Are you wondering how to come up with blog post ideas? Idea block is just as bad as writer’s block. I’ve been there many times! Learning how to find blog post ideas quickly and easily is a blogging skill you’ll want to learn.
You’ve got a great blog, you’ve been posting regularly, and all of a sudden, your ideas dry up. It’s got you searching how to find blog topics…
When you’ve hit a writing roadblock, it might be time to dig out the notebooks, look at your lists of blog ideas and perhaps brainstorm a bit.
There are times, even after more than 14 years of blogging, I hit that wall that every writer fears: writer’s block.
Luckily there are many ways to find content for your blog that your readers will love. You can find blog post ideas in many different online and offline sources.
So let’s get you started on ways to find blog post ideas for your blog, and get you writing again!
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How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas – The Smart Way
Before we delve into how to come up with blog post ideas, I’ll ask you to do one thing.
Take a look at your existing blog posts, especially your older ones.
Do you have blog posts that haven’t been updated for a few years?
They are a perfect place to start creating fresh content.
The fastest way to produce “fresh” content is to update old blog posts.
Updating the content, links and images… heck, even the title, can revive an old blog post and make it look like a completely fresh one.
Also, consider taking a few of your most popular blog posts and turning them into cornerstone blog posts. These are posts that wow your readers – they’re long and full of information.
PRO TIP: Update the date published to the present date and you essentially have a “new” blog post for your audience to read. Some SEO pros recommend only using the “last updated” plugin to note the updated date. However, I’ve had great results with re-publishing older posts with a new date.
If you’re up-to-date with your older blog posts, the next section is for you!
How To Find Blog Topics: 50 Top Ways
How to find blog topics easily?
These 50 ways are universal – they can work for any type of blog niche – from blog post ideas for food blogs to topics for parenting blogs.
Grab your notebook and pen, and I’ll get started on how to find blog post ideas.
How To Find Blog Content Ideas: Your Own Blog And Networks
One of the best ways to come up with blog topics is to look at your existing content, your own blog and your network (social or via other people).
Here are some of the many ways you can find blog post ideas without doing elaborate research.
- Look at your blog categories: which ones are low on blog content? Look to see if you can create a related blog post to an already published post.
- Create a topic cluster of blog post ideas around a core blog post topic.
- Review your existing popular blog posts and see what topics you can write as “spin-offs”
- Dig into your own notebooks to see what topics you’ve noted down in the past
- Take one popular evergreen topic, and look at all other related sub-topics you can write about
- Check your backlinks to see who’s been linking to your posts. See what topics they’re writing on.
- Ask your email newsletter subscribers what topics they want you to write about
- Check what questions you’re getting in your blog posts’ comments
- Consider your audience and their seasonal issues: what can you write about for Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter?
- Check your old draft blog posts to see what’s never been published on your blog before
- Do a before and after transformation post where you show how you solved a problem
- Ask your blogger friends! What do they want to know more?
- Look at the different types of blog posts you can create and consider doing one that you haven’t done before
- If you have a Facebook group, do a poll on a list of topics you’re considering
- Check your phone to see what notes you may have written down on blog topics
- Read, read and read some more. Look through your past bookmarks and saved articles for potential stories.
- Consider doing an “Ultimate Guide” on one topic
- Do a massive collaborative round-up post with fellow bloggers on a super popular topic – for example, a recipe round-up like “The Best Holiday Cookies For Chocolate Lovers”
- Look at a problem you recently had and how you overcame it – share your story
- Take a look at popular blog posts’ heading sections and write about these topics
- Talk with a friend or family member about your popular blog posts: see what kind of questions they have about the topic, and consider writing posts that answer them.
- Review your affiliate programs. See if you can do an in-depth review of a product for a thorough post.
Need affiliate programs to sign up for? Here’s a curated list of popular affiliate programs that have great commissions to get you started:
How To Find Blog Post Ideas From External Sources
Want to know how to find blog post ideas that are fresh and new?
Look to external sources for inspiration. Here are a few of my favourites.
- Google a keyword and see what kind of questions readers have
- Use keyword tools like Keywords Everywhere (Chrome extension) to unearth popular topics in Google
- See what competitors are writing about – and write it better!
- Look at the season – what are relevant, popular blog post ideas for the time of the year?
- Read niche magazines/online sites to see what they’re writing about
- Look at quotes for your niche – do a round-up of quotes on a theme
- Talk with fellow bloggers. Ask them what they think are the hottest trends people are searching info on
- Get signed up to receive news releases from PR firms and brands – write about a new product. Look into Cision – and get listed as a publisher.
- Search what people are asking in Quora
- Check out what people are talking about in Reddit
- Look at the top courses for your niche in Udemy
- Listen to podcasts from bloggers in your niche – get inspiration from their hot topics
- Sign up for newsletters from other bloggers in our niche: take their content and blow it up into a full blog post
- Sign up to Connectively – formerly HARO (Help A Reporter Out) – and see what other media outlets and bloggers are working on
- Look to see what questions people are asking on other blogger’s posts
- Check out Mix, Flipboard or other similar sites for trending topics
- Use keyword planners to find new specific keywords to write about.
