Most bloggers, on occasions, struggle to find inspiration and ideas for posts.
It definitely helps to keep some sort of list, of potential future ideas. Most of us are guilty of trying to hold various thoughts and ideas in our memories, but this isn’t always reliable, so it’s advisable to have a back-up, of some sort.
Of course, lists are all very well, but we do need to generate the ideas, to begin with.
Some do occur to us naturally, but we can’t depend upon this, if we hope to produce regular content.
It’s also very hit or miss, in terms of how great the resulting ideas will be. They will tend to be somewhat random, which may work out well – but not necessarily.
Creative inspiration can be wonderful, but sometimes leads us to write posts that don’t actually serve our target audiences. Posts, in fact, that very few people may end up reading and appreciating – which is hardly an ideal situation.
So, if we can’t rely upon pure inspiration, how should we come up with post ideas instead?
Here are a few suggestions.
Google, Bing, and other search engines.
During the process of keyword research, I tend to naturally find many ideas for possible future posts.
If you’re not doing keyword research, or don’t have a clue what I’m even talking about, read my post on the basics of blog SEO. It contains important information, that you definitely need, as a blogger.
Reddit.
I haven’t yet figured out how to most effectively use Reddit to generate serious traffic, although I’m aware that this is possible, and many content creators are using the platform with amazing results.
But Reddit is great, for other reasons. It’s basically a huge forum, divided into infinite smaller forums, or Subreddits, as they are known.
Find Subreddits relating to your niche, and browse through the questions that are being asked. Some of these will provide you with instant blog post ideas – and ones that you already know are likely to be of interest.
Pinterest group boards are another excellent place to discover potential blog topics.
If you actively use Pinterest, you’re probably already on at least some group boards. If not, I would suggest that you join some, as they can significantly increase traffic to your blog.
It’s best to join niche specific boards – and, the very fact that these boards relate to your particular niche, means that they are highly likely to give you ideas, when you notice what other group members are Pinning.
It isn’t necessarily ideal, in every instance, to directly copy a blog post idea. Often, putting your own twist on the original idea will prove beneficial.
Pinterest, more generally, can help, but group boards in particular.
You Tube is another excellent source of blog post ideas.
For Author Bloggers, such as myself, there’s a vibrant AuthorTube community. But, whatever you blog about, there’s probably some sort of You Tube equivalent.
Of course, other blogs can also inspire you, and social media sites, such as Instagram and Twitter.
And also Facebook – most particularly, if you join groups, relating to your areas of interest.
Facebook groups can be effective in a very similar way to Reddit, given that both are communities, in which questions are regularly asked and answered.
Of course, there are many more ways in which to generate blog post ideas.
Real life sources, such as talking to others, and reading books and magazines, should not be overlooked.
And, as for the internet – well, it’s a vast resource. The possibilities are endless.
Mindmaps, it’s worth noting, can be extremely useful, both to come up with, and organise, ideas and thoughts.
Hopefully you will find a few ways that work for you, and help you to find awesome ideas for future blog posts. At that point, the hardest part will be deciding where to start, and which posts to write first.
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Paula Writes 