rare that you find yourself struggling for inspiration. You will be adding to it constantly.
My system is a simple sewn comp book with tabs on it for the different sites and niches I write for. I prefer it to a three-ringed binder because it’s a handy size, the pages won’t fall out, and it takes a beating.
Using it is simple…the key is to use it. Never jot down blog post ideas on random sheets of paper. Make sure every idea goes into the notebook, as soon as possible. Be a real stickler for that. You’ll be glad you did.
Next, develop a habit of always being on the lookout for ideas. The more you look for them, the more you’ll find, somewhat randomly, in the course of your days. It just takes developing radar for them and that will come, the more you work at it.
Use a Variety of Formats for Your Blog Posts
There are so many different slants you can take when presenting information in a blog post. Your audience need never be bored with the same old format. Here is a list of our top ten categories:
Lists.
Creating a list ( like this one!) is a super simple and easy way to create a blog post. It’s also very quick reading….a big plus to many readers.
Interviews.
Creating a blog post from an interview eliminates a good bit of work. Much of the content is provided in the interviewee’s answers. A plus to using this format, is how it will expand your reach to include the interviewee’s audience.
Do a Q & A Post.
In any niche, there are questions that come up again and again. Be sure and keep track of them in your blog topic notebook. When you have a few related to a subject, create a post from them.
Create a Post Around a Favorite Photo or Meme.
This is simple and straightforward.
Create a Video.
Often, creating a video on a subject is quicker and easier than writing it. Plus, it’s highly engaging for your readers! It’s also a fantastic way for readers to see a product in action as you show its use.
Write a Review.
Most likely, your audience values your opinion, so give it to them. If you have recently tried a new product or service, share your experience. You can also do a review via video to make it even more engaging.
Elaborate on a Quote.
A favorite quote that relates to your niche is a fine choice as a springboard for something to say. While you’re at it, slap that quote on a branded meme to go with the blog post!
Tell a Story.
Storytelling captures your readers’ attention. It’s also a natural way to illustrate a lesson or principle.
Create a Quiz.
Readers enjoy quizzes….and it gets them more involved with you. Rather than simply absorbing information, they are interacting. That’s always a good thing!
Expand on Previous Blog Posts.
Take a peek at your high-performing posts. Is it a subject you can further elaborate on? Create a few in-depth posts on that same subject, compile them, and you have an easy peasy freebie to use for an opt-in.
For even more inspiration, there are a couple of tools, I’d not be without. One is Google Alerts. The other is Answer the Public.
Google Alerts.
How would you like to have fresh information relevant to your niche delivered to your email inbox? Of course you will love it!
It is simple to set up Google Alerts to do that on autopilot for you. Simply go to https://www.google.com/alerts. There you will enter the keywords and phrases of interest to you. Then you select the type of news you prefer and how often you’d like to receive it. That’s all there is to it.
Google Alerts a good way to stay on top of what is popular on the web in your niche. It’s a super simple way to find good articles etc to share on social media.
Another good use for alerts is to monitor what is being said about YOU on the internet. You can set one up to notify you whenever your name is mentioned on the web.
Answer the Public
Answer the Public is a visual keyword research and content ideas tool that you must see to believe. It is amazing. You can find it at https://answerthepublic.com/.
Using it is very straightforward. You simply enter the keyword or phrase you are interested in writing about. Hit enter, and in mere seconds, it generates a list of hundreds of questions related to the topic. It has the visual format, which I enjoy…as well as a downloadable data format that charts the information.
To give you an example, I entered the word “lollipop” and got back a list of 126 questions. Once you start using this tool, you will wonder how you ever lived without it!
So, now you know how to set up a blog post idea notebook. You have ten different categories of posts to create. We have given you two easy-to-use tools to help you in your hunt for writing inspiration.
Now, how about a little icing on the cake?
Following is a list of 20 different blog post starters you can use in almost any niche.
Enjoy!
- The one simple rule for….
- The biggest mistake….
- The one thing I wish I knew before….
- X reasons why you should….
- Top three reasons to….
- The art of….
- No more…..
- How to….
- X hacks for….
- How I….
- X reasons why you should never…
- X strategies for….
- My favorite….
- X pro tips for….
- The essential elements of….
- The one mistake you never want to make…
- How to succeed at…
- Do you need help to….
- End X forever by simply…
- Top ten tips for….
I hope you feel better equipped to keep churning out quality blog content for your readers. Is there a favorite tool or tip you would like to share? We’d love to hear about it….feel free to comment!
If you’re still struggling, here’s a post we did on beating blogging burnout.
Or, if we got you pumped up and ready to go, check this post out on making your blog content work for you.
Thank you so much! I have been struggling lately with what to post so this was helpful!
Glad this helped you, Keri!! Thanks for reading 😀
This is super helpful. I often struggle with content creation since it’s not my field. Thank you!
GREAT! All we wanted to do was give you some extra support. Being creative can be challenging sometimes! Thanks for stopping by!