How to find blog post ideas
‘I haven’t got a CLUE what to blog about.’ I hear this all the time from business peeps who are all out of blog post ideas. And it gets them in a right old panic. They know they need to write something – so they end up chucking some content together and ticking it off their To Do list. Well, that’s fine if you don’t want your blog to attract customers or clients. Sorry, what did you say – you DO want to attract them? Well then, read on to discover how to find blog post ideas – not just this month or next month but EVERY month.
Blog ideas – they’re all in your head
Yes, really, you’ve got loads of blog post ideas in your head already. They’re ready and waiting to come out. Sometimes they leave your head but you still don’t actually click that they’re blog ideas. This is a phenomenon I see all the time. Take last week. I was chatting to a networking colleague and she told me three anecdotes that brilliantly demonstrated why people should use her service. I nearly fell off my chair with excitement. ‘Wow – these are such good ideas for blog posts,’ I said. She sort of nodded and carried on. ‘No, really, these are great,’ I said. ‘Write them down before you forget them. Go on – write them down, write them down.’ She didn’t write them down. Her website remains blog free. And you know the funny part? Just before we parted, she said ‘I really should start blogging… it’s just that I can never think of ideas.’
Prince Andrew and other royals
Worried about coming up with blog post ideas? Don’t get in a sweat (oh, sorry, maybe you can’t!). You can always rely on a royal or celebrity for a hot topic. Sure, you have to be a bit creative about what you write and you can’t just shoe-horn in a mention without any relevance whatsoever. But, still, you don’t want to pass up the opportunity to blog about something everyone’s talking about (and Googling), do you? I read an article that referenced Prince Andrew and Pizza Hut right from the get-go then segued into an interesting and amusing little piece on dining out in London. Subtle? Not really. Clever and funny? I thought so. The next time a royal or celebrity is in the news, give it a try on your blog.
Survey says…
Surveys, studies and new research – these are all surefire winners for blog post ideas. I use them all the time for my client blogs. Only yesterday I wrote about the percentage of unwanted Christmas presents that end up in landfill as part of a blog for a client who makes eco-friendly children’s bookcases. For another client – in pest control – I highlighted recent research on the number of businesses affected by pest infestations. Well, it made a change from mentioning mice droppings and pigeon poo!
Pick Your Nose Day
Yep, International Nose Picking Day is actually a thing. It was back in April and sadly I missed it – I was too busy eating my toenails to notice. Never mind, there are plenty of other awareness days you can depend on for blog post inspiration. Some are serious, some are quirky and some are just plain bonkers. Coming up for December – ‘Eat a red apple day’, ‘National grief awareness week’ and ‘National lager day’. Enjoy!
Ask a bloke for blog ideas
Not any old bloke, you understand. Go to Answer The Public and you’ll find a pleasantly smooth chap* who’ll give you more blog post ideas than you can shake a stick at. Just type in your keyword and you’ll see what I mean. I randomly typed in ‘penguins’ – because I can – and got 197 results. They’re all questions, like ‘Which penguins mate for life?’ and ‘How do penguins communicate?’ So if your business has anything to do with penguins you’re good to go. My business has nothing to do with penguins. But I’d welcome the opportunity to blog about whether penguins can fart.
* If you’re familiar with AnswerThePublic you’ll notice that the grumpy old codger has been replaced.
* Still scratching around for inspiration? Or just want someone to write the darned blogs for you? Here’s an idea – hire me