I’ve been blogging since 2014 and, in that time, I’ve had to come up with probably hundreds of blog ideas for my content strategy.
Oh, and I also get paid to write and write articles and blog posts for businesses – so that’s another few hundred post topics there.
And, what does this all mean?
As a blogger and freelancer, it’s my “job” to come up with never-ending blog ideas.
But, there are times when I just can’t – especially for my niche blog where I write about ONE topic over and over and over again.
How do I do it? With practice and a few hacks too!
So, I thought I’d help you if you recently started a blog and have no idea what to write about because all you know is that you want to share your ideas, inspire others and eventually make money!
I got you!
When I was outlining this post idea, I always research Google (which will be something I will dive into later in this blog post), and you know what I found?
Marketing blogs! Business blogs!
Now, I’m not saying these aren’t valuable. They totally are, but I can’t relate to their information as a mom blogger.
I need time-saving help!
I need an all-in-one approach to generating never-ending blog ideas while I have to meal prep, clean the house, do a load of laundry, write for my clients, and manage all my blog sites!
So, that’s why I wanted to share these blog idea tips to help you save time to grow your website traffic, build your list and make money blogging.
This post is split up into two parts – using blog format types as a blog hack to save time and immediately write your blog post – and optimized research tips to find that next post idea.
So, let’s get to it.
Blog Ideas From Blog Format Types
There are hundreds of different types of blog posts you can write.
What I’ve found over the years, is that there are only a few blog types that make for perfect blog posts, and that are easy to write.
I don’t know about you, but if I lean on a blog format rather than a niche topic idea, I suddenly have an angle and an outline for a blog post idea. So check out these blog format types to help you with your next blog idea.
1. SEO Focussed
In year three of blogging, I changed my content strategy to inject more keywords on my blog, and this proved to be a converting plan.
Suddenly, the posts I wrote two years ago were ranking in both Google and Pinterest!
I learned that many of my posts were getting backlinks, and bigger sites were linking to my blog!
And this all started because people could find me ON GOOGLE.
But, I don’t want you to think that all you have to do is put keywords in your post, and suddenly you will start ranking.
There are a few factors at play:
- The age of your blog – the older your blog is, and the older the content on your blog is, the easier it is to rank
- The quality of your posts – typically, Google favors all-in-one content. This means everything about that topics is in one blog post. These posts are long-form and informative.
- How easy it is to rank for a keyword – Not all keywords are easy to rank for. Many are difficult, and that’s because huge brands are ranking for those words, making that keyword highly competitive. As a blogger, you need to find those easy keywords.
Okay.
So what do you do? Do you even use keywords if there is no chance of ranking?
Yes, of course! You just have to use easy keywords. These have barely any competition and get searched a lot.
It takes me a hot minute to find the best keywords for my blog plan, so I know my easy keywords to rank for guide is a must for mom bloggers!
2. How-To Guides
Google loves “how-to” content. This type of content is all-in-one, exhaustive, and highly valuable.
It also answers the user’s intent when searching for many types of keywords like:
- How to start a Youtube Channel
- How to get a good latch when breastfeeding
- How to use WordPress for the first time
- How to make coffee with a Keurig
The list can go on and on.
If your blog has a lot of “how to” posts and if they are written as ultimate guides that answer every possible question about that topic, your post will eventually rank.
But, as a mom blogger, these are time-consuming and I want to give you time-saving content.
So my suggestion to save time on these types of posts is to:
- Write it out partially, publish it and update it frequently. I do this for list posts. I may publish a post of 18 ways and later update to 25 ways and then to 45 ways etc…
- Hire this content out to a freelance writer. This is an investment, but if that post has affiliate links and is well-written and optimized for an easy keyword, you will get traffic and income, and the post will pay for itself.
- Spend time writing shorter blog posts – 800 words each – of an idea – for example, writing three posts about latching problems when breastfeeding – and then consolidating them into one ultimate guide – Ultimate Guide to Getting the Perfect Latch When Breastfeeding. I wouldn’t copy all those posts, but I would summarize them and then link to them in your ultimate guide.
