How To Come Up With Awesome Blog Post Ideas

We've all been there, sat in front our computer screens, staring at a blank white page thinking 'how the hell am I gonna get a post out tomorrow when my brain is giving me zilch?' Trust me, I know how sucky that feels, because you can bet your sorry ass that the minute you close your laptop, roll over in bed and make yourself comfy, BAM, awesome post idea. Why you no come to me in the day?

So, how can you generate blog post ideas when you're not trying to sleep, because losing sleep over your blog is not the way you want to spend your time. Well, to make things just that little bit easier for you, I'm sharing 5 methods I use that help me generate new post idea when inspiration is taking a long holiday in the bahamas without me, in the hope you'll never find yourself dumped by your imagination like I frequently am.

1. Grab a pen and some paper, and brain-vomit

It doesn't sound like the most attractive of methods, but sometimes you just have to get everything out of your mind and onto paper to see just how those crazy and exciting ideas look on paper. I do this rather frequently and find myself with notes on my phone, on my computer, on paper and in my blog planner, and it's extremely helpful in terms of clearing my mind, and generating ideas.

To make the method that much better, it's beneficial to clear your schedule and dedicate time to getting the ideas out there in a calm environment. If there are less distractions, it's more likely you'll be able to just write and write and write and get the information from idea to words.

It's also super important to remember that not every awesome sounding post will look good once you've got it down on paper, and that's okay. The whole idea behind this method is that it allows you to see all your ideas in their bare form, and from there, enables you to either throw them away because you'll never be able to develop them, or do exactly that, develop them and turn them into amazing posts that you're readers will love. It's also pretty darn handy when you have one super large topic and feel you can split it into a handful of smaller, more detailed posts.

2. Look back at old content for inspiration

In the past I've managed to get a good idea based on an old post I'd written, whether or not it was a post I published or not. I have A LOT of posts I've typed up and never shared, because what if they're not good enough? Anyhow.. taking a look back at posts you've written, and remembering how much fun they were to write could encourage you to share a part two, extending the topic further, or delving into another angle. Better still, you can check out how well received the post was and think of other ways you can create similar content that will help other people.

I do use this method an awful lot, and it's easy to see in my content. Having seen how much people enjoyed and consistently use my Picmonkey, Canva and Google Analytics tutorials, I constantly work hard to create new content that shows off these programs other hidden talents, whether it be by creating PDF's, or making some of the more complicated features easy to understand. You can be quickly inspired to write new posts just by having a look at how your other posts have performed, or remembering how much you enjoyed writing them, and sometimes it's better to write from the heart before you give a performance to a room.

3. Scour Pinterest for new takes on old topics

This is without a doubt my most recent of content methods, and so far, it's proving to be one of the best. I've finally finding my feet in the Pinterest world, and while I may only see growth of 3-6 followers a day, it's more about the experience and less about the numbers, at least, right now anyway. It's not only exciting to see and pin content my followers will enjoy seeing, but it's inspiring to see all the different takes on the classic subjects, and it inspires me to share my own. I see thousands of posts on the perfect blog post, or myths that are being busted every day, or how somebody made so many figures by doing x, y and z, and the reason these posts do well is because it's more about the bloggers take, rather than the subject itself.

I am not the only person who's ever shared ways you can revamp a blog rather than redesign, and I'm never going to be the last person either, however, I am the first person to share it will my followers, and I'm the first person they'll learn that from. It's important to remember that your content, while it may be viewed by people who already get the gist, it's more than likely going to be seen by people who haven't a clue, so it's less stealing a content idea, and more sharing your experiences and opinions.

It is important however to never outright steal someone's content. It's not only bad form, but it's piracy, it's theft, it's illegal, and it's baaaaaaad. Be inspired by somebody's post on body confidence and share your own experiences and give advice. Sure, the advice you give may not differ hugely, but it'll be your story, and your words, said to your followers, in a way they know and trust. Never for one minute think that just because somebody else has done something doesn't mean you can't. I like to see somebody else doing something as proof I can too, it's a much more motivational and positive way to think.

4. Use Google Search To Find Related Content Ideas

Have you ever noticed that whenever you type in something to Google and search the first page, right at the very bottom, there's related searches that might help you out? These are super helpful ways of coming up with new content, relative to your current topics, will bringing in fresh ideas. Let's say for example that you type in how to remove spam referrals in Google Analytics, it's likely that Google will provide other search terms, aka, content ideas for you at the bottom of the first page.

If there's something you know a particularly good amount on, whether it be branding, design, business, coaching, comedy, recipes, mental health, you name it, if you search a term in Google on that subject, and check out the results near the bottom of the page, you may just have a free resource of inspiration.

But why is this method so good?

Those similar or relative results at the bottom of the page, they're actual things people have searched Google for. Actual people have asked Google how to do something, or tried to learn something, so if you create content based on that search result, and make sure you make the most of SEO, and market and promote your post well, it's likely that Google will send a lot of organic traffic your way. For example, my post on Blogger Post URL Permalinks has been one of my most popular posts over the last few months, and yet most, if not all of that traffic is organise from search results. Interestingly, I didn't create that content based on this method, but it's definitely easy to do.

It's actually must easier to generate new post topics than you can imagine it to be, and by using any of these methods, you'll be overwhelmed by your choices. I would personally recommend looking over your old content, and using Google Search for the content that will help you get to know your audience, although Pinterest has been a good method for me over the last few weeks too. Don't let yourself get bogged down from not having post ideas, and use these methods to really bring out the best.

Do you use any of these? Do you have any yourself?