One of the most common questions that bloggers get asked is How do you get new content ideas? It’s also one of the hardest to answer because there isn’t one definitive answer that will work for every blogger. There are, however, several ways that bloggers can come up with new content ideas, which we’ll explore in this article. Here are 9 ways to get new content ideas for your blog and generate more quality content for your readers.
9 Ways to Get New Content Ideas
1. Attend an Event
To get new content ideas, attend an event. Events are full of people—some will have intriguing insights, and others will be more focused on their agenda. Either way, events are great places to be inspired by what people say and ask you questions (both of which can give you blogging material). If you aren’t sure where or how to start looking for events near you, a simple Google search should yield plenty of options. The same is true if you want to find events related to your niche. For example, if you blog about health care, check out Meetup or Eventbrite; both websites list upcoming events in your area that may spark new content ideas.
And don’t forget: You don’t have to go alone! Going with a friend makes it even easier to spark conversation and network with like-minded professionals who might become future blog post sources.
When I attend an event I often make notes about possible blog post topics as I meet new people. A few months later, after writing down my notes from my experience at the event, I’ll come back to these notes and see if any of them seem like viable blog posts. It never hurts to try!
2. Approach Influencers
As a blogger, you need new content ideas, and there’s no better place to look than at your social networks. Look at what people are sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. You can also search [topic] or [subject] blogs on Google and see what pops up. Now contact these influencers directly—through email or social media—and ask them if they would share their topic-specific content with your audience. This is an easy way to get new content ideas for your blog!
When you approach influencers, give them a reason why they should share their content with your audience. Maybe you have a very engaged community that regularly reads your blog and is highly interested in reading about their content. Or maybe you’re hosting an event related to that content. Just make sure it’s a relevant event or topic before approaching them!
3. Focus on What Makes You Different
The easiest way to get new content ideas is to focus on what makes you different from other bloggers. Take a look at what’s already out there and try something different: create a blog that focuses on one niche subject, interview experts about unique industries, or take on an opposite opinion. The solution is to find ways to stand out.
If you’re just like everyone else, why would anyone read your blog? If you have no idea where to start brainstorming content ideas, focus on who your target audience is and write content based on their needs.
Remember, quality over quantity! If your blog has three high-quality posts per week instead of five mediocre ones, it will be more successful in the long run. Just because people aren’t visiting your blog as often doesn’t mean they aren’t interested; rather, they may not need content as frequently as you think. Give them less content but make sure it’s high quality and relevant—you won’t regret it!
4. Look at Other Businesses
To get new content ideas, look at other businesses and consider how you can apply their tactics. Don’t feel pressured to reinvent the wheel. Blogging is about providing valuable information that your audience craves; if others are getting results with certain strategies, why not emulate them? Don’t be afraid of looking outside your niche for inspiration—the Internet is a great place to find new material. For example, take a look at popular blogs in unrelated niches and see what content resonates with readers. You might discover something interesting or even better: an idea for your next blog post!
5. Take Pictures Of Interesting Places and People
The best way to get new content ideas is by being an observer. Take pictures of interesting places and people—the more unique, unusual, or shocking you can make your images, photos, or videos, the better. It’s easy to take a beautiful picture on a beach in Aruba; it’s much harder to take a stunning image at a construction site. Having something original like that will help jumpstart your writing creativity when you have nothing left. If you don’t want to use them for your blog, simply share them with friends on social media. You never know what they might think is worth sharing too!
6. Keep a Notebook On You at All Times
Keeping a notebook with you at all times is a great way to jot down ideas when they come up, which ensures that you’ll never forget about them. You can even keep a separate notebook or journal just for blogging ideas if you want. After all, it’s not uncommon for bloggers and content writers alike to forget about an idea simply because they couldn’t find their note-taking tools in time.
Keeping a notebook on you at all times is also a good way to keep track of your thoughts as well as inspirational quotes or lines from books, podcasts, and so on. Having these notes readily available allows you to use them later—like when your content needs some inspiration! For example, maybe one day I hear someone mention something really interesting about motivation; I write it down in my notebook so I don’t forget it later. Then, when I need content ideas for a blog post, I have plenty of sources to choose from!
7. Repurpose Old Content
Repurposing older content—articles you’ve already written that are still performing well on your blog but could use a facelift—is a great way to come up with new content ideas. Take some time and update your old articles by adding fresh information, pictures, or videos and re-uploading them to your blog. When updating your existing content, think about what people who have visited it previously may be interested in now that they didn’t know before. For example, if you wrote an original blog post about how to fix a leaky faucet two years ago, then updated it last month with how to fix a leaky faucet in 10 easy steps, then visitors coming back for more info might be interested in knowing where their water usage is going if they don’t see any leaks. For example, You might find that each day 5 gallons of water are going down your drain without being used! Use a simple flow meter from your local hardware store to figure out where all that water is going.
This gives you new content idea material, as well as additional insight into your target audience (that readers would like more tips about plumbing). Plus, chances are good that if someone was looking at a blog post about fixing faucets two years ago and came back recently because they were having problems again, they’re probably not looking for an entirely different topic right now. So, take advantage of that and make sure your blog content is evergreen. Keep it relevant over time.
8. Use Inspiration Resources (Pinterest, Twitter Lists)
It’s not enough to save a bunch of links and media you think might be relevant—you have to use them. This is where inspiration resources like Pinterest and Twitter list come in handy.
You can create boards on Pinterest around your interests or different types of content you want to generate, and then regularly go through those resources, saving things that inspire you.
The same goes for Twitter lists; it’s easy to follow people who are creating content in areas you want to explore.
If they share something interesting, add it to a list so you can easily find it later when looking for new ideas. Or just pay attention as you browse your feed. Seeing what others are sharing is often an effective way to spark new ideas of your own.
9. Talk To Your Audience
One of my most trusted sources of new content ideas is my readers. Sure, I might not have always gotten a response in a poll (we’ve only done it twice), but it’s still worth including on our blog.
We got one idea from just putting out a question: How do you find new blogs? and another by reading our comments. The rest of our sources of new content ideas are nearly all user requests and suggestions. If your blog is successful enough that people will take the time to tell you what they want more of, don’t be afraid to ask! It may seem scary at first because there will likely be some requests that don’t make sense or aren’t worth doing. But if your blog has loyal followers who trust your opinion and know you can deliver great content—you should listen to them.
If you need help with how to talk to your audience, try Google Surveys, which allows users to create surveys using Google Analytics data. This way, you can get answers from actual blog visitors without having to ask them directly.
You can also use SurveyMonkey Audience if you prefer to survey online. You could even add a request blog post topic button to your blog itself, allowing anyone to submit their questions and vote on other reader-submitted topics.
Then you could publish an infographic like ours showing popular content request topics as well as your own favorite blog post topic(s).
Conclusion
So there you have it! The 9 steps I follow when creating new content ideas. Follow these steps and you’ll keep your readers interested, grow your traffic, and boost conversions!
And remember: Don’t get stuck trying to force an idea – sometimes they just don’t come easily or naturally. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good enough or won’t succeed – it just means maybe they need some time to simmer in your brain before they are ready.
Happy blogging!