Help, I don’t know what to blog about!

You already know you should be blogging, don’t you?! Let’s assume that we’re preaching to the converted when it comes to creating content. You know that writing original pieces not only helps your website in terms of SEO (or as we often call it ‘google juice’), but it gives you something to share with your audience.

Unique articles that position you as an expert add value to your clients and prospective clients and not only demonstrate you know what you’re talking about, but they act as a magnet, drawing people to you and your website. That’s in addition to keeping your brand at the forefront of people’s minds.

Writing a blog doesn’t always come easily, though, especially when you’re under time pressure. In fact, one of the worst things to strike a blogger, content marketer or even a reluctant writer is blank-page-itis. It’s a common condition, but it be can chronic, leading you to fear a blank page and get the dreaded writer’s block when the mere whisper of a blog is mentioned.

When it comes to developing your blogging or content creation strategy, we’ve put together this list of things you can write about. Be gone writer’s block!

‌Checklists

Who doesn’t love a list? You could write a list of the steps your audience should be checking off before sending their CV, before embarking on a new workout programme, or before visiting your office or retail outlet. Checklists make an ideal and easy blog to follow.

How-To guides

Just like checklists, we love a How-to guide! We are a global consumer base driven to self-serve. Just think about the times you type into YouTube or Google ‘How do I…’ or ‘How can I…’ – it’s at the point now where the search engine will predict the end of your question. Think about which How-to guides will serve your audience. You might be able to support this content with a video or screen record if you need to physically show them how to do something.

FAQs

Remember there is a blog in every day. I was given this advice about ten years ago, and it still rings true. The questions you are asked every day are what your customers and prospective customers care about. Think about the last few phone calls, text or emails you answered, what’s in there that could become a blog or even a series of blogs

Interview people

Or even better be interviewed – this works brilliantly as a podcast or video (perhaps a Zoom screen recording or Crowdcast), but you can transcribe the interview and bingo… there’s your blog! To save time, use an app like otter.ai, which captures the audio and transcribes it for you. It’s free and captures the words spoken accurately, so there’s minimal editing involved. Having a video, audio, and text-based version of your content means Google gold stars all round. The search engines like it and your audience can choose how they want to consume it.

Event preview/ review 

Whether the event is in person or a virtual conference. You might be involved as a speaker or a sponsor, or you might be a delegate who is there to simply listen and learn. Either way, share your learnings. What was good or bad about the event, what could they do better, what were your key takeaways? Most importantly add hyperlinks to the event and speakers you mention and tag them into your social posts when you share the content.

Product or service comparisons or reviews

Have you tried out some new products or services lately, or shopped around for either of these for yourself or your business? Share what you learnt, the pros and cons of each and what you ultimately opted for. It could be anything from gym gear to video equipment to apps or even local services like restaurants and pubs.

Share research or industry stats

Or better collect your own! I have earned the nickname #DataDavies at Green Umbrella because I love a good statistic. Research and stats are based on facts and hard evidence. They can be used to back up your opinion, to argue a point or simply to inform. Granted, data can be skewed, but even if it’s just a pulse survey to measure the current sentiment in your audience, then it’s valuable content.

Fun posts – films/ quotes/ songs for your industry

Even the busiest professional can’t resist a lunchtime or coffee break distraction. There’s a reason why websites like Buzzfeed and The Poke are popular. These styles of posts are easy to consume, very clickable and very shareable. Think about what you can create that ties into this theme.

A Day in the Life

So, what is it that you actually do? How many times have you been asked this, especially by people who should know! Share a look behind the scenes and explain what you do in a typical day. Not the mundane tasks like open the post or answer emails, but the meatier ‘stuff’ like what projects you’re working on, the people you interact with, what your recent achievements are. This type of blog is great when you’re on a recruitment drive in showcasing the different positions in the business. 

Hopefully, these will spark some ideas about what you can and should be writing about. Remember it’s not just limited to blogs as well; these could be ebooks, whitepapers or downloads, or even the basis of a series of podcasts. Either way, you shouldn’t be short of things to talk about.