- Look at the Days of the Year calendar to see what special “days” are being celebrated.
- Check out your favourite brands’ sites for new products you can review.
- Try out the Answer The Public tool
- Use headline generators to come up with fresh ideas on a short keyword topic
- Google “Blog Post Ideas” for your niche and see if anybody has lists for inspiration. I have one for lifestyle blog post ideas, and many others for specific niches.
- Use Google Trends
- Use Pinterest Trends
- Bonus tip: use the Keywords Everywhere Chrome extension (with credits) to see which topics are hot in Pinterest, if this is where your main focus is for traffic.
Generate Blog Post Topics From Social Media
Another way to find blog topics is to look at social media. People show their interests via likes and engagement. This is how you find popular topics.
Comments are full of questions that can turn into blog post topics.
These are some ways I like to generate blog post ideas using my favourite platforms.
- Check out what your niche audience is talking about in Facebook groups – note down their questions
- Look at Pinterest trends to see what’s trending on that site
- Take some time to see what’s trending on Instagram or TikTok: what are people focusing on in your niche?
- Watch YouTube videos on your topic – what are the top topics?
- Look at popular questions and topics on LinkedIn for your niche
- Look at popular Pinterest content creator’s blog post topics
- Use Twitter to create lists of news outlets or brands, or even your favourite trendsetters to see what they’re tweeting about.
- Look at Twitter’s trending topics: what are people talking about on a regular basis?
- Search around Pinterest to see what pins are getting attention. Analyze which ones of yours are most popular and write on a similar topic.
| RELATED: How To Write Great Blog Posts That’ll Keep Readers On Your Site Longer
NOTE: You are invited to join my blogging tips Facebook group – The Blog It Better Society – where you can come up with blog post topics by asking members for ideas!
Your Notebook/Notes On Phone Are Your Best Friend
Ever find yourself wishing you remembered that great idea you came up with?
Not sure if it’s because I’m getting older or am so busy, but I’m often more forgetful of my good ideas. And so, I’m always writing them down on my iPhone or my little idea notebook.
You can find ideas for blog posts anywhere, as long as you are thinking consciously about blog content. This is one of the easiest ways to find blog ideas. Don’t forget to write them down!
Keep A Running Database Of Blog Post Ideas
As you can see, there are many ways you can come up with blog post ideas.
My one last bit of advice is to consider using a database software like Airtable to keep all of your ideas in one place.
Some people like to use blogging digital planners on apps such as Goodnotes or Notion.
I like to pop into my list every few weeks to see what I’ve written, and what I need to write. It helps me create a content calendar as well!
Want free access to an Airtable template for a content calendar?
Blog Post Ideas To Get You Started Writing
Don’t want to do all the research to come up with blog post topics?
I’ve done the legwork for you!
- 100-Plus Lifestyle Blog Post Ideas
- 315+ Mom Blog Topics
- 60+ Travel Blog Post Ideas
- Over 75 Spring Blog Post Ideas
- 100+ Summer Blog Post Ideas
- 120 Fall Blog Post Ideas
- Over 100 Winter Blog Post Ideas
QUESTION: If you’ve figured out how to come up with blog post ideas, can you share your methods with us?
These are all great suggestions. I’ve gotten better about keeping a list that I can refer to when I’m struggling with ideas.
They’re a great reference point! Quick and easy way to get inspired. 🙂
Hiya Margaret,
Is there a way to update the publishing date without changing the publishing date in WordPress? Is there an “Updated On” type of plugin bloggers should be aware of? Or is it just better to change the date in WordPress overall? Thank you!
P.S. The running database? Excellent idea. I created a Google Docs file and update it as I come across an idea I like. I’ve printed it and with all the ideas I have, it looks like my list will keep me for years to come. I do find it hard to keep to a content calendar though as much as I’ve tried, unfortunately. But maybe as I get better at this whole thing it will come easy.
Yes – there’s a plugin – https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-last-modified-info – that will show you the Updated On … info. It’s best to use this. I can relate to the difficulty of using a content calendar. Try Airtable. It’s easy to set up and you can have your list, and additional entries for content generation notes, etc.
Thank you, I appreciate the link. I’ll have to get that inserted sometime this week!
I’ll have a looksie into Airtable and see how I like it. Thanks again!
– Alexandra
This is so true. The notes on my phone have saved me so many times. Thank you for the inspiration! It makes me want to go find something RIGHT NOW!
That’s awesome! I love doing this – helping people get inspired. 🙂
These are really great tips Margaret. Pinterest is always my go-to when I am out of ideas
It’s fast becoming mine too!
Loved reading this post! As per usual it’s packed with great ideas I can use for my brand new lifestyle blog. Saving this for Pinterest.Thank you so much!
Glad to help out with the ideas!
I’m going to save this for later because sometimes I get stuck.
I just got an idea for a topic to write on for my blog. Thanks! All the sources you have mentioned are very useful. I, too, write down in my mobile’s notepad so that I don’t forget later.
Awesome! Glad I could inspire you to write. And yes, that little notepad is the perfect on-the-go tool.