Insights

7 best blog topic generators

Digital marketers are always looking for a magic bullet; that single topic that invokes a rapid, compulsive almost tingly response in readers. Something that sends social media into a meltdown and catapults a brand to success overnight.

Sometimes it’s pure dumb luck and sometimes it’s deliberate. It’s about tapping into the raw emotions of the collective. However, with the sheer amount of content out there, where do you look to find something original?

In this post, we give you 7 best blog topic generator hacks. They’re our favourite places to find great content for content marketing.

1.    Learn from what sells

Now more than ever magazines and newspapers have to work hard to attract readers and stay in print. You just have to scan the racks and you’ll see a pattern in their titles and topics (for better or worse).

They use emotionally-charged language, pose questions and use numbered lists (a tip used in this article). It’s all about secrets revealed, life-changing events and top 100 hottest whatever. Find a title you like and try switching out the nouns for a tried and tested blog title template.

2.    Use customer questions or comments

Client feedback, whether positive or negative, is a great source for blog ideas. If they’re asking a question, it’s likely others are thinking the same. Take a look at comments on your previous blog posts and incorporate them somehow. Using the language your clients use helps with searchability too. You could even ask your Facebook followers for post ideas or hold a competition.

3.    Scan for upcoming events

Being aware of upcoming industry events is a great way to tap into your audience’s hot-button issues. It doesn’t even have to be a scheduled event. It could be end of financial year, school holidays or International Women’s Day – if it links your business to your target audience, write about it.

4.    See what’s trending

Whether it’s of the day, week or month, trending stories can inspire you to create content marketing that’s rooted in the here and now. Besides tapping the obvious Twitter Trending Topics – which every other brand is doing too – there’s BuzzFeed’s trend section, Google’s Hot Trends visualiser and more.

5.    Answer a Quora question

Quora – a rising star among Q&A sites – has a content licence that allows you to “reuse all new content on Quora by publishing it anywhere on the web, as long as you link back to the original content”. Search for questions related to your field on Quora. Submit and answer to an as yet unanswered question, then transform that content into a blog post. It’s a win-win; readers get an answer, while you get brand visibility and website traffic.

6.    Try a different medium or genre

After a while, it can seem like you’re churning out carbon copy posts. It’s the same template, just a different subject. So you need to change it up. Do an interview, run a debate, write a letter, make a video, create an infographic or simply alter the tone. The new genre, text type or medium will force you to think differently about the topic.

7.    Use topic generators

If all else fails, there’s always topic generator sites. HubSpot is one such site that automatically generates post titles based on your pre-defined terms. It’s great for when deadlines are tight and inspiration escapes you.

As Brisbane’s premier digital marketing and creative agency, iFactory has plenty more top tips to raise your content marketing game. From finding out how to write a great blog post to using drones to make advertising unique, you can stay connected and learn about our award-winning techniques. For ideas on how iFactory’s digital marketing team can drive your business further, contact us today on 07 3844 0577.

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