8 Ideas for Blog Posts

I’ve written about writers block in a couple of previous articles, along with some of my ideas for overcoming a block. For the past month, I’ve been compiling a list with some of my ideas to help you brainstorm when you’re fishing for a new or interesting idea. I hope this list helps you as much as it has helped me!

1. Start a Series - What topic are you most passionate about?  Is there an overwhelming amount of information that you’d like to share with your readers?  Why not start a series?  You can write 4, 5, or even 10 articles in a series and fully inform your readers on a specific topic.  The articles will clearly flow together and you’ve got an abundance of knowledge to share.  Make use of it!
2. Debate with Yourself – Pick a topic that you’re passionate about.  Debate about all of the pros and cons of the topic and give reasons for both outcomes or scenarios.  It’s easy to give your opinion, but really tough to think outside of the box and your comfort zone.  This will spark conversation among your readers as well.  Let the games begin!
3. Interview a fellow blogger – Pick out a few of your favorite bloggers and ask if they’d be willing to complete a short interview. Keep it simple, but interesting. Don’t bombard them with personal questions either. If you have these interviews completed ahead of time, it sure makes for an easy posting! Another pointer: don’t just simply state word for word their response; add some value to their response by stating your opinion or experience as it relates to the topic at hand. Your readers will enjoy hearing about blogging from another person’s perspective and, as I’ve stressed before, it’s good to build these relationships with your peers.
4. Spread some Link Love – I have a weekly posting that I publish every Saturday that I call “The Weekend WrapUp”.  I link to other sites and articles that I’ve enjoyed throughout the week, and I get to expose my readers to some additional information that they may not have stumbled upon otherwise.  Your readers will be grateful for enlightening them on your reading material!  This does not have to be a weekly occurrence though; it could also be a monthly posting or just as you feel necessary.
5. Tell Your Commenters just how much You Appreciate Them – on a  monthly basis, you can write a “Thank You” to your commentators.  As a reward, link to each and everyone of their sites in your “Thank You” note.  The beauty of this is that you’re able to give back to them for the value they add to your blog.  It’s personable and a great act of thanks to all of your commenters.
6. Run a Contest – Starting a contest on your blog encourages participation in one way or another.  There are so many ideas for running contests; the possibilities are endless!  Give away a prize for the top commentator, give away an advertising spot for a month, or give away the prize that everyone loves… cash!  Get creative with the contest.  Think about what your blog needs.  Do you need to increase your RSS subscribers?  Need more comments?  More back links?  Take this idea and let your imagination be your guide!
7. Set Goals and/or Reflect on Your Goals – With the New Year quickly approaching, this will be a popular posting this week among bloggers.  Make sure that when you’re setting your goals, blog about them!  Also when goal setting, set goals that are not only attainable, but measurable.  The goals should be specific.  Let your readers know about what you’re striving for in the upcoming year.  Once you’ve set your goals, share your progress with your readers throughout the year.  On a side note, setting goals doesn’t strictly have to happen around the new year; you should be continually setting new goals as it relates to your personal life and your blog alike.
8. Set up and Share the results of a Poll – Create a new poll for your readers to participate in; then share the results when you have enough responses, maybe a month or two later.  Polls allow your readers to voice their opinion on so many different topics and always create interest in learning other readers’ responses as well.  Creating the poll can be one post, and then a couple of months later, you’ll have another post all ready and waiting to share the results and your thoughts.  If you’re struggling with coming up with a killer poll question, you could even “poll” your readers about poll topics!

What kind of blog topics do you use to “fill” a post? Have you implemented any of these ideas in the past? Let us know in the comments!