Kristine
Continuously trying to come up with new blog topics can be more challenging than people expect. Googling possible subjects to cover will bring up all kinds of blog post formats you can create for your website (such as case studies, listicles, and FAQ pages), but it can be hard to find any advice out there for brainstorming actual topic ideas for your specific industry or niche.
If you’re starting to feel like you’ve run out of ideas or you’re struggling to overcome a case of writer’s block, here are a few tips you can try to help reignite the creative spark once again.
Brainstorming Strategies
When you sit down to write a blog post, do you feel overwhelmed with fragmented thoughts running through your head? Or does your mind suddenly become as blank as the new Word document pulled up on your screen?
Both of these instances are normal, whether you recently started a blog or you’ve been a writer for your whole life. Sometimes, it just takes a good brainstorming session to clear your head and organize your thoughts so that they’re accessible as more than a fleeting fragment of inspiration.
Take a few minutes out of your day to try one or both of these methods to determine whether they help you collect your ideas.
- Freewriting:
Set a timer for 10-20 minutes and start writing. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about at all. The goal is to detach yourself from your inner critic and produce as much as you can within the time limit set. Nobody has to see your freewriting exercises except for you, so don’t worry about your structure, grammar, spelling, or other elements of “proper” English writing. You could write a grocery list, recall that strange dream you had last night, or go over reasons why you like the color lavender. The edge of the universe is the limit.
- Mapping:
You may have also heard this strategy referred to as “webbing,” where writers begin with one broad, vague topic idea and build from it.
Describe your topic in one to three words and draw a circle around that idea. Then think of something related to that idea (whether that tangent interests you or not) and write it down. Draw a circle around that idea and draw a line connecting the two idea circles (the result looks initially like a cartoon dumbbell). Keep branching out and repeat the same process until you have a full page of potential ideas to write about.
In addition to practicing brainstorming exercises, asking yourself the “Big 6” questions of writing can help you direct your thoughts along one path. Journalists use this process to test the comprehensiveness of their articles.
Begin by selecting a general topic from the news, a competitor’s blog, or a comment on one of your recent blog posts. Come up with a response to the piece of writing you chose and as you write, make sure you’re addressing the following questions.
- Who is this for?
- What am I talking about?
- When is this relevant?
- Where is it relevant?
- Why am I writing this response?
- How do I convey the points I’m trying to make?
Remember, nobody needs to see this response aside from yourself, so don’t stress too much about it. You’re simply practicing a writing exercise so that you can sharpen your blog quality.
Good Sources for Inspiration
If you’re still not sure what to write about, you can find inspiration from a variety of sources. Look to your customers, peers, coworkers, friends, family, or leaders within your industry. Listen to what they have to say and when an idea pops into your head, make a note of it. You might even decide to be more direct and ask these individuals for ideas, feedback, questions to address, pain points, concerns, etc.
To collect information, you could send a short poll to your email subscribers, post questions on your social media pages, or contact established experts in your field to see if they’d be willing to provide you with some insight into what your shared audience wants to learn about.
Similarly, you can also conduct some competitor research to see which of their recent blog posts are receiving the most engagement. Check the comments as well to gather customer feedback. This way, you have even more ideas to work with that come straight from the horse’s mouth.
You might also seek out these sources for even more extensive data collection:
- LinkedIn articles related to your field
- Industry news and trends
- Social media activity from companies in your market
AI Assistance
Let’s not forget about the development of AI tools that marketers and business owners can use to gather inspiration. Some content-writing bots, like ChatGPT will pitch you a handful of ideas related to your field if you request help.
You might ask, “I need some topic ideas for my animal care blog.”
And you’d likely receive idea prompts like these:
- Tips for Traveling with Pets
- Common Health Conditions in Different Cat/Dog Breeds
- How to Create a Pet-Centric First Aid Bag
- Understanding Your Pet’s Body Language
- How to Choose the Right Pet for Your Lifestyle
Keyword Research
Another good way to discover what your target audience wants to learn more about in your specific field is to look at competitive search engine keywords. Use a keyword research tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs and type in a broad keyword related to your field, then take a look at the various results that populate.
Type your keyword (or list of keywords) into Google as well, then scroll down to check out different meta titles for page results and the questions listed in the “People Also Ask” section that comes up with your search results.
If you typed in “dentist” or “dental care,” you might find keywords or meta titles that include: root canals, wisdom teeth, TMJ disorder, oral hygiene, gum disease, braces, Invisalign, etc.
Search engine snippet questions might include:
- What does a dentist do?
- What are the types of dental care?
- What are 10 ways to take care of your teeth?
- How is a dentist different from an orthodontist?
All of the information you collected can be used to help you create not one, but a series of new blog posts.
However, you might find that blogging and topic research is just not your strong suit, and that’s okay. If you want consistent help with blogging so that you don’t have to spend hours researching, writing, and editing, Content Cucumber might be the perfect fit for your business.
For a flat monthly rate, you’ll have access to your very own professional writer who will be happy to provide new ideas, conduct research, and write high-quality content for your blog, product descriptions, social media pages, and more. Simply click here to sign up and receive your risk-free trial article!
