Guest Post by Brooke Chaplan
A problem many business owners face is running out of content ideas for their blog or website. It can be difficult to constantly come up with new ideas and takes on the same topics every day, especially when you work at home or on your own. Fortunately, you don’t have to give into writer’s block or let down your readers. Here are a few ways to keep your blog content ideas fresh and always changing.
Read and Watch Offline Materials
One important step is to read and watch offline media. Often the online ecosystem circulates the same ideas across popular outlets week after week. This can leave you with stale ideas that have been covered hundreds of times. Offline media like newspapers, magazines, and best-selling books can give you fresh ideas that have not made their way online yet.
Follow the News
If you want to always have fresh content ideas that reflect the present, you should follow the news. The stories you hear each day are often a random mix of subjects from places all around the world. There is everything from human interest and technology stories, to political and environmental pieces. You can almost always find something to use in the news, and even if you don’t draw directly from those stories, you’ll be more current and informed with coming up with topics that reflect the present climate.
Look for Ideas in Unrelated Media
A mistake some people make is to limit the search for content ideas only to media dealing with one specific subject. You need to look deeper into unrelated media stories. You might be able to find a technology idea by looking at the underlying theme of an article about cooking. Always think about content ideas when reading or viewing any genre of media.
Consider Using Guest Blogging
If you consistently have trouble with content ideas, then consider using a guest post to fill the space. A guest blogger can bring in a fresh perspective, new ideas, and a different voice. Some authors can often draw in new audiences or complement other pieces on your site. Guest bloggers are a fast and simple solution when you are having content idea issues.
Answer Your Own Questions
It is important to remember you are just like the people reading your content. Stop to consider if you have any unanswered or difficult questions about a particular topic. If you do, then you can be certain that other people online also have those questions. Simply answer your own questions in a way that is satisfactory and detailed. This can be the basis for a very interesting piece and can get you involved in a lot more research.
Ask Friends or Colleagues
A simple technique that sometimes works is to call friends or colleagues in for ideas. Just ask if there are any topics or subjects they might like to see articles about. See if they have recently covered something in your shared industry that might be relatable to your blog.
Look through Social Media
Check what social media topics are trending. Look at popular posts and read some of the conversations going on online. You can frequently distill trending social media topics down into a new idea that will fit into the theme of your blog or website.
Write Something Personal
A final method is to just write about something personal. Think about your own past and unique experiences. Find something interesting that relates to the subject you are pursuing. Personal experiences can create amazing and often more engaging pieces that really connect with the readers and foster discussion.
Every writer knows when it is time to stop and assess their content. If coming up with new ideas is becoming difficult, then you have to take action to prevent creating stale or repetitive pieces. These techniques can help any writer keep ideas fresh no matter what subject or industry.
