Blogs can’t exist without content, and it is often one of the most stressful parts of blogging. Coming up with fresh, interesting, new content repeatedly for weeks, months, and years on end can take its toll if you don’t put strategies in place to help you before you get to burnout point.
Today’s challenge in our 31 day challenge is about alleviating some of that constant pressure (that you often don’t think about until it’s time to write) to allow you to just get on with creating content. Brainstorming ahead of time removes at least one of the obstacles to a full editorial schedule.
Brainstorming also allows you to step outside your blog for a moment and think long-term about things – you might have a great idea for a series, or even post ideas that aren’t just plain writing. It allows you to indulge your creative side for a moment and can result in topics you never even thought of but would be perfect for your blog.
In this episode, I share a process for coming up with ideas to write about that has worked really well for me. You’ll need a pen and paper, or even a whiteboard if you’ve got it. I’ll give you some steps to go through to define where your blog is headed, and help you create the ideas for content that will get it there. We also go through seven other ideas to help spark your creativity, which results in today’s challenge, which you’ll find on the podcast page (you’ll need them for tomorrow’s activity!).
See you tomorrow for the next episode.
Click here to listen to day 11 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog series on the ProBlogger Podcast.
Further Reading:
- How to Consistently Come up With Great Content Ideas for Your Blog
- How to Build a Blog that Has Lasting Impact Upon Its Readers
- 5 Sources of Ideas for My Blog Posts
- Discover Hundreds of Post Ideas for Your Blog with Mind Mapping
- 27 Killer Strategies for Brainstorming Blog Post Ideas – JeffBullas.com
- Brainstorming: Generating Many Radical, Creative Ideas – MindTools.com
- Video: 6 Creative Ways to Brainstorm Ideas
- Vicky from Random Little Faves shows us 7 Quick Ways to Brainstorm for Blog Post Topics
- And Sarah Schultz even has a free printable and great post at Why Brainstorming is Essential to Blogging.
Thanks Darren! I try to keep it error-free, but some embarrassing mistakes will seep through.
I agree with you Darren. Always coming up with new ideas for blogposts is challenging. At times I don’t even feel like writing. But brainstorming something with others to discover their views on a particular topic/idea or even simply things that want to read about can be helpful in coming up with great topics.
I am in the process of getting my content up for the blog and trying to get as many great ideas for useful and interesting articles that my small community would love. This helps me tremendously, since I had few challenges when it comes to organizing my ideas and preparing some content.
Brainstorming is one of many unique ways to get those thoughts rambling in the back of your mind out in the open. It allows bloggers and dedicated content marketers to effectively critique and optimize their ideas into compelling blog posts.
An idea can change the life. You rightly point that to get an idea brainstorming is a crucial part. Thank you Darren, for this share.
Darren, thank you very much for the podcast. I found it very helpful as I usually try to let my ideas come to me but that’s only good for about 2 posts a week. Brainstorming could let definitly play a much larger role in my process if I used it correctly. Thanks, Thaddeus
Hi Darren,
Just a tiny bit of time in quiet has worked wonders for me. I advise folks meditate regularly to clear their minds to allow ideas to flow in with ease. Writer’s block and other mental blocks to creativity are energies which can be embraced and released. Meditating helps bloggers face ’em, hug ’em and let ’em go ;)
I also dig writing, writing and writing some more to stoke my creative fires. I published another 6,500 word eBook today. That marks about 2 weeks in a row where I’ve written and published these eBooks daily. Writing just forms the habit to be prolific. Keep writing for your own individual brainstorming sessions.
Thanks Darren!
Ryan
Thanks Darren for such a great share.
I always wonder how you brainstorm your blog post ideas and you are a creative machine when it comes to blog posting.
Hi Darren. Great tips.
I agree with you. I do brainstorming frequently and have found it to be extremely helpful in coming up with new ideas. This helps me in writing new drafts daily.
Starting a blog isn’t the difficult part but the most challenging part is creating content that readers will find valuable and interesting to read.
However, there are many ways of coming up with fresh, interesting and new content. Brainstorming has always worked for me.
I have a great team I’m working with and usually we brainstorm together in advance a new topic that is wide, and then we break it down into a series of sub-topics.
For instance, we brainstorm Online Advertising and under it we cover several sub-topics about online marketing techniques.
I concur with you Darren. Continually concocting new thoughts for blogposts is testing. Now and again I don’t even feel like composing. Yet, conceptualizing something with others to find their perspectives on a specific thought or even basically things that need to peruse about can be useful in thinking of extraordinary points
so thank you so much for this artcle
Some good tips here Darren. I totally agree with your point on brainstorming being crucial – I normally find myself brainstorming constantly when I am struggling to come up with content ideas. Thanks for the helpful reminder.
Hi, thanks for the tips. In my blog http://protravelplus.org, I get a lot of comments saying they like my content. I have a suspission they are spam or a way of hacking in to my site.
Could you give me any guidence please?
Thanks – Daniel
Coming up with a new and interesting content is effective when you are brainstorming. Collect ideas from other people if you are struggling on your own. Then, try to make a conclusion. In that way, your burden will lessen. Always remember that two heads are better than one. The more people you consult, the more ideas you will have.