Sigh.
Neither do we sometimes.
Some people tell you to write about what you love and to make it STAND OUT. Be witty. Be creative. Write in a way that everyone will immediately want to share your wisdom through Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Very nice advice.
But how can you be witty and creative if you have NO IDEA what to write about?
If you don’t know what to blog about for your company’s website, here a few ideas that will (hopefully) be more helpful than someone telling you to be creative.
1) Comment on Existing Articles
Maybe you don’t have anything interesting to say, but lots of other people do. If you run across an article that you find intriguing, sum it up in a blog post and provide your personal interpretation/input on the article. Try to end the post with a question for your readers, so you encourage interaction.
Writing blog posts based off articles is a good way to get your feet wet if you’re new to blogging. It will help you get into the habit of blogging, and you’ll probably start getting more inspiration for future blog post topics.
2) Keep a List of Ideas
Oftentimes, the one thing keeping people from writing a blog is that it takes too much time to think of something to write about. I hear people say, “If I just knew what to write about, I could whip something up in 30 minutes or less.” They don’t have the time to sit around and ponder blog ideas, so then they end up just not writing a blog.
If you find yourself in this situation, first, follow Step 1 above, then keep a list of any new blog ideas that occur to you. Try to jot down the ideas as they occur to you, otherwise you’ll probably forget when it’s time to write the blog. Refer to the list any time you feel a lack of inspiration for a new blog post.
3) Look at Your Competitors
If your competitors’ websites have blogs, take a peek at what they’re writing about. You’ll probably be able to pick up a few ideas and make them your own.
4) Provide a Weekly Recap
This is similar to the first point, but in some ways requires LESS work. If you don’t want to take the time to provide your personal spin on Internet articles, simply provide your readers with links to several useful articles that you found over the course of the week. To personalize the post just a little, you could add comments, such as “Great tips on XYZ” or “Good summary of ABC,” next to each link.
You probably shouldn’t have this be your only blog post every week. However, if you’ve been good about putting other content on your blog on a regular basis, you probably deserve a little break.
In the end…
Sometimes writing a blog post isn’t about trying to make it go viral. It’s just about writing a blog post and getting it on your website. Then writing another blog post and getting it on your website. Once you’ve started the habit, it will be MUCH EASIER for you to become that brilliant source of information that people always reference. While having a piece of content go viral has AMAZING benefits, regularly posting fresh content on your website also has benefits, particularly for SEO.
Don’t give up on a blog for your website. Over time, you will find that it IS worth the effort.
And if you don’t have the time to write, consider getting an intern.
