Do you have a business blog?
Last year, small businesses were one of the fastest-growing categories (20 percent increase) in Technorati’s directory of more than 1.3 million blogs. Smart move … considering that businesses with blogs – according to HubSpot – report 55 percent more website visitors versus those that do not blog.
Sometimes, just getting a blog up and running can be the easy part. And coming up with fresh ideas to create a few business blog posts a week can be the hard part.
To help, here are 10 ways you can beat a bad case of “blogger’s block” and come up with more content and topics for your business blog.
1. Google it. Plug in some of your industry keywords at Google Trends. Not only will this give you a better sense of what keywords are at the “top” and/or “rising” in search, it can also give you more topics to build business blog posts around.
2. Click for 102 Headlines. We can all thank Chris Garrett for creating this download on 102 Headline Formulas. There’s more than 100 fill-in-the-blank headlines you can use to create blog topics and strong copy for email subject lines and tweets.
3. Take a trip to Barnes & Noble. Spend an afternoon browsing through some magazines at your local Barnes & Noble. From front-end sections to feature articles, magazines that touch upon your industry can get your writing wheels turning. Plus, it can get you out of the office for a few hours (wink, wink).
4. Check magazine editorial calendars. Most magazines have an online media kit and annual editorial calendar you can view and download. Relevant glossy magazines and industry publications can give you some timely ideas to consider blogging about next week or in the coming months.
5. Recognize some random holidays. Did you know that May is Family Wellness Month? Or that the first Friday of June each year is National Doughnut Day? Check out Brownielocks.com for hundreds of legit and absurd holidays to consider using (and celebrating) in upcoming blog posts.
6. Invite some guests. If you’re not tapping into select partners or subject matter experts for guest blogging opportunities, check out how RingCentral’s blog does it and get started. It will give you more ideas to work with, more articles to post, and additional sources to tag and engage with when sharing your business blog through social media.
7. Catch up with the national news cycle. Whether or not you’re a fan of national news platforms like the Wall Street Journal or CNN, it’s worth clicking on some relevant columns for your industry to tap into bigger picture topics, or even list a roundup of articles to create a link-friendly business blog post.
8. Ask your colleagues. Schedule a brainstorm session with some of your creative coworkers. Be sure to bring some relevant magazines to help get their minds going, along with a big white notepad (or use a whiteboard in your conference room) to jot down topics and help keep the ideas flowing.
9. Dig through some marketing collateral. You never know what you’ll find in old and new brochures, sales sheets, etc., at your business. Worst-case scenario: You realize they need a major revamp. Best-case scenario: They’re up-to-date and give you an idea for creating a headline-friendly business blog post.
10. Give yourself a break. Last but not least, take a break, tackle some other work and revisit your blogger’s block later in the day or tomorrow. Time away from your business blog topic troubles can be the perfect solution for clearing your head and making room for a fresh perspective.
What do you do to beat a bad case of business blogger’s block? Share with us in the comments below and check out other blog posts here at RingCentral for some potential business blog topic ideas.
Originally published May 16, 2013, updated Dec 30, 2022
