10 Ways to Find Inspiration for Writing

January 13th, 2013

Ideas for writingFinding ideas for writing an article is one of the biggest problems faced by many bloggers. Sometimes what’s missing for a good article to write about are the ideas. When you already have a blog with many articles, it may seem you’ve already written about everything. But don’t despair, there are always new topics to explore! With this article we want to share tips on where you can find ideas for writing about new topics.

1. Explore Google Analytics

An analysis of your blog in Google Analytics can help you write about various topics that your readers are most interested in. In your Analytics report, go to “Search – Traffic Sources” and see what keywords attract readers to your blog. These keywords are a source of more ideas. Analytics helps you see which of your articles have been read most, that can also give you new ideas for relevant posts.

2. Use Google Keywords Tool

Google Keywords Tool is a powerful tool that can provide new ideas for posts related to your topic. In addition to finding inspiration for articles, check the search volume for these topics as well as their competition in the subject. For example, if you have a blog about cooking and you’re looking for new topics for articles about recipes, type “Recipes” in the Google Keywords Tool and you’ll find something like:

Get new ideas to write posts with the help of these keywords.

3. Search on Google (Google Suggest)

Another way to find interesting topics is using Google Suggest with the search bar of a search engine. For example, if you’re looking for ideas for recipes, type “recipe for” in the search bar and you’ll see a list of useful suggestions:

4. Read blogs/websites in your field

This is a basic strategy that we repeatedly use, even in a natural way. Reading blogs and sites in relevant business areas is an instinctive practice that we do to to be inspired by competition. Try to keep the list of blogs you follow updated at all times. In addition to the articles themselves, read the comments below articles in other blogs. They can give you lots of ideas and inspiration for new topics. Why not start with our blog?

5. Keep an updated notepad and create a calendar

A notepad is fundamental. How many times have you had “the Idea”, but when you started to write you simply forgot it, or it wasn’t the way you imagined it earlier? Well, a notepad eliminates this problem. If you don’t have one, write down your ideas wherever you can, either your phone or on a piece of paper and store it in your wallet. At the moment you sit down to write, half of your work is already done: the ideas. Organize these ideas on a calendar and think of your articles in advance. At Webnode, we use the following strategy: we have a document for all our ideas and we set a publication date for each article with two months notice. This gives us time to think about the topic, develop the article, and send it to be translated in all languages.

6. Go to events and workshops

Of course it’s hard to apply this strategy all the time, but we shouldn’t forget about it. Attending lectures and workshops in your business field can inspire new ideas, and give you a chance to share thoughts with experts and other people who are engaged in the subject. Live events will help you think “outside the box”.

7. Stay in tune with social media

Facebook and Twitter are great sources of inspiration. Stay tuned for the hottest topics of the moment that everyone’s talking about, and look to adapt them to your business area. To discover the most popular topics on Twitter, use Trends Map, a site where you can filter out useful information by country.

8. Buy books, read magazines and watch movies

Books and magazines are always valuable sources of knowledge. Buy a book or magazine in your field of interest on a regular basis. The amount of information you’ll find in them can generate ideas for new topics. Furthermore, the acquired knowledge will help you earn a better understanding on the subject. Movies and documentaries that are related to your business area can also generate great ideas. Besides enriching you, they inspire new ideas for articles.

9. Ask friends and family

A “brainstorming session” with friends and family can help you gather valuable ideas for writing an article. At Webnode, this strategy works perfectly. Our bloggers select several topics and then decide the best ones to share with our readers. Sometimes even people who aren’t that up-to-date can give you ideas you never thought to write about. Asking costs nothing and results can be a great advantage for you.

10. Find inspiration in nature

Our 10th recommendation may seem strange but it works. In the stress of day-to-day living, we often don’t have the time to think or we think only under pressure. Thus the ideas for writing don’t flow easily. Relaxing during a walk in nature or a trip to the beach will help your mind calm down from daily stress and keep your ideas flowing.

What’s your best source of inspiration for writing? Wondering how to start your blog? We have a detailed guide for you.