If you want to build an audience, you can’t be run of the mill.
You need to know exactly how to get amazing blog post ideas.
But you may not know where to start looking.
You open a blank page and wonder what to write about.
Maybe you write about something that interests you.
But do you know if your readers will be as interested?
Or you might think of something you know your readers will love, but you don’t have much to really say about it.
Where do you start?
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How do you turn that blank white page into a sizzling article?
Just how do you get amazing blog post ideas that you can work with?
Research your amazing blog post ideas
I know, you’re ready to sit and write that amazing blog post and get it published.
But hold on.
Is that vague blog post idea floating around in your head any good?
And what are other people saying about your topic?
You can’t start writing a good blog post until you know what to write about.
But you can’t figure that out until you start doing some solid research.
The research part of blogging is indispensable.
Without it, you’ll be writing off the top of your head, about things that your readers might not even care about.
Quick Tip.
Don’t try to write a blog post on a topic that nobody else is talking about.
It might mean your blog post has no competition.
But it will also mean that nobody will care about it.
It’s far better to stick to topics that are so important to your audience, that everybody is writing about them all the time.
Sure, you’ll have more competition.
But if you do a good job with it, even one really good blog post can result in a loyal readership.
Research what?
Okay.
I already said to write about things that everyone else in your niche is writing and talking about.
That makes things easy, really.
Just look for trending and popular topics, and stick to them.
Trending topics
Read what others are writing about your topic.
Watch their YouTube videos.
Follow them on social media.
If it’s somebody that’s really good, get on their email list.
You learn from top bloggers’ newsletters.
Quick Tip.
You can easily connect with other bloggers when you’re a subscriber to their email list.
Just hit the “reply” button on any of their emails, and start a conversation.
This is a quick way to keep on top of the latest things going on in your niche.
Be in the loop.
Stay in the loop!
Topic resources
So where do you find good topics to write about?
Maybe they’re trending topics, or maybe just solid, evergreen ones.
That depends on your niche, of course.
Some niches (like the rapidly changing social media niche) require you to keep a very close eye on new developments.
So you have to stay on top of trending topics almost daily.
Most niches, though, (personal development, for instance) rely heavily on evergreen material, not so much trending topics.
Still, you want to mix them up.
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Question:
How do you get good ideas for topics in your niche?
Answer:
Wherever your main topics are being discussed.
I like Quora, because it has a question and answer format.
People in your niche are asking questions on Quora all the time.
Look up a topic and add “Quora” to your search.
You’ll start getting a real good idea about the things that are important to your audience.
- Forums
- Facebook groups
- Pinterest boards…
these are just some of the many places where you’ll get great ideas for topics to write about.
You’ll even start seeing headlines that work well, the people kicking out lots of quality articles, and more.
Just visit a Pinterest board, for example, in your niche.
My niche is blogging, so let’s see what I find on a quick board search…
Say it’s the travel niche.
Now you go to Pinterest board and search about traveling to Europe.
You’ll see all kinds of articles about precisely that topic.
You can see
- who is writing them
- what graphics they use to get attention
- calls to action that are working
- headlines that pull readers
You can even click the links to see
- how the articles are written
- what outbound links are included
- how is it being monetized
You will learn so much by watching and reading what others are saying and doing.
Get organized
Now, what are you going to do with all these great ideas that you’re collecting?
It’s really important to have some kind of notebook system.
Sure, you could use paper and pen.
But, really, that’s not going to help much.
You need an online notebook.
One where you can keep organized lists of the topics you write about, and your research notes on each topic.
By “research notes” I mean links to articles and videos.
Or even your own summaries of them.
Every time you want to create content for you blog, refer to your lists.
Start reading some of the articles you’ve collected, or listening to some videos.
You’ll start getting more ideas for blogging topics than you can handle.
Quick Tip.
Jot down questions you have while reading articles or watching videos. YOU be the audience. The questions you have will undoubtedly be questions that other people have, too. Those are all great topics for you to develop into your own content.
You can organize your notes on something as simple as a text document on your desktop.
But there are better solutions that are more visual, and you can search by keywords to get to what you want quickly.
I’ve used the free versions of both Trello and Evernote.
Trello is my favorite.
It’s laid out so clearly into Boards, Lists and Cards.
Keyword search is a breeze.
I love it.
Evernote is good, but I don’t like it as much because it’s not nearly as visual.
But with either one, you probably never need to go beyond the free version.
There are others, too, but these are the ones Ive used.
