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10 Ideas for Finding Blogging Inspiration

Posted By Guest Blogger 17th of September 2015 General, Writing Content 0 Comments

10 Ideas for Finding Blogging Inspiration on ProBlogger.netThis is a guest contribution from Larry Alton.

No matter what famous authors tell you, writer’s block is a real thing, and it’s not easy to overcome. If you’ve spent much time in the content creation world, you’ve probably done your fair share of staring at a blank word document, wondering what you should be writing next. However, that gets you no closer to your end goal. If you find yourself hitting a wall the next time a blog post is due, consider these inspirational tactics. 

Set Up Google Alerts

When in doubt about what to write next, stick to current news and events. By setting up Google Alerts, you can always be aware of the biggest trending news topics and subtopics. It also introduces you to new content sources and helps you stay informed about what’s happening with your niche in real time.

Subscribe to Similar Blogs

Be aware of what your competitors are blogging about. Monitor their latest topics by subscribing to their blogs. This will allow you to enter the current conversation rather than end it, which is what your bloggers really want.

The topics others are writing about will give you inspiration for your own blog and keep you up to date on current topics. However, beware of taking the same angle as a competitor. In most cases, you’ll want to take a different angle on the same topic so that you aren’t simply mimicking other blogs.

Post a Poll

Readers love to be given a chance to participate, and posting a relevant poll is a great opportunity to engage readers while gaining useful feedback. You can do this on both social media and your blog post. At least once a week, ask an interesting question and let the answers tell you what your readers want to read now.

For example, you might ask them what movie they watched last, what their greatest fear is, or any other question that could spur relevant content for your blog. If you have a vast readership, consider using a free polling service that will make collecting the results easy.

Invite Guest Authors

If you’ve really hit a wall with no immediate signs of recovery, get a guest blogger to post on your website. This will keep your readers entertained while you take some time to generate new ideas. There are several online tools you can use to find guest bloggers for your website at decent prices.

Take a Walk

Still can’t think of a topic? How long have you been sitting in your desk chair? Your prolonged stationary position is probably only stifling your creativity. The longer you sit staring at the computer screen, the more your brain begins to get sleepy, distracted, and burnt out.

Going for a walk or exerting some other form of enjoyable exercise will help you to be more awake and alert and give you the boost of creativity you desperately need to get writing again.

Blog About Mistakes

The general population loves to read about mistakes. It makes them feel human and allows them to learn a powerful lesson. We’ve all heard the old adage, “You learn more from failure than success,” and readers eat that stuff up. The next time you can’t think of a topic, reflect on a recent mistake you made and create a blog post based on that.

Talk It Out

Blogging is a solitary job, and you can gain powerful insights from talking with a friend or family member. Explain your problem and talk about some ideas you’ve considered or talk through what’s blocking your inspiration. Your friend doesn’t need to know anything about your blog or offer any suggestions. Simply talking about your dilemma out loud is an excellent way to spark creativity.

Write About a Controversy

Do you feel differently about a hot topic than many of your competitors? Address the controversy. Every niche has a subject that’s currently garnering both attention and fire. Don’t ignore what’s popular. Take a stance on the current hot topic and discuss the matter in depth.

Ask Questions

Furthermore, if there’s a controversy in your industry that you’re undecided about, ask your readers what they think. Begin by offering context on the subject and explain a few of your competitors’ viewpoints; then ask readers what they think. This is another great opportunity to engage with your fans, and it will help you come to a conclusion regarding this topic.

People-Watch

Get out of your office and into the world where you can view a world of interesting people making interesting decisions. Go somewhere where your target audience usually congregates, and observe their actions. You can gain a lot with your insights from this activity.

There are hundreds of things you can do to get out of a writing slump and inspire a topic that’s truly creative. One of those things might be entering a community where you can find inspiration for blog posts, network with other writers, apply for gigs, and learn more about your trade.

Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Guest Blogger
This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above.
Comments
  1. I find that if you write about the same subject for a length of time, it can become a little tiring. Like you are writing similar articles all of the time. I think you have to find you angle, and way of talking about a subject to keep it interesting. Lately, I’ve had to depart from the content plan, and write more from the heart.

  2. Some excellent ideas…. Can I suggest a couple more?

    Looking in blog comments for ideas & if you run a blog for a business listen to the questions that customers ask and then answer them….

    I’d reckon at least 75% of my post ideas come from questions asked during my training sessions.

    Thanks for the post….

