30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll
By NikNik · June 26, 2009
Recently, my friend Rob Hahn posted a great article entitled “Design vs. Content: Design Wins!‘. And I wholeheartedly agree with him! How many times have you left a blog due to eye strain from small print or out of pure confusion from all the flashing ads and shiny objects strewn about! There’s no denying that design plays a major role in Website attraction!
I love pretty things and sometimes crap content can be made to look so nice you actually stick around. But watch out, because shiny objects can mislead you and even hypnotize you into monthly payments in some cases! It’s happened to me! I love me some bling!
So while I think it’s crucial to consider blog layout, design, and user interface…we can’t forget our friends at Google or the readers placing trust in your guidance. The bling will always entice, but it’s the thought provoking, helpful, resourceful, and relevant content that keeps your readers coming back for more, or even subscribe! With all the rockin’ blog themes available, a nice blog design is the easy part. It’s coming up with content and being consistent that is the real task at hand.
I’ve found the best way to maintain regular blog posts and fight “blogger’s block” is by creating a content posting plan. This is really nothing more than making an on-going list of content or story ideas from which you can pick and choose to create posts from. If you want to take it a step further, you could schedule time to write, as well as “read & research”. But don’t plan too far ahead, because some posts may be timely depending on whether they are events or breaking news.
Here are some ideas to kickstart your own content posting plan, or just melt your “blogger’s block”!
- Write a Series of Posts: Take a big idea and break it up into several smaller posts. Be sure to link back to all the posts within your series.
- Client Q&A: Create a submission form for your blog. Pick a day that you regularly answer clients questions via your blog.
- Get Busy: Get involved with local businesses, interview business owners, share helpful businesses that are giving back to the community or can assist new homeowners with their services. Be sure to archive these posts in the form of a relocation landing page.
- Community Events: Post a monthly event calendar or list of events with all the local information and links. Check out 4 Ways to Add an Event Calendar to Your Wordpress Blog.
- Seasonal Homeowner How-to: Post informative guides on how to clean out the gutters, winter prep your pool, holiday décor, spring cleaning, etc.
- Breaking News: Whether it’s local or national, twitter and other news sources can keep you up to speed with all the latest happenings.
- Know your niche & drip the tips: Whatever it may be (women homeownership, short sales, green building), drip your expertise out by expanding upon single tidbits of advice.
- Local Bargains & Coupons: Share discounts offered by local restaurants/businesses, online coupons for products & services, etc.
- Local Market Update: Give us your forecast, graph the changes, share local statistics, and provide some tips for adapting to this changing market. Check out Cyberhomes’ Market Forecast report – great resource!
- Interviews: Post short interviews with industry professionals, local business leaders, local heroes, etc. Include testimonials from past clients.
- School scores & more: Post recent test scores, school achievements (ex: Distinguished School), school events, etc. for high schools and colleges in your area.
- Neighborhood Spotlight: Showcase a specific neighborhood…the homes, parks, schools, stores…oh, and your listings too. Give us your top 10 reasons for living in each neighborhood. Interview local neighbors and connect with your farm at the same time.
- New laws affecting real estate: Each year share the new laws for your state/county, and/or provide updates as they occur in real time.
- Buyer/Seller Tips: Talk about the home buying process, share your best tips in post form.
- Fundraisers/Non-Profits: Support or share info regarding local fundraisers.
- Rate & loan updates: Get the latest info from your lenders and provide tips for buyers on finding the best rates, as well as the process for securing a loan.
- Favorites: Whether it’s a recipe share, book review, or new movie release…it’s okay to have an opinion!
- Photo posts: Show off the beauty and uniqueness of your area with photos. A single photo and a simple comment will suffice. Or get creative with a collage of photos taken in your market area or make a slideshow using Animoto.
- Video posts: Follow your home stager as she/he prepares a home, interview your local lender, tour local neighborhoods, or just share your real estate expertise.
- Investment insights: Post informational articles on how to select an investment property, interview of an analyst, local suggestions from your tax professional, etc.
- Friday fun: Put a smile on your reader’s face or just wish them a fantastic Friday with funny articles or YouTube videos, interesting signs, wacky but tasteful jokes, etc.
- Holiday hype: Share what’s happening in your area during holidays, give ideas for parties, recipes, fun traditions, tell a holiday story about your family, etc.
- Community callout: Whether you have Facebook Connect on your blog, a Facebook Business Page, or use Twitter. Create a post announcing your new page or group, and let people know where/how they can connect further with you.
- Consumer alerts: Clue your clients in to the latest information regarding FHA financing, loan modification rules, tax credits, etc.
- Polls: Pose a question, collect the responses and share the results!
- Storytelling: Explain a scenario whether real or hypothetical and how you would assist the situation with your expertise.
- Re-post: Think of it like a “retweet”, but for a blog post! If you find a post written by someone else that you love, cite them and build upon it by offering your own perspective.
- Invite a guest: Is there a lender you work with, home stager, local business owner that has something to say. Give them the opportunity on your blog!
- The Spin-off: Take your best blog posts a little further, by building upon them, updating them or taking one concept mentioned to the next level. You can even make a list of all your best posts on a particular subject.
- Liveblog: Going to an event? Share your experience as it happens (people you meet, products/services you encounter, interesting tips, etc.).
MyTechOpinion
Let’s face it. For most of us it’s not really possible to write and post every single day. But it does become easier, the more you write. Try setting a goal to post every other day or at least twice a week. From my standpoint, I’d focus more on quality than quantity.
