This past week, we’ve been talking about all things content – where can we get it? What inspires us? What works with our audience? What are some out-of-the-box ideas that will set us apart from the regular blogging crowd? We spoke with Chantelle Ellem, of Fat Mum Slim, who encouraged us to write what we love, and Carly Heitlinger of The College Prepster, who told us to take a topic and make it personal. We wrote a mega-list of places to go when we’re fresh out of ideas to inspire us again, and we heard from Darren on the topic.
Now it’s over to you – where do you find your ideas? Do you have any sure-fire sources of inspiration? What do you do when you’re hit hard with blogger’s block? We’ll also be chatting about this over on Darren’s Facebook page – we’d love to hear from you all.
In the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from taking notes, and really looking for content that is meaningful and relates to things that I want to learn more about. We all know how difficult it can be to find ideas when there is so much information circulating across the many outlets.
I sometimes just open my notepad or grab a piece of paper and start writing down blog post titles, it works wonders…
Here is my post about taking notes and why it’s a great way to generate content ideas:
http://codecondo.com/take-notes-generate-tons-content-ideas/
Taking notes is such a great idea – I will forget them if I don’t write them down!
I get a lot of my ideas from observations. TV, music, things I read, that sort of thing.When I get a case of writer’s block, I write in my journal. I can usually generate an idea from there.
That works for me too!
I get my ideas while I work. I listen to podcasts about what I blog about and it is a sure fire way to get good post ideas. I just write them down in Evernote and I always have plenty of ideas.
How good is Evernote!
For me personally, my topics are coming from the experience I’ve gained through the hard work I put into my website.
Overtime, you start creating your own thought/idea patterns based on what similar like-minded people have said.
You will also see problems or situations arise in each niche/industry and that is a fine way to get a topic going for your own post.
Spending some time looking and reading around on popular websites is one of the top 3 idea generators and a form of content idea “stealing” (in this case, it’s fine).
No matter what rut you find yourself in, keep going with whatever Idea you come with. Bad or good.
Push through whatever idea you got and soon the diamonds (ideas) will start to shine through the dust.
Thanks for the post Stacy!
– Sam
That’s so true – once you start writing about topics, they often turn into other topics too. And so the cycle begins! Thanks for your input as always, Sam.
yes i do agree with you
I get a lot of my blog ideas from keeping up to date with Industry news & seeing what topics other bloggers are writing about – this way it makes it easier to pick about topics that I am genuinely interested in.
I really like seeing what other bloggers are writing about too. I almost always have an opinion on it, or an angle I can take.
I’m lucky as I write about food, and there’s always something being eaten or cooked at our place. My problem isn’t so much the ideas as the actual writing process.
Yeah, mine is time :)
there are many site in which we can take the ideas in this field person must have creative minds with the creative ides thorugh which he can make the ideas
I write about marriages basically. Sometimes its stuff I’ve learned in my own. Sometimes its issues I see in others. Sometimes they are questions that get posed to me by other marriages.
Sometimes it’s easier to find content when you have such a specific niche.
True, sometimes its hard when you want to talk about something else thought. I’ve been writing about married sex for 2 years now….I do have thoughts on other topics, really.
For new ideas, I subscribe any blog that frequently update about certain topic in the niche, when there is new fresh content, I can follow to create the relevent.
That’s a good idea!
Short but awesome blog post Darren!
Hmm well where do I get blog posts from? Well simple Me, My Mind, I think we live in a world of abundance and I can blog on a daily basis If I want to!
I have been blogging a little over 4 months now and have over 50 posts to my name! OK it’s not a lot but I have stepped up my game this past few weeks and getting better and Better at it!
All down to a friend of mine in Ryan Biddulph who has written a few guest posts on here! People always say that Blogging on a daily basis in hard work and that it’s virtually impossible! I always say to them “Watch the NEWS do they ever run out of stories to report on?”
Simple hey! We all live in a world of abundance and we can get blog posts ideas all over the place! Why should we not blog on a daily basis?
Thanks for a thought provoking post Darren!
Have a great rest of week!
– PD
Totally agee with you Phillip and awesome work (50 posts after just 4 months).
Phil thanks dude! I keep finding my name popping up in the comments section of problogger….Darren and Stacy, honest to goodness I have put no one up to this LOL…..I just write a lot ;)
I’m very deeply embedded in my niche. I live it! So, a lot of my ideas come from what I do. Also, from emails I get from subscribers. And…from what I read.
Most of my content ideas come from things that happen in everyday life, it’s that kind of niche.
But I also do a brain storming session every few months and fill out an editorial calendar (excel) for a couple of months in advance. That way I can plan series posts and seasonally appropriate articles. This year I want to do more tutorials, which requires a lot more advanced planning and work, so I have to be thinking about these a month or two in advance.
