Before You Write, Here Are 5 Ways to Determine Your Next Blogging Topic

We’ve all experienced it, the dreaded writer’s block. No matter what you try to do, nothing seems to translate to the page. The same can happen when picking a blog topic. With so many different options and already conquered concepts, it can be difficult to choose something new to talk about.

You’ve taken the first step and created a blog with goals and a central idea. Now you have to keep it going while making fresh and interesting for your readership. But what can you do to think of your next topic? Here are 5 questions to ask to determine what your next blog topic should be about:

What’s new in your industry?

If you are thoroughly perplexed, start here. New developments within your industry are typically what people would like to know more about. For example if you are an accounting firm and there have been drastic changes to a tax policy, why not explain it to your readers? If you are a foodie blog, why not cover the latest kale trend? Each industry is specific; do some research about what’s new and interesting, it just might be what you need to get your next topic!

What is your area of expertise?

This question is self-reflective and sure to help with ideas. Look at your business and what it specializes in while also considering your personal strengths. What do you bring to your blog? What special knowledge or training sets you apart? If you took a new class on cloud computing or Google Analytics, why not share your experience? Use these aspects of your background and your business’ strengths to figure out what to write about next.

What’s going on seasonally?

Different times of the year call for different areas of focus in any field. As the fashion industry has seasons, so does the beer industry and tech world. Ask yourself what is going on at the moment within your field. Maybe its sweater season or the new iPhone model is coming out. Whatever the case, narrowing your focus to the time of year can help determine a cool new topic to talk about.

What topics are in demand?

Listen to your consumer feedback to gain ideas. There are always hot topics in any industry that are in higher demand. Your readers might ask you to cover a topic or one of their comments could spark inspiration! After all, the goal is to give the people what they want and keep them coming back for more.

What topic aligns with your goals?

When you created your blog, you had goals in mind. Maybe you wanted to become a leading voice in your industry or just drive business to your website. Whatever the case, your goals are the foundation of your blog. You have to consciously consider what goal each topic is meeting. If you are trying to become a pioneer of a new kind of fashion style or sell real estate, it’s important that the topics you cover relate directly to your goals. When stumped, go back to the criteria you built your blog on for inspiration!

Being stumped about what to write on is never fun. We hope that these questions will help you figure out a direction to go in! When in doubt, consider creating a blog plan to always know what to write about. These plans create a roadmap of ideas that you can follow each time you write.

Reach out to us about our blog planning or check out our website for more advice!

-Jamie