42 Blog Post Ideas You Can Outright Steal

In this month’s issue of StartUp, we explained how exactly how to use a blog to turn your site into a content-driven visitor magnet the search engines will love.

(We also described how you should optimize your blog to make sure that every blog post you write appears near the top of the search results, so you can unleash powerful new channels of visitors to your site.)

Since the issue went out last week, we have received a flurry of emails from people who say they understand the value of having a blog on their site — but they just don’t know what to write about.

If you’re in the same boat — you want to start a blog but you don’t know what do write about, we’re here to help you out.

Here is our list of 42 Blog Post Ideas You Can Outright Steal!

1. Helpful how-to tips related to your product
2. Reviews for products you don’t sell but you know would appeal to your audience
3. Explain why you are so passionate about your business
4. Explain how you got into the business in the first place
5. What inspired you to take the jump into small business?
6. Describe a day in the life of your business
7. Share a photo or video “walking tour” of your business
8. Describe your customer service philosophy
9. Share Testimonials you get from your customers
10. Offer product tutorials, either for your product or other ones your customers use
11. 3 things you love about the current state of your industry
12. 3 things you wish you could change about the current state of your industry
13. What will the future of your industry be like — and how should people prepare for it?
14. What famous people have currently been associated with your industry lately?
15. The 25 best online resources for people in your industry
16. Review other blogs related to your industry
17. Review an online magazine related to your industry
18. Review print publications related to your industry
19. Debunk the top myths that are currently floating around about your industry
20. Go to a trade fair or conference and then write reports about it
21. Take a stand on a controversial issue related to your industry
22. Identify the most prominent experts in your industry, explain why they’re famous or important
23. Disagree with a well-known authority in your industry and list reasons why they’re wrong
24. Post about the best things you’ve read online in the past week (related to your industry)
25. Answer FAQs you get from your customers
26. Admit mistakes! If you’ve done something wrong in the course of building your business, share that information and explain how you dealt with it. People love learning from others’ mistakes
27. Create a list of “best practices” for businesses in your industry
28. Write a blog comparing what your industry is like now to what it was 20 or 30 years ago
29. Post a “Test Your Knowledge” quiz and give readers a chance to interact
30. Make a list of “must-have” free resources your audience will appreciate
31. Ask a question of your followers on Twitter and then blog about the best answers you got
32. Sign up for Google Alerts on topics related to your industry — then blog about breaking news stories
33. Find out which of your blog posts is most popular, then blog about it
34. Get involved in a discussion on another blog or forum and then write up a summary about it on your own blog
35. Post weekly or monthly wrap-ups about what you accomplished with your business
36. Offer a case study of how someone has successfully used your product or solved a common problem
37. Run a poll on a controversial issue and then discuss the results
38. Interview key people in your industry
39. Reveal a generally unknown secret in your industry
40. Create a list of books everyone in your industry should read
41. Run a contest, offering a free product sample or service for the winner. Then ask them to comment about what they thought of it — and make that its own blog post as well
42. Make a list of 42 blogging ideas specifically for your industry

Remember, when you write for a business blog you have to provide VALUE to your readers. If you offer them useful, interesting information they will love you for it — and when the time comes for them to make a purchase, your site will be the first one they think of.

If you would like to learn more about how to use a blog to score big with the search engines and grow your visitor numbers exponentially, be sure to check out this month’s issue of StartUp, our online business guide.

Happy blogging!