Help! I’m Out of Blog Ideas!

It happens to the best of us.  You want to write a blog post.  You are ready to write a blog post.  You start to write…and then it happens; You draw a blank.  You have nothing to write about.

When blogging isn’t your primary job it can be tough to a) find the time to post and b) find a topic to write about.  It happens to me, it happens to my friends and it happens to my clients.  The great thing is there are ‘easy ways out’ for the times you just can’t write.

I have included 6 easy (and smart) ways to create a blog post without having to rack your brain (or do much work for that matter).

1. Guest Blogging
Having a guest blogger can bring a new voice and perspective to your blog while also helping you reach a new audience, network with those in your industry and improve your credibility.  It is also a good way to gain links.

2. Customer Corner
How many emails and phone calls per day do you get from customers asking the same questions? Yes, many of them are probably in your FAQ section but why not answer them on your blog? It is not only useful to your readers but could potentially create favorable search results.

* Ex: The Garmin blog includes an ‘Ask Garmin’ category where they respond to common questions. 

3. Product Feature/Sale of the Week
As a business you probably don’t want to be showcasing a product every post.  However, if you have a sale going on or a new product addition, let your users know.  Better yet, offer them a coupon or promotion code! 

4. Surveys/Polls
This is one of my favorite blogging tactics and you see it all the time (even more so lately in the midst of election season).  A survey can be fun, inciteful and interesting to your readers. 

There are a couple of ways to run a survey.  The first is to simply post a poll and let your readers vote.  (This works better if you have a large audience.)  The second is to identify people in your industry or target market and ask them a series of questions.  The results may surprise you and it can make for a great post.  

5. Conduct an Interview
Interviews are a nice way to not only learn about other people in your industry but they make for great blog posts.  Interviews also allow you any number of directions to go in; industry insiders, fellow bloggers, customers, etc.

6. Feature Another Blog
Have a favorite blogger?  See a great post you just can’t wait to tell other people about?  How about several posts you love? 

Featuring another blog, post or author is a nice way to add content, network and keep the blog cycle going.  Remember though, don’t just take what they write and put it on your site.

So, there you go.  Next time you sit down to write a blog post and can’t think of anything, remember that there are few strategies to help you.  Or you could check out these 202 blog ideas.