We’ve all been there. You need to write a new article, but you’re stuck coming up with blog topics.
Not to worry.
Sometimes, a new angle on an old story can spark the spark needed to create new content.
And before you know it, you’ve got a unique post that readers love.
65 blog post ideas
In this post, we’ve compiled 65 blog post topics in 7 topic themes that you can apply to your business and create 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 something important to them.
Your goal is to attract more readers and keep them on your site longer.
Our research at BlogWorks found that readers will stay 5-10 times longer on a blog post than 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 contact you.
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 spend lots of time spinning your wheels between writing, finding blog topics, editing, researching, coming up with 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 blog post topics and ideas 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 (Call to Action) you want readers to take.
The goal is not just to 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 a timer.
Use a timer and limit your research to 15 minutes. Before you get lost reading other blog posts, WIKI articles, or your past blog posts, set a timer for 15 minutes.
4. Use a template.
Use a template to save time writing and improve your article. 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 slow down the writing process. But you also switch from a creative level of thinking about this topic and its 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 creating a headline, creating 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 of frustrating writing and a slick process that gets you to a 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.
Our Ultimate Writing Template is based on our years of writing and tracking what blog topics perform best.
Here’s an example of a simple template.
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 what 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, 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 view the Ultimate Writing Template, click here.
Do you have a blog SOP? If not, check out this article next to find out why it’s time to make one.
7 Themes & 65 Blog Post Topics
Now you have your goal, a system, and a writing template. Next, it’s time to choose a theme for your blog post.
1. Opinion posts
The complete list of reasons that most _________ fail
The ultimate list of Do’s and Don’ts for _________
The one question that changed my _________
My end-of-year predictions for _________
Why I have stopped eating _________ and you should as well
How to declutter your desk in only ## minutes
The one purchase that changed my life
What most people don’t know about _________
2. Experience/Expertise Topics
## steps to becoming _________
Why I stopped _________ and why you should as well
The biggest misconception about _________
Why I _________ and you should as well
## profitable strategies for small business owners
Why I will never _________
The ## most important questions to ask before you hire a _________
The one success goal every _________ must have
How one conversation changed my _________
3. Aspirational/Inspirational Blog Topics
How thinking different can get you _________
The books that impacted me the most
## inspirational quotes that could change your _________
How _________ changed my thinking forever
Your kick-back ____ summer read list
What success really means
## books that will change the way you think about _________
## great examples of _________
One daily routine that could change your _________
4. How To Blog Topics
How to discover _________
Why a survey can _________
How to design the perfect online course launch
## things you should do before 8:00 AM
## ways to discover your _________
How to buy your next _________ for less money
## TED talks that changed my life
How to read better and faster in ## easy steps
How to invest like _________ in only 5 minutes a day
5. Contrarian Blog Post Topics
Why time management doesn’t work (and what does instead)
Don’t start another diet – until you read this.
Why most self-help books don’t help
## reasons why you need to work less to earn more
What our parents didn’t know about _________
Why most business owners should never _________
Why organizing gurus have it all wrong (and what really works)
How to get in the best shape of your life without exercise
The biggest myths about self-publishing uncovered
6. Mistakes to avoid
## mistakes you want to avoid when _________
The biggest mistake that taught me _________
The ## biggest mistakes start-up companies need to avoid
## mistakes most leaders make when hiring
How to avoid these ## embarrassing email mistakes
How to avoid _________ (and what to do instead)
## mistakes first-time authors need to avoid
How to know if you are _________
A quick checklist that will save you _________
What I learned from _________
7. Getting better topics
What I learned when I first _________
My experience _________ and lessons learned
What I discovered when I _________
## ways to overcome _________ and to _________
How I learned how to _________ in only ## minutes a day
How I finally decluttered my life and what I learned
How to change from _________ to _________
What I learned from publishing my first _________
One habit that everyone needs to _________
How to finally stop _________ and start _________
Feeling stuck? ## ways to _________
We’ve covered blog post topics and themes today, but are you familiar with the top six types of blog posts? Learn all about them here.
Final thoughts: Put these blog post topics to work
Ultimately, 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.
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.”
Okay, there might be one way around it when it comes to blogging…outsourcing! We eat, sleep, and breathe blog posts at BlogWorks, and our team loves undertaking the entire writing process.
So, if you’re still stuck creating actual articles out of these blog topics, we can help.
Great article Hugh , thanks for this insight as it does get the creative juices going.
Thanks Duncan – I find it’s also helpful to keep a running list (we use Google Docs for this) of all our blog posts and the click through rate we got from the email. It’s not a perfect test, but click through is one indicator of the posts popularity.