I also get ideas from reading what others’ write – articles often act as a springboard for another totally different idea or I tackle the topic from a different angle.
Thanks Problogger, for all the great tips that have helped me on my blogging journey!
I write about classic movies.
My Inspiration
1. The contents of my film library.
2. The challenge to say something new about a famous film or person, to see them from a different perspective. (That’s really tough.)
3. Old newspapers about films or filmmakers in Google News Archives (I link to the article so my readers can take a gander for themselves)
4. Once, seeing an old movie star on a new ad at a store sparked my own fake celebrity-endorsed ads, which became one of my most popular blog posts.
5. Reading other blogs, books, articles on different topics. Sometimes other people have a writing style that I like to emulate.
6. My clothing sometimes reminds me of a costume in a film and I’ll use that as a springboard to discuss the story or the costume designer.
7. Perusing old photos from the Library of Congress and other media contemporary with the film to get a sense of the audience of the day.
8. New films sometimes remind me of something from a classic film and I’ll compare the two.
9. A stray sound, a word in a conversation, a song may trigger a memory of a movie, then I spend all day researching the backstory of a film to write about it.
10. Emotions. If I’m feeling a certain way, I use self-deprecating humor and ask, how would a musical from the 1950s express this?
11. Plays. Sometimes old movies are adaptations of plays and you reverse engineer why the filmmakers left out this or maintained that. It’s fun to discuss.
— Java’s Journey Through Classic Movies
Usually when the content team is low on ideas, we simply ask our sales team and account managers what our clients have been asking throughout the week, and if there are any common themes occurring. Facebook polls and asking the mailing list can also work wonders – often you will hear of suggestions of emerging topics that no one has adequately covered yet.
Stacey…I think today’s world of supersaturated content, ya gotta be different to even have a chance of being read. To get the attention of organic traffic these days is THE new challenge. So BE different or stay unnoticed.
As far as content ideas…I thinks using pop culture and tying it into whatever your selling is good. And you can’t go wrong telling a good ol’ story. I have found personal stories work best (bonds you to your readers).
Just my 3 cents anyways.
Cheers Stacey!
Stacey,
Everywhere. 1 quick way to write is by simply taking a deep breath and observing the life around you. Piece of cake.
Watch interactions. Study nature. Watch complaints, or dreams, of those around you, and simply relate the situation to your niche of choice. Anybody can do it but you do need to commit fully to observing, and spending much time away from your computer to become prolific.
Great response Ryan, *wish there was a like button*… For me too, it’s also important to get a bit of distance between me and the keyboard by times, otherwise I find myself writing to write, rather than truly having something to write about.
Ideas come from everywhere for me – people, sights, sounds, tastes. I like to try and read as much as I write so I can keep informed on trends and popular topics. I constantly keep notes in my notebook and I sometimes find that ideas merge together to form one big idea. More often than not, my ideas spring to mind and I just simply write what I want to write. These ideas are usually not trend-related.
Hi Stacey,
I’m not trying to drive traffic to my site by leaving my direct – blog content site here, but this is what i simply wrote last month. I thought it would answer your question,
How To Find Words Of Inspiration To Write
…thanks.
Hey Stacey,
Honestly, when I’m hit hard with bloggers block I take a deep breath, walk away from the office for a whole day if I have to and I go do something I enjoy. Before I know it I’m full of fresh ideas and ready to return to work feel energized and productive.
And if that fails, I just ask myself ‘what am I struggling with right now in my business’. When I know the answer I write about that because If I’m struggling with it, it’s very likely that my target audience are as well.
Kerry
Research and pro blogs gives lots of ideas and inspiration to blog in new way!
Getting ideas is great, but that’s the easy part. You’ve got to take those ideas and turn them into compelling content. You’ll do that more easily and more effectively if you have a process for getting from idea to published post.
I’ve used a blog idea binder since I started my first blog three and a half years ago. I still like the paper based, 3 ring binder format because it let’s me collect ideas from a variety of sources. It’s been a strategy that’s been super helpful for me. I recently wrote about this method on my new second blog that I’ve started, and am sharing the link below in case anyone else is interested in this type of way to collect ideas.
http://www.blogginginspiration.com/use-blog-idea-binder/
My heritage, my blog stats, life experience and above all, an overabundance of ideas and imagination.
I personally believe that a blogger must follow trends from social media sites and posts in forums related to its niche.
To get an idea for my blog posts, what I do is:
1) Check out the latest trends on Twitter
2) Find popular topics on forums related to my niche
3) Follow my competitors’ blogs
I set aside some time to read everyday. And I haven’t given up the newspaper yet, either. I don’t find it difficult to come up with ideas. Its expressing them well that takes time and practice.
