Searching for Blog Post Topic Ideas:: Business

A lot of the blog posts that I write stem from conversations and experiences I have related to my graphic design business.  The rest are rants, inspiration born from “aha!” moments and some are observations I make watching tv commercials.  Whenever, I have a thought followed by, “I should write about that…” I jot a note to myself in a running list that I keep in Evernote.  When I sit down to write, I consult the list, pick a topic and write.  Sometimes, I just do not feel motivated to write about anything I have on my list, although I am motivated to write.  It’s not writer’s block, but just a disinterest in what is staring back at me from my list of ideas.  In those cases, I embark on a search for topic ideas.

Today I thought I would two of the places I turn to when I am looking for topic ideas:

American Express Open Forum

In general, we bloggers want to write about things that hold some level of interest to our readers (if we have them).  Those that do not have readers, want them and to get them, people need to be interested in what you are writing about.  I find a good place to look for topic ideas, is anywhere that people are asking questions about a particular subject.  The American Express Open Forum is a website dedicated to sharing information and advice for small business owners.

I like to browse the questions that have been asked in my areas of expertise or that are related to what I do.  Sometimes I see a general trend in the type of information people are seeking that I know I can provide, or something specific that was not asked, but is important to note or know.  I find this to be a good foundation to start from.  I may brainstorm further or use that foundation to build a post.

Reddit.com

Reddit is a user generated news and entertainment community and social network.  Actually, that is probably not a very good description because you can find information, submit content and pose questions on the site about any topic you can think of.  I like to browse Reddit subthreads, or subreddits, in the same way that I do on the American Express Open forum.  I have to admit that sometimes I get a bit distracted when I browse and find myself picking up tidbits and tips or just completely off topic in my search.

If you can stay focused, both of these sites can be a good source to learn what people are looking and searching for as it relates to business.  Knowing what information people need and crave will help you figure out what to write about.  Of course the two sites I have listed are relevant to what I write about here, but if your topics fall into another niche, you can adapt this method.  Find a forum or community where members post questions that are related to your niche.  You may be surprised by what people are asking and looking for.  What may seem commonplace or obvious to you, may not be so obvious to someone that does not deal/work/interact on a regular basis with that topic.

Do you have a go-to site for inspiration to come up with topic ideas?