I created these content ideas to help kickstart your content schedule, and provide you with inspiration on what sorts of topics and ideas you could write about, speak about, and share on social media.
So many of the people I work with say they're stuck or overwhelmed by having to come up with ideas that it's holding them back from sharing their thoughts and expertise with their audience.
"It’s amazing what you can get when you quietly, clearly and authoritatively demand it." - Meryl Streep
And when we're feeling like we have to hold back, you know what happens? We stop creating. We stop sharing. And we feel alone.
That ends today. Here and now. You are not alone in your content generation journey. I'm here with you - and so are thousands of other people who feel the way you do.
It's time that you start to share your voice, your talents, your skills, and your thoughts with your audience - people want to hear what you have to say. Let's do this!
How to Use This List
FOR IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
Each list of content ideas I create was meant to serve as a source of inspiration for you to kickstart your content creation mojo.
So, if it feels best to pick an idea and write about it as is, go for it! You're going to put your own unique spin on it by incorporating your expertise and reflecting on your personal experiences. That's awesome value for your audience right there!
I also created fill in the blank type ideas to help you customize the idea to what you really want to write about. It's awesome how so many people jot down what comes to mind when they look at one of those ideas - that's content gold that can help fill out your content schedule really quickly and easily.
WHAT IF A TOPIC FEELS TOO BIG FOR ME?
That's where research comes in. If you don't know about something in your area of expertise, research it - learn more, and pass that knowledge on to your audience. Chances are they are struggling with the same thing too!
If a topic doesn't feel like a good fit right now, skip it! Come back to it later or not at all. The choice really is up to you. Write or post about what you are most passionate about, and what people in your audience and on your client roster struggle with the most. That way you'll help them, and they'll remember that and tell all their friends. Referrals really are awesome.
You've got this. You started a blog or business for a reason, and you have a passion for what you do. Now, go share it with the world!
- # Benefits of _____
- # benefits of doing _____
- # Doubts every [target audience e.g. new mom] has about _____
- # Facts about me
- # Lessons I learned from _____ [running my own business/starting a blog/a person or people that inspire you etc.]
- # Things you couldn’t live without
- # mistakes I’ve made about _____
- # Common mistakes people make when _____
- Your top 10 favorite shops (Etsy shops, clothes shops, discount shops etc.)
- A Q and A of recurring blog comments and reader questions
- A day in your life – people are nosy when they read your blog they want to read about YOU
- A haul from a shopping trip (products relating to your niche)
- A letter to yourself (your younger or future self)
- Anti-bucket list – a list of things you don’t want to do/experience during your life
- Ask your significant other to write a post on your blog
- Best places to find [tools, resources, tutorials etc. relating to your niche]
- Best/worst advice you ever received about something
- Birthday or anniversary post (for you, your blog, your business etc.)
- Book reviews
- Discounts
- Dos’ and don’ts list/pros and cons list/a ‘What Not to Do’ tip list
- Do’s and don’ts of _____
- Explain how NOT to do something (a mistake you have made) - and what you should
- have done instead
- Explain how to do _____ faster/better
- Favorite apps for _____/favorite free apps
- Favorite playlist for [working from home, exercising, studying etc.]
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ) or a list of questions your readers should ask (SAQ)
- Giveaway
- Guest post
- Host a challenge or participate in another blogger’s challenge and encourage your readers to join you
- Host a guest post or write a guest post on someone else’s blog
- How to get motivated [and stay motivated] to [something relating to your niche e.g. exercise regularly, clean every day to maintain your home, cook dinner every night etc.]
- How to set goals and achieve them
- How to, tips or a list of ideas for something
- How to write your first blog post/what should your first blog post be about?
- If a blog post was popular, expand into a series or do a part 2
- If you could switch places with [famous person, someone you admire etc.] how you would spend a day
- Income report
- Inspirational or motivational quote
- List of things you are grateful for
- Must have _____ e.g. tools, makeup staples, wardrobe staples etc.
- Offer advice of what to do in a certain situation e.g. how to ask for a pay rise, how to break up with a boyfriend etc.
- Photo a day challenge
- Promote a cause or charity you feel passionate about (and why) - donate funds and encourage others to do the same e.g. breast cancer awareness, against animal cruelty, environmental destruction etc.
- Reflect on your own experience e.g. things that went well or didn’t go well when you... (tried saving money, did a DIY project, baked a recipe, tried a new diet etc.)
- Reverse bucket list [things you have accomplished to date and how you did it]
- Round up of your most popular blog posts [of all time, relating to a specific category that you blog about]
- Round up of your favorite places to buy stuff relating to your niche – could be specific to an event or occasion e.g. Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale roundup, Christmas, Halloween etc.