Related Posts
- The Secret to Blog Success: YEO, You Engaging Others
- Ideas For Getting Readers For Your Real Estate Blog: Part 1
- Ideas For Getting Readers For Your Real Estate Blog: Part 2
- Does your real estate website provider supply you with prewritten content?
- Color Generation Technology for your Real Estate Blog
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For all our bloggers, great RT @Cyberhomes: 30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll: http://tinyurl.com/lyk8rp
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@Cyberhomes Thanks for the information! It was quite useful! 30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll: http://tinyurl.com/lyk8rp
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Thanks for wicked tips Nik RT @nik_nik @Cyberhomes 30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll: http://tinyurl.com/lyk8rp
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RT @tweetmeme 30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll | MyTechOpinion.com http://tinyurl.com/lyk8rp
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Check out what others are writing about this post...-
[...] Top Lists, or Tip Lists are one of the easiest ways to get more traffic and steady back links to your website! They generate buzz in the community and people just like to read them! In most cases, they can be quick and easy to write and also provide you with additional topics for more posts! If you find yourself struggling to find things to write about, you can check out 30 Blog Post Ideas to Keep your Content Rolling. [...]
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[...] Top Lists, or Tip Lists are one of the easiest ways to get more traffic and steady back links to your website! They generate buzz in the community and people just like to read them! In most cases, they can be quick and easy to write and also provide you with additional topics for more posts! If you find yourself struggling to find things to write about, you can check out 30 Blog Post Ideas to Keep your Content Rolling. [...]
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[...] I like top 5 or 10 lists and have created a few of my own. Just not nearly as many as I should. When I got to Mark’s point on writing top list he led me to another blog that had a great list of post ideas, again well worth reading. Take a couple of minutes to read NikNik’s 30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll. [...]
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[...] I like top 5 or 10 lists and have created a few of my own. Just not nearly as many as I should. When I got to Mark’s point on writing top list he led me to another blog that had a great list of post ideas, again well worth reading. Take a couple of minutes to read NikNik’s 30 Blog Post Ideas To Keep Your Content On A Roll. [...]
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[...] trouble getting started, check out this 10-Step copywriting tutorial from CopyBlogger or these 30 post ideas from my personal blog, MyTechOpinion. On the RPR blog we launched with a few posts, videos and a [...]
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[...] to speed…let’s get back to the title of this article! In the past I’ve suggested creating a content posting plan and shared several blog topic ideas. These tips can really kickstart a new blog or create [...]
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Great post NikNik!
Strong content is the most important part of a successful blog. There are several rather ugly blogs that I read on a regular basis. Pretty blogs with no substance keep my attention for a few seconds and are never visited again.
Great post as usual Niki! That is why your site is the “go to site” for all real estate tech & blogging info.
You gotta love an article that gives you ideas for your next article. I’m going to do my own little dance over this one (I just won’t film it…trust me, you don’t want to see me dance). Thanks for another solid bit of info…
Chad- True that! I guess in a perfect blogoshere all blogs would look gorgeous and have rockin’ content! But then again…not everyone can be a design and functionality rockstar like you and Reggie!
Doug- Thanks! I’ll keep it coming! Hope you had a wonderful birthday in Tahoe btw!
Ben- Dance Posts….now that could be #31! Woohoo!
Thanks. Excellent suggestions.
GL
I can always use your posts when working with my agents. You are such a great resource nik_nik!
Great resource. Thanks for the list.
Great ideas Nik!
Another important thing to remember as a blog starts to get rolling is that many of your readers will see your blog through the eyes of their feed reader, or an email update, or perhaps on a their Yahoo page — NOT by reading your site directly. This means that most of the effort you put into to the bling is effectively neutralized. They completely miss any flashy stuff you put in the sidebar, for example.
This really means you need substance (aka good content) to retain readership. Bling may get them there, but content keeps them there. Your ideas above were awesome. Thanks for the tips.
CG
thanks.that realy helped:)
I am going to laminate this and hang it above my desk for the next time I get writer’s block.
Gary- IAll those ideas won’t work for everyone, but I’m happy if you found even a few that speak to your style! Woohoo!
Bob- Always happy to help!
Chuck & Joe- You guys don’t need my help…I’ve seen what you accomplish on your blogs…but thanks for the love and I’m always here if you should ever get stuck! Cheers!
Thanks for the great suggestions!
Nik,
Thanks for the tips. Keeping the site fresh with insight is challenging. We have found that our podcasts drive traffic and increase the visibility of our home reviews section.
I needed that. This list will help me get through the next six months.
Hey!
I found your website via 6 Simple Ways to Drive More Organic Search Traffic (comment above mine) and I wanted to say that you have just supplied me with a GREAT list of post ideas! Thanks so much and keep up the fantastic work
Awesome article NikNik, full of meat I can sink my teeth into. I am not in the same niche as you are but most of ideas are right on target for the niches I am in.
I have 3 twitter accounts but hardly ever use Twitter. Perhaps I better take another look at Twitter.
I have started to collect pictures for my gardening site and have a rotator that shows off some of the flowers, trees and shrubs I see around the neighbourhood while I am on my daily walk.
I do see a lot of blogs that have something like Wordless Wednesdays where they just show a picture. I always like them but thought they should have text to go with them.
I printed out your list so that I can read it a few more times and highlight the items I want to work on.
Great idea, but will this work over the long run?
Great post. I just posted something similar and wanted to know what other people had done. You have loads I ideas I never thought of. Thanks.
Nice ideas and top ten tips are too important.