What to Blog About: 7 Effective Strategies to Find Blogging Topics

First up? Understanding your audience. After all, before you can understand what you’re going to be writing – and how you’re going to be writing it – you need to know who you’re writing for.

And that means identifying your target audience. To do this, you can:

• Conduct surveys or interviews with your audience to understand exactly what your readers are interested in. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask – you can place a poll on your site, or send out a brief questionnaire to your mailing list!
• Run focus groups to get to grips with your audience’s pain points and preferences.
• Utilize keyword and trend research tools to understand the exact terms and phrases your target customers are using when they make searches online. Some big names include Keywords Everywhere, Moz Keyword Tracker, Buzzsumo, and Google Trends.

Everyone is interested in something – so have a think about how can you convert your passion into awesome content. Make a list of the things you like: do you enjoy the culinary arts, or are you more of a green-fingered guru? Are you a DIY dynamo, or do you have an eye for the latest trends that could translate into a fashion blog? If you love reading, you may want to start a book blog to review your reads, or if you love video games then you could start a gaming blog!

Once you have your list, start examining what you feel you’re most knowledgeable about. To do this in creative and engaging ways, you can:

• Mind map: start with a central theme or keyword related to your passion or area of expertise. Write it down in the center of a blank page, then brainstorm related sub-topics or ideas branching out from the central theme. Keep expanding each sub-topic with additional ideas and connections to explore different angles – and identify potential blog topics – in a visual way.
• Freewriting: set a timer for a specific duration – 10 or 15 minutes, for example – and write continuously without worrying about grammar, structure, or coherence. Let your thoughts flow freely – and jot down any blog ideas that come to mind. Through this, you can tap into the brilliance of your subconscious mind – and generate a wide, wild range of ideas.

Consider these areas of your life for inspiration:

• Hobbies
• Sporting interests
• Career
• Family
• Pets
• Social activities

Many successful bloggers will tell you that you need to find your niche. Sure, everyone needs that one brilliant idea or topic to get started – but do you really need to stick to one niche or topic? The answer is a definite no!

Some of the most successful bloggers may have started with an umbrella niche – or a collection of titles all related to a similar field – but to really succeed, bloggers need to evolve and grow as their blog site does.

The beauty of the blog site is that you are in charge of your own content – so instead of sticking to one niche, play around with a few different topics and see what inspires you to write. Don’t go overboard, though. For example, you don’t want to be a fashion blogger and suddenly start writing about car engines!

Keep your topics relative to the vision you have for the site, and let your creative impulses guide the way. And, for more info, delve into our guide to finding your website’s niche for a full breakdown of the process.

Find Out More

Need a little inspiration? We’ve compiled 150 of the most profitable Niche Blog Ideas to help you out!

The world wide web is a wonderful way of keeping tabs on what’s trending, and what some of your potential competitor sites are up to. You don’t have to know exactly what they’re doing, but you may get a little extra dose of inspiration – not to mention a few good ideas, too!

Some excellent ways of pinning down trending topics to talk about are:

• Google Trends: this free online tool allows you to explore the popularity of specific search terms over time. You can enter keywords related to your niche or expertise and see their search volume trends. And, through this, identify topics that are trending right now – or rapidly gaining popularity.
• Social media: Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook in particular are all excellent social platforms to check out what’s popular in the blogging community. Posting your blog site’s content to your social media pages is a tried-and-tested method of fostering engagement, and getting even more eyes on your posts.
• Online communities or forums: Quora, for example, is a platform where users ask questions, and people who are experts in those topics provide answers. You can explore questions and ideas related to your niche to see what people are asking and discussing. Which can then, in turn, inspire blog topics that address the needs and interests of your target audience.

Ready to start blogging, but want that extra dash of advice before your first post? Check out our guide to how to write a blog post that will captivate, compel, and convert!

Pain points are the specific problems, challenges, or frustrations that your target audience faces.

Why are they important? Well, understanding these pain points is essential if you want to create relevant, valuable blog content. It allows you to address your target audience’s needs, provide solutions, and establish yourself as a trusted resource in your niche.

How to do this? Start by:

• Researching online forums and communities: participate in all the relevant online forums, communities, and social media groups where your target audience gathers (Reddit is good for this; as is Quora, which we mentioned earlier). Pay attention to the discussions, questions, and challenges they share: these are all common pain points and topics your blog content can address.
• Analyzing customer feedback and reviews: Comb through any and all customer feedback, testimonials, and reviews about similar products or services in your niche. Look for recurring themes or issues that customers mention. These insights can highlight pain points for you to focus on in your blog content.
• Conducting surveys or polls: create surveys or polls targeting your audience to gather direct feedback. Ask questions about their biggest challenges, obstacles, or frustrations related to your niche. The responses will provide valuable data on the pain points you can address in your blog posts.

Once you understand your audience’s biggest blockers, you can use your blog content to provide practical solutions: actionable steps, strategies, or tips that can help your audience overcome their pain points.

Be sure to break down any jargon or complex concepts into simple, easy-to-follow instructions. And provide examples of real-life success stories to inspire and motivate your readers.

