What to do when you can’t think of content for your blog
Need to write a blog but struggling to come up with ideas? Find out what to do when you can’t think of content for your blog.
Writing a blog can be an impactful and enriching way to connect with audiences in the digital landscape. You might use your content as a way to stretch your creative muscles or share your passions. Blogs can also be a powerful tool when marketing your business.
Yet, you need to upload new content regularly if you want your blog to be successful. Unfortunately, almost all writers are familiar with the challenges posed by writer’s block. At some point, you’re likely to find you can’t think of a good idea for the next blog post.
So, how can you best manage this and get moving again? Let’s look at what to do when you can’t think of content for your blog.
Explore different subjects
Consistency is important for a blog. It helps to set audience expectations, which may help to draw them to your website regularly. However, consistency in your subject matter can also be a drain on your creative reserves. There may be only so many ways you can discuss a certain industry or activity. This is when it’s wise to switch to different subject matter.
This doesn’t mean you abandon your core focus entirely. Rather, consider topics that are tangentially related to your main themes so they’ll still be of interest to your target audience.
For example, if your blog is about classic architecture, you can create a series of posts about how different visual art forms inspire and are inspired by buildings. Your regional cookery blog can look at how local ingredients factor into wellness and nutrition.
Find collaborators
Blog writing is primarily a solo activity. This provides you with a lot of freedom to focus on your interests in ways that suit your creative and business goals. Nevertheless, you can also get stuck inside the echo chamber of your own head, which can limit your blog content ideas.
This is why it’s so important to occasionally seek collaborators. You could consider inviting guest posts. You might also work with local writing or industry groups to perform collaborative brainstorming techniques to mine for untapped areas of interest. Essentially, your content planning process gains from a more diverse range of perspectives, potentially unlocking new ideas.
Another approach is to gain collaborators in the form of interview subjects. Reach out to key figures in the industry you write about. Gain insights into their expertise and experience. Talk to under-represented contributors about the challenges they face. These interviews are not just great content in themselves, you may find you talk about aspects that could be good focuses for future blogs.
Consider alternative formats
In some instances, it’s worth considering whether the solution to this challenge is to stop looking for another new blog post topic. While consistent publishing is a powerful tool for any search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, it’s important to be mindful of oversaturating your site with blog content.
You can be impactful by going back over your existing posts to improve them or make them more relevant. However, running out of post ideas may be a sign that it’s time to explore some alternative content formats.
One approach you can take is building a podcast as a companion to your blog. You might select a topic from your prior text posts and perform a deeper dive into the subject in an audio format. This may also allow you to take a more creative approach than you’d be able to in your blogs, incorporating interviews and varied types of storytelling. Indeed, with audio transcription software and some careful editing, you might create additional blog posts directly from your podcasts.
You could also combine this with shorter-form content, such as TikTok videos or Instagram Reels. This offers the chance to create bite-sized snippets on areas of interest that may draw in audiences with less time available or shorter attention spans. Not to mention it puts less pressure on you to find enough material for a blog.
These alternative formats don’t need to be a permanent move away from blogs. Rather, it can be a great way to spark new ideas and approaches for your blogs. Not to mention you can connect with a more diverse range of audiences because you offer multiple content forms.
Use these ideas to write your blog
Not being able to think of content for your blog can be a frustrating experience. You can try to create posts in different areas that are still in some way related to your core themes. There’s also the option to team up with collaborators or experiment with different content formats.
In addition to these methods, it’s also worth making preparations before the issue of creative block arises. Plan your content schedule well in advance so you can head issues off at the pass. Perhaps intersperse your main blogs with videos or podcasts to keep your well of creativity filled rather than reacting to a drought.
