Need Blog Post Ideas? Listen…

Do you ever struggle to come up with your next blog post idea?

Got ears (or eyes)?

(You said yes, right?  Great!)

Coming up with blog post ideas that will grab your reader’s attention is easier than you think if you step back and just focus on what questions you can answer or what helpful information you can share (always ask yourself how you can be of service).

But how, exactly, do you find questions to answer or the right helpful information to share?

Try listening quietly to the following…

1.  Conversations on Social Media

Did you check social media on your mobile phone first thing this morning?

Yep, me, too…

But what I look for isn’t just what’s happening with my friends, family, and community… I’m watching Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter to watch what conversations are happening and what the “hot topics” are.

I make a note about any post or image I see that’s getting passionate responses, lots of comments, or lots of shares.

Then I ask myself…

• Is this a question I can help answer?
• Is this a topic I can offer guidance/suggestions to my readers on?
• Is there a solution here that I can share and add ideas to?
• What’s the core emotion and how does it relate to what my readers might be feeling?
• What can I contribute to this conversation?

2.  “Real Life” Conversations

Friends, clients, mastermind partners, kids, parents… they can all be a great source of blog ideas.

Sometimes the ideas come up randomly.

But try a more proactive approach!

Next time you have a conversation with a client or your mastermind where great ideas come out, ask permission to share it in a blog post.

Or ask your friends, partner, parents or kids what it is they think you do, and what questions they have about it.  You may find an interesting perspective that inspires more ideas to write about.

3.  Blog Comments (Yours & Elsewhere Around the Web)

Look through the recent comments on your blog and your responses.  There are likely quite a few just waiting to be expanded into blog posts.

Take a few minutes to browse other blogs in your niche, specifically reading through the comments to see what readers are asking and looking for questions you can answer on your own blog.

Be intentional about LISTENING to what’s happening around you in these places and you’ll find an endless source of valuable ideas for your next blog post that will keep you inspired and allow you to help the world around you.

What’s your favorite conversation to tap into for blogging ideas?  Leave a comment and share!