Entries Tagged 'Inspiration and Motivation' ↓

Have you ever sat down to write and nothing would come out?

I’m sure you probably have. I have many times, and so has almost every other blogger I know.

There are a few things I like to do when those brain-farty moments strike. I’ve written about it here, here and here.

Another thing you can try not only helps get the words flowing, but it’s also a great way to come up with good article headlines, post titles, and email subject lines.

Ask lots of questions.

Start writing down some of the questions you have about your niche, and go about researching the answers. If you end up thinking of more questions throughout the process, bonus for you.

If you’re all-knowing and you can’t think of anything you don’t already have an answer to, think back on when you weren’t so smart and you were just starting to learn about that niche.

Chances are that once you start writing out these questions more will come, and you’ll soon have a whole list of topics to write about. You can start out with a fairly general or broad question and keep adding more specific questions after that.

The cool thing about this type of exercise is you can start a series. Series posts are great for blogs since they keep readers coming back for more.

Yesterday I talked about how using images in your blog posts can improve your blog. Not only do images add a visual aspect to it, but they can also add clarity and encourage readers to digest the entire post.

Get those gears turning baby!

There is another benefit of adding pictures or illustrations to your blog. It can spark some really cool ideas for more blog post topics.

I have a folder set up on my hard drive where I store all the pictures I’ve used on each of my blogs. I also have a folder where I keep pictures I’ve found in my searches that I want to include in future posts. It’s not uncommon for 3, 4, or 5 more blog post ideas to pop into my head when searching through images.

It’s a great activity to try when you’re feeling less than inspired.

I’m a very visual person, and I like to see numbers in front of me. I created different reports that I religiously update, and now I’ve added a “word count” report.

I’ve been keeping track of how many words I write each day and keeping my tally in a file on my computer. It assures me that I actually did something positive each day, plus I can strive to write more every time while getting more efficient at it.

WordPress has a built-in word count tool, but I find that it isn’t entirely accurate so I use a free online tool. I just copy and paste my articles into it and it pops out a big fat number for me.

If you like to challenge yourself, and you’re up for some healthy competition, start keeping track of your own word count and try and beat your record each week.

I’m a bit rusty with my writing, so I wrote 2491 words today. Can you beat that?

The end of the year is quickly approaching, whether we like it or not. However, this is a great opportunity to look back at the past year, analyze what we’ve done, recognize what we’ve accomplished, learn from our mistakes, and figure out where we want to go and what we want to achieve next year.

A few days ago, I sat down and created some reports that helped me see exactly what I got done, how successful I was at it, and where I needed improvement.

Having the numbers right there in front of me really solidifies my goals and gives me a boost in motivation and momentum.

So now it’s time to ask yourself some questions.

Are you where you wanted to be by this time?

Did you set some goals? Have you met them? Have you made some positives steps to reach them if you haven’t obtained them already?

Does your website get more traffic now than it did at the beginning of the year? Do you have more readers and subscribers? Are you getting more sales?

Use what you’ve learned in the past year to drive you to move forward and grow even more. If 2008 was a great year, make sure 2009 is even better. If this past year sucked, make sure next year doesn’t.

Have a business plan. Even if you have one blog, you should still have a plan for it. How will you know where you want to go if you don’t have a way to get there?

Set some goals. Set smaller goals that you can reach and reward yourself once in awhile. But also set some big goals that you can work towards. Goals can change, but they should be challenging as well.

Have a way to measure your successes and losses. If you don’t document everything you do online, at least document the big stuff. If you keep at it long enough, you’ll quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.

If you’re happy where you are, then keep doing what you’re doing. If there’s room to grow, then figure out what you need to do to get there. If you’re not happy, ask yourself all the questions I listed above to figure out what you can do to change that.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s a positive step forward. In years past, I’ve made the opposite moves by taking backwards steps. It’s hard to overcome that, and it could have been easily avoidable. Don’t make the same mistake!

Are you wanting to start a blog but have no idea what to write about? Picking a topic is one of the first things you need to do, so you want to make sure you get it right.

Many people will tell you to blog about something you’re passionate about. While this is usually great advice, there are three things you need to think about first.

Ask Yourself…

Is it a profitable niche? If you’re looking to make money from your blog, you have to make sure there is a large enough market for the products you want to sell or promote.

Is it sustainable? You don’t want to choose a topic that will eventually cause you to run out of steam. Make sure you pick something that you can always find something interesting to write about for years to come. A topic that is popular without being a fad is something that should keep you inspired for a long time.

Is the market saturated? If you already have an idea of what you want to choose for your blog topic, do some research to see how much competition there is. If there are already quite a few blogs on the subject, there may not be anything new you can bring to the table. On the other hand, there may still be an angle that isn’t being covered, or there may be a certain aspect of your topic that isn’t being written about.

Some Blog Topic Ideas…

Sometimes it’s hard to come up with the perfect topic, so I have a few ideas that may help inspire you:

• Writing – If you’re a great writer and you enjoy writing, you can teach others how to do it as well.
• Scrapbooking – What a fun and creative topic for a blog. There are tons of scrapbooking enthusiasts and lots of income potential in this niche.
• Painting or sketching – Do you paint or draw? Creating a blog is a great way to showcase your art and gain some exposure. You can also use your blog to teach others how to paint or draw as well, or simply feature the work of others.
• Photography – Another way to showcase your talent and the talent of others. You can post photographs you’ve taken and also recommend hardware or do reviews on different cameras and accessories.
• Sculpture or pottery – If you’re skilled in the sculpture or pottery department, this could be a really great topic for a blog. You can feature pieces you’ve done yourself, and offer tips for your readers. You can even sell your own creations.
• Cooking – There are plenty of cooking/baking/recipe blogs out there, but you can add your own personality and spin to make yours unique. Here’s one I found recently that I really like, Cooking For My Wife.
• Crafts – If you love to do crafts, this is another great idea for a blog topic. You can blog about crafts for kids, crafts on a budget, free crafts, holiday crafts, etc. There are lots of ideas and you’ll likely never run out, or you’ll at least find inspiration easily. Subscribe to craft magazines or do some research online and you’re sure to find lots of post ideas.
• Gardening – If you have a green thumb, this is a good one for you. You can blog about flowers, grass, plants, herbs, fruits and vegetables. Again, lots of blog post ideas. You can post pictures of your own garden and lawn, write about how to keep pests away from your yard, or talk about organic gardening.
• Personal blog – If you have a great sense of humor, you have a really interesting life, or some amazing stories to tell, you can always start up a personal blog. (I have none of those criteria but I started my own personal blog anyway ). Keep in mind however, that unless you have a really great hook, it can be difficult to gain popularity since there isn’t really a specific niche you can break in to.
• Gaming – If you’re like me and love video games, you can create a blog dedicated to the games you love to play. Write game walkthroughs and strategies, post tips, tricks and cheats, write reviews, etc.

Still Can’t Decide?

If you’re still struggling to come up with a blog topic after reading this list, don’t despair. Your niche could very well be sitting right under your nose.

Are you a movie buff? Wine aficionado? Hotrod enthusiast? Chances are you have a hobby, favorite activity or passion that can be turned into a blog (and a profitable blog if your goal is to make money with it).

You may have to dig deep to realize it, but once you do, you’ll be certain that it’s the right niche for you. If you can make it unique, offer great content to your visitors, and can create loyal readers out of them, you’ve got a winner!

Once you’ve decided on your niche, don’t forget to sign up for my free e-course on how to get free traffic to your blog. You can join for free here.

Related reading:

• The Advantage of Blogs
• What Work At Home Job Can I Do?