Starting a blog, either for pleasure or in the hope of creating an income, is an exciting prospect. A lot of people are choosing to start one in their own specialised subject. But, a lot of people jump right into it with more consideration to the concept than to the topic and the posts. Therefore, prior to starting your blog, I want to challenge you to sit down and write out at least 50 post ideas, and write up at least 10 of them.
Why should you think of 50?
There are a lot of great reasons to actually do this activity (and not just read about it).
To start with, it's your make it or break it test. Thinking of starting a blog on a particular topic? Well, if you cannot bring to mind no less than 50 topics off the top of your head either you aren't really keen on writing about it, or you have targeted too narrow a topic. Keep in mind that many blogs take about a year to really get started. So if you can't come up with at least 50 then you're going to be under pressure after 6 months and probably give up before you eventually make it.
Second, one of the most crucial thing in starting a blog you want to be popular is to post 'epic content'. Content which is amazing, informative, sets you up as an expert so people keep coming back. Making the effort to list out 50 possible topics will allow you to determine the amazing ones from the less amazing ones.
Third, if epic content is the most important thing, then being consistent as a blogger is the second most important. Nobody tunes in consistently to a blog that might or might not have something new that week/month. The moment people first arrive at a blog, they find it as more authoritative and interesting if there are frequent updates. This means you really need to be posting 2-3times a week if you want to create a good impression and keep people coming back. So, when you have a list of topics already prepared, and can even propose in posts about upcoming relevant topic you may be writing about, your blog is going to look much more organised and long-term.
How do you think of 50?
So, have I convinced you that you've got to have a list of possible topics prepared? Good. This is the time to look at which you could acquire the best ideas from. Below are some top tips for creating your list.
1. Start with Google Keyword research. You should already know what keywords you are targeting in your blog (otherwise, definitely do this first). Making use of keyword research tools then you're able to determine what related words people are looking for. It is useful information regarding what your audience wants to understand. For instance, thinking about writing a blog about Young Adult fiction? If you look it up, Google will tell you that many people search for the related 'Twilight - Meyers'. Blog post? I think so.
2. This is a good tip from Pat Flynn as Smart Passive Income (would love to claim it as my own, but the academic in me is screaming plagiarism). Visit Amazon or Google Books and do a search for your keyword. This will showa selection of books relevant to what you wish to write about. Using the preview function, take a look at their content page. Bam! In front of you is a range of topics that you can be writing about.
3. One more great tip I've discovered is try splitting your posts into different types for your area. For instance, if you're playing to post three times a week you may have Information Monday, How-To Wednesday and Review Friday. You then just need to think of about 20 ideas under each one of these. For a blog on house building you might have some Information posts on different types of architecture, How-To various renovation projects, and Review the top equipment of the trade. This will make it much easier to think of topics, and determine what to write.
4. Related to the last tip, I strongly suggest dividing information posts into series. You don't want your posts to be too long, yet still give sufficient significant details making people feel like you understand a lot about the area. Writing several posts every Monday on a topic can help you narrow it down so it's not too large, but still deal with everything people want to know. For instance, take a post on barefoot running. With this one idea, you could make at least three excellent posts that link to each other. You could do one on the history of barefoot running (why it has suddenly become so popular), top techniques you need to know to run effectively, and a post on the various types of barefoot and minimalist shoes. One idea, at least three posts.
5. My last tip has helped me a lot of times. Go to Forums. Go to the places that your target audience already are at and find out what they want to learn about. Forums are perfect places for getting post ideas because your audience is literally letting you know 'I want a post about this.' I am often surprised by the questions people ask and think 'How can you not know that already?' But fortunately for me, they don't and I do. In addition, after writing your post then you can return to the forum, answer their question and put a link to the full post!
Thus, with these tips, it should only take you a little bit of research to create 50 topics for your blog. This is time that is not wasted. Once you've done this, take a minimum of 10 of those topics, write up the post and save them as drafts. You'll thank me for this later. Trust me.