… What to do when hit hard with blogger’s block?
I think for me, one sure fire way is to look at pictures. Since there is a bit of a travel aspect I my blog (in terms of a destination) I can look at pictures and remember feelings associated with that place, thoughts I had about it, people I met or specific experiences I had…. They take me back there and I’m better able to recount it all.
Just as a followup to this reply from yesterday… I pounded out 4 posts of roughly 500-550 words each in the last 5 hours or so… 3 of those will be a new category of posts that I’ll be focusing on next month. Pictures, pictures, pictures! :)
Great thread!
Darren your such a perfect guy.. Blogging is my expertise for 3 years. now only seeing this great community for us to enhance my skills on blogging. by the way! thanks a lot.
Sorry Stacey,
i made a quick conclusion – saw the approved comment.
thank you. don’t know how to contact you but thanks.
no need to approve this one. You guys rock. :-)
Note: i would like to add my profile picture at the comment site, how do i do that ?
I usually get blogging ideas when I am playing with my kids. I personally feel that you get perfect ideas only when both the mind and body are calm.
And, yes reading other blogs can also give you ideas, but then those ideas are not original, they are already implemented by someone.
I often go through my site analytics report looking for terms to bring people to my site and when i find these information, i analyze them and research for keywords related to them, comparing the traffic to competition and then decide if i can build a post on it.
I also curate a lot and when i find a topic i feel i can develop better i write on it. During blog commenting i usually read through other comments and when i find points that needs to be addressed i build on it.
I found this post on Kingged.com and left a comment there also.
I wrote my way out of it, though. I got desperate (that’s another flip and true answer I give to the where-do-you-get-your-ideas question. ‘Desperation.’ It’s up there with ‘Boredom’ and ‘Deadlines’. All these answers are true to a point.) and took my own terror, and the core idea, and crafted a story called Calliope, which explains, I think pretty definitively, where writers get their ideas from. It’s in a book called DREAM COUNTRY. You can read it if you like. And, somewhere in the writing of that story, I stopped being scared of the ideas going away
after almost a year leaving blogging world because busy with school, now i’m back and need to refresh my writing skill. I guess i’ll start from probloger
Personally, through Kingged.com community. It is very beneficial for me. Many bloggers share their blog posts daily and it drives me to read some of them, topics I can only relate I must say. It gave me an idea how to craft a compelling and comprehensive content, what are the knots and bolts and a lot more. There’s a lot if I will enumerate.
Your post has been shared on Kingged.com, IM social bookmarking site, enabling me to find this good piece.
I get my ideas from everything every 5 minutes it seems like. I have a list on my phone that I can use to write down my ideas. The most common time for me to get ideas is when I am talking to someone about their finances. That usually sparks the idea for something I can write about to help more people, not just that one person.
I also set aside time specifically devoted to coming up with ideas for articles and other things on my site. I have found this to be extremely productive!
I set aside some opportunity to read regular. What’s more I haven’t surrendered the daily paper yet, either. I don’t think that it challenging to concoct thoughts. Its communicating them well that requires some serious energy and practice.
Most of the time i got the blog post ideas when i try to search for something on yahoo answer and askmefast community and also reddit. Then i analyze that how much users are searching on the internet for that particular topic, after gathering such kind of information then i write and publish the new content ;) .
I usually get the ideas from talking to fellow colleagues about all kinds of issues related to online marketing. Other places of inspiration : other related blogs – I see, for example, an interesting topic and write my view on it or read a hot topic on Quora and write a post about it, etc.
I’m deeply passionate about my niche and I’ve found that blogging is a great learning experience for myself. Most of the time, my blog posts are created by things that I have searched for. I always think to myself “If I needed this information, then most likely someone with Celiac or gluten intolerance will also need it.” So why not write about it? Besides posting written content, I always have endless possibilities to post yummy gluten-free recipes!
My inspiration comes from ALL of the books I’ve read; the documentaries and films I’ve read; and all of the questions I have.
I have described in detail five effective techniques to generate refreshing content. These are interviews, survey, related content, news and focus of the week. Click on my name to check out the post.
Loved reading the comments on this post.
Thanks!
I get inspiration for my content from photos I’ve taken on my travels. I figure if an image can grab me from out of a file-folder it can certainly grab the readers’ attention. Photos of animals really seem to do the trick.
As a fashion blogger there’s ideas everywhere – Pinterest, magazines, social media, etc. Reading other blogs is helpful too.
I mostly use google trends to find new trending topics, Then i craft a blog post around those topics…By doing so i get unique and fresh content ideas easily..
Hey nice question. I get my blog ideas mostly from other blogs. Mostly by getting inspired by others.