Monday 23 February 2015

How to Create Awesome Blog Topics

 
It’s that time again – you’re stumped for awesome blog topics and you aren’t sure how to come up with any.
I know—I’m a writer over here. It’s as frustrating as the feeling that everything you touch turns into ice, right? Time to “let it go…” Sorry, I think I got carried away there.
In any case, you really CAN create some incredible topics that are sure to please every single one of your readers, and I’ve got some tips to help you. Let’s take a look at 17 different ways you can easily come up with some awesome blog topics for your business and readers!

Use the HubSpot Blog Topic Generator


You already know the area you want to write about, and you likely already have a few nouns and keywords at the ready. However, you might be stumped for creating great headlines and forming topics. HubSpot understands this, and we love them for it! In fact, they created an excellenttopic generator where you can put different nouns into a search field and have them generate headlines and topic ideas to help inspire you. You might not use what they come up with, but it can help get those creative juices’ flowing. It is important to remember that this is a computer generating the ideas, so use discretion and decide if it is a decent topic or headline.


Pick Evergreen Topics for Your Blogs


You can also come up with awesome blog topics by utilizing evergreen topics. Evergreen means that the topic will last for a long time instead of writing on trendy topics that only last for as long as the trend does. You can come up with some great evergreen topics that pertain to your business by researching your audience, asking what they want to read about, and searching Google for some great ideas.For example, if you write a blog about foot health, then you will want to write on things like how to treat plantar fasciitis or diabetic foot care. This is a great example of a topic that will remain popular long after trends fade away because people will always need to learn new ways to take care of their feet. You will notice that using evergreen topics will not only get more social shares and views, but also give your content more mileage and allow you to reuse parts of it throughout the year.


Always Create Excellent Headlines


When creating great blog topics, you have to make sure you also come up with awesome headlines. Headlines are what will make people click on a link or avoid it all together. Craft something that gives the audience a question while also giving a small answer. Consider staying away from click bait sounding headlines and craft something that doesn’t come across too sales-like, but as something that offers the reader real value. You might even notice that by crafting a great, powerful headline, you can come up with a few more topics, too! This has happened to me more than a few times, and it is wonderful.


Use “Trigger” Words to Pique Interest


Along with crafting a great headline, you should make sure you use “trigger” words. This is what can convince someone to click on the link, instead of passing it by. A few trigger words are things such as “awesome,” “top secrets,” “top tips,” “great,” “amazing,” “perfect,” and so on. I am going to use foot care as the example yet again. If you are writing about how to treat a common foot condition, you don’t want the headline to sound bland and boring. Instead, you can write a headline that says, “The Top Awesome Ways to Keep Your Feet Wonderfully Healthy” or something similar.


Keep a File of Ideas for the Future


This might not seem like a way to come up with new blog topics, but there have been several times where I have thought of several topics, only to forget them. When you begin brainstorming, you will find that it is easy to come up with a plethora of topic ideas. This means you need to write and file each idea away in order to remember it in the future. You can use something like EvernoteDropbox, orGoogle Docs to create a file for ideas and resources. This will help significantly in the future when you begin to hit the inevitable topic idea brick wall.


Take Inspiration from Other Blogs


While you don’t want to steal their information and exact headlines, gaining inspiration from others is a great way to come up with great blog topic ideas. You can take a look at what your competitors are blogging about, and follow industry leader blogs to get notifications about new posts. This will help you generate some great ideas for your own content and might even help with your social media posts! Again, only gain inspiration from others; never copy or steal what they are doing.


Create an Ideas Board When Brainstorming 


Sometimes people have trouble brainstorming by staring at a computer. However, if you make an ideas board, you might find brainstorming easier, especially if you are brainstorming with multiple people. In fact, find one or two people to brainstorm with to come up with some great topics. While you might be stumped for ideas, others might be able to come up with some great ideas that you hadn’t thought of. Don’t go brainstorming alone! Take along a pal or two and use an ideas board to keep things organized and in view the whole time.


Ask Your Audience What They Want to Read About


You might not realize it, but your audience is one of thegreatest resources you should be using for topic ideas. You can ask your readers what they want to see and even have them ask questions to be featured in a question and answer post. This will give you a resource filled with great topics to use for quite some time. In addition, you will be writing topics that are relevant to your client base, which is perfect!Use social media to ask people what they want to read and have them ask questions or state it in the comments. If you don’t have much interaction on social media right now, you can always send out surveys in emails and have a comment section on your website for people to ask questions or make suggestions.


