How I Get Inspiration for Blog Posts
Today I am going to talk about Inspiration and in particular my strategies for getting Inspiration for Blog Posts and overcoming Writers Block.
According to The Google Dictionary Inspiration is:
A feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, which gives you new and creative ideas
I like looking up dictionary definitions. It is great way to actually focus on the core meaning of a word – and also it is one of my inspiration techniques, but not one of the one’s I want to focus on today.
In this post I have come up with nine of my best strategies for coming up with blog post ideas. My strategies for getting inspiration
But first, I am assuming you have already worked your NICHE and got the more obvious posts out of the way. (Done the interviews, created the lists, established yourself as an authority)
Assuming this and you have woke up one morning and are staring at a Blank Screen these TIPS should help:
1) Review Your Blog Comments
By far the best way I find for coming with with new ideas for blog posts is to review my blog comments or the emails I get so see what my readers are looking for, need help with. Every time you get a question – answering that question is a potential Blog Post.
But what if you don’t get many comments? – Then offer to do guest posts for other sites with more traffic or better still get interviewed by another site. Not only does it build your authority status – the feedback will give you inspiration.
Want a Cheeky Suggestion? Go to other bloggers in your niche and see the questions they are being asked and the comments they are getting with their blog posts, that will give you ideas.
Also review your previous posts – not just the comments. Is there an angle in the comments that you can explore? Has your views changed since you wrote that post? Write a “I Was Wrong About ……..” post
Or if the post was a LIST – does it need updating?
2) Forums
Forums have an almost everlasting supply of Blog Post ideas. What is more, if you pick the right topic and there is lots of comments you almost have the whole post written for you. OK, maybe a slight exaggeration as forums usually have even worse spelling and grammar that my dyslexic style, but with imagination and a good title you are of to a flying start.
Also, forums often focus on problems or issues – that you can blog about and answer.
Every blogger should have the top forums in their niche bookmarked and visited on a regular basis.
3) Talk About Your Mistakes
Every mistake is a learning opportunity – not only for you, but for your readers.
Also every time you admit a mistake you make yourself appear more authentic and personable and sincere. Come to think of it here is a great title for an A-List Blogger to blog about:
Blogging Mistakes I Made When I First Got Started
The important thing here is too relate what you learned, what you would do differently next time and to inspire your readers.
4) Go For A Walk
Or in my case, go for a bike ride….
OK, so you are struggling to come up with ideas and the more you THINK the more you are STUCK?
I am never about giving up but sometimes we just have to obey our bodies. If you are tired, have a nap. If you are Fed-up, go for a walk
Actually my father says he has never ever had a really GREAT IDEA in the office — plenty in the shower or while out walking, but no extraordinary ideas have ever came to him in the office
Anthony Robbins says that “motion puts the ‘e’ in emotion” and that by physically changing our state we can instantaneously change our frame of mind, mood or emotional state. Read more on this at: Change Your Physiology to Change Your Frame of Mind
Changing your environment, doing something different and having FUN is a great way to unleash the creative brain cells. I have met a writer who gets inspiration for writing by Dancing! Do whatever works for you!
5) Get Off The Computer
OK, sort of related to previous one – but let’s take it a step further..
If you are someone who is always on the computer – do something radical like staying on the PC for 24hrs. I think you will be quite amazed at the ideas which will pop into your head, just because you changed your environment.
Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. So often when we get started we write a post every day or several times per week – but just as in running a marathon, it is better to PACE ourselves. Set goals for number of posts you want to do, but make them realistic.
6) Go To Events
Attend events related to your industry / niche. As many of you know, I regularly attend seminars, mastermind meetings etc. Everyone of them gives you things to blog about – from simply reviewing the event or listing for example “10 Things I Learned at The ‘Your Niche” Seminar”
Also go with digital camera and Flip Cameras in hand. Record a video with a speaker – even if it is only a couple of minutes it makes great content and being associated with the speaker builds your authority. With my RetireAt21.com website I regularly ask speakers and other business people for their Top Tips for Young Entrepreneurs. Most videos are less than 3 mins – but valuable content that your readers will love. (I am also in the habit of transcribing videos — the search engines love the content)
The other great thing about seminars etc is that they give you inspiration – every-time I go to one I come back with pages and pages of new ideas.
7) Use Twitter / Social Media To Get Trending Topics
What are your followers Tweeting about? What are the individuals you are following tweeting about?
Anything HOT on Trending Topics that you can jump on with an angle for your niche?
Digg.com and Google Trends are other great places to find inspiration. I am not saying copy other articles or posts, but if it is something related to your niche then you can blog about it with authority. You can even link to the original article and give your take on it, what you agree with, what you don’t agree with etc.
8 ) TV, Books, Magazines, Movies, Other Blogs
All of the above have no end of inspiration and ideas. As you read, think, would this be of interest to my readers? Or how can I put a slant on this that make this more interesting to my readers? Magazines in particular are always publishing lists – I am not saying you copy those lists, but chances are you can find an ‘angle’ that allows you to produce something original and unique.
9) Keep a Swipe File of Titles and Headlines
See a Title you like – then save it in a swipe file. Sometimes a Title alone is enough to spark of an idea for a unique blog post of your own.
You will not copy the Title exactly – but rather adapt it to reflect your niche.
Further Help
Chris Brogan has produced an awesome list of 100 Blog Topics – that will hopefully inspire you.
Titles that got my attention are:
1) My Mother is On Facebook
2) What I Spend Money On
3) How I Went From Very Shy to Less Shy
As you review Chris’s list, use his list to brainstorm your own ideas or variations of his list (or my list or anyone’s list)
For example (and this is just quick thinking on my part) — I could rework the above 3 Titles as:
1) My Grand Mother is On Facebook
2) Things I Should Not Have Bought!
3) Why Shy People Succeed Online
This is something you can do with any Blog post on any site – not just Chris’s list – so really you should never be out of inspiration for Blog Posts.
Finally: Go for Quality, not Quantity
I have a lot going on in my life and my blogging business has opened up so many opportunities for me – but one thing I try to always remain diligent on is to go for QUALITY Blog posts over QUANTITY.
It is actually quite easy to slap up some post or re-hashed article that takes all of a few minutes to produce but DON”T do that. To keep your visitors coming back, linking to you and recommending you, you need to be creative. So put the effort in to come up with something somewhat original and beneficial to your readership.
Even a short post takes a couple of hours for me but longer posts can be in my Drafts for days as I come back to them, tweak them or change them.
Actually here is one final tip – even when you think you are satisfied with the post, do not publish it. Leave it overnight or for a few hours and come back to it. You will be surprised how often that so called ‘finished draft’ gets further improved or inspired as you re-read it or had some more tweaks occur to you in the mean time.
Happy Blogging – let me know your thoughts and your ideas for blog posts and what inspires you in the comments below.
Best wishes
Michael
PS: Looking for List Inspiration? Check out Forbes.com and the Forbes Lists
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