How to Come up with New Blog Post Ideas
Feb. 25, 2010
45 Comments
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had difficulty coming up with new blog post ideas. Because the more creative and unique your content is the more readers, traffic and commentators you’ll have. So finding that creative content is important, the question is: how?
Here are some methods I’ve used:
Use Social Media
If you have a following on Twitter, tweet, asking for some suggestions. If you use LinkedIn or Facebook, update your status and ask away. Take advantage of Buzz, Friendfeed, Ping.Fm and any other social network that you use to explore the question.
Read a Book
It’s always helpful to sit down and read an amazing book that has aspects to it that connect to your blog. In my case, I could read titles such as The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, Crush It, The Tipping Point, jotting down ideas that might inspire me to write a blog post.
Ask other Bloggers
What’s better than asking other bloggers directly for some input? Every blog has different content, another edge and approach. Sharing ideas could mutually benefit both sides.
Paper or Doc
Take out a piece of paper or create a new document for blog post ideas. Sit down and spend time brainstorming to add any idea that comes to mind. Then, later on, every time you think of something else list it right away. That way you always have ideas available.
Run a Contest
An approach that I took was launching a contest in which one of the main entries was suggesting a post. That will get your readers excited about sharing ideas, which can benefit everyone.
Extend a post
Check out older posts that had lots of comments, views and interest. Try adding a second part, updating it with new information, or making a spin-off version. For example I saw how successful this post was: 10 Quick Tips to Boost Your Blogging Skills and decided that extending the post would provide another great article which led to 10 Quick Tips to Boost Your Blogging Skills (Part 2).
Use Your Personal Experiences
Connecting my personal experiences has helped me come up with ideas on many occasions. For example, reading AM New York on the train to school everyday led me to writing a post on why the newspaper and magazine industries need a makeover. Take time to think about experiences you could write about that took place offline or online.
Have any other suggestions or tips?
PS: If you have any posts that you’d like to see here, please share below. I’d appreciate any idea!
45 Responses to “How to Come up with New Blog Post Ideas”
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Feb. 26, 2010
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Feb. 28, 2010
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Great tips, Ben. A great tip I have for everyone which I think you will find helpful too is to mind map your old posts. Mind mapping is generating new ideas from old ones.
Hope this helps
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Shirley´s last blog post: CAPTCHA Prevents Commenting In Blogs – Shirley’s Zone Readers Think So
Thanks! Good idea, I guess that’s another way to extend posts, basically to take older posts and generate ideas from them…
Great thoughts Ben! I always find my best creativity and inspiration comes when I get away from my computer and into the fresh air. We get so distracted and bogged down with things to do, emails to check, when we are on our computers. So remove that and creativity increases dramatically.
Tom | Build That List´s last blog post: The Aweber Code….And Why You Need To Promote It!
Thanks
I fully agree, even just taking out a piece of paper to jot down ideas helps. Email, social media etc. is so distracting!
Great article Ben! I personally like using mind mapping tools in order to generate and arrange my ideas.
Thanks, guess you’re with Shirley’s method.
When you read lots of books in great depth there’s a countless number of ideas you come up with for blog posts.
Clinton Skakun´s last blog post: Shoulds vs. Musts That Dictate Your Life
Yeah for sure, check out the books I recommended those are some of the best I have ever read!
A great way is to always offer people the chance to submit guest posts on your blog.
That will give you a day off every once in a while, and helping out another blogger also.
Brian Inman´s last blog post: Time To Fire Up My Shredder On Steroids for Warhammer Online February Producers Letter
That’s a good point, although it doesn’t help you think of ideas, it could add great content to your blog and expand… Thanks for sharing your thoughts
thanks i always find it hard to come up with posts
Ed´s last blog post: Google Wave Contest
Your welcome, so do I!
Wow. The timing of your post is just amazing Ben! You asked on the last part “Have any other suggestions or tips?”.
Well, I do! I’ve just emailed you about it.
Liane´s last blog post: I Stared At My Wall and Got 70 Posting Ideas
Thanks for emailing me! Wow, that is amazing that you just launched:
“THE 70 IDEAS FOR YOUR NEXT 70 POSTS – POSTER EDITION”
That definitely is a great way to come up with blog post ideas
No, thank YOU for the support Ben!