3. Gift Guides
Gift-guide writing doesn’t have to be seasonal.
You can create content for any type of gift like gifts for tweens or gifts for new dads.
You can also package this post idea to just be long-form guides or reviews….and you can even include trends or hot topics in the news.
For example, Rachel Hollis is getting a lot of publicity for her recent Instagram posts.
Using an SEO keyword tool, I can see that Rachel Hollis is a competitive keyword and highly searched. However, the related keywords are not competitive.
Rachel Hollis books is an easy keyword to rank for, and it can be packaged up into a review post of her books with affiliate links to help you make money!
4. Comparisons
People who are ready to purchase something usually do comparison-based research.
I know for me, when I was researching the best twin strollers, I checked out a lot of blog posts and Youtube videos on different twin strollers and reading about comparisons between them.
As a mom blogger, some blog ideas can stem from writing about comparisons of products, tools, or services you’re familiar with.
This is a great way to start making money with affiliate marketing. You may not make a lot of sales initially, you can drive traffic back to that affiliate post idea, if you have a Pinterest marketing strategy.
With my blog, I compared using Mailchimp to Convertkit and wrote a review post with my affiliate links to make sales.
In the beginning, it didn’t take off, but with patience and promoting it on Pinterest, Facebook and Youtube, I was able to gain sales.
I average around 20-25 commissions every month.
Not every comparison or affiliate post will generate sales, but if you promote it a lot and link to it in your blog posts, you can get people to that page, and hopefully, by that time, they will convert!
5. List Based Blog Ideas
List posts are super easy to generate and gather research for.
The writing though, can take some time. But you can do this in chunks.
First, come up with the idea and the list items – 15 Fine Motor Toys for Toddlers.
From there, do your research on your list items – gather affiliate links, check out other review posts, look around so you can fill the gap (personal experience works well).
From there, 80% of the post is complete! Spend time writing the introduction and if you want, the conclusion also, and over the week, you can do a few of the list items so that your post is done the following week.
It’s better to have a “complete,” highly valuable blog post than one you scrambled to put out.
While consistency is key in the beginning, don’t stress about it. Content compounds over time, so as long as you continue to build your content library, you will be fine.
List posts can be roundups of products or of people or information. I created a huge roundup post on Smart Mom Ideas on 75 Eye-Opening and Revealing Tips for a First Time Mom.
To save me time, I relied on quotes from other moms. I did have to reach out to every one of them to ask if I can use a quote from their blog just for good blogging practice and all of them said yes!
So even though, this post took a long time to put together, I could spend a few minutes here and there each day working on it until it was published.
I do talk more about using this strategy for building traffic and backlinks in Ready Set Blog for Traffic.
6. Opinion Based Blogging Ideas
It’s okay to share your opinion on your blog. It’s yours, right?
I just suggest you don’t make your entire blog about you and your personal opinions. Your blog is for others so others can learn from, be inspired to, and help them with their problems.
But, every now and then, go ahead and share a personal story or opinion. I often share my opinions about blogging in a sentence or two in blog posts about blogging.
If you have an opinion on baby-led weaning, you can pepper this throughout your baby tips content on your blog. This can help build authority around that topic (if you want to be known for that).
7. Create a Playlist of Ideas
While a playlist is meant for music, there is no problem creating a blog post idea around a Spotify playlist. But you can branch out and do other playlists. For example, I have a “playlist” on podcasts to listen to, Tailwind communities to join, Kids Songs on Youtube to watch and more.
If you are stuck on what to write about on your blog, why not create this specialized type of blog idea?
It’s fun to think about and fun to write!
8. Product-Based
You will find that if you want to start making money blogging, affiliate marketing is an easy approach to start.
And an easy affiliate blog post idea is to talk about a product you are familiar with.
For beginners, it’s easier if you actually use that product. For example, I wrote my post on my bullet journal because I own one and use it for my blog content strategy.
