Blogging 101: Inspiration now!

At a time when content is king, the subject matter, or topic of your blog, can be the deciding factor of whether your message receives major traction or none at all. Conveniently, or frustratingly rather, choosing your subject matter might also be the hardest part of the entire writing process. So when your mind draws a blank, and inspiration is more than lacking, where do you turn?

We’ve compiled a list of our favourite places to draw inspiration from which help us create compelling, interesting and information-packed blogs.

Social Media

Facebook – Facebook, the mother of all Social Media platforms. This one is a no brainer. If you’re like us, your social newsfeed is where you get your news, where you come across interesting articles and blogs (hello inspiration!) and where you can connect with like-minded professionals who can help you in times when your brain has gone into sleep mode. While it can sometimes be a noisy space, Facebook is a valuable tool for connecting, following, and joining groups for professionals like yourself. It’s also the first place you will want to share your blog once it’s written.

Twitter – We love Twitter for keeping our finger on the pulse. If you follow quality and not quantity, you should have some juicy leads just in your Twitter feed alone. Follow your peers, competitors, and stay in the know of what’s #trending and what’s hot. If you’re not on Twitter we recommend signing up, connecting and downloading the App. It’s one of the easiest ways to stay in the loop when on the go.

Instagram – If you’re used to just scrolling your feed, you’re doing it wrong! By clicking on the speech bubble (second icon from the right) otherwise known as the Activity button, you can see what everyone else is liking, commenting on and what’s gaining traction right now. You can see what your peers are talking about, who is following who, and ultimately you can find some NEW people to follow – people who might be in your industry who may just spark some inspiration.
Not on Instagram? You can check out the Instagram blog (which is totally boss by the way) via their website – no App required. See it here: www.instragram.com/blog

The News

We know you’re probably overloaded with “news” from your social media pages alone, but there’s always the old school option of reading the paper or watching the news for some inspiration and a different spin on things. Current news affects us all, and if your subject is highly topical, your blog will be timely and therefore very clickable. If this works with your brand and your blog, current events (spun in your own way to relate to your business) can be a great subject matter. Throw it out there on social media with your own angle on the story and you’re bound to gain some likes, clicks, and shares.

Your Work

What are you working on today, tomorrow, and in a month’s time? Your audience follow you for a reason. They want to know what you’re upto! So, tell them! If you’re proud of progress you’ve made on a project, or you’ve just completed a major piece of work, share this exciting news with everyone on your blog. Explain what you did, why it’s innovative and special, and illustrate it with screenshots and graphics. It’s your right to use your blog as a bragging tool which could help convert potentials into actuals, so definitely go there – you’ve earnt it.

Sites We Love

If in doubt, a little search and scroll is in order. Checking out your favourite sites might help round out any ideas you’ve had floating around your head, and confirm that you are on the money with your topics and headlines. Some of the most inspiring places to look include:

www.lifehack.org This site is genius, and it covers such a broad range of topics for a broad range of people. Have a look and get lost in their list-focused blogs. This site covers off: lifestyle, money, relationships and even productivity and motivation.

www.mashable.com Most people in media will follow these guys on social media and will likely read their top posts. Having a click around the site shouldn’t be overlooked though as there are so many stories on here. You can see here what newsworthy pieces are hot, rising and what’s new. Come here for your tech, entertainment and world news.

www.buzzfeed.com.au Even if it’s just to kill time, Buzzfeed has soared in popularity for good reason. They post hilarious gif and list-focused blogs (majority in list-form) which are designed to be highly relatable. Hence their huge following in such a short space of time. Take a note from their book if you want to create phenomenally sharable pieces.

Do you have a blog? If you’re looking to update or start from scratch, our team can help! Contact us here – let’ chat!