USE ALMOST
ANYTHING TO INSPIRE
YOUR NEXT BLOG POST
BY RYAN SULLIVAN
@NOMOREBACON
WWW.NOMOREBACON.COM
CREATE STELLAR POST IDEAS
“An idea that is not
dangerous is unworthy of
being called an idea at all.”
-Oscar Wilde
SOLVE A PROBLEM
INVOKE AN EMOTION
MAKE A POINT
Source: XKCD.com
SELL SOMETHING
RESEARCH IT
YOU KNOW THAT PART OF HOMEWORK
THAT NOBODY REALLY LIKES…
WARNING
Getting lost in research is a real possibility. The tools
and information that follows is meant to help you
generate great post ideas that you can then write about.
Once you have gathered a good group of ideas step
away and get writing!
Please don’t make us plan an intervention.
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND
Wonder Wheel
Use it to start with a very generic idea that can stem into very
specific highly searched topics.
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND
(CONT)
Google Keyword Research Tool
Using the Google keyword tool won’t only help you find out
how your post will do on search engines, it can help you
come up with even MORE ideas and will let you get inside the
heads of what people are searching and want to know about.
GOOGLE IS STILL YOUR FRIEND
Use Social Search to See If Your Friends
Are Talking About Your Blog Post Idea
• You can quote your friends and give them credit.
• Share their link as a resource in your post (great for
community)
• Check and see if your idea has been beaten to death
recently
MORE PLACES TO GET
POST IDEAS
• Stumbleupon Buzz – most viewed content http://stumbleupon.com/discover/toprated
• Delicious Popular Page - top bookmarked content http://www.delicious.com/popular
• Yahoo Answers – A community of people asking ?s http://answers.yahoo.com/
• Google Hot Trends – What’s popular right now? http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends
• Print Magazines – Great examples of headlines RANDOM FACT: The headline in the top left corner of the last 12 issues of Cosmopolitan are all sex related.
CROWDSOURCE IT
BECAUSE ASKING PEOPLE WHAT THEY
WANT USUALLY GIVES YOU A BETTER
IDEA OF WHAT THEY WANT…
WARNING
Simply asking people “What Should I Write About?” can
make you come across as unsure of yourself or wishy
washy. Ask in confidence and phrase the question
carefully. “What would you like to see me write about
more?” might be a better way to phrase the question.
• Ask followers what they’d like you to write about.
• Bounce a potential blog idea off of people to see if there’s
any level of interest.
• Ask a specific question and use people’s replies to the
question as content for your blog post.
• Do a twitter search on your topic to see what everyone
else is talking about and then put your own spin on it.
• The Yahoo Answers for professionals
• Experts in many fields willing to share their time and
expertise
• Ask specific questions to get specific answers.
“What are some highly recommended programs for
people looking to lose over 100 pounds?”
• Community can upvote/downvote replies (weeds out
trolls).
• Many times you’ll get replies from actual founders of
programs. Great additions to any blog post.
GOOGLE FORMS
Using Google Docs you can set up a free form that you can
post on your blog to ask users what they want to learn more
about from you.
• Keep it anonymous (don’t require name or email)
• You may get a few trolls, just ignore them
• Increases probability that people will engage
• Use the feedback you get!
MASH IT
IF GLEE HAS TAUGHT US ANYTHING, IT’S
THAT PUTTING TWO UNEXPECTED THINGS
TOGETHER CAN HAVE AN AWESOME RESULT
COMBINE TWO RANDOM THINGS
+
=
EVERYTHING IS A
POTENTIAL BLOG POST
Insanity Isn’t Just The Name Of An At-Home Workout
Look at the intensity and the
fire in his eyes. This bomber is
clearly not a man who messes
around. His middle name is
testosterone and his first
name is “Made of.” Following
his lead we’ll be assured to
take our next workout to
another level. “Go hard or go
home” is the resounding
message from this master
craftsman.
COMBINE OLD POSTS
INTO A RESOURCE POST
Combining some of your old posts on a topic into one great
resource is a great way to build links to your site and become
a true resource and awesome information source to your
readers.
“The Ultimate Resource For…”
“A Beginner’s Guide to…”
“27 Ways to…”
LIVE IT
NO SUBSTITUTIONS, NO SHORTCUTS, NO
EXCEPTIONS
IT’S ALL BEEN
WRITTEN
IT’S ALL BEEN
WRITTEN
COMMON HANGUPS
• Don’t get stuck researching (I did)
• Just because you’ve read a post on a topic doesn’t mean
your readers have
• You have a unique voice and a unique way of
communicating ideas that your readers like
• Look at topics or stories from multiple angles.
• Thinking that an accomplishment or something you did is
insignificant.
BE YOURSELF AND
TELL IT THE WAY IT IS
One of my more successful posts ever was a post about
Whole Foods. I didn’t go out of my way to praise them but I
made some observations that pretty much everyone who
read it said “Yeah, that’s totally how it is!”
BE YOU AND
HAVE FUN!
FIND ME ON THE
WORLD WIDE WEB!
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @nomorebacon
Facebook: facebook.com/nomorebacon
