My first post here on Hot Blog Tips was titled, “Tried and True Tips for New Blog Content.” While I still use those same tips for coming up with new blog content, I’ve found a few new ways and thought I would share those as well. If I save at least one fellow blogger from banging his head into the monitor or desk, I will have done a good job!
Many, not all, bloggers are a one-man (or woman) show. As such, many tasks fall onto one person and it can quickly become daunting rather than pleasurable to work on your own blog. Between design, content and marketing, you can easily become overwhelmed or suffer from writer’s block. By using the tips outlined here, I try to always have a handful of post ideas at all times so that I’m not constantly suffering more writer’s block. Also helpful is guest bloggers, but that’s another post for another day in the near future!
The last post mentioned using websites but this post focuses more on specific sites and how they can help with your blog content creation process. The idea is to ignite your creative thought process so that you have a notepad full of blog post ideas to refer too.
Content Discovery Tools
The free mobile app, Flipboard is great for coming up with new post ideas. In short, the idea is to flip through articles on any given topic which in turn helps to ignite new ideas. The search function is what we are interested in, for the purposes of blog post ideas. Once the app (which is free, by the way) is installed on your device, use your seed topic and do a search and you will find stories from all over the web on that given topic. It’s only natural that as we read other articles we have an opinion which can easily turn into your own blog post that links back to the original.
As a working example, if your blog is about kid’s health issues and there is a new study about vaccinations and why your child needs one, only you don’t agree with vaccinations, you can easily craft a post about how you feel about that given subject.
What’s most nice about using this app is you have to use your mobile device or tablet, which means you can spend some time away from your computer for this part of your work day.
Google Suggest
Google Suggest recommends popular searches as the user types a query into the search field. Sounds simple enough yet it’s so helpful at the same time.
As a working example, someone might visit Google intending to search for “home office furniture,” but as they start typing “home office,” they might instead see “home office redesign,” which is a different, yet relevant topic that can go hand in hand. As the user searcher he has the option to choose the new search term or continue on the original path. But the idea is you will garner new suggestions that utilize your core words that maybe you hadn’t thought of yet.
Also helpful is, Ubersuggest a free and handy tool, that pulls potential Google suggest words after a core phrase automatically and it displays literally hundreds of potential word suggestions that appear after the core term.
Quora
Quora is a great place to help find the types of questions that business people need answers to. The questions are grouped under topics so that you can look for questions that have a lot of interaction and comments signaling to you what topics within your industry are being most sought after.
Topsy
On the other hand, Topsy helps the user search across several social channels. Topsy provides real-time insight into a variety of business questions. You can filer the results to just links or videos or photos. It also allows the user the ability to create an email or RSS alert to send regular updates on different topics which I find particularly helpful.
I was late to catch on to the craze but I can assure you Pinterest is highly addictive and fun! You can create virtual boards for everything under the sun from recipes to style to motivational quotes to homemade gifts for your child’s teacher or the cheer team and so much more. By using Pinterest you can see the most popular things and topics that are being searched and pinned and you can come up with new ideas of your own. Or string together new topics that compliment your own ideas.
And, there you have it, the sites I now you on a nearly daily basis to come up with new content ideas. What sites do you use for new content ideas? Please share!
About Chrissie Cole
Hi Chrissie
I’ve found Pinterest a great way to find content.
There are loads of infographics on there particularly on the subject of internet marketing. Not sure if other niches are so readily available though.
Hi Mark, thanks for commenting! I agree completely! I love Pinterest for business and personal too. I’m the least crafty person alive and it makes me want to try! Lol
Hi Chrissie,
I actually like the concept of having the editiorial calendar.
Organizing your post and composing about a particular subject that caters to the desires of specific groups of persons is certain thing i’ve never considered of yet.
Thanks
Sagar, I like the idea of an editorial calendar too. It has certainly helped me to stay focused on what needs to get done in advance rather than waiting. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Hello,
Well pinterested and quora familiar to me and to be honest rest of them are totally new to me. And i really love the google suggest tool for new posts ideas which is of great use to find the new article ideas and trending.
Thanks for the share.
Thanks, Anirudh! I’m glad you found the post helpful! Thank you for commenting!
Flipboard and Google Suggest are new to me and the others I have not really used. I can see after reading your post has these tools can be helpful. So thanks so much for this post. Definitely bookmaking it!
Thanks, Steven! I hope they are as helpful to you as they are to me! Good luck!
Pinterest is the best and easy way to discover content.And i read an article that pinterest is contributing more traffic to sites then twitter and facebook 🙂
Hi John, thanks for commenting! I’m not surprised to hear that! There is just so much greatness to Pinterest for nearly anything 🙂
Hi Chrissie,
I’ve never been hit by writer’s block but this will come in handy. Oh! You forgot to mention blogging communities, it’s also a great place to find those contents. What do you think?
Gilbert, I’m slightly jealous that you’ve never been hit by writers block! So lucky! There are days I sail right through and other days that are mental torture, lol. Blogging communities are definitely helpful!
Great post Chrissie. Probably the hardes part about a blog is also the most important part – new content. Thanks for the info, it can really help in generating ideas what to blog about.
My pleasure, George, glad you found it helpful and thank you for commenting! Happy Writing 🙂
This is an insightful post and it has just made me realise quora could be an information mine. Normally I receive popular questions on quora into my inbox every week but I’ve never thought about it in that way. Secondly, I just think Pinterest is a great site, just like a like a library where you can arrange everything how you want and just go to each section when you need it.
Thanks, Olumide! I am glad you fond the post helpful. I’m so badly addicted to Pinterest especially that I have to time myself daily, Lol!
I have to say that i LOVE flipboard! Not only is it a great way to keep up to date with whichever subject interests me, but also, it is the closest I have seen to a true electronic magazine. I have gotten some great blog subject ideas from flipping through flipboard.
Hey Dave, thanks for commenting! I’m glad you also find Flipboard so helpful. It definitely helps to get the ideas rolling when I can’t seem to do it for myself. Have a great weekend!
I prefer Google trends as it is always update current & upcoming trends which is very helpful for bloggers to understand what to write. I heard from some of my bloggers about Flipboard. But I never checked it. I think its time to check this site to upgrade my article. Anyway thanks for useful resource.
Google Trends would be useful as well, Ashan. Anything that helps to broaden topics while igniting new ideas that maybe you didn’t think of on your own. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks Chrissie for these – I have used some but not Topsy or Flipboard. They look really interesting. And Quora I haven’t used in a long time. I do use Pinterest daily – it’s great to drive traffic. And I love when old pins get repinned!
I just shared this list with my newsletter as I thought it would be helpful to many bloggers. Thank you again and have a great day.
I’m using Google Suggest and Pinterest till now to get ideas for my future new article post’s any way I should these which you have included in your blog post.
Thanks!
Thanks for the suggestions. Pretty much, it depends on what type of content you write for your site. If you’re a web designer, Dribble and Creattice are two of the great ones. Oh by the way, where’s Reddit? 😉
Yeah … Quora is the best way to get good topics.