Why is writer’s block scared of content planning? Because when you dedicate time to coming up with several blog ideas to use throughout the year, you don’t have to panic and wallow in blank pages every time you want to share a new blog post. Instead, you’ll know exactly what you’re writing.
If you really want to keep the writer’s block at bay and replace those moments with results, use data to come up with blog post ideas that will grow your audience and increase the chances that your readers will convert.
- Ultimate Guide
- Quick Reference Guide
- The Connecting Thread
- Spill Your Secrets
- Tell Your Company’s Story
- Why That Name or Logo?
- Mission and Values
- Show Your Stance
- Listicle
- Curated List
- How To…
- Top Recommendations
- Day in the Life
- In Conversation With…
- The Solution To Their Problem
- Give Your Two Cents
- Myth vs. Fact
- The Multimedia Blog
- Playlist
- A Gift For Your Audience
How to Find Blog Post Inspiration in Audience Data
Wondering how to come up with blog post ideas that satisfy your reader’s curiosity? Our best advice is to go straight to the source. Your audience data is teeming with blog topic inspiration — you just have to know where to look.
Social Media Audience Data
Dig into your social media analytics to get an idea of how users are engaging with your posts. The ones that have the most clicks and shares, for example, are a good indicator of what grabs your audience’s attention.
If your posts with quote tiles are doing well, your audience may be interested in an interview-style blog that features quotes from someone on your team, an external thought partner or customers who love your product or service.
Another place to look for a blog post idea is in your hashtags. If there are certain hashtags that show up repeatedly in your top social media posts, they can be a hint at the topics that would resonate with your blog readers.
Blog and Website Analytics
Jump into Google Analytics to see how your previous blogs performed with your audience. It could be worth writing new blogs that are similar to the ones with the most views, time spent on page and conversions.
In addition to previous posts, take a look at the user journey on your website as a whole for a new blog idea. Some of your top-performing pages may be an indicator of topics you can dive into more in a blogging format.
Say your resources page gets a lot of love — that means your digital audience is turning to you for expert insight and would likely gravitate to blog posts that break down complicated topics, offer top tips or share your insider knowledge.
Keyword Insights
Strategic, data-driven blogging requires the right keywords. When users find your blog organically, they’re much more likely to convert. This is because your content matches their intent by answering the question they asked their search browser.
By dedicating some time to keyword research, you can find the right words that will increase your chances of ending up in the search results of your target audience. Even better, those keywords and phrases generally spark blog post ideas for your content calendar.
A content marketing agency, for example, may write an entire article about “blog post ideas” because of the high chances that marketers like you might search for that phrase when you hit a creative block. (We hope you find the inspiration you’re looking for!)
Customer Surveys
Another way to find out more about what’s going through the minds of your audience is to ask the customers you already converted. Similar to how you might interview a passionate customer or dedicated partner for a case study, you can ask them questions that provide insight into their user journey and continued interests.
Some of your questions might include:
- How did you find out about us?
- What were you struggling with before you found our product or service?
- What kind of topics do you follow online?
As you learn more about their experience, you’re likely to find nuggets of insight that could inspire blog posts that proactively reach other users like them.
Repurpose Content That Works
As you continue collecting audience data, you may find that you already have content that’s resonating well. Now, you just need more of it to keep your readers engaged. This is where you can work smarter — not harder — by repurposing the content you already have.
Take, for example, those high-performing social media posts we talked about earlier. When they spark a blog post idea, you can return the favor by creating more social posts that promote the new blog content. If you have a listicle blog that performs well, consider creating social tiles that quickly summarize the list and engage users to click through to the blog for more details.
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If you’re creating a new landing page specific to a new product, campaign or upcoming event, consider using that content as the rough outline for a blog that goes into deeper detail and gives you another place to point users who are interested.
When the words are flowing and your blog content is getting a bit long, break it up into different parts so that users are eager to return back to your blog for more when the next one is published. Alternatively, consider creating a recurring series so you can continually repurpose your best ideas.
And one last reminder: Your blog posts can live longer lives if you give them the chance! You can reshare the links on social media, promote them in your newsletter or other relevant email blasts, publish them as guest posts on other sites or even send the links in individual outreach when relevant. If they start to feel like they need some dusting, simply republish them with updated content or refreshed keywords.
