Ideas can seem endless once you get the urge to start writing a blog. More often than not you are writing the blog because the topic at hand is near and dear to your heart, which makes it even more challenging.
Eventually, you exhaust all those ideas and get them all out on paper. The only problem after that is your mind is all out of content for your blog. Then you have to ask yourself “where can I get more ideas?”
Here are 21 methods that will help you rediscover that vast sea of ideas that you originally had when you started your blog. Remember, it is always a good idea to keep a log and record ideas as they hit you. The excellent idea that you think you will never forget ends up being forgotten right about the time you need it the most.
1. “Google alerts.” If you had to pick one of these 21 methods to use on a day-to-day basis, this one would be it. Simply go to “Google alerts,” pick your favorite keywords, and you will receive some of the best stories every day. Then you have brand new research and inspiration for your own personal blog entries.
2. Read the works of your competition. You never want to plagiarize information from your competitors, but reading their content and seeing the feedback they get will certainly give you ideas that you can incorporate into your blog.
3. Share your opinion about someone else’s work. More often than not you will come into contact with some article and disagree so strongly that you react and show your disapproval in no time at all. The best way to voice your opinion is to write an article on your blog that expresses your opinion about that particular subject. You will find the exact words in no time at all. Additionally, you will get overwhelming amounts of feedback from your readers because they will see the real passion that you had when you wrote the article.
4. Find out what is missing. When exploring other people's articles, you will often find important things missing. Incorporate those into your articles, but also take it another step further by getting inside their head and thinking about what they are going to post next. Once you have a clear idea, simply voice that thought on your blog.
5. Explore the unknown. Read articles that do not exactly match up with your niche and then reflect on a few points that relate to your particular niche. This activity can provide out-of-the-box thinking that comes alive in your works. Voicing some of these ideas in your works will, in turn, expand both your feedback and audience.
6. Find the pain. If you take the time to find your audience's pain and problems, then you can begin to relate to them. Nothing creates a stronger bond than helping someone or voicing the fact that you can empathize with them. In addition to that, you can put out articles that touch on these topics.
7. Do some interviews. Try to reach out to others that are in your niche. Ask them if you can do question and answer interviews. Once they are complete, you can simply slap it on your blog, and you have a finished article. If that person happens to have a product, then go ahead and let them plug it. An affiliate program would be great as well because you would monetize that post.
8. Write about your previous articles. If you have been writing a while, then you likely have some older opinionated pieces to look at. Upon looking at those ask yourself “do I still agree with that position?” Doing this will give you inspiration for your blog and in some instances more up to date content.
9. Have you made mistakes in your niche? If you have indeed made mistakes, then you have inspiration for your readers. By sharing any of these possible errors, it makes you more relatable. Also, it can help any of your readers that were having similar problems.
10. Don’t shy away from comedy. It would be safe to say that virtually everyone loves witty writing. If you have an interesting perspective on your particular niche that is funny, then you should definitely share it with your readers. Odd articles that inspire humor are in many cases receive the most feedback.
11. Don’t be afraid to fight. When it comes to just about any topic, there is always at least two opinions that more often than not are opposites. Feel free to voice your opinion if you feel very strongly about a particular topic. These articles tend to get the most feedback because readers want to show which side they are on and why.
12. Make a prediction. If you feel that you have unique insight into the future, then go ahead and make a prediction in one or more of your articles. If it turns out to be true, your audience will likely enjoy it and then have the opportunity to link to that previous article with another article.
13. Just relax and think. It is tough to think of good ideas for your blog if you have a million different thoughts going through your head. Just take the time to chill out and partake in whatever activity you find peaceful. At that moment your mind will be able to hone in on precise topics. Remember to keep your log with you.
14. Exercise. It might sound odd to exercise the body when the underlying goal is to exercise your brain, but it works because exercising releases endorphins, which help the body feel good. Typically when you are happy, you think better. In other words, exercise leads to happiness, which leads to a better state of mind.
15. Create a contest. Post a relatively open-ended question and then promise the winner a prize. This can become a huge benefit because the audience will be eager to win the prize. In addition to that, some of the audience will likely want to voice their opinion about who they think should win. You can even take it a step further by allowing the audience to vote for the winner.
16. Write a story. You can write anything from a strange fairy tale to a modern day drama and then tie it to your particular niche. This action will likely capture the attention of your audience and encourage quiet a bit of feedback. You could even make it an ongoing story if you received a desirable response from you readers.
17. Explore the comment section. Take a look at all the comments you get and compile some of the unusual thoughts or questions that you have not answered. Then write some articles based on those pieces of information. This is a win-win because it helps you think of ideas rather quickly and it pleases the readers that took the time to comment and give their feedback.
18. Do a product review. The overwhelming majority of reviews done by people are bias in some way, shape, or form, so if you do an honest review of a product your readers see that you are a trustworthy person, which helps further establish their loyalty. The only drawback is that the competition may not like the honest aspect of the review.
19. Do a book review. Go ahead and read the most recent books that pertain to your particular niche and write some articles about what you thought. This is extremely helpful if you need to write more content because more often than a book will touch upon many topics, which in turn provokes more than one idea. Also, you are likely to receive some feedback from readers that read the book you are reviewing.
20. Test your audience. Post an article that is rather out of the norm for you and very inaccurate on facts and see if your audience notices. This will yield some rather interesting responses from your audience. Also, it allows the opportunity to write another article voicing your true feelings on the matter and exposing the previous article for a fake.
21. Use some guest bloggers. Find some people that you trust and let them do a couple of articles. This is crucial because it allows you to analyze another's work and pull things from it. Also, it adds diversity to your blog, which is very important as the years add up.
