How to Make Compelling Content When You Have No Idea

Writing a blog post consistently with compelling content can be a tremendously difficult task. Even if you begin your blog with a fiery passion, it’s only natural that over time the creative juices slow down and you start floundering for new things to talk about.

Fortunately, this happens to everyone and it’s something that can be overcome with a few simple tricks. To that end, here is a handy guide to writing a blog with compelling content that you can be proud of with every submission. Whether it’s looking at movies, studying other companies, or just talking about your personal experiences, there’s something in here that is sure to inspire and motivate you with your writing.

1. Creating Compelling Content: Get Help From Outside Sources

From compiling a list of your most popular old blog posts to asking your readers for topic ideas, getting help from others is a great way of generating the kind of content that will drive traffic to your web site.

Writing for blogs is about the free exchange of ideas between people, so it makes sense that one of the most effective ways to creating content would be to directly ask your audience what they want from you.

Alternatively, you can take it a step further by allowing specific guests to come in and take over your blog while you recharge your batteries. Or, for those that like to go the extra mile, you could interview someone and dedicate a blog post simply to the interview and your thoughts on it.

The beauty of making content in this way is that it takes much of the burden off of yourself, allowing you to re-assess what’s important to you and what should be showcased on your site.

2. Study What Others Are Doing

While blogs naturally lend themselves to focusing on the author’s own experiences, that doesn’t mean that you should close yourself off from outside inspiration. If you’re attempting to generate content on a daily basis, focus on the biggest news in business and simply start jotting ideas down. With a little refining, you’ll find that you’ve just finished writing blog content that you can put on your web site. Who knew it could be that easy?

“Conferences are great way to get inspired… to see what other people are doing.” – John Lee Dumas, Entrepreneur on Fire

While no one’s asking you to buy a plane ticket and fly out to the next conference that interests you, the idea that the people around you can have an impact on yourself is worth considering. If you’ve exhausted all of your own opinions and research, then maybe it’s time to shift gears and start focusing your blog on what other people have accomplished.

Whether you’re talking about companies that have failed and how to avoid their mistakes, or you’re talking about a company that has wild success and how to emulate their triumphs, dedicating blog posts to others is an easy way of making content that readers will find incredibly valuable.

3. Share Personal Experiences

We’ve talked before about effective time management and how to increase your productivity as a solo entrepreneur, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take some time out of the day to describe your thought processes and opinions to your readers.

In fact, sharing personal experiences is a great way of not only generating ideas for blog post writing, but also establishing a connection with your audience.

“Take massive action… Just be focused and motivated.” – Keith Kranc

No one enjoys feeling the weight of an approaching deadline, but if you can power through it, you’ll find that you’re now much more prepared for future close calls. If you’re in a pinch and decide to start sharing personal details of your life, just remember that talking about your past mistakes can help other readers to avoid them.

Alternatively, everyone loves to get the juicy details of a success story, so don’t be afraid to openly talk about how you’ve made it in your field. Of course, no one likes bragging, so don’t get too carried away with it.

Even if you think your life has no value to readers, don’t worry. There is always something for you to talk about, regardless of how dull you might think your industry is.

4. Use Pop Culture

Have you ever wondered what Superman has to do with the stock market? Odds are good that your readers would be just as curious if that was the hook to your next piece of blog writing.

Pop culture can be a great way of not only connecting with your audience, but enticing them with an interesting mix of something they’re likely to know about (like a superhero or a popular TV show) and something they’re less likely to know about (like the specifics of the real estate market in Phoenix, Arizona).

If you can combine two ideas in this way and make an interesting argument for their similarities, then your readers are more inclined to absorb the information and spread it to their friends to further the discussion. This is great news for you, as a blog isn’t terribly useful if no one’s sharing it.

5. Try Something New

After letting others take over for a while, researching interesting case studies, talking about your entire life, and getting into the specifics of Fight Club’s anti-commercialism, it probably seems like there isn’t much else for you to do to create any more content, right?

While these ideas should always keep a writer inspired, there is always the reliability of trying something new. Take up walking as a hobby, or see an opera, or eat something you swore you’d never try. New experiences stimulate the brain and can get it thinking in entirely new directions.

This kind of stimulation is sure to keep your creative juices flowing long after you thought possible, so don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly swarmed with too many ideas for great blog posts!

Of course, if you’ve read all of this without having any experience in making a blog in the first place, we have you covered too. Here’s a short video guide to setting up a wordpress blog that can be completed in under five minutes. Once you’ve got that set up, remember to come back here and put these ideas to use the next time you’re writing blog posts and are in desperate need of some compelling content.

What’s your favorite blog post writing tips?

Let us know in the comments!