As blog writers, we’ve all had it happen when working with a regular client, that brief (or not so brief) moment of panic when you realize you can’t come up with a single idea for the next post. Extending a bit beyond the normal writer’s block, not being able to come up with blog topics can be a really frustrating experience. Here are some ideas on where to go to develop new topic ideas:
Newsworthy
Do a search for your blog’s main topic and see what’s been happening in the news lately. I had a complete lack of ideas one day for a winemaking blog and found a great news piece on a French vineyard that was being purchased and managed by Brad Pitt. It gave me one more topic and a day’s reprieve before I had to get my head back into the game.
Define and Differentiate
Are there two or more similar concepts or products in the blog’s topic? Spending a post writing about the differences between two milk goat varieties or defining the most commonly confused technical terms in PHP coding is a great way to get valuable information into the blog while giving yourself a break from topic hunting.
Try Brainstorming or Mind Mapping
A really excellent way to continue having a number of different subjects to write about is to brainstorm or make a mind map for a few minutes every week. Start with the main topic of your blog and write it down. Underneath (or to the side), start writing the main topics you can discuss about it. Anything that comes to mind that is more specialized beneath that sub-topic is also written down and linked to it. Keep going until you can’t think of any more.
As an example for a goat blog I wrote for, I came up with sub-topics of business, breeding/genetics, husbandry/veterinary care, uses, and several other areas. Underneath husbandry and veterinary care, I was able to split out into further topics on specific diseases, managing breeding, appropriate fencing, pasture/feeding, and several more topics. By spending an hour writing out a mind map, I came up with well over 100 topics to write about that I hadn’t even considered.
Cover an Event
Is there a convention, meeting, or class on the topic that you’ve either just gone to or are planning for? Write up some information on it, including your impressions, criticisms, different angles, and other areas of interest.
Do an Interview
I love doing interviews. Why? An interview, though it takes a little more work to set up, takes significantly less work to write. You’re basically telling a story with a healthy dose of someone else’s thoughts. Interviews also help you form some great contacts and networking points for in the future.
With these ideas in hand, invest a little time developing ideas and you’ll have an easier time avoiding blog brain freeze in the future!
Cathleen V is a multi-talented writer with experience in various fields. She focuses on content, article, and blog writing for small business management, content optimization and marketing, arts businesses, crafts, agriculture, home improvement, food, nutrition, and natural health. She is a top 1% content writer out of over 22,000.
