Coming Up WIth New Post Ideas!


Coming Up With New Post Ideas
I've been doing my blog for 3 years now and I do 2 posts most days. How??? I know, I know, I don't have a life. It isn't actually all that time-consuming. I usually put a week or two ahead in the queue so I can kick back. So, one day a week I brainstorm and my brain is fairly active.

Here are some things I've done over the years that made my posting easier:

1. Consider having “series.” Look at my tabs across the top of my blog--those are just some series. Say, every Wednesday you do “Who Dunnit Wednesday?” and discuss a famous crime that was never solved. Maybe on Sunday you put up, “Why My Family is Dysfunctional Sunday” based on what you observe about our family by Sunday after being with them all weekend. Series are something readers enjoy because they think, “oh yeah, it's ridiculous music video Monday!”

2. Use your Followers. That sounded harsh, huh? No, use them in a good way. Pick out a follower who intrigues you or has a really awesome blog and interview them and showcase their blog. We all want to learn where the cool places are to hang out and who's the next new interesting blogger.

3. Check out where you're cruising. You daily go onto the Internet in search of stuff (other than porn), so what are you finding? One day, I was wandering onto one site, ended up on another, opened a link and found something wicked cool that fascinated me. I then took that video embed, copied it, pasted it into a document and went online to learn more about this subject. Your serendipitous information is a sign. If you went “oh wow!” so will others.

4. Search your past. The past of your blog, that is. Go back to some early posts and elaborate on some of the subjects you did back then. Sometimes, a new attitude about the topic makes it informative and new.

5. Photograph, make videos. People love vlogs and why not do a little face-to-face video or show people your perspective driving to work and the ass clowns on the road. How about photographing what's beautiful or even ugly about where you live. If you have a horror blog, go to a cemetery or an abandoned building or even a scary looking sewer tunnel and do some artsy shots.

6. Take them with you. I enjoy taking my road trips and ghost hunts because I can do pics and videos to take everyone along with me. I can even stop at a cheesy gift store and get local AZ specialty gifts like rattlesnake eggs and cactus jelly and use them for giveaways. If you're going to do something unusual like ice fishing or go somewhere weird like on a glider plane, take the followers with you!

7. Do top 10 lists. Give your top 10 favorite slasher films list, let others give you theirs.

8. Look into the world of art, music and videos. Go to YouTube and Itunes and other places and type in a key word or two. Find out if there is music just about zombies, find homemade zombie videos, artists on Etsy making zombie items. Do an entire zombie arts post from it.

9. Give a “what if” scenario. Interactive posts are the best. People feel compelled to respond and you get a conversation going. Try asking “what if you could only take 2 people with you on an island for the rest of your life, who would they be and why?”

10. Introduce the child you. Put up a childhood picture and discuss when you first started your interest in the subject you now blog about.

11. Movie and book reviews. You're already seeing movies and reading books (I hope), so tell us about it.

I always say that the more of your true personality that shows on a blog, the better. People don't read blogs to be lectured at like they're in a classroom. They want to hear your POV on something, maybe get a chuckle, maybe learn something new, maybe just check in with someone they feel affection for. We do become friends over time and so bring them in on your buddy conversational style.

The first time I let a swear word fling on my blog, I realized it was my blog because I had spent 26 years of marriage with someone who hated for a woman to cuss and I had to come up with ways of clamping my mouth shut when I stubbed a toe. Now, I could finally express myself the way I do inside my head, but get to share that insane content with others. It's liberating and it also is endearing and real.

Endearing and real should always be the goal of a good blog.

Comments

  1. What a great post. I think I'll have to do a "My Past" post now. Keep an eye out (not literally)!

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  2. I think I just commented on it. We were doing this at the same time. Haha. I went over to comment on your post and you had just read this one and I didn't know that.

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  3. That was very generous, and potentially very useful too. You definitely have a talent for this!

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  4. Porky;
    Thanks, dear. I'm right at home here in the blog world. I know we all struggle for new content. I hope I can light fires because I read my followers' blogs too and, hell, new content for me to read is great for me as well. It's good all around. It's like a family, if we're all healthy and happy, we get more done.

    HN;
    You are hilarious! You are getting me excited about Halloween about 3 months before I usually get excited about it.

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  5. Great tips! I loved #4 Search Your Past! There have been times when I realized I had updates for an older post. Then you can reference the older post and give your a reasders a two-fer-one!

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  6. Sucio;
    You can tell by my blog, a lot of this comes out of my ass--most entertaining source for material.

    Guy;
    Yes! I find I get a lot of readers who just caught on to my blog and I was writing back in 2008, so I can go back to some really good points I made back then, soup them up a bit with newer info I have now and represent them.

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  7. great post, lots of good advice.

    ha, ha, my husband doesn't like me to swear either, but i do it any way. he knew i had a potty mouth, lol

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  8. Awesome post. And a great way to keep things original! I stumble upon so many 'copy/paste' blogs and start to yawn. It's gems like yours that give me hope in the internet!

    Besides porn, of course.

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  9. L.I.I.:
    So true, the porn sites always give us a hope. :-)

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  10. Great ideas..... I think I am going to print a copy of this post so when I get stuck for post ideas, I will refer to your suggestions.

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  11. I'm going to be doing a rather creative one soon for everybody. I realize we all get stumped and sometimes just hearing something new can stimulate a new idea from that.

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  12. wow, I'm thinking about making a new blog...and these tips will help me. ^_^

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