With these product-based blog posts, you can gather even more blog topic ideas by writing from a different angle about these products.
For example, I wrote another bullet journal post on maximizing your productivity (rather than talk about how to set up a bullet journal).
So, if you want to write about a non-toxic playmat you can first write about using this playmat – the story of why you chose that playmat. From there, you can write other blog posts ideas like:
- Comparing non-toxic play mats
- Play mat ideas to keep your baby busy
- How to wash and care for baby toys – include your play mat affiliate link
So, you see that by creating one product-based blog post, you generate three more blog posts where you can plug in your affiliate link for that product.
Win-win, and it saves loads of time!
9. Video-Based Blog Ideas
If you really have NO time to sit at your computer, why not do a Youtube video instead and publish it on your blog with a quick outline and bullet points?
Or, you can hire a freelance writer to transcribe your Youtube video.
In either case, you can cut the time of blogging by creating a video first and then writing it up on the blog, as well as embedding the video you did in the post.
This can keep readers on your blog longer because instead of reading, they are watching, which decreases your bounce rate.
But, many bloggers aren’t using this approach!
For example, Caity of A Little Rose Dust is an eco-friendly, sustainable living 20-something lifestyle blogger, and she has a growing Youtube channel sharing her knowledge on living a zero-waste life.
I noticed she has a blog post on Thinx Period Underwear Review and a Yotuube video on My Zero Waste Period Routine.
If she talks about Thinx in that video (which I’m assuming she does), she should embed that video in her review post as well!
This makes your content cohesive and creates followers on your blog and Youtube channel.
10. Seasonal Blog Ideas
If you want viral content, sometimes seasonal blog ideas win the contest. Seasonal content ideas don’t get consistent traffic, but during their peak time, they can generate millions of pageviews.
So, it’s in your best interest as a new blogger to add seasonal content when appropriate. For example, the PRO Act is a big concern for freelancers. Over on my contributor blog I asked another freelance writer to write about the PRO Act, helping that site be more relatable and up-to-date with what’s going on in the world this season.
So, if your blog niche allows it, what seasonal content can you provide – Halloween costume ideas? Valentine Cookie Recipes? Best Camping Grounds in the US?
This can gain quick traffic and can help put your blog on the map.
11. Before and After
People love reading stories about someone’s journey.
The before and after blog post is an excellent way to share your story with your readers. You can even frame this as an experiment.
When I started Twins Mommy, I know for me I wanted to share my experience starting a mom blog and trying out “traditional” monetization and social media marketing strategies out there.
At that time, I was making money freelance writing and didn’t have to use Pinterest to market my business or use affiliate marketing, so I wanted to actually try those methods out on Twins Mommy.
While I didn’t create a post on the before and after, I did create a series of my journey and then created a page to share my journey there.
So you can frame your before and after like that or create one piece of guide and then later wrap it up into an eBook or freebie idea!
12. News Events/ Current Events
Just like I mentioned Rachel Hollis and using that to create blog topic ideas, you can use other news and current events to create more blog posts.
For me, I only need to look at the latest SEO algorithm change or Pinterest update to help me figure out if I want to blog about that or not.
Can you find any new hot topic you want to share on your blog?
13. Case Study
Case studies make for some strong and authentic credibility in your blog niche.
My journey growing Twins Mommy can always be framed as a case study. Case studies usually pinpoint one success and dive deep into that. So for me, I could highlight several successes I’ve had:
- Going from $200 to $2k in One Month
- How I Grew My Pinterest Followers to 20K Followers in One Year
- How I Grew My Email List by 600 With One Giveaway
In your blogging journey, what one success can you dissect for your audience and claim that as a case study? This will show your experience in your niche and hold you accountable to your audience.
14. Interview Someone
A great way to add authority to your niche is to call on experts in your blog niche. So, for example, if you have a gadget site and want to review the latest game controllers for video gaming, it’s a good idea to interview Twitch gamers or Youtube gamers and ask for their expert opinion on the best controller for playing video games.
