We all need ideas to blog about.
Because as content marketers updating consistent and useful content can generate organic traffic to your website.
Almost everyone knows this.
But sadly, so many people are not updating their blogs regularly.
Yes. So many bloggers and small content marketers do not upload their blogs consistently.
And you know what’s even more depressing?
As you continuously skip updating your blogs, your traffic keeps going down and down and down until it gets to the point you’re not encouraged to update the blog anymore.
Over time, this leads to a natural death of the blog.
Of course we’re all so familiar with this timeline already. Aren’t we?
But then what could be wrong, you ask? I mean, why do people keep refusing to write new content for their blogs when it’s due?
Now let me answer this question.
I’m sure you’re aware most blogs are owned by individuals not companies.
Now, as individuals, most bloggers run their blogs as a part time business.
On the basis of this, if you’re a content marketer or blogger and you do not manage your time very well, there’s going to be times when other activities will stop you from blogging.
That’s the honest truth.
Another thing is the issue of running out of ideas to write about. Either because there’s no structural blogging calendar to follow or no real motivation to write.
Trust me.
As a one man business owner, except you put in some measures in place, you’ll certainly run out of ideas to write about on your blog sometimes.
Let’s clear the fact. This is not really abnormal at all.
But there are certain things you can do to stop it from happening again.
How to find ideas to blog about?
There are certain measures you can use to help you find ideas to blog about when it looks like you’re running out of content for your blog.
And right here I’ll be listing them one after the other as it’s helped me.
1. Plan your yearly content schedule. Based on the topic of your blog, plan your yearly content schedule based on what your audience will want to read about.
If you’re blogging about content marketing for instance, you can get to divide the topic of your blog into certain areas.
For example: content marketing for social media, can be divided into the one for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc and you could target each individual social media at different months or quarter of the year.
This will make it more formalized and organized for you.
So instead of looking for a new content topic to write about each day you would have had a set number of content to write about.
2. Get a content calendar. With a content calendar, you can divide a year up into 12 months or a quarter.
Within these months/quarter, you fix in certain content themes that will take you through the year.
Getting a content calendar will save you the stress of thinking about what topic to choose from.
With your content calendar, you won’t have much issues choosing what to write about.
And you can get your content calendar in a chronological order, taking your readers from the most basic, to the most advanced concept of your blog’s topic area.
3. Head over to KeywordTool.io. With this tool, you write in any topic you want to write about in the search page.
As soon as you type your topic, in less than 5 minutes, you’ll have suggestions on topics to write about.
Most times it will give you not just the 77 topics I mentioned earlier but even more suggested topics.
With the topics in place, you can then scroll down to choose the particular topic that’s more relevant to what you want to write about.
4. Review your Best content. There’s definitely some of your content that really stood out.
Can you check out these topics with numerous engagement, shares, likes?
Find out what makes them unique. Update them where necessary and repost them on your blog.
5. Expand on older post. There are some of your blog posts performing really well, which you didn’t really have enough space to expand on some of the sub topics.
Why not choose a particular steamy sub topic and expand on it as a new blogger posts?
Depending on whether your audience are really interested in the topic, this can really help you with new ideas and a more educative content for your readers.
6. Use Google. With tools like Google trends, you can find out what people are actively searching for in your niche.
This can give you some heads up on what to write about on the interim.
On the long term, with tools like Google trends, you can come up with topics of interest for your blog, based on other popular topic in the niche area, in the previous year.
Google Suggest. You can also use the Google suggest tool to find content marketing ideas.
Enter your keywords in a Google search and see what Google suggests.
Google Related Searches. Enter a particular topic area (say content marketing for instance), Scroll to the bottom of the search engine results page (SERP). There you’ll find related content ideas.
These related searches sometimes could give you a unique topic for new content.
7. Write a post from customers’ questions. As a knowledgeable person in your topic area, there’s no way your customers won’t ask you questions related to your blog, once in awhile.
In order for other readers to benefit from your answers, you can put the answers up in writing and share it on your blog.
8. Read other blogs. Reading other people’s blog is one cool way to find ideas to blog about.
It happens to me. And to so many other bloggers and content marketers.
Sometimes all your mind needs is an inspiration that can help you put your thoughts together.
Alright.
So apart from the ones I’ve listed up there, below are other ways to find inspiration and ideas to blog about:
When you feel you need more inspiration, do these…
Slow down. Look for an external stimuli. Yes. See a counselor, coach, talk to some really inspiring folks around you.
They can give you some kind of counseling or serious prep-talk that will get you up once again.
Clear your head. Take a deep breath and clear the clutter in your head. Most times, What stops you from connecting with your creative self is not anything but the noise in your head. Flush out the noise.
Take a nap. If you try to calm down and it becomes impossible. Get some good book, take a nap rading it. You eill wake up feeling more refreshed and much ready to write.
Read up your best motivational stuff if you want to. In the absence of a live person, you can read up your favorite motivators, role model, coach etc.
Either their books or blogs. They could be the easiest source for your next inspiration.
Visualize the results: Find a quiet spot, sit down and visualize clearly in your mind’s eye, the overall result of the best action you’d take right now.
What if you got up and did something? Yes! Imagine vividly. Picture how much difference would be made.
Take a walk. Would be better you walk in the woods but if you can’t find the woods, go out into the streets. Let your mind loose.
Your next story prompt may just be an incidence on the street.
Interview Thought Leaders: Find someone in your industry doing something worthwhile, talk to them, share their story. This is how i published one of my most recent posts here.
If you can’t find a thought leader, check out someone doing anything spectacular get him down to talk about this.
Get on google. read up your favorite blog: If that doesn’t work, do a random search on a topic close to what you’d want to write about, read it up.
Your next inspiration may be sitting on the pages of what you’re reading there.
Write: Get on your writing device, write anything. what you write doesn’t have to make sense, write it.
Don’t stop writing until your mind gets ready to write what’s going to make sense. Sounds funny but works.
Open a blank page. Tell yourself exactly what you want to write about. Visualize how damned you’ll feel if you don’t start writing now.
Feel it. Make the terrible feeling so real until you start writing. This is the strategy I’m using to write this post right now. Been long since i started writing it.
I got stuck at tip 3. But in less than 30 minutes today, i added about 7 more tips. You see what i mean? Your mind produces greater creative insights when it feels you’re in serious danger.
Don’t wait for inspiration to drop from the sky, the next time you feel down and out. Go all out and find a reason to get right there all over again. Go find inspiration for writing.
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