5 Places to Find Blog Post Ideas

You might think that bloggers have a bottomless bucket of blog post ideas – but they don’t. Writers block is real. So, if you are stuck trying to figure out what to write about – try poking around in these 5 places for some fresh content ideas.

I think we can agree that staring at a blinking cursor and thinking “What am I going to write about today?” is the worst!

Having an editorial calendar helps – but you need fresh ideas for content to fill that up, too.

Here’s a little secret – successful bloggers need to BLOG consistently.

Too many times, I have gone through a content dry spell and then wondered why my traffic was down.

Duh!

Your readers don’t come to your blog if you don’t offer new information.

Where can you find new blog post ideas?

Here are the top five sources that I turn to for planning out my blog – especially when I am stuck on what to blog about.

1. Old Posts on Your Own Blog

Can you believe that it can be that easy?

Old posts on your own blog provide you with a wealth of new blog post ideas.

Seriously.

Read back through your very first posts and think about how you can go off on smaller tangents.

My very first post on a previous blog of mine was titled How to Set Up a Website in 10 Easy Steps.

Each step in that post could be a great topic for an individual blog post.

The bonus is that by interlinking your posts you would add to your SEO juice as well.

No worries if you are just starting a blog – this strategy is even better.

Take notes on every post as you write them and make a list of ideas that you can use for future posts.

2. Popular Posts on Your Competitor’s Blogs

This idea is kind of ninja.

If other people in your niche write a popular post – you can certainly capitalize off of that.

And you can do it without plagiarizing.

Give the topic your own spin by providing your unique opinion.

You can even link back to their post to provide your reader’s another perspective or to add authority to what you are saying.

Some people may argue that you are sending your reader’s to the competition.

But I am of the mindset that there is enough juju to go around.

How do you find what’s popular in your niche?

Use a tool like BuzzSumo.

The free version is enough to seed a bunch of content ideas.

3. You Can Find TONS of Blog Post Ideas on Amazon

While Amazon is a fun place to shop – it is also a great place to get blog post ideas.

Search for your niche and write posts for some of the products that pop up.

These can be

• review posts,
• buyer guides, or
• ideas on how to use the products.

Just use your imagination.

It also helps if you are a member of the Amazon Associates affiliate program and the newer Amazon Influencers Program (you can see my Influencer page here.)

Another ninja tip for you

On most of Amazon’s product pages there is a section for Customer Questions and Answers.

This is a goldmine of blog post ideas.

4. Google Adwords Keyword Planner Tool

This is an oldie but a goodie. 

This used to be called the Google Keyword Research Tool (and I am sure they will change the name yet again in the future).

But the concept is the same.

My non-scientific method of research involves typing in a general idea into the search terms and examining the search results.

What I’m looking for is a reasonable amount of monthly searches with low to medium competition.

If you want to get a little more technical, this post at Backlinko goes into much greater detail.

The point here is that you can go really crazy with the research – or you could just start writing.

And writing is probably what you should do.

5. Look At Your Affiliate Programs

Another great source for blog post ideas are the affiliate programs and partners that you promote.

Using this method really is a win/win.

If you find people asking questions in Facebook groups or even in the FAQ section on the affiliate site about the affiliate products – then why not answer them in a post on your blog?

Blog Post Ideas Are Everywhere

Common places to find content ideas for your blog are:

• your own old content,
• popular articles in your niche,
• Amazon,
• Google Adwords Keyword Planner Tool, and
• your affiliate partners.

The funny thing is that the more you make a habit of coming up with blog post ideas – the more you will find, and in the strangest places too.

It’s a good thing.

Where do you turn to find topics to blog about?

Help another blogger out and share your secrets in the comments below.