What to Write When you are out of Ideas
Consistently coming up with ideas for great blog posts is not easy. The more you blog, the more often you will find yourself staring at a blank screen and wondering, “what do I have for today?” A good content calendar helps a ton. So too does having a team around you where ideas can be discussed and iterated upon.
But for many small businesses, there is no team, there is no content calendar and there is no one coming to the rescue. It is up to you. Having a solution when good blog ideas are not coming easily is critical to keeping your content flowing. Just like when trying to exercise or build a new habit, if you break a pattern or schedule of posting it gets increasingly harder to get back in the swing of things.
Five Ways to Generate Quality Blog Ideas
Answer a Question
Think back to the last question a customer or client asked you in the course of the workday. Maybe it was a question about a product or service. Maybe it was a support inquiry. Whatever it is, think about the problem they are trying to solve when they asked the question. For example, if a customer at a farm supply store asks, “Which of these bailers do you recommend?” you can deduce that they are trying to find a quality product for bailing hay. Do not write a post about all the bailers your store sells but rather a post about what makes for a good bailer.
The same goes for SaaS. If a client asks “how does this piece of software handle security” you can craft a post about why security is important, best practices for software security, or how physical security plays a role in the safe use of software. There are so many great ideas that your blog visitors will love if you listen to your customers, deduce what problem they are hoping to solve and answer it with a blog post.
Tell a Story
One of the paradoxes of blog posting is that the most-read, most-shared posts are the ones that are relatable, honest, and interesting. A great – or even good – story from your professional experience is likely to be much more engaging for your blog audience than another post about technical specs or market conditions. Your readers want to get to know you and your business, and your blog is the best way for that to happen.
Struggling to think of a story to share? Think of a time that was a high point for the business and what happened. A low point. A big change or transition. All of these can make for great stories. And before you think we are contradicting some earlier advice, keep in mind that the story isn’t supposed to be about promotion but rather telling your story so the reader can better relate to you.
Reply to Another Post
If you aren’t keeping up with other blogs in your industry or sector, start immediately. Aside from being better informed, reading other points of view will inspire your own reactions. Those reactions can be turned into blog posts of your own.
Do you agree with their perspective? Do you think the other person’s post is off base? Write about it on your own blog. Professional and constructive discourse via a blog post is a great way to offer interesting content from your own point of view. Remember to keep it professional and offer a unique point of view, something additive for the reader, and you may be surprised at how high-quality the post turns out.
Comment on the News
A neverending source of new blog topics can be found in the news. It can be as simple as typing your industry into Google, clicking on the News tab, and see what is getting press. Offering CBD products for sale? Almost daily there are new laws and rules around the industry. Weigh in with your opinion on that. Offering IT managed services? A new conference is announced at least once a week. Take a look at the agenda and write a post about why the conference might be interesting to your readers.
Admittedly, news-based posts are a little time locked in their relevance. However in the days or weeks that they are relevant, your readers and search engine crawlers will recognize that you are up to date and involved in the industry, not just recycling old content ideas.
Ask for Help
If all else fails, ask a friend to author a guest post. Other business owners can often write something relevant where their content ties in nicely with your industry or sector. A different voice and point of view can make for a great blog post. Guest writers will love to have the backlink to their own site and their perspective may well offer the value that your readers will enjoy.
Use this strategy judiciously though. A blog full of everyone else’s point of view will soon erode your own voice. We recommend no more than one guest post per month.
Blog Ideas in Familiar Places
We recognize that the struggle for great blog topics is real. Whether you are a disciplined blogger with organization and structure or a business owner that blogs when you can find the time, it can be a challenge to post something new and useful. But there are some ways to find inspiration even on days when nothing jumps out on its own. The tips above are meant to help not only find new topics but also show that a different point of view on topic generation can yield big results. The next time you are struggling to think of what to write, give consideration to a different way of thinking.