In my Twins Mommy niche of mom blogs that make money, I can interview top bloggers like Corina of Frump Fighters, or Beth Anne from Brilliant Business Moms, or even fellow twin mama Cat Alford.
When you associate yourself with successful people, some of that will rub off on you!
So, reach out and ask for an interview (psst…I’m open to interviews!)
15. Pros and Cons List
Going back to the buyer journey, when I was searching for the best twin stroller, I always wanted to know the pros and cons of each stroller.
This information helped me figure out the best stroller for ME.
You can write that blog post idea on your blog for a tool, service, or product and include a pros and cons section.
This also shows you to be more truthful. Typically, people know that if they praise a product, they can gain more sales, but people are wise and know this, so your content tells them not to trust you anymore.
That’s why having an entire blog post on the pros and cons of a product can really help with our authenticity.
16. Day in the Life
When I started my freelance writing blog, one of the blog topic ideas was a day in the life as a writer and mom of 2 kids under 2.
This post showed that I was just like other moms juggling working from home. I wanted to share my struggles and what was working for me and give a raw account of a typical day for me.
As a new blogger, your new audience would relish getting a peek behind the scenes and learn how you juggle everything as a mom blogger!
17. Ask for Contributors
There will be times when you just have NO TIME to focus on your blog. You have a full-time job, or summer is approaching, and you are planning your family vacation for next month. For whatever reason, you may find blogging the last thing on your list.
Instead of dumping your blog and never working on it again, why not keep it afloat during those busy times and ask for contributors?
I had to do this for my freelance writing blog when I had too much client work. I created a series called Confessions of a Freelance Writer and interviewed other freelance writers.
Over the years, I have picked up other blogs, and I just don’t have time to write on all of those blogs. So, instead of ignoring those blogs, I turned two of them into contributor blogs.
18. Give Your Take
An easy blog idea is to give your take on a podcast show you heard or Youtube video you watched. This is a common practice online, so why not give it a try yourself?
In your blog post, you would talk about the podcast or video or other blog post and state what their stance is, and then go into why you don’t agree.
It can make for some lively comments on the post!
19. Best Posts to Read
While doing a “best of” type of blog post is a great blog idea, but why not feature your own blog posts?
During the holidays, I had no motivation to blog, so instead of creating totally unique content, I just rounded up my best blog posts and posted that as a new blog post.
Blog Ideas From Research Tactics
20. Use Pinterest
Pinterest is where it’s at! It’s your visual search engine and your place for inspiration.
I love just going on Pinterest and looking at all the beautiful pins.
Doing this one thing can help me generate some blog ideas. But, to help you out, you can go to Pinterest and search your topic to see what pins show up or what Pinterest auto-populated for you.
If I have a pregnancy blog, I can search Pinterest for “pregnancy tips” and see what auto-populates for blog ideas.
From here, I can come up with a few blog posts:
- X Pregnancy Tips for New Moms
- Second Trimester Pregnancy: Tips and Tricks
- Trying to Conceive? Try These Pregnancy Hacks
And if you are time blocking, you can use this time to also outline & source pictures for each blog post idea, leaving the writing for another block of time.
21. Use Facebook
I love Facebook. It’s my place to talk to my audience, see what challenges other mamas have, and vent if I need to.
While I love hearing from other mom bloggers, for my other blog Smart Mom Ideas, I like to look at my local mom group.
In that group, I get real problems from real moms, and I can use this to gain blog topics. For example, around back to school, there are a ton of posts in my local mom group about the best lunchbox to use, and hands down, all the moms said to use a Bento box instead.
So I decided to create a blog post on this since my twins were using Bento boxes too! And, my blog post ranks for this term too!
22. Use Google
Google is a great way to find blog ideas for your niche. Oftentimes you can find similar blogs and peruse their blog content to get ideas. For my Smart Mom Ideas, I often do this on big brand sites to see what type of content or angle those sites are doing to help me with my editorial calendar.