Why should you think of 50?
There are a lot of great reasons to actually do this activity (and not just read about it).
To start with, it's your make it or break it test. Thinking of starting a blog on a particular topic? Well, if you cannot bring to mind no less than 50 topics off the top of your head either you aren't really keen on writing about it, or you have targeted too narrow a topic. Keep in mind that many blogs take about a year to really get started. So if you can't come up with at least 50 then you're going to be under pressure after 6 months and probably give up before you eventually make it.
Second, one of the most crucial thing in starting a blog you want to be popular is to post 'epic content'. Content which is amazing, informative, sets you up as an expert so people keep coming back. Making the effort to list out 50 possible topics will allow you to determine the amazing ones from the less amazing ones.
Third, if epic content is the most important thing, then being consistent as a blogger is the second most important. Nobody tunes in consistently to a blog that might or might not have something new that week/month. The moment people first arrive at a blog, they find it as more authoritative and interesting if there are frequent updates. This means you really need to be posting 2-3times a week if you want to create a good impression and keep people coming back. So, when you have a list of topics already prepared, and can even propose in posts about upcoming relevant topic you may be writing about, your blog is going to look much more organised and long-term.
How do you think of 50?
So, have I convinced you that you've got to have a list of possible topics prepared? Good. This is the time to look at which you could acquire the best ideas from. Below are some top tips for creating your list.
1. Start with Google Keyword research. You should already know what keywords you are targeting in your blog (otherwise, definitely do this first). Making use of keyword research tools then you're able to determine what related words people are looking for. It is useful information regarding what your audience wants to understand. For instance, thinking about writing a blog about Young Adult fiction? If you look it up, Google will tell you that many people search for the related 'Twilight - Meyers'. Blog post? I think so.
2. This is a good tip from Pat Flynn as Smart Passive Income (would love to claim it as my own, but the academic in me is screaming plagiarism). Visit Amazon or Google Books and do a search for your keyword. This will showa selection of books relevant to what you wish to write about. Using the preview function, take a look at their content page. Bam! In front of you is a range of topics that you can be writing about.
3. One more great tip I've discovered is try splitting your posts into different types for your area. For instance, if you're playing to post three times a week you may have Information Monday, How-To Wednesday and Review Friday. You then just need to think of about 20 ideas under each one of these. For a blog on house building you might have some Information posts on different types of architecture, How-To various renovation projects, and Review the top equipment of the trade. This will make it much easier to think of topics, and determine what to write.
4. Related to the last tip, I strongly suggest dividing information posts into series. You don't want your posts to be too long, yet still give sufficient significant details making people feel like you understand a lot about the area. Writing several posts every Monday on a topic can help you narrow it down so it's not too large, but still deal with everything people want to know. For instance, take a post on barefoot running. With this one idea, you could make at least three excellent posts that link to each other. You could do one on the history of barefoot running (why it has suddenly become so popular), top techniques you need to know to run effectively, and a post on the various types of barefoot and minimalist shoes. One idea, at least three posts.
5. My last tip has helped me a lot of times. Go to Forums. Go to the places that your target audience already are at and find out what they want to learn about. Forums are perfect places for getting post ideas because your audience is literally letting you know 'I want a post about this.' I am often surprised by the questions people ask and think 'How can you not know that already?' But fortunately for me, they don't and I do. In addition, after writing your post then you can return to the forum, answer their question and put a link to the full post!
Thus, with these tips, it should only take you a little bit of research to create 50 topics for your blog. This is time that is not wasted. Once you've done this, take a minimum of 10 of those topics, write up the post and save them as drafts. You'll thank me for this later. Trust me.
About the Author:
Need more ideas on how to develop a killer online platform ? Or if you're looking for advice on how to improve your writing and speed check out Buffy Greentree's website The Five Day Writer.
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