This article is a chapter from my book Blog Ideas: 131 Ideas to Kill Writer's Block, Supercharge Your Blog and Stand Out. The entire book will eventually be available on this website for free in web format, but if you prefer to read it in ebook or physical formats, you can find Blog Ideas on Amazon.com (affiliate link).
Bonus Blog Ideas
Blog Idea #132: Blogging the Alphabet
It may be counterintuitive, but adding constraints can make it easier to come up with ideas. If you’re running into the wall of writer’s block, try the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. The idea is to write a blog post each day of the month except Sunday. On the first day of the month, you write about a topic starting with the letter A. On the second day, write about a subject starting with the letter B. On the third day, your topic starts with C. And so on. For each day, come up with a blog post title that starts with the letter of the day. Some examples are: “Affirmations,” “After the Party,” “Alex Smith,” or “April Fool’s Day.” The topic should fit the theme of your blog. Then write at least 100 words about your topic.
A variation that I’ve seen on several blogs is to write an A to Z blog post. Instead of writing 26 blog posts in as many days, you write a single article covering 26 items. Examples include: “Writer’s Resources A-Z,” “The A-Z of Travel Planning,” “Wine A to Z,” or “Personal Finances A to Z.” Once you decide on your topic, come up with an item for each letter of the alphabet. Write a sentence or short paragraph about each. You can even present your article as 26 bullet points.
Blog Idea #133: The Hub and Spokes Model
Like many things in the world, the internet follows the 80/20 rule. 80% of internet users flock to 20% of websites. The bottom 80% of sites get almost no traffic. And this is probably understating things. How can you get traffic in an internet where the top sites dominate? One of the best solutions might be the hub and spokes model. Imagine a bicycle wheel. It has a circular hub at the center with spokes radiating outwards. Now think of your blog as the hub. Every external site you interact with will be a spoke leading back to the hub. You might post videos on YouTube, upload pictures to Instagram, guest post on other blogs, comment on other sites or update social media statuses. These are all spokes. Everything you do outside of your blog should have a link back to your blog. All spokes connect to the hub.
The effect of the hub and spokes model may be subtle in the beginning. But as you add new spokes, people will start to visit your blog from the larger sites. You will get the best results if the content you post to external spoke sites is useful to readers. If people like your content, they will become curious about who you are and visit your blog. It’s a slow process, but worth it in the long-term.
Blog Idea #134: Affiliate Recommendations
Taking a cold-contact approach to affiliate marketing rarely works. People are bombarded with advertisements and sales pitches every day. They ignore the vast majority of them.
A better approach is to provide helpful content with affiliate links added almost as an afterthought. Readers won’t go on the defensive because your content will not look like a sales pitch. If you adopt a philosophy of trying to help people instead of making money, your readers will be more likely to buy.
There are several ways to help people that also provide opportunities to include affiliate links. Here are a few ideas:
List posts. List your favorite books, products, software, or anything else. It works well for anything that you consume a lot of. If you read a lot of books, write an article about the top five. If you watch a lot of movies, what are your recommendations? If you download a lot of apps, which are your favorites?
Resource guides. If you are successful in something, beginners will be interested in what resources you use. Are you good at climbing? Tell people what gear you use. Are you a master woodworker? Write a list of essential tools for novices. Are you a professional internet marketer? Write an article describing the online services you pay for to do your job.
Comparison guides. Many people do online research before making large purchases. If you provide a comparison guide that helps them make the decision, they might buy through your affiliate link. Some example comparison articles include: “Bluehost vs. HostGator,” “Sienna vs. Odyssey,” “iPhone vs. Android,” or “Chromebook vs. laptop.”
If something you like doesn’t have an affiliate link, you should still include it in your article. You don’t have to make money from everything. When your readers realize that your priority is not to make money from them, they will be more likely to trust your opinions and buy from your site in the future.
More on Blogging
I’ve compiled a selection of the best resources I found about blogging. They are in no particular order, though I’ve put my favorites at the top of each list.
