You don’t have to struggle with brainstorming your next blog topic when you use some simple techniques.  

Brainstorming techniques vary from group to group however the concept as introduced by Alex Osborn nearly 80 years ago remains the same; welcome unusual ideas then combine and build on existing ideas to form new ideas. 

Here’s how you can brainstorm your next great idea or blog topic. 

1. Remember that your reader, not content, is king.

Your content is only as relevant as its value to your target audience. When readers search through the internet, they need a solution or advice to their question or problem. Make your blog provide the answers. 

A great way to find out what your readers need is to check the comments on your blog. In particular, look for topics that generated intense discussion among you and other readers. 

Use e-mail or your company’s social media to ask questions from your subscribers and customers. Put out a survey on your social platforms, forums, or specialized tools. 

You can also ask your sales and marketing teams about the most common questions or problems that your clients raise with them.

2. Monitor trending topics.

Go to Google Trends, Google News, Twitter, BuzzFeed, BuzzSumo, Quora, Reddit, Pinterest’s “Trending ideas,” Facebook Groups, and Instagram Stories to discover the hottest topics at the moment. YouTube’s Trending section and Amazon’s book listings are also good resources.

3. Try mind-mapping. 

Mind-mapping is simply the process of writing down your key topic then listing as many supporting ideas as you can. If your blog features different categories, review these categories and list down ideas for each. Some content marketers advise establishing “topic pillars” for your blog with more specific “topic clusters” so you don’t have to start from scratch. 

Another variant of this process is to take a subtopic you used in a previous blog and develop an entirely new article from it.

You can also try what’s called the cubing technique, in which you approach your topic from any of six ways: describe it, compare it (how similar or different is it from something or several things), associate it (connect it with other topics), analyze it (what are its parts), apply it (who does it impact and how), argue for or against it.

4. Use online keyword tools.

Keyword tools are helpful when you experience writer’s block and can’t seem to move forward with mind-mapping. You can type one or several keywords on sites such as Answer the Public, Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator, Portent’s Title Maker, and Ubersuggest by Neil Patel himself to see ideas, questions, and articles related to your keyword.

5. Check what your competitors are publishing.

Visit other blogs in your niche or industry and find out what topics they’re covering and what their readers are saying in their comments section. Are there ideas you could write about or offer better explanations or facts?  Which questions do they seem to ignore or answer inadequately?

Developing new ideas for your blog doesn’t have to be hard. If you find yourself struggling to create a rhythm or if you simply don’t have time to write your own blog posts, schedule an appointment with us.  We can help you develop the right topics to best meet the interest of your readers and get more customers.