Before you can get down to the nitty-gritty of writing your next viral blog post, you have to face the dreaded blank page.
I know that blinking cursor is taunting you. It’s daring you not to write. But you’re an entrepreneur. You’re stronger than that. So go grab yourself some coffee, settle in, and let’s chat about my personal process for figuring out what the actual you-know-what I should write about today.
This is my process for sourcing blog topic ideas, figuring out target keywords so they stand a chance of bringing in organic traffic from search engines like Google, formulating clickable (but not clickbaity) blog titles, and getting everything ready for the next step in the blog writing process.
Because processes make everything easier.
Blog planning doesn’t have to start with keyword research
Contrary to what you might see on many other posts, I don’t believe your blog ideation process should begin with keyword research. In my experience, I rarely set out to write a blog post for the sole purpose of gaining rankings for a particular keyword.
My blog ideas usually come from an aha moment I’ve had throughout the course of my day. Someone asks me a question, or I’m inspired to tackle a particular topic that I think would be extra helpful for my readers and clients. Like this post, for instance.
Besides a stroke of inspiration, here are just a few of the ways I’ve sourced blog topics for myself and clients over the years when I’m feeling a little stuck.
Look for viral trends
Using a tool like LSI Graph, enter a keyword that’s relevant to the topic you want to address, and check out the list of top-performing content.
You can learn a lot from these lists, like what kinds of headlines are resonating with readers, and it’s a fantastic source of inspiration. You’ll also get a list of LSI Keywords (also called semantic keywords) which are an important part of crafting an SEO-friendly post.
You can also use Google Trends to look for, well, trends of course – another great source of blog topic inspiration.
Writer’s block? Turn to one of my 5 foundation blog topics
These blog topics are absolutely essential for any brand – and they work for just about any industry. If you’re short on inspiration, these are a great way to break free from writer’s block.
The “How” Post
As the name suggests, this post is used to tell your readers how to do something related to your business. Like how to take a blog from idea to publication, for instance (spoiler alert: you’re reading a how post right now)
The “Why” Post
This post is a great way to build value in the products and services you provide. You should focus on why your readers should take a certain action. But be careful with this one. It’s easy to get overly salesy. Remember, you want to focus on being helpful and authentic.
For an example of a “Why” post, check out 5 Things You Didn’t Know a Blog Could Do for Your Business which, through examples of blogging benefits, explains why entrepreneurs should consider blogging.
The “FAQ” Post
This one is similar to the “How” or “Why” post, but it focuses on answering the questions and addressing the concerns most frequently brought to your attention by your existing clients. If your clients have these questions and concerns, chances are your prospects will too.
Use this post as a way to take a deep dive into the topic at hand rather than just giving a surface level answer. Really break it down so your readers can tell that you’re going above and beyond to give them an answer and address their concerns.
The “BTS” Post
The “BTS” or Behind the Scenes Post is a great way to build trust and familiarity with your brand. In this post, give your readers an inside look at the day-to-day operations of your business. You could interview an employee or even one of your most loyal customers!
You could walk your customers through the processes you use to streamline your day as an entrepreneur, or simply talk about something a little more personal.
This is a great chance to humanize your brand and put faces to names!
The “Manifesto” Post
The “Manifesto” Post gives your readers an understanding of the heart and soul of your business. Be real. Be vulnerable. Share your mission and your core values – the big why behind your brand. A brand usually won’t have too many of these, and sometimes one is enough. But whatever you choose to share about the principles and morals that drive your business, make sure it’s authentic.
One example of a Manifesto post is my recent post about authenticity in content marketing.
Once you’ve decided on a loose topic, it’s time to start dialing it in with keywords.
How to Choose Primary & Semantic Keywords
Just because my process doesn’t always start with keyword research doesn’t mean it’s not an important step in the process of publishing high-performing blogs. Once I know what I want to write about, it’s time to set the foundation for proper search engine optimization.
Take this post, for example. I knew I wanted to give my readers a highly detailed resource that takes them behind the scenes of part of my own blogging workflow.
Using tools like LSI Graph, SEMRush Topic Research, Google Suggest, and others, I can now take a look at what viral content already exists and identify keywords to target that I consider low hanging fruit – not too competitive to pit me against the giants of the marketing world, but with a high enough search volume to ensure that there is an interest in the topic I’m publishing.
In short – I want to be reasonably sure that my newish blog has a chance of ranking for these keywords down the road.
I love SEMRush’s tools for this, though this is one of the priciest tools in my marketing stack. If you’re not working at an agency and you’re just starting out, give something like LSIGraph a try – it’s free!
During my keyword research, I will also make note of semantic keywords (keywords that are related to my primary target keyword) that I can use as I’m writing my post. Semantic keywords help us keep our posts sounding natural and human while still allowing us to target our valuable keywords effectively.
For example, if I were targeting the primary keyword “electrician”, semantic keywords would include things like electrical repair, home wiring, panel installations, etc.
Brainstorm Titles & Promotional Snippets
The title of your blog plays a major role in its success or failure. After all, the title is the first thing that readers will see, and it needs to hook them in.
Just as important, perhaps, is the description snippet you use to promote your post. This short one or two sentence description serves as a long subtitle of sorts and can be repurposed into the meta description of your post as well as social media post copy down the road.
For each topic you tackle, shoot for at least 2-3 title variations and 2-3 promotional snippets. Not only will you have a few different options to play with when it comes time to publish, but you will have already done the work of creating at least 3 social media posts to drive traffic to your post in the days and weeks after it’s published.
Refer to Your Keyword Research for Title Suggestions
If you used a tool like LSIGraph in your keyword research, you can take a look at the list of top-performing content for the keywords you searched. That should give you a quick overview of the best performing blogs on your chosen topic and provide a wealth of inspiration.
Try out these blog topic generators
There are a number of awesome tools out there to help you formulate a great title for your blog post. Here are a few of my favorites.
HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator
Whenever you see the word “Hubspot” on anything, you can bet it’s going to be a valuable tool. They are, after all, credited with being the undisputed leaders in inbound marketing. They’ve amassed quite a library of tools and resources that everyone from beginners to professionals use every single day.
One of those tools is their blog topic generator, which is as simple as it is brilliant. Simply enter a noun, like small business, for example, and browse through the cards of suggested topics.
Content Idea Generator from Portent
This is another super simple way to come up with a blog title that is formulated following industry best practices. Just type in your subject, and flip through the topic suggestions.
Regardless of how you choose your topic, make sure to include your primary keyword in your blog title. Remember, following the crowd isn’t always the best way to go. While there are plenty of “proven formulas” for blog titles, ultimately you need something that resonates with your audience and feels authentic to your brand.
Next Steps: Time to Outline!
Now that you have your blog topic, your primary and secondary keywords, and a few options for blog titles and promotional snippets, it’s time to move onto the real meat of the blog planning process. It’s time to draft your creative brief and outline!
Even if you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants when you’re writing, having at least a general outline of your headlines, key concepts, and resources is essential to crafting a post that will be easy-to-read and actually helpful to your site visitors.
Not to worry, I’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Click over here to learn how I prepare outlines for my blogs.
Resources Mentioned in this article
HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator
Content Idea Generator from Portent
