Blogging 101: Getting Inspiration

One of the biggest parts of blogging is actually thinking up ideas for posts. This is where getting inspired is important. You need to get into a mindset of anything and everything can lead to a blog post idea and to write them down before you forget. Getting inspiration can sometimes be difficult, and you often end up with writers block and feeling demotivated without it.

Magazines

Before I knew that blogging was a thing, I spent my time reading magazines to find out about topic that interested me. Whether it’s the newest Vogue, Boots Health & Beauty or Playstation Magazine there’s something for everyone out there. You can now download so many free magazines using your local library’s digital services.

You can use magazines as a kind-of competitor analysis. Usually they will be writing about topics that people are interested in and you probably have your own opinions about these that you could post about. It also gives you ideas for new products to try, different formats of writing and how to make your images more (or less!) editorial.

Obviously don’t just plagiarise a whole magazine that matches your niche! You need to bring in your own opinions and views and use the same overarching topic but make the post your own and unique. For example I made this post about saving money after reading way too many news articles about millennials not being able to afford anything.

Social Media

Check trending topics on twitter is really good for discussion posts. For example when twitter was not very happy about JK Rowling being problematic, some bloggers like Vix Meldrew wrote a post. Being able to write these pieces as soon as possible after (or during) trending will also allow you  to possibly gain new audiences. But do make sure you’re writing passionately, uniquely and to a high standard and not just rushing out posts.

See whats over on Pinterest as there’s so many ideas and motivational posts on there. I used Pinterest a lot for photography inspiration and I used it throughout my A-Level Photography course and it’s great as you can then plug your blog posts back into Pinterest.

Books

Obviously a large part of this blog is book related, so a lot of my posts are book related. But discussion pieces about books won’t be out of place on blogs with different niches. Similar to magazines and next point, you can find inspiration in books which can drive you to write about your experiences and opinions.

You can also use non-fiction books as a way to teach yourself new things, and to develop and expand your views which can then feed into your blog posts. If you want to write a blog post about feminism, you can use feminist books to create better informed content which readers will enjoy.

Watch TV

So I know this is one of those tasks that are often seen as lazy, relaxing and for shutting off your brain, but it can also be really useful. The stories and topics encompassed in most TV shows are usually important to our society and lives. And these topics can be spun into your next blog post.  For example, since Friends has been on Netflix, I’ve seen quite a few posts about whether people will split the bill equally when going for meals, or if they just pay for what they’ve had.

Old Posts

Reading through your old posts can be inspiring as well. When reading through posts you can pick out areas that weren’t expanded on, but could be in a new post. Old posts may also have comments which have questions in, or opinions that you can discuss in a new post.

Old posts can also be updated. My skincare is very different to how it was when I first started this blog. So I could write a post all about my updated skincare routine, even though I already have one live. Reflection can also create good relateable content. I can reflect back on any goals I’ve set myself in previous posts.

Carry Notes

Do you ever think up a great idea for a blog post in the weirdest situations? You’re running for the tube and you’ve just thought of a great post, but by the time you’ve arrived home after your commute you’ve forgotten; you’ve dashed off for lunch and had a great meal, but forget that you want to create a similar recipe post as soon as you get to your laptop; your friends are having a discussion that would be perfect as a post, but you forget as they move onto their next topic… and on and on.

Because every day life is such a rich source of inspiration, and it will strike you at inconvenient times, make sure you carry some notes. Whether it’s an actual notebook or just the notes on your phone, it’s best to write down as much as you can when you think up the idea. I personally use Onenote and Google Docs as it then syncs up to my laptop when I get home and start creating!

Inspiration doesn’t mean steal

Something I do have to add after all these suggestions is that when you’re taking inspiration from work that other people have produced, you should work hard to make the end post unique to you. Plagiarism and outright stealing of blog posts and photos is something that is getting more widespread in the blogging community and it’s making the whole process less enjoyable, and sometimes less trustworthy. If you’re inspired by a bigger blogger then make sure to link back to them, and that you’re bringing in your own thoughts and not just copying theirs. It doesn’t do any good to be unauthentic.