How To Get Killer Blog Post Ideas…Even If You’re Not RVing Full Time

  • Sumo

The.Rolling.StonesI heard that one of the Rolling Stones guys got the idea for one of their most famous songs when he was sleeping. He woke up in the middle of the night and recorded the song into a tape recorder (this is before iPhones) and the next morning he woke up and “Satisfaction” was on the tape!

I wish that would happen to me because I would like to be a rock star someday…

Sometimes ideas for blog posts just pop into my head like the Rolling Stones guy.

But usually I have a hard time thinking of ideas for blog posts.

So I figured if I had this problem, then other people might have this problem too.

So I decided to write this blog post about how to think of ideas for blog posts, even though it has nothing to do with RVing full time!

Actually, that could be tip #1 below (think of stuff that frustrates you and write about it on your blog)!

The good thing about traveling in an RV full time is you see lots of different things most days so you get good ideas for blog posts. But I’m not going to include that idea because everyone isn’t RVing full time like me.

So here are some ideas on how to think of good ideas to blog about:

1. Go to Sports Games, Attractions and Different Places

When you go to sports games and attractions you get a break, but you also get blog post ideas too. My family and I have done a few blog posts on sports games and attractions. For each one we got great ideas for different blog posts.

Chris Brogan says that you should always be looking for ideas for blog posts and writing interesting stuff down to blog about. This is good advice. I do this when we are traveling in our RV full time to remind me what to write about.

For instance, I have rally monkey collection and went to a Cardinals game:

rally monkey

Me and rally monkey #2 in Chicago!

I wrote a post on what this has to do with RVing.

Because we’re RVing full time, lots of people want to know about what we are doing. So that makes it a little bit easier to think of stuff to blog about. I still use Chris’ technique to help me remember stuff though.

But say you’re have a blog on cooking. And at the game you taste new foods that could inspire you to write a blog post on. Or maybe you could write a post about on something that happened at the attraction and how it relates to your cooking website. I did that on this blog post.

2. Make a Part 2 of Your Most Popular Blog Post

A super easy way to write a blog post is write part 2 of your most popular blog post, like “How to Write Blog Posts When RVing Full Time, Part 2” for example.

I was going to write that…but I decided to write this one instead.

I still might write that one too 🙂

3. Expand One of Your “How-To’s”

I got the idea for this blog post because on the #1 step of my other blog post, I talked about how to think of ideas for blog posts but didn’t go into that much detail. But I thought it would be a good idea to expand on it:

think_of_a_good_idea

Use one of your "how to's" for another post!

Plus it seems like this is a very popular topic a lot of people are worried about, so I thought it would be helpful.

4. Find, Then Answer a Popular Question

This one I learned from Pat Flynn’s and its a little bit sneaky 🙂

First go to Wordtracker, then enter in your subject. I entered in “blogging” and here is what came up:

wordtracker_blogging

Just enter your blog subject in and they give you the most popular questions!

It came up with an idea for a blog post. This one!

I don’t know how they do it, but they tell you the most popular questions people are asking about your subject.

Its always a good idea to write about things people are interested in, so this technique helps do that. If you dont write anythng people are interested in then nobody reads your blog!

I did this for the most popular blog post we’ve had on the blog (until my last one), on what’s the monthly cost of RVing full time. That was the second most asked question for our blog area.

Here is the sneaky part though...

After you enter one word they don’t let you do a second one UNLESS you “clear your cookies”.

I thought cookies were something you eat, but on the internet they are little spies.

So all you do to clear them is go to your “Tools” and then erase them:

cookie_removal

Go to "Tools, then "Options", then "Privacy" then "Show Cookies" and erase them! Then click the return button on your computer.

When you do this, you can search for as many words as you want!

5. Read Other Bloggers

Even though I’m 9 years old, I like to read other blogs for good ideas. Some of my favorites are:

Brian Clark is a writer I would like to be like. I read his blog posts on headlines and on how to write blog posts, they both gave me alot of ideas.

Pretty much anything at copyblogger will help you with ideas for blog posts.

Darren Rowse is another writer I would like to be more like. He is one of my favorite bloggers because his blog teaches you all kinds of stuff on how to blog. When I read his blog, it gives me good ideas.

Alot of other bloggers think he is the expert of all bloggers. I read his starting your first blog post when I first started and it helped me think of ideas for blog posts as well as how to write them.

Chris Brogan writes about things that come into his mind and I like that. If you are stuck for a good blog post, read his post on writing a book.  Also, he does a lot in a day and this is inspiring for me because I have a lot to do every day too.

One of his best blog posts that you can use to get ideas is 100 Blog Posts I Hope You Write. You can definitely find a good blog post ideas there! Another one is is 20 Blog Topics to Ge You Unstuck. Chris Brogan has tons of ideas to get you to think of blog posts!

Pat Flynn is a newer blogger and a really good blogger too. He tells how he makes money on the internet and it is inspiring for me to read. I used to want to work for Google, but reading about Pat, I think I’d like to make money online or myself instead.

