How To Find Blog Topics When You Think You're Out of Ideas
Finding blog topics to write about is hard. Well, let me rephrase that: finding blog topics to write about when you've already written about the obvious stuff is hard. Really hard.
I should know. I've written 524 blogs about writing and editing (including this one) since 2016.
That's a blog a week ... every week ... for 10 years!
And that's just for Edit This®. One of my clients has consistently had me write a weekly blog for them since 2015. Another started four years ago and switched to having me write FOUR blogs a week (yes, you read that correctly) three years ago.
I love every bit of it. Blog writing is fun. It also has a ton of benefits you may not realize. But yes, it can also be hard—especially since you shouldn't really stop once you start them.
So, what do you do when you think you've run out of ideas?
This is a valid question. I mean ... the well has to run dry eventually, right?
Possibly. But it's more likely that none of us will ever truly run out of things to write about. Like I said earlier ... we've simply run out of the obvious things to write about.
Now, it's time to dig a little deeper.
Finding Blog Topics for Your Business: Here Are a Few Helpful Tips To Keep Churning Out Quality Content!
Finding something to talk about in your weekly or monthly blog doesn't have to be complicated. You just need to take a step back and think outside the box.
Tip 1 — Start with what people often ask you.
I can't begin to tell you how many of my weekly blog posts have been saved by leaning heavily on questions people ask me over and over. I'm talking friends, colleagues, teammates, current clients, potential clients, and even the people who religiously read my posts. As the authority on your craft, I'm sure you're asked all sorts of questions, too. So ... make a habit of writing those questions down and using them as blog fodder. Even some of the most basic and everyday questions can make for great blog posts.
Tip 2 — Look back at your old blogs.
When you've written a weekly blog for as long as I have, you tend to look at your older stuff a little differently. Perhaps a particular post is outdated and should be refreshed. Maybe you only skimmed the surface of a particular topic in the past. What if you came across something you wrote six years ago and find yourself wondering, "What drug was I on when I wrote this one?" Take the topic I'm writing about right now as an example. Technically, I wrote about this in 2019. But if you click the link I just provided, I think you'll agree I've already written circles around it with this post ... and I'm not even remotely done yet. Your older blog posts are a gold mine. There could be a single paragraph in one of them that could be expanded into an entirely new and unique post. One topic could be broken out into four or five posts. Trust me, it's all right there. You just have to look closer.
Tip 3 — Find and use a go-to series.
When I'm struggling to come up with a blog topic, I know that I always have my Edit This Grammar Lesson series as a fall-back option. I created this series years ago, and it's one of the easiest posts I write and publish for Edit This because it's repeatable, relevant, and there's always a new grammar rule to cover in a bite-sized format. The key is finding a series that works for your business. Maybe it's a "common mistakes" series or "did you know?" The beauty about it is that these series—and really your entire blog in general—can be about anything you want. Once you establish the format, you can simply fill in the next topic.
Tip 4 — Stop thinking you have to be rigid.
I alluded to this mindset in the previous tip: your blog as a whole can literally look, sound, and feel however you want. Yes, you want to focus on the right keywords. Yes, you need to stay consistent, be relevant, etc. There are certain steps you need to take for your blog to be successful. That said, one of the things that has kept me going strong is that I don't try to write my blog according to random, made-up rules or what someone else is doing. If I want to write a post that's only 350 words, I will. If I want to write 1,500 words, I'll do that, too. If I want to post three grammar rules blogs in a row, I totally will. That flexibility keeps your blog from becoming stale, and it ensures you're always writing about what you want to talk about.
Tip 5 — Stop thinking that every topic has to be new.
If you only focus on blog topics no one else has remotely considered writing about before, you will absolutely run out of things to blog about. Think about it: how many blog posts have you read about estate planning ... writer's block ... the proper way to trim a tree ... or divorce? Probably hundreds upon hundreds if those topics really interest you. What makes each of them worth reading is that the author took their time to deliver their own perspective. Same general subject, but different approach, concept, questions, tips, etc. Once you realize that it doesn't matter if someone has already written about it, you can focus on bringing something to the conversation that they didn't.
Tip 6 — Consider guest posts.
Admittedly, I don't do this often. But it is an option, and I've found it to be incredibly useful at times to bring in someone with additional expertise to write about a particular topic. For starters, it's another voice you can add to your regular blog schedule. Also, it takes the pressure off of you having to pick and write the topic every single time. Don't let just anyone be a guest blogger on your site, though. Pick someone you've worked with and can speak to a topic that's relevant to your company and industry. And if they are good at it, perhaps you can make it a regular thing you can count on each month or quarter.
Tip 7 — Pay attention to competitor blogs.
No, I don't mean you should rip off word for word what your competitors are writing about. That said, you can learn a lot from their posts, including what topics perform well, how to put your unique spin on a particular topic, what keywords you're missing out on, and more. As long as you're not copying them, it's a tactic worth exploring—especially when you're stuck.
Tip 8 — Ask ChatGPT.
ChatGPT doesn't need to write it for you. But it is totally acceptable (at least in my opinion) to use generative AI as a brainstorming tool and help you find potential blog topic ideas faster. For instance, you can literally type into the search box, "I need blog topic ideas related to personal injury law." Trust me ... it will spit out as many as you want in a matter of seconds. Once it churns out the list, read through and use your own judgment to pick what makes the most sense to you and your company.
Tip 9 — Ask your favorite writer for help.
You had to know I'd throw this one into the mix. I'm not lying, though. Sometimes, coming up with new blog topics means asking for a fresh perspective. Granted, your writer may not know all there is to know about personal injury law, baking, nonprofit work, or even women's health matters. But that writer has likely written way more blogs than they can remember, making their perspective and knowledge incredibly valuable. And if you give them enough information to learn from, they can probably find the topic and write it for you (hint, nudge).
The bottom line here is that you likely haven't run out of blog topics to write about. You've simply reached the point in your blogging journey where you've tackled all the easy or obvious stuff to write about. All of a sudden, the topics become harder to find, and that definitely stinks. I've been there ... plenty of times.
The ideas above are solid, though. Give them a try and see what happens.
And if all else fails, ask your favorite writer and editor for help.
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STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This®, a writing and editing services company in Denton, TX. He is also a consultant, writing coach, and the author of Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.