The important thing, here, is to find something that is simple yet powerful, and start using it as you start building your own body of research, ideas and even content.
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How to get amazing blog post ideas
These are some really great ideas to get you started.
But maybe you have others?
I’d love to hear from you.
Leave me a comment below.
Which of these ideas do you intend to put to use?
And, if you’ve been blogging for a while, how do you get your own amazing blog post ideas?
–Donna
PS: Please share this article on your social sites. Thanks so much 🙂
Being a blogger does always challenge me to brainstorm new blog post ideas. As a travel blogger who started to convert her blog into a “blogging blog” it’s a really big challenge. Even blogging just about travel got me stuck so many times, as I did not have new ideas. Researching to find new topics and ideas is something I should’ve to start doing sooner! However, doing it now. And actually, with a little research, I’m getting so many ideas that I can’t keep up with writing now!
Indeed, new blog post ideas can make us stare at a blank screen and scratch our heads thinking what to write about.
Once you have research topics as you have done, the ideas start flowing in the brain.
Good to know you are keeping up with your writing.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to build an online following in 2021
Hi Lisa,
We can always write about something that people have already written because we are explaining it in our own voice. I like to use the pizza analogy. Ever notice how close pizza stores are to one another? This means it is something in high demand. When we write our posts it is nice to see what others are asking about and answer it in a post.
Quora is one of our secret weapons because there are tons of questions there to give us the idea of good content.
Enjoy your weekend,
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..Do your online prospects trust you?
Twitter: mytopinsuranceb
February 7, 2021 at 6:39 pm #
Nice one, Donna.
Coming up with an amazing blog idea begins with doing a proper research.
When writing any article that’s guaranteed to go viral, I always focus on topics that forums are already discussing. It works really well for me.
Thanks a lot.
– Emenike
Emenike Emmanuel recently posted.. How to Find Out If Your SEO Strategy is Actually Working for Your Brand
Hi Emenike,
I find that what you are doing focusing on topics from from forums that are already discussing it is great for good content on your blog. We have to find that buzz and answer those questions as best we can.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..Do your online prospects trust you?
Twitter: vishwa328
February 2, 2021 at 11:27 am #
Hello Donna,
Fantastic Post. Getting awesome blog post ideas is very important to lure the readers to your blog. There are various online tools available online. You have mentioned some of them here too. I am a big fan of Quora. It’s a question and answer site. I use it to getting post ideas for my blog posts. Quora shows me what are the most asked questions in my niche and helps me to find out some interesting topics. I am also trying to cover the points that are missing on other blogs. Thanks for sharing these creative tips.
Regards,
Vishwajeet Kumar
Hi Vishwajeet,
It is so great that you are using Quora for some ideas. Those questions and answers give us great ideas for a blog post.
There are so many contents written by other blogs you can post those points that are missing out.
Great way to get some tips.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..3 secrets to being a productive blogger
Twitter: bloggerspassion
February 1, 2021 at 3:02 am #
Great topic and coming up with amazing post ideas for your blog is ALWAYS hard.
I personally like to research a lot by using tools like Semrush and I also love to analyze my competitors’ sites to see their top-performing blog posts. The sad thing about running a well-established blog is that you might already have covered most of those topics.
So it gets difficult to come up with great ideas as your blog grows. That’s why keyword research is important as you can find thousands of potential blog post ideas within a few hours.
I also like to use sites like Quora to often find new topic ideas as it’s a HUGE platform where people often ask so many questions on a variety of topics. So you can get inspiration from those queries.
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Hi Anil,
I was just on your blog and had fun with the suggestion you made about siteprice.org. I have to admit I got a little carried away with it. But the good news is that my blog is worth more than I thought it would. My competitors were lower.
Quora is one of the best ways to find topics that need attention. I like to look at the questions and all of a sudden a blog post becomes an idea to start writing..
Thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..3 secrets to being a productive blogger
Twitter: ryanbiddulph
January 28, 2021 at 5:47 pm #
I love that piece of advice about jotting down questions Donna. Smart and makes perfect sense, too. If you question something on reading a blog post you better believe more people have the same questions in mind. Publish helpful content based on those ideas. We have ideas all around us via questions in mind and questions from readers. Tune in, listen and snag blog post ideas for exploring, creating and publishing.
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Hi Ryan,
I love when I get an idea from someone’s question. You can bet that many more have the same one. So I jot down a note, and then create content on my blog to answer that specific question. I like to put it in the title also so others may benefit from the content.
