Sometimes, it just feels like you don’t know what else to say. The internet is so vast. What can you possibly blog about that hasn’t already been blogged about?
Some great blogs out there seem to spout creative stuff endlessly. Those blogs either have one brilliant individual or a hardworking team behind them who constantly post things that make you think, why didn’t I think of that first?
There are more ideas out there, lots more. You need to get a little creative when it comes to finding them. Here are ten ways to broaden your horizons, catch ideas before they escape and boldly blog where no blogger has ever blogged.
Don’t Let Your Ideas Escape You.
If you want to follow your creativity and use it to improve your blogging, you must develop good habits in recording your brilliant ideas before they get away.
Whether that means texting or emailing yourself ideas to use later, jotting notes in Evernote on the go, or creating a sophisticated editorial system in Trello depends on your personal preferences.
Just put those ideas down in writing quickly.
Follow Your Passions
Hopefully, you’re already blogging about something you’re passionate about, but maybe you need a little reminder of that passion when it comes to working. What is it that you love about this industry or niche? What brought you there in the first place? What do you glaze over or fall asleep thinking about?
Pour that energy into your blog. It might lead you to new angles.
Soak up Visual Inspiration
There’s a reason stunning imagery is so popular on sites like Instagram, Pinterest, and StumbleUpon. It compels us to look at life from new perspectives and consider things we haven’t considered before.
It doesn’t hurt to create an “Inspiration Board” on Pinterest or stumble around in categories related to your niche. Just be careful that these activities don’t suck time away from the more critical aspects of your blog. Also, consider the audience you can build on these sites and how you can bring that audience to your blog.
Read Voraciously
Good writers read a lot. Read other blogs, read the news, read things that interest you and books you love. Remember that you can respond to these things. Some of the best posts spawned this way.
Did you read something on Mashable that you completely disagree with or something on the Havahart Blog that got you thinking about the issue of animal cruelty? Write about it! You can even comment on the original post, mentioning your response. Maybe you’ll even gain some new readers this way.
Steal Ideas and Make Them Better
Is there such a thing as a new idea? Mark Twain was exceptionally verbal about his opinion, which was that there’s no such thing. He said that every so-called “new” design was simply a collection of bits and pieces of other people’s ideas that we put into “a sort of mental kaleidoscope” and spin into something original. Maybe, maybe not, but it doesn’t mean you can’t steal pieces of others’ ideas (with a respectful hat tip or mention) and turn them into something of your own.
Generate Ideas
Some great generators out there let you input the main topics of your blog, and they’ll spit out what you should write about next.
Think I’m joking? Check out Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator and Contentforest’s Title Generator, and try telling me I’m lying.
Jump on a News Story
There’s one industry constantly cycling through brand new material – good old-fashioned journalism!
How can you relate your blog and its niche to current events or even news in your industry? What do you have to say about what’s happening out there?
If you read enough, maybe you already know exactly what to tackle next. If you need some assistance finding your next news story, though, set up a few choices in Google Alerts for your industry and let the scoop come to you.
Get Sarcastic
People love comedy. What have people up in arms in your industry? Please find a way to parody it. Write an exaggerated account of the situation or a confusing, bumbling explanation as though a complete outsider wrote it. You might be the first person to look at a tired, oft-repeated idea in this new light, and you are bound to get an appreciation for it.
Look for What’s Missing
Instead of looking for ideas that already exist and making them your own, start searching between the lines for what’s missing. What aren’t people talking about? Why not?
A little investigation, and you may be the first person to cover a story or piece of advice from that angle. Congratulations.
Ask
Are you out of ideas? Why not ask your audience for theirs? Post to your social following or even right on your blog, asking your readers what they would like to see on your blog. You never know; maybe someone has a brilliant idea, and they’re just waiting for you to catch up to them.
Creativity isn’t a science but rather an art. You can’t force yourself to be creative, but with some tricks like the ones above, you might be able to find creative ideas. Soon, you’ll make them say, “Gee, I wish I’d thought of that.”