Books
Pro-Blogging Secrets: Strategies, Tips, and Answers You Need to Grow Your Blog and Earn More Money, by Bob Lotich
How to Blog for Profit without Selling Your Soul, by Ruth Soukup
My Blog Traffic Sucks! 8 Simple Steps to Get 100,000 Blog Visitors without Working 8 Days a Week, by Steve Scott
Problogger’s Guide to Blogging for Your Business, by Mark Hayward
ProBlogger’s Guide to your First Week of Blogging, by ProBlogger
Blogging All-in-One for Dummies, by Susan Gunelius
How to Start a Home-based Blogging Business, by Brett Snyder
How to Write Great Blog Posts that Engage Readers, by Steve Scott
How to Make Money Blogging: How I Replaced My Day Job with My Blog, by Bob Lotich
How to Work for Yourself: 100 Ways to Make the Time, Energy and Priorities to Start a Business, Book or Blog, by Bryan Cohen
The Blogger’s Guide to Online Marketing: 31 Steps to a Profitable Blog, by The Web Marketing Ninja and Problogger
ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, by Chris Garrett
How to Start a Successful Blog in One Hour, by Steve Scott
Blog Wise: How to Do More with Less, by Darren Rowse
How to Find a Profitable Blog Topic Idea, by Steve Scott
WordPress To Go, by Sarah McHarry
How To Start A Profitable Authority Blog In Under One Hour, by Passive Marketing
How to Make $1,000 Per Day Blogging Part Time, by Chris Karlas
Blogging, by Efron Hirsch
Blogging: Blogging Blackbook, by Jason Wolf
Websites
Problogger (www.problogger.net)
Copyblogger (www.copyblogger.com)
Blogging Your Passion (www.bloggingyourpassion.com)
SEOBook (www.seobook.com)
Successful Blog (www.successful-blog.com)
Chris Garrett on New Media (www.chrisg.com)
Chris Brogan (www.chrisbrogan.com)
Duct Tape Marketing (www.ducttapemarketing.com)
Moz Blog (www.moz.com/blog)
Small Biz Survival (www.smallbizsurvival.com)
The Smart Passive Income Blog (www.smartpassiveincome.com)
ViperChill (www.viperchill.com)
Blogging Tips (www.bloggingtips.com)
Daily Blog Tips (www.dailyblogtips.com)
Basic Blog Tips (www.basicblogtips.com)
The Blog Herald (www.blogherald.com)
My Blogger Lab (www.mybloggerlab.com)
My Blogger Tricks (www.mybloggertricks.com)
Podcasts
Problogger Podcast, hosted by Darren Rowse (www.problogger.com/podcast)
Smart Passive Income, hosted by Pat Flynn (www.smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts)
Blogging Your Passion, hosted by Jonathan Milligan (www.bloggingyourpassion.com)
How They Blog, hosted by Kat Lee (www.howtheyblog.com)
Online Marketing Made Easy, hosted by Amy Porterfield (www.amyporterfield.com/category/podcast)
Online Articles
Blogs Falling in an Empty Forest, by Douglas Quenqua (www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/fashion/07blogs.html)
Blogging Statistics, Facts and Figures in 2012 – Infographic, by Jeff Bullas (www.jeffbullas.com/2012/08/02/blogging-statistics-facts-and-figures-in-2012-infographic)
Can You REALLY Make Money Blogging? [7 Things I Know About Making Money from Blogging], by Darren Rowse (www.problogger.net/can-you-really-make-money-blogging-7-things-i-know-about-making-money-from-blogging)
Use No Bad Ideas Brainstorming to Come Up With Ideas, by Jason Zook (www.jasondoesstuff.com/brainstorming)
GoDaddy traffic soars, by Krysten Crawford (money.cnn.com/2005/02/08/technology/godaddy)
10 Timeless Creative PR Ideas, by Frank Strong (www.swordandthescript.com/2013/12/timeless-creative-pr-ideas)
The PR Stunt that Failed and Lessons for Good Blogger Relations, by Mana Ionescu (www.lightspandigital.com/blog/the-pr-stunt-that-failed-and-lessons-for-good-blogger-relations)
23 Must See Free Blogging Platforms, by Jerry Low (www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/blogging-tips/23-must-see-free-blogging-platforms)
The 18 best blogging sites and publishing platforms on the internet today, by Owen Williams (www.thenextweb.com/businessapps/2015/05/11/the-18-best-blogging-and-publishing-platforms-on-the-internet-today)
The 11 Best Free Blog Sites, by Kristen Bousquet (www.stylecaster.com/best-free-blog-sites)
The 12 best free blogging platforms, by Craig Grannell (www.creativebloq.com/web-design/best-blogging-platforms-121413634)
Different types of blog, by Mike Ham (www.slideshare.net/p10540735/different-types-of-blog-11609124)
The Complete Guide to Building Your Blog Audience, by Neil Patel and Aaron Agius (www.quicksprout.com/the-complete-guide-to-building-your-blog-audience)
38 Websites and Blogs That Pay Writers $100 Per Article and More (Updated for 2015), by Jennifer Mattern (www.allindiewriters.com/blogs-pay-writers-100-per-article)
20 Sites To Get Paid For Writing And Blogging – Best Of, by Brian Voo (www.hongkiat.com/blog/sites-to-get-paid-blogging)
How To Monetize Your Blog By Repurposing Content, by Natalie Sisson (www.problogger.net/monetize-blog-repurposing-content)
10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work, by Brian Clark (www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work)
The Lotus Blossom Creative Technique, by Robert Riley (www.thoughtegg.com/lotus-blossom-creative-technique)
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