Utilize Google Alerts for Great Resources and Ideas


Google has quite the amount of helpful tools for your blog and website, and one of these is called Google Alerts. You can set up an alert for a certain topic and have Google email you daily or weekly with new information. It will send you articles, which can be used as resources or inspiration, helping you generate on-the-spot topics, as well as relevant topics for your audience.


Look Over Your Blog to See What is Missing


Take some time to not only look for new topics and resources, but to look over your blog. You need to look for holes in your topics and see what areas you are overlooking. Take some time to write a list of everything you’ve already covered and how many times you covered them. This will show you which topics don’t need to be talked about as much, and which ones could be written about more. In addition, it will also be easier to see what you’re missing when you create this list. Try it out to see what you’re missing!


Do a “Highlight Reel” of Previous Blog Topics


A great way to generate a topic idea is to do a highlight reel of your previous, most popular, blog posts. This gives you the chance to show people your other posts that they might have missed while also giving you the opportunity to have a new topic for that day. You can do as many highlight reels as you’d like, but most people do one to two a year, with one being at the end of the year or beginning of a new one. This is a great chance to celebrate your successes, too!


Use Quora to Help Find Topic Ideas and Great Resources 


Quora is a great content resource that helps you research your chosen keywords for your website and blog. This gives you the chance to find resources and inspiration for your posts. It is a free service and all you need to do is sign up and begin asking your questions. You can put in a broad topic idea to see what leads you get, but using your desired keywords is the best method to find a wide variety of topic inspiration and resources. Head on over and take a look to see how much Quora can help you with generating amazing blog topics.


Write a News Article for a New Topic 


You can also come up with great blog topics by writing news content on current events. This content can be on news within your industry, or how various popular news stories can impact your customers. News content doesn’t have to be overwhelming and daunting, however! Just make sure you always state the facts first in your article, always research your topic, and make sure to use citations throughout your blog. This will help ensure people realize you know what you are talking about and that you are a trusted source for information. Again, remember you always need to research. If you find a news topic that is interesting, seek out at least five different, reliable resources that can help ensure you get the facts correct.


Repurpose Your Content to Create Fresh Content 


Repurposing content is yet another incredible way to come up with more topics for your blog. Content repurposing is something that many content marketers suggest for content and copywriting because it helps to delve into a topic further in-depth. It also gives your client base more information on a specific topic. You can repurpose content by rewriting one blog and posting the new rewrites on different sites like LinkedIn. You can also do things like repurpose your content into a YouTube series, podcasts, infographics, and other formats that will work incredible for your blogs and readers.


Share and Read Infographics while Brainstorming


When you begin brainstorming, you might find thatsearching for infographics from within your field might help get your thoughts going. You can share interesting ones you’ve found with your brainstorming team, and you can have them share ones they’ve found. You can even create your own based off of past blog posts as that might help think of new, amazing topics as well.


Write On Something You Want to Know More About


We all have things we’d like to know more about, and writing about it for a blog topic creates a great chance to learn while also teaching your client base. This gives you the chance to delve into the different research out there and learn more about different topics that interest you for your business. If it interests you, it is a great sign that it will interest your clients as well. Think of a question you have about a certain topic and begin your research. You will be able to come up with more questions and answers that allow you to write your post and inform your audience while also receiving answers to your questions.


Research More in Your Field to Find Great Topics


The best way to come up with some great topics while also staying at the top of your field is to research things constantly within your field. There are constant changes in the majority of fields, which gives you the chance to stay up-to-date and keep your clients in the know, as well. Head to your favorite industry related websites, your competitors, or simply go to Google to utilize the search engine to research. Isn’t it great that you get to knock out two things at once?


UNTIL NEXT TIME


Generating blog topics isn’t as difficult as we always seem to think it will be. You can easily come up with several topics to last throughout the year just by following the above steps. Again, remember to keep a file of all of the topics you come up with to make sure you will remember them and have access to them all year long. Which suggestions are you going to try first? Let me know in the comments!
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