- Save versus splurge [on something related to your niche]
- Share a personal fear, doubts, problem you have and ask your readers for their advice
- Share a recipe
- Share your bad habits/share how you overcome bad habits
- Shopping guides
- Solve a problem that you have or have experienced and which your readers are also likely to have/have experienced
- Something you were wrong about or opposed to but then you tried it and you like it/were converted. e.g. a type of food, an e-reader versus paperback books, music artist.
- Staples for [e.g. pantry staples for bakers, tools for scrapbookers and crafty people etc.]
- Terms/meaning/definitions relating to your niche e.g. what HTML means
- Things you like/don’t like about _____
- Thoughts on turning… [thirty, forty, twenty etc.]
- Turn a motivational/inspirational/success/perseverance etc. quote into a blog graphic
- Tutorial on how to do _____
- Update and/or revamp an old blog post e.g. a tutorial on how to use a type of technology or system that has been updated since you wrote the original blog post
- What NOT to do when it comes to _____
- What blog photography equipment you use
- What music you’re listening to right now
- What you did on your weekend
- What you do when you aren’t blogging
- What you would do if you had $100 or $1,000 that you HAD to spend on something
- relating to your niche e.g. what resources, tools, ebooks or other stuff would you buy? (like a wish list)
- What you would do if you won the lottery
- What you’ve learned after [3 months, 2 years etc.] of blogging
- What’s in your _____ e.g. bag, junk drawer, makeup drawer, kitchen drawers, craft drawers
- Where you see something relating to your niche heading in the future e.g. are paperback books going to become extinct?
- Who you would invite to lunch/a dinner party/other meal and why e.g. celebrities, bloggers that inspire you, business men/women that inspire you etc.
- Why you love blogging/why you blog/why you started a blog
- Gift guides for [your ideal target audience e.g. someone who likes to bake]
- Write a post that agrees or disagrees with another blogger in your niche’s blog post –
- what additional content (e.g. tips or advice) would you add?
- Write about a blog post/person/product etc. that you do or do not agree with and why
- Write about a product or service that disappointed you/rant post (use sparingly – no one likes too much negativity!)
- Your 3-year plan
- Your 5-year plan
- Your 10-year plan
- Your blog anniversary – what you’ve learned, what you would do differently etc.
- Your bucket list by season
- Your bucket list by big life event (college, marriage, kids, etc)
- Your bucket list by 10-year span (20’s, 30’s, etc)
- Your favorite bloggers/blogs that you follow
- Your favorite bloggers in your niche, by type (e.g. cooking, craft projects, organization, health and fitness etc.)
- Your favorite bloggers in other niches, by type (e.g. cooking, craft projects, organization, health and fitness etc.)
- Your goal setting process/share a goal and how you plan to achieve it then do a follow up post on what worked and didn’t work/your revised goal setting process
- Your top 10 favorite tools
- Your top 10 things to make
- Your top 10 resource websites
- Your top 10 tips for ___ relating to your niche
- Your top 10 podcasts
- Your top 10 magazines
- Your top 10 books about _______
- [Beauty products/planners/designer brands/any product you like] that are worth the hype
- 10 facts about you
- # Things you don’t know about me
- A letter to my younger self (whether it be your teenage self, when you started your blog, your online business etc.)
- A list of your favorite books and what they taught you (could be about a specific topic e.g. blogging, or a specific genre)
- A personal struggle or problem you had with something and how you overcome/solved it (could be what websites ship a product internationally, how you lost _____ kilos, how you made _____ because you couldn’t buy it anywhere etc.)
- Blog about your pet
- Challenge/resolution/goal/give up something for a period and host a challenge encouraging others to do this e.g. give up Chocolate for a week
- Gratitude/# things you are thankful for
- If you won the lottery, how you would spend the money
- Long version of your story (expand on your story then link back to your about page)
- Review a recent vacation or what you did on the weekend
- Recap an event you attended e.g. a webinar, a party, conference, class, training etc. or an experience e.g. skydiving, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, taking a surfing lesson etc.
- Room tour – of your office or even your whole house
- Share photos of your workspace/where you blog from/your favorite places to blog from
- Share what you’re currently reading
- Talk about your family/your life growing up/how you ended up where you are today
- Your favorite hobbies and how you became interested in them
- Your hometown/where you live (especially if most of your readers live overseas)
- Your life bucket list
- Your travel bucket list
- Your step out of your comfort zone list
- 101 in 1001 days list
- Your monthly budget/how much money you spend on a hobby or other expenses
- Relating to your niche e.g. your child’s education, clothes, how much you spent on your kid’s birthday party etc.
