Blogging is a fun, easy, flexible way to generate income from home, but there are times when you’ll want to post an article and won’t know what to write about. At Work-At-Home Success, I’ve been writing about telecommuting, home business and related topics for over 16 years. There are days when I wonder, “What’s left to say?” But if you’re clever and are staying on top of news and trends related to your blog topic, there’s always something to say. Here are some tips for getting blog topic ideas when you’re stuck for something to write.
1. What’s trending? Check Twitter, Facebook or use Google Alerts to find out what people are talking about or news items related to your blog topic. Share the news and provide your insights or thoughts.
2. Share tips. Tips are popular because most people go online to get information.
3. Do a survey. Surveys encourage engagement and provide you with feedback. Plus, you can write a post on the survey results.
4. Share a resource. If you’ve read a book or used a tool or service related to your blog topic, share it with your readers.
5. Provide a review. This is similar to sharing a resource, except your purpose is to review the good and the bad of the resource.
6. Share something about your life. Writing something personal helps your readers know and feel connected to you.
7. Answer questions. Many readers will submit questions in your comments, through email or by social media. Write posts that answer these questions.
8. Use alternate media. If you’re posts are mostly written, post a video.
9. Do a web Round up. Instead of writing your own stuff, you can curate a list of the best stuff on your site or around the web. This helps your readers find the best content related to your topic.
10. Do an Interview. This can be written or recorded and posted on your blog. You can interview a client or fan. Or you can interview an expert. Many people are happy to talk with you in exchange for promotion.
11. Celebrate National ____ Day. When I’m really stuck, I check out the calendars that list all the strange, unusual or unique holidays. For example, May is Clean Air Month, this week is National Occupational Safety and Health Week, and today (May 7) is Occupational Safety & Health Day. I could have put those in a post about how working at home helps reduce air pollution (less commuting) or OSHA rules on home offices. Brownie Locks is a fun site for getting monthly, weekly and daily celebrations.
12. Use guest bloggers. This is getting harder to do as Google’s new rules on reciprocal linking that can penalize bloggers have reduced the benefit of guest blogging (no more SEO). However, some bloggers are willing to share a story just for the opportunity to get in front of your audience even if you use “no follow” on their links to avoid getting dinged by Google.
13. Hold a contest or giveaway. You don’t have spend a lot to have a great treat for your readers. You can provide a free consult, a copy of your ebook, or something related to your topic area. Be sure to check out the laws regarding giveaways and contests before having one.
14. Write list posts. You can list anything… Top 5 Worst…Biggest Blunders…Best of the Best….etc.
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I am glad to see you include guest blogging on your list. So many people are now too afraid to utilize this tool, but as you say – if bloggers are looking to get the message out and share their knowledge and if they are not too concerned about backlinks, guest blogging can be a great way to gain a new perspective. I have seen many people post guest blogs and then write a response to follow it up with their own take on the subject. A fresh voice can do the world of good!
Thank you for your comment Kostas! You’re right some people are giving up on guest blogging, and many bloggers aren’t accepting guest blogs anymore. It’s annoying because like many other ways companies try to deal with black hat or spam, it hurts the people who do things right less than it hurts the cheaters. But if you can’t let go of using guest blogging for SEO and instead use it to get in front of a new audience, it’s a great way to market. Thanks again!