6 Ways To Blog When You Do When You Don’t Know What To Blog About
When I used to teach real estate agents SEO and blogging I used to get this question about what to blog about. It’s that very common question that inspired this post.
1. Your Inbox
The first place to look is your inbox. As a small business owner you likely get a ton of questions every week that you routinely answer. Turn these into excellent blog posts. It could be something as simple as “What countries do you ship to?” or it could be more technical question regarding liability. This could also be a great resource for your FAQ.
I use a lengthy “earnest money” example to show how long the answer can be. Most business owners think the answers are short and sweet, but you can go into great detail. Similar the “explanatory post” below.
2. How To Post
Just like searching your inbox to answer questions a “how to” post is essentially walking someone through the process of doing something. According to Sumo (see link below), “How to” posts are responsible for 23% of all traffic from the most popular posts.
3. List Posts
Make a list of things. This sounds pretty simple… because it is. I could easily make this blog “5 blog topics every writer must know.” 59% of people will share these posts without even reading them!
4. Explanatory Post
This is where you explain something in written format. It helps if you treat the reader as if they are a child when writing this. Something I must work on for sure! This has the potential to be your cornerstone content – the kind of content that you build your site around link to. This Local SEO Guide is a great example of this.
5. A Warning Post
This one is an eye grabbing headline. This post could be easily be re-written. “Warning: Don’t start your blog without reading these 5 tips.” The “Hidden Danger of Doing It Yourself” – whatever “it” is – related to your business.
6. Breaking News Post
Here’s a “two-fer” where you either post something that ties into the news of the day or where you announce something. While many people won’t search for this kind of post on your site and can be something that keeps them there. Check on Twitter and Facebook’s Trend’s sections before you publish and make sure you’re using appropriate terms to take advantage of the trending topic.