Brilliant Blog Ideas to Rotate and Repurpose for Your Content Calendar

14 Brilliant Blog Ideas for You:

Content is king. You know this, so you spend a crazy amount of time strategizing, researching, and creating a calendar that hits every high point of Effective Content Marketing 101.

Except sometimes you hit a wall.

Because after producing blog after blog, it’s natural to feel like engagement has stagnated and only mundane topics remain. And coming up with new blog ideas is hard.

So here’s a gift from us to you—a big fat list of blog types. That is, general blog categories that work for any industry at any time. Cheers!

1. The ‘Why Does This Happen’

Curious customers who want nothing more than to spend 15 minutes in the nitty-gritty depths of tech mysteries or industry conundrums will salivate for this post.

We suggest clever or off-beat language to offset the complexity that sometimes comes with breaking down concepts. Here are a few topic suggestions:

• The Science behind X
• Why do People _______ When _______?
• What Happens When You ________?
• What Does It Mean When _________?

These are pretty general, but we think you get the idea. This blog type works because most readers have a natural curiosity, and any experienced marketer knows curiosity leads to engagement.

2. The ‘Captivating Round-Up’

Round-up posts are like the toy at the bottom of a cereal box. You don’t want to like them. But you do.

They fill our need for completeness, a start-to-finish story that helps us put a bow on a category and store it away.

Various round-up posts can be grouped as follows:

• The expert round-up: With this one, you compile expert opinions on a certain topic (relevant to your readers, of course). It’s simple. It’s easy. It’s effective.
• The content round-up: Here, you compile the top content pieces about X. Readers appreciate it because it gives them other sources to turn to. And your business looks like an authority…that knows other authorities.

3. The ‘Look What We Learned from Our Survey’

Yes, this one means you must first conduct a survey to use this blog idea.

But then, you get a post that has two super cool uses. First, it shows off your product/service (We’re assuming the survey you choose to write about shines a positive light on your business). Second, it gives readers a sense of involvement and lets them compare their opinions with others.

The survey post will likely be short and to-the-point. But that’s okay. Sometimes readers need a quick distraction.

4. The ‘A vs B’

You’ve probably used comparison content in the past. Nearly every business does.

Depending on your industry, you can compare your product to a competitor’s, or two of your products/services to one another. You can even compare ideas or ideologies. The point is, the piece educates people about what you do, so it deserves a regular spot in your calendar.

5. The ‘Problem and Solution’

An obvious but potent type, the Problem and Solution piece resonates with almost all readers. However, since it’s more technical in nature, it helps if you keep things highly specific and concise. Most of your audience will fall off halfway through if you get long-winded or use too much jargon.

In good news, you can use this blog to educate readers about one of your products/services, or keep it more general, but relevant. Here are some examples:

• Stained Teeth Killing Your Confidence? Try Our Patented Whitening System.
• Unengaged Customers? Top 5 Tips to Get Them Back!
• Broken Website Links? Learn to Spot Trouble and Find a Fix.

6. The ‘What to Expect’

In the last few years, the real estate industry overflowed with expert predictions, and people clickety clicked like crazy. Why? Because uncertainty makes people nervous. And educated guesses are better than nothing.

Now, you can sometimes parlay this type into a more concrete blog, like “What’s the Next Big Thing in E-Commerce?” Either way, audiences like the fun of knowing but not knowing, so these pieces usually perform well.

Hint: This type is ideal for end-of-the-year or seasonal posts.

7. The ‘Case Study’

Another one that points back to your company’s greatness, a case study shows consumers how your business works in real life. Consider these tips for a winning piece:

• Write for your ideal customer (avoid obscure uses for your product or an example of a one-off customer).
• Go from start to finish: Who is this customer and what do they do? What were their needs and goals? How did you satisfy these needs and goals?
• Use conversational language and optimize format for easy reading.
• Include real data: If it says you “doubled” blog traffic, readers will wonder if that means you went from five readers to ten or 500 to 1000. Real numbers tell the whole story and make you look legitimate.
• Be specific: Avoid generalities as much as possible. Instead of saying “Our direct mail strategy enhanced their customer base,” explain that “A six-month targeted postcard campaign let to a 25% increase in sales.”

8. The ‘Personal Anecdote’

This one can be a customer testimonial or even an example of how your business overcame an obstacle because of a new practice or an employee’s act of service.

Letting readers see the personal side of your brand is a great way to foster connection. If you work in marketing, for example, you could post something like, “How Our Blog Went from Hundreds to Thousands of Visitors in Three Months.”

9. The ‘Product/Service Plug’

Whether you’re promoting a spring sale or a new product launch, sometimes a pointed blog post is the best way to go.

For best results, lose the fluff and go straight to the heart of the product or service. How does it solve your customers’ problems? What sets it apart from similar products? And whenever possible, include reviews from real users.

10. The ‘Everything You Need to Know About _____’

Perfect for long-form content, this type can apply to a variety of topics:

• The Anatomy of an Effective Chatbot
• All About Day Trading
• The Evolution of SEO

With higher word counts and in-depth dissections of…pretty much anything…these posts generally rank high in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), party because you can use plenty of backlinks.

To make an even greater impact, use high-quality images or infographics to help tell the story.

11. The ‘How To’

This one speaks for itself, but you can maximize a How To by speaking directly to your customers’ pain points. If people consistently need customer support for a particular product, use this opportunity to educate your base.

In the end, your content should radiate expertise and reveal the best solution the issue at hand.

12. The ‘Latest Trends’

Seasoned content creators love a good Trends blog. It not only highlights your company’s standing in the industry but lets others cross-check their information.

Hint: Always back up your claims with reliable sources and statistics.

13. The ‘Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)’

This type can do double duty as a blog AND web page. Use it to address common queries about your business or the industry itself.

Like other content of this nature, a well-drafted FAQ will keep answers crisp and authentic. Bonus points if you research relevant search terms and include them in your post.

14. The ‘Helpful DIY’

And…this blog falls under this category. It’s an example of us gifting you some hard-won content hacks.  Hopefully it makes your efforts a little easier and gives your team room to refocus.

Closing Thoughts

Continuously offering value to customers (those you have + those you want) via useful, creative content is no easy task. It takes planning (with flexibility), boldness (with respect for best practices), and patience (with enthusiasm).

Good luck, and happy planning.

If you found this blog of blog ideas helpful, check out similar gems from the Xpressdocs blog, like Why You Should Add Newsletters to Your Content Strategy or Write Less, Sell More: The Non-Writers’ Guide to Concise Copy.