3 Creative Ideas for Outside-the-Box Blog Posts
Even the best, most popular blogs in the world can get stale from time to time. Sooner or later, you’re going to get that nagging feeling that you’ve run out of things to write about. The next time you’re stuck for a blog subject, try one of these to get the creative juices flowing.
1. Pick up a magazine you’ve never read — and never would.
Next time you’re in Barnes & Noble, Borders, heck even Walmart, run over to the Periodicals aisle and grab a magazine that holds zero interest for you. The more obscure and specific, the better. (Don’t just grab an outdoors magazine, pick up one about bird watching or fly fishing.) There are magazines for every personal interest in the world, and the best thing about them is, the people who write for them are true enthusiasts. Wikipedia might give you a complete explanation of what model railroading is, but a magazine will immerse you in the model railroad culture, using jargon and knowledge that only insiders have.
If your budget is zero, try your local library. Most libraries carry plenty of current mags for you to peruse. If you want to take this idea further, sign up for a class on an unusual topic. Read a novel that’s way outside your tastes. Attend a trade show you might consider bizarre.
2. Scan the headlines. Every day.
Say you write a blog on sewing. Head over to your favorite news website and find a story that grabs your attention. Good news, bad news, doesn’t matter, as long as it’s something big that’s happening now and on a lot of people’s minds. Now look at that news story from your blog’s perspective. If you were to write about that news story on your niche-interest sewing blog, what might you say that would do justice to the story while remaining relevant and on-topic to the blog?
Find a common ground between what you already do and whatever’s happening in the world, and a whole new realm of content just might open up for you.
3. Do something crazy, then write about it.
We bloggers are sometimes a bit hermit-like in falling prey to the lull of writing, hunching over the soft glow of our laptops until all hours. But how much can you really come up with to write about by sitting behind the computer 24/7?
Lots of how-to bloggers will tell you to “just shut off the computer and go outside to find things to write about.” You know, head to the park, a museum, a movie, travel the world, blah blah blah. But anyone can do that. Instead, I say once in a while you should get out and do something outrageous. Do something completely bonkers and then write a story on your blog about your gonzo adventure. Jump into the fountain at the mall and pretend like you’re swimming laps. Go to the middle of downtown and belt out your favorite song at the top of your lungs. Crash a wedding wearing clothes that were fashionable in the 70s.
Just get out there and do something nuts. Your readers will love it — and might be inspired to do something outrageous of their own.
About the Author
Hope Rocha lives in Las Vegas, where doing crazy things is required by law. By day, she fights the urge to recommend DSL Internet Providers to senior citizens, while her dream is to one day sell yogurt to hobos in Guam.