20 Blog Post Ideas You Can Use
Now that you know where to look for topic ideas based on your audience data, you can start thinking about the types of blog posts that will bring the concepts to life. And yet with so many genres and varieties of blog posts to choose from, we understand that you may still feel a tad overwhelmed by figuring out exactly what to write.
No need to worry: We have some blog post ideas to help keep away the creative block and move you toward planning, creating and promoting like the pro you are.
1. Ultimate Guide
Let’s start with a content marketing favorite: the ultimate guide to something you and your company know a lot about. These deep dives are ideal for sharing everything from basic to advanced knowledge on the blog topic, which opens up lots of opportunities to organically use the keywords and phrases your target audience searches.
Make your guide stand out from the rest by including some of your favorite tricks of the trade, top tips or insights unique to your company. The more nuggets of priceless information you provide, the more likely you are to grow your audience by attracting more people to your blog.
The topic for your ultimate guide will depend on your industry and niche, of course, but here are some examples to get your gears turning:
- Everything You Need To Know About Volunteering at a Nonprofit
- The A to Z on Starting Your Own Company
- How To Develop an Inclusive Hiring Strategy
2. Quick Reference Guide
For the TL;DR crowd, consider the short-form approach to a guide. The blogs are still evergreen and educational, but they don’t claim to cover everything you need to know in one post. Instead, you can provide a quick overview or focus on something specific that’s easy for readers to consume quickly.
Since your quick reference guides are generally shorter blogs, they’re also easy to repurpose into one-pagers, infographics, social tiles and other marketing collateral.
A few blog ideas that could turn into quick reference guides include:
- Your Quick Guide to Baking Bread at Home
- Security Tips to Reference When Shopping Online
- The Content Marketer’s Cheat Sheet
3. The Connecting Thread
When you want to throw a fun and creative blog into your content marketing mix, you can turn to movies, books and current trends for ideas. All you have to do is tie it into your industry or blog niche and you’ll have a final piece that engages your audience in a different kind of read.
There’s plenty of inspiration to find here, such as a movie scene or character that reminds you of your company’s mission, a book that inspired your new line of products or a trend that’s relevant to your expertise. Whatever it is, the connection is likely to intrigue readers and delight them with the more human side of your brand.
Plus, with a recognizable name or trending topic in the title, you’re likely to turn new heads by tapping into an audience that’s interested in the pop culture reference.
The big thing to remember with this kind of blog topic is that you shouldn’t force it. If the connection isn’t clearly there, you’ll risk writing a cringy piece that feels like clickbait to potential viewers.
Here are some examples to show you what we mean:
- Here’s Why Every Marketer Needs to Watch “Squid Game” on Netflix
- Every Leader Can Learn Something From These Movie Characters
- The Art of Pitches: How the Boston Red Sox Inspired My Best Media Pitch
4. Spill Your Secrets
Let your blog readers in on something only you can share, such as insider information about your product or service, top hacks in your niche or lessons learned throughout your organization’s history.
As long as the blog content delivers the value that the title promises, these kinds of blog posts will intrigue your audience and readers will appreciate that you shared the information with them.
Some blog post ideas that spill the tea are:
- 10 Little-Known Facts About Recycling
- The Most Creative Ways We’ve Seen People Use Our Product
- The No. 1 Dinner Hack Our Chefs Recommend
5. Tell Your Company’s Story
Can you tell your company’s story through a blog post? Yes! It’s always a good idea to weave in overarching brand messaging to your blog posts, but you can also use your brand’s story as inspiration for a content idea.
This would be an especially good post idea if you get a lot of views on your website landing pages that tell viewers more about your brand or if you receive frequent questions from users about your company history. Additionally, they’re great introductory posts for new readers.
Here are a few examples:
- How Our Company Came To Be a Leader In Software Engineering
- From the CEO: The “Why” Behind Our Innovative Products
- From Local to National: The Story Behind Our Growth and Evolution
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6. Why That Name or Logo?
Your company name and logo already communicate a lot about your brand — but are there more details that tell an interesting story? If so, you could write a blog post that gives readers an inside look at the reasons behind these brand identifiers.
This blog post title could look something like this:
- Here’s The Story Behind Our Name and Logo
- Reflecting on 50 Years of Our Iconic Logo
- What Does “Nike” Really Mean?