- A mini-guide on how to do something - this works great as a lead magnet (where the reader must subscribe in order to receive this high value content)
- How to make something using one of the products in your shop
- Resources/list of websites where you have found lots of tutorials in your niche e.g. Crafsty for sewers
- Step by step guide on how to make or fix something (photos are definitely required for these types of posts
- A beginners guide to…
- A review – book review, product review. It is definitely better to be super honest in these
- posts, especially if you are an affiliate. If you are honest, your readers will trust you and because they trust you, they will be more likely to buy anything you recommend
- Explanation of terms and different tools. For example, explaining the difference between Wordpress.org and Wordpress.com
- Favorite places to buy tools for your business
- Favorite places to buy resources for your niche
- What you did this week
- What you learnt this week
- Links your loving – list of tools/resources/books/anything relating to your niche that your audience might also be interested in.
- Income report
- Monthly goals (start of the month) - personal, financial, fitness, travel etc. based on the topic/s you blog about
- Evaluation of your monthly goals (end of the month)
- Blog posts for the month wrap-up
- Link parties
- New year’s resolutions/goals progress update
- 30-day challenge to kickstart your new year’s resolutions [e.g. lose weight/better cleaning habits etc.]
- Check your analytics
- Do a blog business plan for the following year and share it with your readers
- favorite books [topic e.g. business books] that you read in [the year that is ending]
- Free content to thank your readers for following/supporting your blog
- Goals and accomplishments for the year just gone
- Goals for the new year, next 3 years, 5 years etc.
- Highlights of [year]
- How to organize _____ for the new year
- How to prepare for a new year
- Income report
- Post your New Year’s resolutions (and plan for achieving them)
- Products, books, courses etc. that you recommend buying before the end of the tax year
- Reader survey
- Reader survey of what content they liked and didn't like as much and what they would like to see on your blog in the upcoming year
- Redesign your blog branding and site layout with a new look for the new year
- Review of the year and goal setting/your plans for the next year
- Round up of popular blog posts, videos, podcasts etc. for the year [all categories, or do one blog post for each category you blog about]
- Set up your product plan and goals for the next year
- The best thing you did this year [for your business, for your health etc.]
- What planner you are using in the new year and why you chose it
- # Blogging myths
- # Free [ebooks, workbooks, tools, software or other resource] for ______
- # Things I regret not doing to my blog sooner.
- # Tips for writing better blog posts
- # Tips on how to write faster
- # Ways to grow your blog traffic/grow your Facebook traffic
- A list and/or review of books about blogging that you’ve found helpful
- Advice for new bloggers/before you start a blog - read this post!
- Analyze your best/most popular and worst/least popular blog posts
- Analyze your blog statistics
- Best blogs for
- Best books for blogging
- Best tools for making graphics for your blog.
- Blogger template tutorials
- Blogging mistakes you’ve made (and how readers can avoid making them as well/what to do instead)
- Blogs you follow.
- Compare where your blog was at 1 month ago, 1 year ago etc. to where it is now traffic, subscribers, income – what you did to improve, mistakes and what you could have done better
- Controversial post: Does Facebook advertising really work?
- Critique your own blog or offer to critique a reader’s blog
- Favorite tools and resources e.g. what theme do you use, Wordpress versus Blogger
- Highest paying affiliate programs
- How to [keep your blog secure/turn off comments/a quick tip about blogging]
- How to create a lead magnet for your blog
- How to create a media kit for your blog
- How to do ___ faster
- How to explode [your revenue/your sales/your email list/your number of Instagram followers]
- How to grow your email list [in 3 months, in 1 year etc.] – try and draw on your own statistics as a case study
- How to grow your social media following [Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Instagram]
- How to pick the right name for your blog
- How to sell your book through your blog
- How to start a [travel/food/fashion/craft etc. blog]
- How to write better blog posts
- How you make money from your blog
- How you monetize your blog
Opt-in / Free Content Ideas
- A PDF file of your top 5/10 most popular blog posts
- A free email course e.g. how to define your blog brand, your target audience etc.
- A step by step tutorial or a list of quick tutorials e.g. how to add a project gallery to your blog, how to remove dates from your blog post, how to hide tags on your blog posts from your readers
- An analysis/case study of your most popular blog post
- List of your favorite tools for blogging e.g. what hosting provider you use, software
- Mini guides e.g. how to use Pinterest to grow your email list
- Newsletter templates
- Swipe files e.g. what to put in an email when you want people to sign up for your free
- email course (which you are using as a lead magnet)
- Worksheets – blog branding, blog planning
- Challenge
- Giveaway
