Do you have a blog for your business or want to start one? You need to know where to find blog post ideas.
From social media to your own inbox, you have more options than you think. Keep reading to learn where to look for content inspiration.
Your Email
One of the best places to look for blog post ideas is your email inbox. Consider if anyone ever emails you with specific questions about your niche or the service you offer.
And if multiple people email you with similar questions, those questions are even better ideas for blog content. The nice thing about email is people are asking you specifically rather than just putting a question out there.
If you write a post based on a question you receive, you’ll know that there’s already an interest in it. Plus, there are probably more people with the same question but who haven’t emailed you yet.
Your Social Media DMs
Similar to your email inbox, your private messages on Instagram or Facebook can also help you come up with blog post ideas. Make a list of the questions you get from people.
Watch for trends, and turn those recurring questions into content for your website and social media accounts. For example, you may answer a question in your Instagram story.
If that does well, you know it will be worth dedicating more time to writing a full blog post on the topic. Then, you can build your brand and get people to read what you write.
Your Former Self
Odds are, you probably offer a service you could have used in the past. If you’re. a private flute teacher, you were most likely once a private flute student. So think back to that time and consider what questions or problems you had.
Use what you’ve learned to generate blog post topics. You can also make a list of questions you have now. In a few months or years, they can become good blog post ideas.
Facebook Groups
I’ve used Facebook groups to find some of my best blog post ideas. You can join groups related to your niche or instrument. Whenever someone asks a question, add it to a note on your phone or computer.
Then, when you’re looking to fill your blog content calendar, you can refer back to that list of questions. You can also briefly answer the question in the Facebook group to start making a name for yourself.
After you publish a blog post, you could share the link in one of your Facebook groups. If people recognize your name, they’ll trust what you have to say. So you could get more clicks.
Google Auto-Complete
Google auto-complete is the list of search terms that pop up when you start typing something into the search engine. You can start by typing in your service or offer, then take note of the suggestions.
Click on one of them, and scroll through the results. If the top results are all forums, you’ll have a better chance of getting your article to rank near the top. You’ll have less competition from other businesses and bloggers.
Another thing I’d do is scroll until you find the People Also Ask section. This gives you even more ideas of questions people have or problems they need solutions for.
Google Trends
A great tool for validating blog post ideas is Google Trends. It’s free to use, and you can search for your main topic, such as the instrument you play. The tool will then show a graph of how popular the term has been over the past year.
If there’s an increase in searches, you know you have a good topic. On the other hand, if searches are going down, you may want to hold off on writing a blog post on the topic.
Google Trends is also a great way to learn about seasonal topics. For example, you could learn when people start searching for articles on what to bring to music school.
Pinterest is THE social media platform for blog posts. A lot of bloggers, including myself, use it to promote their content. It can be a great traffic source for your website.
However, those features also make it a great choice to find ideas for your own blog. If you’ve used Pinterest a lot, you can scroll through your home feed. The algorithm will show you content it thinks you’ll like.
Otherwise, you can use the search bar. As with Google, search for your main topic or service. Don’t read any of the blog posts you find, but take the titles as inspiration for blog posts you can publish.
Quora
One of the newer websites I’ve started using to find blog posts ideas is Quora. The great thing about it is that it’s a place where people go to ask questions. So you can scroll through your home feed or the questions tab.
See what people are asking about your niche or product or service. Take note of questions that a lot of people are following as well as those that pop up over and over again.
Add the ideas to your list of blog posts that you plan to write. Then, when you’re out of content ideas, you can pull from this list.
Instagram isn’t as useful as other platforms, but it can help you find blog post ideas. You can scroll through your home feed or relevant hashtags. Look at what your competitors are posting.
Don’t copy their content directly. But you can take ideas from what others are posting. For example, think about the concept, such as flute practice tips. You can then come up with your own unique tips.
If you have an engaged audience, you can use your Instagram Stories. Add a poll or question sticker asking people for what types of blog posts they want to see.
7 Types of Blog Posts You Can Write
Once you come up with some blog post ideas, you can write different types of posts on the same topic. That way, you can get even more content ideas.
Here are some great types of blog posts to add to your website.
1. Informational Posts
An informational post is a great way to answer a common question. For example, I recently published an article on my piccolo blog about how much the average piccolo costs.
In the post, I go over the different factors that affect the answer. And I give a general answer to the question.
2. Tutorials or How-Tos
You can also write blog posts sharing how to do something. For example, you could publish an article about how to choose the best flute model. The article should include steps in a logical order.
These blog posts are similar to informational posts. But they’re often more tailored to a specific problem. I’d especially recommend this type of post to music teachers and academies because you can share how lessons will teach readers even more.
3. Reviews
One of my favorite types of blog posts to write is a review post. This is where you write about a specific product. Usually, the goal is to promote that product and generate affiliate commissions.
If your blog’s main purpose is the market your business, you may not write a ton of reviews. But you could write reviews of products you use and love and that you want to share with your audience.
4. Roundups or Buying Guides
Along with reviews, roundups are great for affiliate marketing. You can write a list of your favorite products that fall under the same category. For example, maybe you write a roundup of the best clarinets for students.
A buying guide could include products. But you could also focus on different factors to keep in mind when buying something, like a new instrument.
5. Comparison
You can also write comparison or versus posts. This is where you write about two products that are similar. Then, you can help readers decide which of the two is a better choice for them.
Comparisons are a great way to make money from affiliate marketing. But they can also help you compare your own service to something else. For example, you could compare private lessons to video tutorials.
6. Case Study
One of the best blog post ideas for businesses is to publish a case study. This is where you go over a specific example that you’ve gotten in your business or that one of your students or clients has had.
For example, I published a case study about growing a blog from scratch. I shared what I did and the results the blog got. Maybe you write a case study about how a private student got into a top music school and how you helped.
7. News Updates
I’ve seen a lot of businesses use their blog to share updates. This can be a great way to market an upcoming event or a new service. However, I wouldn’t make news updates a huge part of your blog content.
Unless you have a lot of brand recognition, these posts aren’t great for SEO. So be sure to balance them with informational content, case studies, and other types of blog posts.
Where Will You Find Blog Post Ideas?
Finding blog post ideas can be difficult. But if you know where to look, you can have a constant stream of topics to cover.
Then, you won’t ever be staring at a blank screen when it’s time to write a new article.
If you want even more help brainstorming content ideas, learn about my content creation services.
Leave a Reply