A few weeks ago I gave a talk at the Beauty Blogger Awards at Olympia talking about how to stay inspired and keep coming up with new content ideas for your blog. There were some lovely tweets about it on the day (hugs to all of you) so I thought I’d round up my musings into a ‘tips’ post. And I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips on how you hunt out new blog post ideas, so please share in the comments section!
Get stationery, don’t stay stationary - Inspiration can strike at the weirdest times, make the most of it by keeping notes on your phone of potential blog post ideas, or treat yourself to a new notebook to keep your ideas in. Write down the smallest little idea, even if you don’t know where you want to take it. You can always come back to it later and flesh it out. There's nothing wrong with having lots of random half empty posts in your 'drafts' folder - it's a good place to store potential ideas for future posts.
Make a brainstorm - Grab a big bit of paper and some pens and get your thinking cap on. Write down a topic in the centre of the page (e.g. mascara) and think up all the possible ideas/topics that link with it. For example: the best/worst/budget/wands/types/application tips – there are hundreds of different things you could think of. Revisit it at a later date and choose your favourites.
Ask your friends and readers - What are they struggling with? Is there anything they'd love to see a review of? They might have a whole wealth of beauty questions you could answer. Why not ask your social media followers and see if they have anything they'd like you to cover.
Think seasonal (yes, that does mean Christmas) - Plan out your content calendar and make note of any major holidays/events. Brainstorm ideas for each one and then filter for the best 2-3 ideas for each. Plan in advance and you’ll always have content ready, even when it’s months away.
Try something new - Bored of writing about beauty? Why not include a fashion post, or your favourite things to do in your local area? Readers often love a bit of variety, so don’t feel like you always have to stick to one particular niche. One new post can lead to big inspiration…
Google Analytics is your friend - Analytics don’t just tell you how many visitors you’re getting, they’re a great way to see which of your blog posts are the most popular. Have a look through and see which have been successful and use these as inspiration for future posts. Your readers love budget makeup posts? Try a few more of those, or if they want to know which high end hair products are really worth investing in, let them know! I like to use my analytics to tell me which posts have been most popular over the past month, as well as looking further back to see which have had longer term successes.
Take a break - Still uninspired? Take a few days off from blogging. Don’t force it if it’s not working for you, you’ll only produce content you’re not proud of. Sometimes a week off is all you need to get fired up with lots of ideas and come back with a vengeance. Don’t feel bad for it – everybody needs a break!
What are your top tips for staying inspired?
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