Where to Find Blog Post Ideas
/It’s safe to say that I’ve been writing for fun for almost 20 years (yes, I was that child who stapled printer paper together to make books to write in). My love for writing recently led me to blogging, which I absolutely love. But when I first discovered blogging, I had a fear in the back of my mind that one day I would run out of blog post ideas. Humble and Whole is a blog that I hope to sustain for years to come in order to support and guide women on their entrepreneurial journeys. One fear that I had was that as I narrowed the niche of Humble and Whole, I would run out of topics.
Nowadays we’re told to narrow our topics down so much to appeal to our audiences that we can wonder just how much we can write about a topic before the ideas stop flowing. Is this a fear of yours too? Have you hit a wall when it comes to blog post ideas? No worries, we’ve got eight places you can look to get those gears turning again.
Read print and online magazines
Magazines have to produce A LOT of content, which makes them one of the best sources to use for blog post ideas. If you are subscribed to any magazine long enough, you will also recognize how similar themes/articles are repeated throughout the year. Not only are magazines great for initial inspiration, but take the time to open a few issues and examine how they repurpose their content. Magazines are an awesome source of encouragement for bloggers to replicate because they are also typically niched-down and discuss the same topic in a variety of ways. The popularity of magazines and their tribes of faithful readers are also reassuring signs that people don’t mind reading about the same things over and over again.
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Conduct a Pinterest search
Even the most well-intentioned pinners have fallen down the rabbit hole of Pinterest, and with good reason. Pinterest does an excellent job of rewarding your search with more targeted pins than you can possibly consume. Instead of just browsing Pinterest for fun, try conducting a search to brainstorm blog post ideas. Use a keyword related to one of the categories on your blog. For example, one category of Humble and Whole is blogging, but to refine this even further let’s say I type in “beginning blogging tips”. Now I have an extensive list of pins to spark my imagination.
Consult your Facebook groups
Facebook groups are not just for growing your social media accounts, promoting your blog posts, and networking (even though those are three great reasons to join a FB group). Sometimes instead of spending time promoting, set a timer and dig into a FB group where your ideal audience resides. Look at the questions that are being asked. If you can answer someone’s question but you don’t have a blog post written about that topic, get to work!
Pay attention to the Q&A sessions during webinars
There is almost always some live webinar going on or a replay to be watched. After watching several webinars, it’s easy to start tuning out certain sections like the introduction or Q&A. but the Q&A is a valuable part of any webinar. Look at the questions people are asking as potential blog post ideas. Can you write a blog post related to the topics they have questions about? If you have the knowledge and expertise, go ahead and give it a try.
Browse books and their summaries and reviews on Amazon
Take a look at Amazon and check out the summaries of books related to your niche. What topics are they discussing? If you can do a sneak peek, examine the table of contents for even more content ideas. Check out the reviews as well. Don’t ignore the reviews of those who were not satisfied. Sometimes people are very detailed about why a book did not meet their expectations. Pay attention when someone says, “I was expecting…” or “I wish the author would have..” Maybe you can provide more details in a blog post.
Conduct a Google search
Similar to the Pinterest search strategy, type in a relevant keyword related to one of your categories. Examine the results on the first three or four pages. Why do you think these pieces of content ranked as top results? What questions did these results answer? Use your notes to develop a high quality blog post written from your own unique perspective.
Turn to Instagram for inspiration
There is an abundance of inspiration just waiting for you on Instagram. I’ve gotten blog post ideas from just one quote, scripture, or story within a photo caption on Instagram. A great way to run a targeted search for inspiration would be to explore a hashtag that you have identified that your ideal audience uses and explore the results linked to the hashtag. What captions are stealing your attention?
Check out podcasts and youtube videos
Inspiration for blog posts isn’t limited to written sources. Tune in to the podcasts and youtube channels related to your niche. What questions are they addressing? What is the host demonstrating?
No matter where you turn for inspiration, the key is that you have a means of recording your ideas. Don’t put yourself in a predicament where you can’t remember the ideas that come to mind earlier in the day. Whether you’re obsessed with an old-fashioned notepad and pen, Evernote, Google Keep, or the iNotes app, don’t be empty handed when inspiration flows.
While there is nothing wrong with looking to others for inspiration, it is a poor reflection of character to copy someone else’s work. There is a unique space for you no matter which niche you identify in. Always write from your own perspective. If you are struggling to produce your own content, remember you can always hire someone to write your blog posts. Never compromise the dignity of your branding by plagiarizing another author or blogger.
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