7. Mission and Values
Today’s consumers are conscious buyers, which means they often want to know more about a company before deciding to make a purchase. As this exploration becomes a more common step in user journeys, your blog is an ideal place to provide the information that encourages them to convert.
Let readers in on your mission and values to show them the purpose and meaning behind your brand.
Here are a few post ideas:
- 5 Examples of Our Core Values in Action
- What Does Our Mission Mean to Our Employees?
- Putting People First: How a Human-Centric Approach Fuels Our Product Design
8. Show Your Stance
In this conscious buying era, 70% of consumers believe it’s important for brands to take a public stand on social and political issues. People want to know that they’re putting their money where their values are, which means that alignment can be a huge selling factor.
While taking a stance does open the door to potential controversy and fears of empty promises, there are ways to stay on-brand while also attracting organic traffic through blogs about relevant issues. Patagonia, for example, is known for taking a stance when it comes to environmental issues, which falls in line with its mission and products.
Depending on what you choose to defend or deny, you can write about it in a blog post like:
- 3 Steps We’re Taking Toward a More Sustainable Future
- Why Should You Care About Health Equity?
- Supporting LGBTQIA+ Creatives Through Community Collaboration
9. Listicle
The listicle is another content marketing staple, and this type of blog post continues to attract readers. They can be short and sweet or comprehensive lists that expand on the points in more detail. Checklists and frequently asked questions are also popular listicles that provide readers with that beloved instant gratification.
You can easily turn a list post into designed assets like social tiles and infographics to add visual appeal to the blog as well.
You’ve likely read a few listicles in your time, but here are some examples for good measure:
- 5 Social Media Marketing Tools To Boost Your Engagement
- 7 Natural Alternatives to Common Household Cleaning Products
- 101 Creative Storage Ideas For Small Spaces
10. Curated List
This type of blog is still a listicle at heart, but it’s made up of content you found elsewhere. As long as it’s relevant to your niche and your readers’ interests, you can create a roundup of pretty much anything, such as podcasts, news articles, products, subscriptions, methods or tools.
If this kind of blog performs well with your readers, consider turning it into a series that your audience can expect on a monthly or quarterly basis.
Examples of blogs with curated lists include:
- 5 Content Marketing Trends We’re Following This Month
- 7 Podcasts For Financial Professionals
- 3 New and Noteworthy Accounting Tools For Small Business Owners
11. How To…
Blogs are the ideal place to teach your audience how to do something, especially considering you’re an expert in what you do. “How to” also happen to be two words that many search queries start with, so make sure you do your keyword research to find out what your target audience wants to know.
These blogs are also easy to include in social posts and email blasts because they entice readers to click to find out the answer. Plus, as you continually provide expert insight through how-to blogs, your audience is likely to grow as people begin to see your brand as a trusted voice in your space.
Here are some how-to post ideas:
- How To Make Apple Pie Like a Professional Baker
- How To Start a Business on a Budget
- How To Become an Excel Expert in One Week
12. Top Recommendations
Why settle for anything other than the best? Share your top tips, tricks and recommendations to save readers from hours of sifting through all the choices to find a winner.
Common examples of this type of blog post include:
- Top 5 Interview Tips For College Graduates
- The Best Project Management Tools to Improve Your Workflow
- Healthy Eating Essentials According to a Nutritionist
13. Day in the Life
Try your hand at a lifestyle blog by giving your audience a window into what it’s like to work for your company or use your product or service.
Depending on your niche and audience, this could become a series as well. For example, a recruitment company might create a series of posts about the various roles and career paths that they can offer people looking for new positions.
Some “day in the life” blog post ideas are:
- A Day in the Life of Our Founder and CEO
- Meet Our Factory Workers
- What Role Do User Experience Designers Play in Web Development Projects?
14. In Conversation With…
Blog interviews are a great way to pick the brains of industry influencers, thought leaders, staff members, customers and other people who are influential in your space.
Not only is the interviewee likely to provide some aha-moments for you, but they also come with built-in audiences who are already following their work. When you post a blog with quotes from them, their cross-promotion can help you get new eyes on your website.
On top of that, you can record the interviews so you can embed audio and video in the blog post as well. Just don’t forget to ask for consent before hitting the record button!