Liane´s last blog post: I Stared At My Wall and Got 70 Posting Ideas
Great list. Reading book will get a many ideas on writing posts, and just getting out into the world experiencing things
you will be amazed at how many things could become a few post when you look at them thru a bloggers eyes.
John Paul Aguiar´s last blog post: Want To Make Money Blogging? Then Stop Using Entrecard
Thanks! Agreed, just look at everything through a blogger’s perspective and ideas will pop up constantly.
what a coincidence! Liane just released her first product and it looks something related to this post.
By the way, reading and reading is a way that I found very benefit for me to gain new posting idea besides it can improve my English skill also
Yes it is! I actually just a won a copy of her product I’ll let you know how it is.
Yeah reading is good, I’m sure it also helps your grammar.
I just wrote pretty much the same post over at JohnChow.com….
Alex Monroe´s last blog post: The Entrepreneur All Star Football Team
Cool, I’ll go check it out soon. Thanks for letting me know.
Feel free to hit me up if your interested in writing a review for my blog on any book you chose. I’ll get it for free and you do the review
Interesting proposal, I’ll you know if I’m interested in the future. Thanks!
Its a great post indeed and I must congratulate you. Oh yes! I must congratulate you for winning the contest. I just read that you’ve won the first prize of “70 blogging ideas” posters. Many many congratulations!
Suresh Khanal´s last blog post: Secret of Getting Twitter Followers
Thanks, I’m also really glad that I won, I’ll let you know how great it is!
Great Tips Ben.Thanks for sharing this.Really helpful !!
Blogging Tips´s last blog post: How to increase Search Traffic
Thanks, your very welcome
It looks like your blog also has some great tips.
thanks i always find it hard to come up with posts
Sure, I’m glad this helped.
Other reasons can include:
Ask Your Readers
Start A Series
Explain 1 Topic In Detail and create many posts
Use Twitter for trending topics
Ask your self a question and answer it
Good suggestions. Trending topics, and starting a series are superb ideas.
Hey Ben,
Thanks for a great post, now i have some help while brainstorming for a new post.
Hey Serge,
Your very welcome, good luck coming up with new posts.
Awesome tips Ben.
I have over 200 drafts online. More in a notepad doc and more saved in email.
ideas are not an issue for me, time to implement all is. lol
Dennis Edell´s last blog post: $100 – 10 Winners – Comment Contest! ‘Till Months End…
Thanks, wow 200! That’s amazing. I can’t seem to pass 5. Time is also a problem for me though.
Any idea that pops into my head gets an immediate title and a line or two drafted.
I like that idea. I get ideas as well (good ones that I think are worthy to be added to a blog) but then I procrastinate and it doesn’t get posted. I think the problem, which has already been stated very well, is that I find myself not wanting to blog most of the time. And the times I often do (12-1am), I’m usually asleep. But if I had a draft of all the ideas, I can at least go back to them.
Jack´s last blog post: Accepted Into NVTC FastTrac Program
It’s easy for me as I get most ideas while reading other blogs. I just flip over to mine which is always open, pop it in, flip back and continue reading.
I say become a blog lizard. Hang out at blogs. Exchange creative ideas with others bloggers. A world of information and inspiration awaits in your fellow blogger’s ideas.
A helpful post Ben.
Ryan´s last blog post: ryanbiddulph: RT @John_Beresford Purpose is what gives life a meaning ~ Perkhurst
Nice metaphor
I’ll remember that!
Thanks for your insight.
How about monitor your websites statistics / analytics closely and see what people are typing to find your site. Then develop, expand on the subject to have the dual listings in the SERPs?
Websites for Accountants´s last blog post: Search Engine Optimisation for Accountants
Very good point. Looking up your top keywords and writing more posts closely related to them is a great idea.
Hey brother Ben, I liked what you said about inking personal experiences. I’ve just begun blogging and I have started with personal experience.
You can have a look and I would love to read your comment about it and anybody else who may be interested.
amruthmakam.wordpress.com
amruthmakam.blogspot.com