If you own a blog or website, you need to keep publishing fresh content. At a bare bones minimum, you should blog 3 times a week and preferably once a day. For most bloggers, coming up with fresh content is one of their biggest challenges. They create 50 or 100 posts in their first few months and then they run out of ideas to write about. As a result, they stop blogging and their blog dies a quick death.
Two of the most common questions people ask me are “Chuck, where do you get ideas to write about and how do you come up with so much high quality, original content?” Just so you know this upfront, I’ve always enjoyed writing so I don’t look at it as a burden. Plus, I’m very passionate about the topics I write about. This gives me a huge advantage over someone who hates to write or is simply blogging to make money.
In case you don’t know this already, I blog daily, Monday through Friday, on this blog. I also have another blog where I blog at least three times per week. On a typical day, I write at least 2,000 to 3,000 words, if not more.
In order to do that, I need NEW IDEAS. I need ideas for topics to write about. Where do I get those ideas? I have lots of ideas floating around in my head, but I get most of my ideas from reading BOOKS.
That’s right, I get my ideas from reading. I read minimum one book a week, sometimes two books a week. These books are typically on subjects that are in my niches.
When I read a book, I highlight passages that resonate with me. With most books, I probably highlight 100 to 200 different things, and sometimes more. After I finish reading the book, I go back through all my highlights and underlined passages. In most cases, my wife transcribes them for me.
I try to write one blog post about each idea that I underline or highlight. I normally take the key point from the sentence I highlighted and use it as my title for my blog post. Once that’s done, I write my blog post from my own perspective of the topic. This keeps me from violating copyright laws. Best of all, I always have something to write about.
Let me give you an example. I ordered a book from Amazon some time ago. I got it in the mail and read it one setting. It’s titled “Turbo MLM” and it’s about the network marketing industry. I made a list of ideas that I learned, or found interesting and turned them into individual blog posts. I also do a review of the book.
Of course, there are other ways that I find ideas for blog topics. Here are a few things that work well for me:
- Watch YouTube videos and take notes
- Visit popular forums online and look for topics that are popular
- Read popular posts and blog comments on other blogs
- Listen to podcasts and take notes
- Attend events and take notes
- Participate in training calls and mastermind calls and take notes
- Ask my subscribers what they would like me to write about
- Look for topics and subjects that are trending on social media
- I subscribe to email newsletters about the industry
- I look for keywords and topics that people type in to find my blog online (keyword research)
Just to clarify one more time, I do not plagiarize anyone. I do not steal other people’s content. Instead, I simply take notes on what I learn and then write about it from my own perspective.
I think this lesson can benefit anyone. You should be a “student of your niche.” You should study every magazine, trade journal, email newsletter, forum, RSS feed, books and everything else you can find on your topic. You should attend seminars on your niche. You should devour the information. As you do this, you will never run out of ideas to blog about.
What do you do to get ideas to blog about? Please share any tips or thoughts you have with the rest of our community. Just leave a comment to this post to do so. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
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mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
Hi Chuck,
Your blog is definitely is one that should be emulated. Great content!!
Another way to develop content is when your downline asks questions. You’re answer to that question can be your next blog post. If they are asking the question, you know others probably have the same or similar question.
We are in a great niche with content like yours being created daily. There really should be no reason to ever run out of something to write about.
There was talk of plagiarism. Completely no need to take someones work word for word. It is too easy to use your own thoughts and ideas on any subject matter and put your own personal creative touch to it. You want to make it your own anyways.
Thanks Chuck.
Jason
I get most of my ideas from books. I underline a sentence that makes sense to me and then I write a post in my own words about that topic. In an average book I probably underline 100 sentences so there is no reason to ever run out of things to say.
I also get many of my ideas from reading books. It amazes me how I’ll be reading and then an idea just pops into my head about how to take what I just read and expand on it or share my personal thoughts on it. The key for me is to write that idea down right away. The days of being able to remember are long gone for me, so I jot down the topic and some key points and then come back to it later.
Reading books provides a never ending way to get ideas to write about.
It can sometimes be quite difficult finding a topic to write about. I agree that reading is a great way. I believe books, and even reading other blogs and online articles can help us generate ideas.
You mentioned plagiarism, and I believe that a large percentage of online writers do not intend to plagiarize, but what can sometimes happen is: we read other material and without really meaning too, we write a similar article that creates “red flags.” The best program to guarantee that you don’t do this is Copyscape. I have an account and each check only costs me approximately 1 cent. It is a penny well spent.
I really enjoy searching out trending news, and writing it from my own perspective.
Thanks for the hints and tips, and Happy Father’s Day to you.
All you have to do is get creative. There is no need to steal someone else’s content, ever.