You can also encourage readers to share their experiences, challenges, and solutions in the comments section of your blogs. By responding to their comments and providing further guidance, you’ll eventually foster a sense of camaraderie and community throughout your blog.

One of the first places you should navigate to when considering starting your own blog is a site you really like or admire. 

What is it you like about the site? Do you like the topics discussed in the blogs or the style of the blogger’s writing? Is the layout of the information and the visual styling of the blog posts easy on the eye, or could you do better?

Through scoping out your competitors’ blogs, you can identify content gaps – that is, information or topics their content doesn’t cover, or covers poorly – and start to think about how you could plug these gaps with your own blog content.

So – how can you come up with unique and interesting blog content ideas?

Here are three ways to get you started:

• Conduct case studies: generate original case studies or success stories that highlight real-world examples of individuals or businesses overcoming challenges – or achieving notable results – in your field. Analyze and extract valuable lessons or strategies that your audience can apply.
• Interview experts or influencers: chat to industry experts, influencers, or thought leaders. Ask them thought-provoking questions to gain insights and valuable opinions – then, write these interviews up as blog posts to provide unique perspectives and knowledge to your audience.
• Share your own opinions or insights: don’t just rely on other experts – you’ve got plenty to offer, too! By sharing your own personal experiences and stories – and serving up fresh, original viewpoints that challenge conventional wisdom or provide alternative solutions to common problems – you can build up your blogging brand, without always having to rely on others.

Find Out More

Check out our list of the best Informational Websites Examples to see what other blogs and brochure sites have done well!

Our last tip? Ensuring a delicate balance between evergreen content and the timely, topical stuff we discussed earlier.

To be clear, ‘evergreen’, in a content context, refers to blog posts or articles that remain relevant and valuable over an extended period. They provide timeless information, solutions, or insights that readers can benefit from – regardless of when they access the content.

On the other hand, timely content focuses on current trends, events, or news that are relevant to a specific period or context.

While evergreen content establishes your blog as a valuable resource that readers can refer to over time – driving consistent traffic and engagement – timely content offers immediate relevance. It allows you to capture current trends, boost your blog’s visibility, and connect with readers on topics that are top-of-mind.

Some useful evergreen content creation strategies include:

• How-to guides: comprehensive, step-by-step tutorials that guide readers through specific tasks – offering lasting value and practical solutions.
• Listicles: curated lists of resources, tips, or recommendations that remain valuable even as time passes.
• Educational content: informative articles that explain fundamental concepts, and provide insights or industry-specific knowledge.

Some handy timely content creation strategies include:

• Newsjacking: monitor current news or trending topics and create blog posts that leverage that ‘buzz’ – along with your own unique take.
• Seasonal or holiday-related topics: tailor content to align with seasons, holidays, or special events – and share ideas, tips, or recommendations that are relevant only during particular times of year.
• Trend analysis: stay informed around emerging trends within your niche, and provide commentary on industry shifts, innovations, or consumer behaviors.

Remember, striking the right balance between evergreen and timely content is crucial for a well-rounded and engaging blog. Evergreen content forms the backbone of your blog, providing long-term value, while timely content helps you stay current, connect with your audience in the moment, and boost your blog’s visibility.

Most bloggers will tell you; the first blog is always the hardest, but only because it’s hard to settle on a single topic to write about. Play around with a few different topics and titles from your list of interests or hobbies, and write down the important points to include in each blog.

Then, just…get started!

Once you write your first blog, do some more research and compare it to any similar ones written by other bloggers. Before you post the first one online, write a few more to try out content batching. Not only will this give you a few blogs to add to your site, but you’ll also start developing your own writing style as you go.

Before we finish up here, let us ask you a question – is there anything holding you back? Are you worried about the costs of getting started? Perhaps, you lack the confidence – or feel like you simply don’t have the time to get started.

And indeed, getting started is the hardest part, but so is allocating funds to get the ball rolling. A custom website with your own domain name is the best way to go, but you should also consider using some free or low-cost hosting providers when you first start blogging.

Time and confidence are often the biggest obstacles for some bloggers, but don’t second guess yourself. Start writing a blog post, and you may be amazed at how easily the words pour out of you. As for time, consider your blog to be like a journal…all you need is 20 minutes a day to start creating your content!

Here’s a quick, whistle-stop tour of our seven top tips for finding your blog topic:

1. Understand your audience: conduct surveys and keyword research
2. Explore your passions: use mind maps or freewriting to shortlist topics you’re interested in
3. Find your niche or go with the flow
4. Identify popular and trending topics: use Google Trends, forums, or social media
5. Address pain points and provide solutions: analyze online forums, customer feedback, and surveys
6. Find inspiration in your niche: sourcing case studies and interviews are helpful in this stage
7. Balance evergreen and timely content: guides and listicles are evergreen, while news and seasonal pieces are timely

And, the most important step: start writing!!

Once you’ve discovered where your expertise lies, you’re ready for the next step – starting your own blog!

Turn your passion into your very own creative outlet and have fun working on something you love. Trust us – it’s one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do!