Simply plug in your main blog niche and see what results you get. Go to page 3 or 4 to get smaller blogs and check those sites out.
What are they blogging about?
23. Use Google Trends
If you need a specific blog idea, you can use Google Trends. This tool helps you see trends over time.
For example, if I had a lifestyle blog and loved coffee, I could see which topic is more popular or trending: Dalgona coffee or cold brew.
As you can see from the trend over time, cold brew is picking up while Dalgona coffee is trending downwards. For my lifestyle blog, I know that having a post about cold brew coffee methods or ideas would appeal to my audience than one about Dalgona coffee.
24. Use Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo is similar to Google Trends, but instead of looking at the trend online, Buzzsumo shows the popularity of a blog post on social media. So, if you really want to gain social media traffic, using Buzzsumo can help you find the perfect blog idea for your content when you start a blog.
For example, if you have a home decor blog, you can check if bathroom remodel is more popular on Facebook or Pinterest.
From the results, it looks like this topic idea would do well on Pinterest and social media in general. This can help create viral pins for your blog too!
25. Use Content Idea Generators
Sometimes you just don’t have the time to research topic ideas or generate blog ideas.
When this happens, why not use a content idea generator?
Portent is a free content idea generator that spits out popular headline formulas for your blog idea. Here are some results from using “puppy training” as a content idea.
For more blog topic generators, check these out:
- Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator
- Build Your Own Blog Post Ideas Generator
- InboundNow Blog Title Idea Generator
26. Ask Your Followers
If you started an email list or have an Instagram profile, you can ask your followers what they want from you.
It can be as simple as that!
Youtube has a Community tab, and I recently asked my subscribers what they wanted from me, and I got a lot of future Youtube ideas from that!
You can apply the same strategy by doing a quick Instagram live of Facebook live and asking your followers what they want to see on your blog.
27. Take Subheadings from Your Posts
A “sneaky” way to find blog post content ideas is to look at your existing blog posts and look at your subheadings.
Can you turn one of those subheadings into its own blog post?
I often write about different work from home jobs on Twins Mommy.
I can take one of those jobs and flesh it out (which I did here).
28. Listen to a Podcast for Inspiration
Instead of sharing your viewpoint from a podcast episode, why not use that medium form as inspiration?
When I had some writer’s block, I was listening to blogging podcasts and one of them was talking about auditing their blogging business.
I found this interesting and decide to use that angle for a blog audit idea!
29. Use a Youtube Video for Inspiration
Similarly, why not watch a few Youtube videos in your blog niche and get some blog post ideas out of it?
They don’t all have to be in your niche; sometimes, going outside your blog niche can help you gain a ton of blogging ideas.
For example, watching productivity videos from other moms helps me tie in that idea when I talk about blogging tips for moms!
30. Flesh Out Another Post
Is it okay to create a new blog post on a topic you already covered? Yup!
I’m doing it RIGHT NOW with this blog post.
Sometimes the old blog posts you wrote just weren’t….dare I say it? GOOD!
Maybe they were too short, or they didn’t account for keywords or your writing just wasn’t that organized.
Whatever the case is for you, why not create a new blog post on the same topic and make it 5x better?
I do this all the time – I try to up myself – and it motivates me and makes my creative juices flow!
You should try it for your next blog post idea!
30. Use TV as Inspiration
If, you still can’t come up with some blog post ideas after using all of these blog ideas, why not use TV?
Can you tie what you are watching to your blog niche? How Stranger Things is Similar to Blogging.
By doing this, you are using trends, seasonality, and being relatable all at the same time.
Need More Blog Ideas?
I got you!
Check out these other helpful guides for even more blog ideas for when you start your blog!
- What to Blog About – Simple Step By Step Guide
- 237 Blogging Ideas for Your Next Blog Post
- 129 SEO Topic Ideas for Writing Your Next Blog Post
Okay!
Tell me in the comments which blog ideas you are going to try this week! I want to hear them!
6 Comments