Arguably the most compelling aspect of a blog is its ability to provide fresh and interesting content regularly.
A good blog always keeps you on your toes with posts that leave you feeling intrigued and engaged.
But the pitfall that many bloggers have to face is being able to consistently put out content for readers.
Even more so, it’s harder to frequently post content that is fresh and interesting.
This is why so many blogs fall short of cloning each other’s posts for their content.
Thankfully, you don’t have to go down this road if you’re ever affected by a good spell of writer’s block.
There are a number of ways you can ensure that you content isn’t redundant and stale.
We’ll be looking at some tips below that can help get your creative juices flowing so you can keep writing original and high-quality content.
1. Be Introspective of Yourself
Before you start writing anything, ask yourself “What kind of content do I usually write?” Chances are, it’s more or less based on a limited set of ideas.
You may have branched out a bit every now and then, but you’re likely to have a comfort zone that you write around.
This isn’t necessarily bad because people tend to write about things they’re most familiar with.
But to your reader, this kind of familiarity seems repetitive and might cause them to lose interest.
2. Start Thinking Outside the Box
Once you’ve identified your scope of writing ideas, it’s time to start expanding them.
Start by thinking about topics that you’ve never considered before.
You don’t have to worry about your ability to write these topics or if they’re feasible.
At this stage, you just need to start the process of thinking differently.
3. Look at Other Sources of Content
There’s nothing wrong with looking at another blog to get ideas for your content.
As long as you don’t outright copy content over, it can be worth it to fish for some inspiration.
Try to visit as many different sites and blogs as you can to see how other bloggers approach their content
4. Take a Look at Current Trends
Usually the freshest content is the one that deals with the present.
Try to look up what kinds of topics are trending at the moment to gauge what people might be interested in.
This is easy to do nowadays with social media platforms where you can source your content ideas.
5. Consider a Problem or Question
You can even base your post on addressing a common problem or question.
This will open you up to a large variety of different subjects to choose from.
And you can talk about them in as much or as little detail as you want.
6. Write Something That Encourages Discussion
The best kind of content is the one that engages your readers by starting a discussion or a debate.
They will feel more involved with your content and they will generally value your content in a positive light.
7. Try Brainstorming and Mind Mapping Techniques
Creative techniques like brainstorming and mind mapping can be especially helpful for getting out of a rut.
They may seem simple and gimmicky on the surface, but they’re powerful tools for enhancing your thinking and creative ability.
These techniques are widely used by writers to help encourage novel writing ideas.
8. Put Yourself on a Time Limit
A great exercise to get you to think about new ideas is to limit the amount of time you have to come up with ideas.
You can do this by opening a new document and placing a timer for 5 minutes or less.
This will encourage you to work quickly and prevent overthinking.
9. Talk to Fellow Writers/Bloggers
What better way to get a new perspective on your content than someone who does what you do?
Try to talk with other bloggers and open a discussion throwing your ideas, limitations, worries, and plans around.
This will help you get a better idea of where to go from here.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Sometimes you have to fight that urge to disregard ideas because they seem too outlandish.
It can be very helpful to try to experiment with different ideas and see where it takes you.
There’s very little risk in doing so and you might be surprised with the results.
11. Avoid Negativity
It’s easy to get wrapped in negative thoughts and self-criticism but it can only hurt your creativity.
Try to think as positively as you can when thinking of new ideas for your content.
It will help you grow better as a writer.
12. Write About Your Experiences
If you can think of nothing else, you can always start writing about your own personal experiences.
These will result in content that is seemingly genuine and intimate.
Your readers are likely to find this kind of content personally endearing.
13. Ask Your Readers
Getting first-hand experience from your target audience is a great way to get great insight on what to write.
Your readers will probably have some ideas for the content they want to see, and their responses are something you can use.
14. Generate Ideas from Single Words
You can find list of popular keywords out there that are used for SEO purposes.
You can try to think creatively by generating entire blogs posts from these single keywords.
They will help you get fresh ideas as well as boost your online presence.
15. Pick a Niche Randomly
A great writing exercise is to pick a specific niche at random and try to write about it as best as you can.
It’s an interesting experiment that can often yield surprising results.
Conclusion:
These tips should have you headed in the right direction and help you with thinking about new topic ideas.
This will give you the tools that you need to start writing fresh and interesting posts that are sure to engage your readers.