His blog is really good because he tells you exactly how much money he makes. I did the same thing with my post h, but in the reverse!

 

I have other favorite bloggers, but I think I’ll do all of them in another blog post!:-)

6. Meditate to Get Ideas In Your Head

Meditating is also a good way to think of blog post ideas. I do this even when I’m not trying to think of blog post ideas:

meditating

Me meditating in the back of our truck

Think of one thought, this is how you meditate. Go to a quiet spot and close your eyes if you want, and focus on that thought.

When you meditate, blog post ideas start to pop into your head!

7. Video Games

Video games are the relaxation part of writing a blogpost, also you can get an idea from that! Really it relaxes your mind.

For example, right now Ive been writing this blog post for over an hour and I am really tired!

So I am going to go play Plants versus Zombies to relax my mind…Ill be back soon.

8. Read Books Not Related To Your Blog

We often listen to Brian Clark and Robert Bruce on the Internet Marketing for Smart People podcast in our truck on the our way to RVing sites. In one show, Brian Clark says to get good ideas for blog posts, you should read books outside your area of interest.

I agree with Brian.

For me, Ive been reading 39 Clues by Rick Riordan recently.

Some of my other favorite authors are: Mary Pope Osborne, Donald J. Sobol, JK Rowling and Mark Twain. Sometimes I listen to these books on tape and some I read.

These books may not always give me ideas for blog posts every time, but they help me clear my mind to write better.

9. Drink A Root Beer

Sometimes, when I’m really stuck for a good blog post, I ask my mom and dad for a root beer. For some reason,  it helps me think of stuff to write about. It might be the sugar or the sasperilla, but whatever it is it helps me be more creative.

My mom told me that Ernest Hemingway would do this to think of ideas. I have never read any stories of his but someday I will.

My favorite root beer is Captain Eli’s root beer because I have the same name. However, Henry Higgins root beer (it’s wicked fizzy) is the best for creating blog posts. I drank it when I wrote this blog post but I cant find it online. If you can’t get any of those though, A&W is my favorite go to root beer for every day writing.

If you take a break and get away from your iPad or computer, then you come back with fresh ideas  root beer does this for me pretty good.

 

So that is my list for how to get ideas for blog posts. I have a few more, but I decided that they will be in another post.

See, you dont have to put ALL your ideas in one post. If you have one idea for a blog post, you can make many blog posts out of that one and even make it into a series of posts!

I think I just gave you blog post idea number 10 🙂

Oh well, I hope this helps you. Please let me know of your ideas for how you think of blog posts below in the comment section.

And if this blog post has helped you, then please Share this blog post with your friends so they can think of blog posts too!

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10 Responses to “How To Get Killer Blog Post Ideas…Even If You’re Not RVing Full Time”

  1. Alex says:

    Eli very cool blog post, I think you are on to something here! I didnt know about the Rolling stones thing either. I want to be a rock star too, my friend! Thanks

  2. Rob says:

    Hi Eli,

    Great post and some top tips for content inspiration ideas – something I’ve always struggled with if I’m honest.

    I just finished reading Keith Richards’ autobiography and I remember the bit where he talked about coming up with Satisfaction in his sleep. That’s a nice way to start your post Eli, almost as catchy as the guitar riff from the song!

    Keep up the good work,

    Rob.

    • Eli says:

      Thanks Rob. Although my favorite singer is the guy from Metallica, I do like the rolling stones too so thats where i got the idea. I am glad you found it helpful! Eli

  3. chan says:

    wow… a nine years old boy. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Cecelia McManus says:

    I enjoy your posts on blogging. What an adventure you are having with your family. Although I am now about to turn 75 you are inspiring me to hit the road again!

  5. Cecelia McManus says:

    You have to explain to me what “awaiting moderation” means. Thanks.

    • Ralph says:

      Hi Mrs McManus! The little 9 year old logger is in bed so I am responding in his stead. I am so glad you like the blog, we have gotten the kids to write 75% of the blog posts to get them writing and Eli has become a little blogging guru while Alex has bcome quite the raconteur like Charles Kuralt :-). We had to come home to see my ailing fatjer in law but will be back shortly. Awaiting moderation just means waiting approval to make sure nobody spams our website. Thanks for the comment! How the rest of the family?

  6. Daniel Noll says:

    All worthwhile suggestions but I’m particularly drawn to the root beer. My question is: which one is your favorite for generating ideas, freeing the mind? I was a big fan of root beer as a kid. Less a fan now out of practicality since it’s not always the easiest to find when traveling faraway places.

    • Eli says:

      I like Captain Eli’s root beer the best. However, Henry Higgins root beer (it’s wicked fizzy) is the best for creating blog posts. I drank it when I wrote this blog post but I cant find it online. If you can’t get any of those though, A&W is my favorite for every day writing.

      I am going to add this into the blog post, so thank you for your question!

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