These blog post ideas, for example, would utilize an interview to engage readers:
- Jane Doe Answers Your Top Questions About Sustainable Living
- The Future of Philanthropy According to Nonprofit Leaders
- Disability Activists Share Their Hopes For a More Accessible Future
15. The Solution To Their Problem
Your readers have a problem, you have the solution — now all you have to do is tell them about it in your next blog post. Blogs are more discreet than ads, so just be sure to keep the content authentic, relevant and useful.
If you were Slack, for example, these might be some problem-solution blog post ideas:
- The Slack Features That Are Made For Your Human Resources Team
- Use This Slack Channel to Overcome Your Sunday Scaries
- Creating Mindful Home Workspaces for Better Productivity
16. Give Your Two Cents
Your opinion matters! Share your thoughts, observations and predictions on the trends that are shaping your industry. This is an easy way to make sure your brand is part of the conversations that your audience is following, and sets the stage for you to become a respected thought leader in your space.
For example, here are some thought leadership blog post ideas:
- Addressing Social Determinants of Health To Improve Racial Health Equity
- Here’s How Biden’s Climate Agenda Could Affect Your Business
- The Dairy Debate: Here’s Our Take on the Best Milk Alternatives
17. Myth vs. Fact
A myth vs. fact blog post is a playful way to flaunt your expertise on a topic, lay to rest misconceptions about your industry, product or service, and highlight the facts that your brand is qualified to endorse.
Blogs with more of a lighthearted tone like this generally perform well on social media and they create lots of opportunities for your designers to create accompanying illustrations.
Cases in point:
- Scientists Debunk 5 Common Exercise Myths
- Common Misconceptions About Financial Planning
- Breaking Down the Most Common Misunderstandings About Neurodiverse Learners
18. The Multimedia Blog
Take your blog post to the next level by pairing your written content with an embedded video or audio clip. This makes it easy to repurpose soundbites into social media posts or other short-form content and gives readers more ways to engage with your content.
Accessibility tip: Be sure to include captions or transcripts to make sure you don’t leave anyone out who wants to find out what your multimedia elements have to say.
Here are some ideas from above, revamped to make them a video or audio blog:
- The A to Z on Starting Your Own Company [Video]
- Watch A Professional Baker Make The Easiest Apple Pie Recipe
- Listen to Scientists Debunk 5 Common Exercise Myths [Podcast]
19. Playlist
Tunes are another fun element to add to your blog content calendar. Curate a playlist based on a specific theme, share your favorite office jams or show off your musical prowess with a playlist.
Give readers an explanation for why the playlist exists and why each song made the cut. And, of course, give readers a link to a playlist so they can listen as they read.
The title of this type of blog post might look something like this:
- The Perfect Work-From-Home Playlist for Writers
- 10 Songs to Add to Your Workout Playlist
- 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Were About Content Marketing
20. A Gift For Your Audience
When you can offer readers a tangible takeaway for free, write a blog about it! It could be a template that you offer as a free download and the surrounding blog explains the purpose and use cases of said template, or maybe you’re offering editable graphics, checklists, or a demo video of your service in action.
Here are some generous blog ideas:
- Use This Free Template to Build Your Social Media Calendar
- The Beginner’s Guide to Origami [Step-by-Step Videos]
- The Traveler-Approved Packing Checklist for Weekend Trips
Sticking to Your Blogging Strategy
While all of these data-driven blog post ideas are worthy of some love, they may not all be the right fit for your content calendar. This is where your blogging strategy will help guide your decisions.
Be intentional about what you share with your blog readers, ensuring your blog is focused and relevant. Your audience not only wants to gain something valuable from spending time with your content, but they also want to read the stories that your voice is the right one to tell.
Once you have your list of winning blog ideas, don’t rush to get them all written and published at once. Space them out to create a regular cadence in your content calendar so you can execute throughout the year without having to go back to the planning stage every time you want to publish a new blog.
Lastly, always remember that your blog, social and email strategies should speak to each other! Promote your blog links via social media and email marketing for some engaging content that gives your followers and subscribers a reason to explore more about your brand.
Your Blog Is Waiting
It’s time for your blog to reach its fullest potential! As you start publishing data-driven content more regularly, your audience will grow and your readers will be more likely to convert.
If you need help along the way, Brafton’s expert writing team is here for you.
Let the blog planning and writing begin!
