We’ve all been there.

You need to write a blog article, but you’ve run out of blog topics to write about.

Not to worry.

Sometimes it just takes a new angle on an old story to get that spark you need to get new content flowing.

And before you know it, you’ve got a unique post that readers love.

In this post we’ve compiled 65 blog post ideas in 7 topic themes you can apply to your business and have an original post people will want to share.

Before we jump into juicy topics, let’s talk about your goal for writing.

What’s the goal?

The goal of any blog article is to help your readers understand and act on some problem that’s important to them.

The goal for you is to attract more readers and to keep them on your site longer.

Our research at BlogWorks found that readers will stay 5-10 times longer on a blog post, compared to any other page on your site.

When readers stay on your site longer you can introduce them to other articles, products, and services and invite them to purchase, or reach out and contact you.

The goal of any blog article is to help your readers understand and act on some problem that’s important to them. Click To Tweet

It’s the marriage between attracting the readers and keeping them reading – that’s the magic you want to achieve.

Now that we’re clear on the goal, let’s look at the system you use to publish more efficiently.

A system for writing

You can certainly spend lots of time spinning your wheels between writing, finding topics, editing, research, headlines, and all the rest of what makes for a great blog post.

That’s why you need a system.

In this article, I’ve detailed a super easy system you can use for every writing project.

For this post, I’ll include a brief overview:

1. Build a Content Calendar.

Build a Content Calendar of great topics for future articles. This is a list of future posts that solve problems you know your customers have.

2. Start with the end in mind.

Start with the end in mind and plan the CTA’s (Call To Action) you want readers to take. The goal is not to just keep the reader on your site – the goal is to prove you are a trusted authority and the best choice when it comes to solving their problem.

3. Research with an egg timer.

Use an egg timer and limit your research to 15 minutes. Before you get lost reading other blog posts, WIKI articles, or your past blog posts, set an egg timer for 15 minutes.

4. Use this template.

Use a template to save time writing and make your article better. A template (see below) helps you organize your thoughts, but more importantly, using a good template will help keep your reader on your blog article longer.

5. Write, don’t edit.

Avoid the temptation to edit until you have your first draft. When you stop to edit you not only slow down the writing process, you switch from a creative level of thinking about this topic and the solutions to a detailed level that’s all about commas and semicolons.

6. Edit, don’t write.

When editing, avoid the temptation to rewrite your article—done is better than perfect. Now that you have your draft article it’s time to quickly edit and get ready for the final steps of a headline, images, and publishing. Pro tip: Install a free tool, like Grammarly, and half of your mistakes can be fixed in minutes.

7. Headlines and images last

Write your headline and select your images last. In this article, I give you 5 ways to find great headlines – look at #4 using Google’s Auto Suggest to refine the focus of your headline.

Now that you have a system, let’s talk about a writing template.

Use a writing template

A template can make the difference between hours and hours of frustrating writing and a slick process that gets you to rough draft in 60 minutes.

In short, it will save you time.

But, first what is a template?

A blog writing template is nothing more than a format to organize your thinking and the final blog article. I like to think of it like a Bento Box—you can put different ingredients in each spot, depending on the outcome you want.

The Ultimate Writing Template we use is based on our years of writing and tracking what articles perform the best.

Here’s a simple template that we follow at BlogWorks. You can download this template and learn more about how to use it in this article.

OPENING – start with a story, a bold claim, or a statistic/fact. The job of the opening is to grab your reader’s attention and make them want to read the next sentence.
PROBLEM – make it obvious the problem you are solving. It could be to save time, rescue a marriage, or delegate better – whatever it is, make it clear you understand their problem.
PERSONAL – what’s your personal experience or client’s story, or research you’ve completed?
PROMISE – tell the reader what they can expect from the article. Keep them reading by building anticipation!
SOLUTION(S) – what do they need to do or change? Give examples of how this has worked for others? What do they need to avoid?
NEXT STEPS – remind them of the problem and why your solution is important.
THE OFFER – how they can go further with you (products, services, courses, etc)
CLOSE – finish with a motivational message, call-to-action, or challenge.

To download your copy of the Ultimate Writing Template click here. You’ll want to save this in whatever folder you use for writing.

Now that you have your goal, a system, and your writing template, it’s time to choose a theme that will shape your blog topics.

7 blog post themes

1. Opinion posts

1. The complete list of reasons that most _________ fail
2. The ultimate list of Do’s and Don’ts for _________
3. The one question that changed my _________
4. My end-of-year predictions for _________
5. Why I have stopped eating _________ and you should as well
6. How to declutter your desk in only ## minutes
7. The one purchase that changed my life
8. What most people don’t know about _________

2. Experience/Expertise

9. ## steps to becoming _________
10. Why I stopped _________ and why you should as well
11. The biggest misconception about _________
12. Why I _________ and you should as well
13. ## profitable strategies for small business owners
14. Why I will never _________
15. The ## most important questions to ask before you hire a _________
16. The one success goal every _________ must have
17. How one conversation changed my _________

3. Aspirational/Inspirational

18. How thinking different can get you _________
19. The books that impacted me the most
20. ## inspirational quotes that could change your _________
21. How _________ changed my thinking forever
22. Your kick-back ____ summer read list
23. What success really means
24. ## books that will change the way you think about _________
25. ## great examples of _________
26. One daily routine that could change your _________

4. How to

27. How to discover _________
28. Why a survey can _________
29. How to design the perfect online course launch
30. ## things you should do before 8:00 AM
31. ## ways to discover your _________
32. How to buy your next _________ for less money
33. ## TED talks that changed my life
34. How to read better and faster in ## easy steps
35. How to invest like _________ in only 5 minutes a day

5. Contrarian

36. Why time management doesn’t work (and what does instead)
37. Don’t start another diet – until you read this.
38. Why most self-help books don’t help
39. ## reasons why you need to work less to earn more
40. What our parents didn’t know about _________
41. Why most business owners should never _________
42. Why organizing gurus have it all wrong (and what really works)
43. How to get in the best shape of your life without exercise
44. The biggest myths about self-publishing uncovered

6. Mistakes to avoid

45. ## mistakes you want to avoid when _________
46. The biggest mistake that taught me _________
47. The ## biggest mistakes start-up companies need to avoid
48. ## mistakes most leaders make when hiring
49. How to avoid these ## embarrassing email mistakes
50. How to avoid _________ (and what to do instead)
51. ## mistakes first-time authors need to avoid
52. How to know if you are _________
53. A quick checklist that will save you _________
54. What I learned from _________

7. Getting better

55. What I learned when I first _________
56. My experience _________ and lessons learned
57. What I discovered when I _________
58. ## ways to overcome _________ and to _________
59. How I learned how to _________ in only ## minutes a day
60. How I finally decluttered my life and what I learned
61. How to change from _________ to _________
62. What I learned from publishing my first _________
63. One habit that everyone needs to _________
64. How to finally stop _________ and start _________
65. Feeling stuck? ## ways to _________

Final thought

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether you have the perfect headline or write the most amazing article. Here’s what really matters…

that you keep writing.

In the past week I have read (and loved) blog posts that are over 10,000 words and some that are a scant 500 words, but took my breath away.

As Stephen King wrote in On writing: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.”

Enjoyed this post? Great! Here are 3 more all about writing that perfect blog post:

How to hire an awesome writer for your blog
7 steps to writing the perfect blog post faster
How to write your first round-up post

This post was originally published in 2018, but has been updated in 2020 just for you!