3 Things You Can Do If You Don't Know What To Write About
One of the most common things that I hear from people when I ask about their biggest struggle with creating blog content is, “I don’t know what to write about.”
And I get it – if you’re newer to the blog scene for your business, it can feel like a whole new world that you have to learn how to navigate.
Just like you once had to learn how to show up on social media and create content consistently, you now have to learn how to implement something new into your business and that can easily feel very overwhelming.
And even if you’re not new to the blog scene and you’ve been using blog content in your business for years, sometimes we all just get in a creative slump and don’t know what to say.
So, wherever you fall, I hear you! I really do.
But with that, I also have to get real with you for a sec and say… you probably do already know what type of content to create and you probably have plenty of content topics that you could write about.
I mean after all, isn’t it a business owner's right of passage to have your notes app full of content ideas??
Whether or not you touch that notes app again is another story, but the content ideas are usually there!
The real problem is that you may be simply starting in the wrong place.
Most of the time when I talk with business owners or observe their content strategy, I notice that anytime they’re creating new content, they’re starting with content on social media FIRST.
And if you know me at all, you know that my motto is blogs first, socials second.
There’s a deeper reason behind this motto and I talk about this further in this blog post!
So, if content creation in general feels hard for you, read that FIRST and then come back here.
3 Ways To Generate New Content Ideas
After you’ve adopted the new content strategy of starting with blogs first and letting that guide everything else that you do, you may find yourself in a true struggle of coming up with new content ideas on a consistent basis.
If that’s you, there’s 3 major things you can do:
1. Think about your most frequently asked questions in your business or industry.
The questions that people ask you the most can truly be the cornerstone of your blog content and give you the ability to have plenty of topics to choose from at any given time.
This is something you can do RIGHT now!
Simply think about what your audience is constantly asking you in your business and write down anything that comes to mind.
And remember: sometimes the FAQs in your business may actually come in the form of objections or hesitations, so write those down to.
For example, a huge hesitation I hear from people about starting a blog for their business is that they don’t have time and they can’t seem to stay consistent with it.
Knowing this about my audience, I’ve written multiple blog posts that address this head on and is the very reason that I created a signature process to guide people through and created a system to help them do it with ease.
2. Poll your audience
If you're feeling stuck on ideas, your audience will typically tell you what they want or need.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you’re just going to create every single thing that they ask for, but it can give you some good insight and get your creative juices flowing.
But instead of doing this on Instagram (because I know the polls on stories can be tempting), I encourage you to take this further and conduct a deep dive survey with your audience via email.
A deep dive survey is not a concept that I created, but it is something that I learned about early on in my marketing career and is such an interesting tactic!
I highly encourage you to research the ASK Method on your own, but essentially this method is all about using a specific set of questions to reveal your audience’s pain points in THEIR words.
When you know this information, you can then create your content and the messaging for your offers around those things more effectively.
A deep dive survey is best sent via email because there’s a higher chance that your most loyal audience members will reply!
And the KEY is that you don’t ask a ton of questions – instead you ask fewer of the RIGHT questions.
Here’s what I mean by that:
You aren’t going to ask, “what content do you want to see more of?”
Tbh, that’s boring and no one really knows what to say.
Instead, you’re going to phrase it like this:
What’s the single biggest challenge that you’re struggling with in your business right now?
What reasons have kept you from implementing XYZ in your business?
Phrasing your questions like this gives your audience more of a chance to actually explain what they’re experiencing AND it gives you greater insight to their hesitations, objections and challenges, so that you can create better content that speaks to those things specifically!
3. Audit your existing content
Lastly, if you don’t know what to write about, one of the greatest things you can do for yourself is audit your existing content.
If you’re already creating content for social media, there’s a HIGH chance that you already have blog-worthy content without even realizing it.
A social media content audit is one of the first things that I do with all of my clients to get us rolling with blog content ideas (even if we don’t end up using them), because here’s the thing:
You might have the greatest social media content out there, but the reality is that your content on some of our most beloved apps (I’m looking at you, Instagram 👀) only lasts for 48 hours or LESS!
(You can read more on the shelf life of your content here.)
And considering how long it takes me to edit a reel… that shelf life is kindaaaa depressing.
So, if you’re creating FIRE content, wouldn’t you agree it’s better off in a place where you OWN it and it will last forevermore?!
I think so too!
When conducting a content audit, look for the content that:
✔️ your audience has engaged with the most
✔️ resonates the most with your audience
✔️ always tends to draw more questions
✔️ has the ability to be talked about on a deeper level
These pieces of existing content can very easily give you blog topic ideas to start with and get your creative juices flowing in the right direction!
And if you WANT to do a content audit like this, but you don’t have the time to do it yourself, my Blog Content Kickstart Kit was created with you in mind.
With the Kickstart Kit, you’ll receive:
4 blog posts written based on your existing content
1:1 Strategy & Clarity Call to ensure you feel confident with consistent blogging in your business
A quarter's worth of additional blog content ideas (up to 12) that you can implement with ease
How To Get Started (And Stay Consistent) With Blog Content In Your Business
If you’re new to the world of blogging for your business, I know it can feel overwhelming, but just like any other content platform out there, there is a way for you to create a rhythm that works best for YOU!
For a full guide on how to get started with ease, download The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging For Your Business to learn the step by step process of starting your business blog from scratch.
And even if you’re not new to blogging, this guide can help you revitalize your existing blog and give you the direction you need to make your blog a top priority in your marketing.
In the Beginner’s Guide, you’ll also get instant access to additional resources to help you stay on top of your blog content consistency with a quarterly planning system that takes the guesswork out of the planning and makes it 10X easier for you.
If you need support along the way, that’s exactly what I’m here for.
CLICK HERE to browse the different ways we can work together to make your blog something that you and your audience love!