  3. Awesome post. I always find it difficult to generate content for blogging, this will help a lot…thank you.

  4. Hi Larry,
    Love these tips – days when you just can’t think of anything to write are so frustrating so it’s good to know I’m not alone!

    I’d also add, read different blogs too as I often get inspiration for my own blog from people who are blogging on completely different topics and then thinking about how I could apply that to my own niche.

  5. Nice post, I will try to do it all :D haha

  6. I am so big on people watching Larry. Many of my posts originate in telling my stories – observing my life – or watching folks during my world travels. We have all the inspiration we never need, right under our noses. Watch, listen and those blog post ideas will flow easily, effortlessly and endlessly.

    I’ve been writing and publishing a 6,000 word eBook daily for quite a while now. I spot trends, process feedback and observe what folks are going – online and offline – for my research material. Watching people do stuff is a fool proof way to always have blog post ideas ;)

    Thanks for the helpful tips!

    Ryan

  7. Hey Larry, Thanks for the great write up… The best thing about Blogging is that you will keep learning… And it’s good to ask questions to people who have more expertise than you in any field.. So Asking questions makes sense. Thanks again

  8. These are all great ideas for blogging. In fact, most bloggers build in online career based off of the strength of asking questions and engaging in online forums with others about heated topics such as technology, education, politics, health, travel and so on. It’s always a good idea to set up Google alerts because you never know when people are searching for you or your online business or something related to you, which can result in an online sale or winning loyal blog readers.

  9. All excellent ways to get both sides of your brain switching – writer’s block sucks!

  10. Hi Larry,

    With your collection of points, it will be very difficult for any blogger to have blogger’s block.

    It’s an amazing post with lots of nuggets

    Cheers

    Dan

  11. Great post, Darren.

    Google Alerts is the most underutilized powerful tool for bloggers and marketers. It helps us to know what’s new in our niche. We can get great content ideas, as it is published, straight to our inbox.

    Blogging about mistakes. Everybody commits mistakes, yet no one likes to talk about it. That’s the catch. Writing about one’s own mistakes drive lots of traffic and you become more human in the eyes of readers. Transparency is the key here.

    Inviting other influential bloggers to write for the blog can be a great idea if utilized properly. Thanks for remembering it.

    As always a great post.

    Cheers.

  12. Hi Larry,
    It’s really great ideas for blogger for finding next content for their blog. I think Google Alert and subscribe on other blogs are 2 great option to search something new at internet.
    I think participate in forum and ask question sites also great place to find something new. We can read people mind there.

    Any way thanks for sharing. Hope these ideas will help me a lot for my blog post.

    Regards:
    Areesha Noor!

  13. When you do something for a long time, we need a break. That is why I think the “take a walk” is the best way to increase productivity and it will eventually work like inspiration.

  14. Great post Larry,
    Finding blog inspiration can sometimes be very difficult especially when you already have so many things going on in your mind.

    That’s why taking a walk is really required sometimes because if you’re disturbed, one of the best ways to get rid of it is to walk around.

    There are really so many ways of drawing blogging inspiration and all the ones you mentioned here are really effective.

  15. For me, the most effective is going out and taking a breather. It allows me to clear my mind off clutter so that new ideas can arise.

  16. I have to admit I have never posted a poll as a blog post but I think it’d be a great way to source information to create infographics, etc. as well as inviting readers to interact. Great idea, thanks!

  17. K Jones says: 09/24/2015 at 1:33 am

    Great article, I am in the middle of developing a Youtube channel for myself and I want to make sure the content is meaningful. I think the planning process is an important and often overlooked element to blogging and other social media production.

  18. Terrific article, Larry. There is such good stuff in here.

    One of the blogs I write for is all about finding inspiration. These are really some great tips. I would like to highlight a few mentioned that have really helped me and other bloggers and writers I know.

    Taking a walk was mentioned here. This is perhaps one of the most effective ways to get inspired. Sitting and trying to come up with something often has the opposite effect, leaving us struggling. Withdrawing distractions and just letting your thoughts flow almost always brings with it inspiration.

    In the same vein, another great practice is to go and sit alone in a quiet room with no distractions at all. When we can be alone with our thoughts, they begin to coalesce into new ideas.

    Blogging about mistakes is something else mentioned here. This is a terrific idea. When I am stumped, I often just start writing about anything. Recalling a mistake or a lesson is usually a good way to get writing because we all have much to say about such things. Why did this happened? What can I learn from this? What was the outcome? etc…

  19. Terrific article. There is such good stuff in here.

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