-Donna
P.S. Love your Rumble video
Donna Merrill recently posted..3 secrets to being a productive blogger
Hi Donna!
This is a very important topic and one that a lot of people struggle with. I think you’ve given great advice.
I use a RSS reader and of course social media to stay on top of trends. Quora used to be fabulous until they introduced the Quora Partner Program and thousands upon thousands of spam questions flooded the platform… still a great resource if you’re willing to dig a bit.
My favorite piece of advice here is to recommend the blogger to be the audience. This can be so helpful early on, before you have a community or people helping you pick article topics through their comments or questions.
When you are an active member of your niche’s community and actually live it yourself, you become so much more in tune with the struggles people have. What’s particularly useful is that these unique struggles may not be obvious to marketers outside the niche and you may not find them through keyword research tools. My newest website is in the musical instrument market and so far our best performing articles are the ones that wouldn’t ever be thought of if you weren’t actually playing music. The unique experience ensures that the articles aren’t just rehashed from existing publications either, which let’s be honest, is commonly the case for people that hire writers without unique expertise in the space.
Organizing your thoughts and ideas on something like Trello is key because it’s so simple while you’re actively participating in your niche to let thoughts pass you by, without realizing they could be expanded into full-fledged blog posts. I’m still trying to build this habit back up myself!
– James McAllister
James McAllister recently posted..The 5 Types Of Bloggers – Which Strategy Is Right For You?
Hi James
Thanks for your thoughts, James.
Very helpful insights.
It’s really important to be part of the community you’re blogging to.
That’s why you need to work in some area that is your passion, so you’re really interested and show that interest in it.
Now, maybe a niche blog like music – could be developed without your passion for it, but the more passion you have for it, the more insights you’ll have into topics like you mention… that only musicians would appreciate.
So the deeper you are into the topic, the more naturally and easily ideas will flow – ideas that will truly add value to your readers.
-Donna
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Twitter: marquitaherald
January 23, 2021 at 5:04 am #
I do a lot of research for my writing and use many of the resources you suggest. Since my niche is psychological resilience I also follow the latest scientific journals and studies – in fact, I have to limit the amount of time for my research because before I know it I can get lost for hours!
I also use Feedly to keep track of other blogs focused on self-improvement, personal transformation, and motivation. As you rightly pointed out, it’s important to keep track of what topics are being covered. If I see that a topic I want to write about has already been covered, rather than give up on it, I’ll play with ideas to see how I can provide a different perspective.
Terrific advice as always, Donna. Thanks!
Marquita Herald recently posted.. 12 Rules to Guide You on the Path to a New Beginning
Hi Marquita,
I could only imagine the research you do because you always write so wonderfully. Your blog is so helpful for all.
I know the feeling of limiting time on research because it really can suck you in. Sometimes I too get lost unless I time myself. Research is such a great experience. I’m sure that if you have found a topic that was already covered, you can say it in your own beautiful words so that people can be helped.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..Best Cloud Storage for Bloggers in 2021
Hi Lisa,
Quora is so great because there are so many questions people ask on that platform. I too get ideas from blog comments. Anywhere where people are asking questions is a great way to get material for a blog post.
Sometimes I’m out and see a business doing things all wrong. I get good ideas from that. he he he
Enjoy your weekend,
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..Best Cloud Storage for Bloggers in 2021
Twitter: imparveender
January 21, 2021 at 10:25 pm #
Hello Donna, Finding blog ideas is really tough and sometimes there is a writer’s block.
You have written amazing blog post ideas here in this post.
Personally I take ideas from Quora and Facebook groups. After that I see keyword volume on them.
Thanks for sharing some of the top blog post ideas.
Hi Parveender,
Quora is a great place to get ideas. I find that people asking questions can be a new blog post for me to write the answer to. I also get ideas when I’m out and about. This is why I always carry a notebook with me or put notes in my phone.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get amazing blog post ideas
Twitter: Lisapatb
January 21, 2021 at 4:27 pm #
Hi Donna, I love your point about not writing about something that no one else has. I used to think I needed to write about things no one else wrote but you are right – No one cares about them if they haven’t written about them 🙂
I love using Google trends to see if the topic is rising or trending at all.
Forums are great as well as Quora. I also get ideas from blog comments, people asking questions almost always means a new blog post is needed to answer them.
Thanks for the tips Donna and I will remember that better now about writing about what others care about first than trying to be the first to write about a topic related to my blog.
Enjoy the rest of the day and weekend ahead.
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