You’ll Never Be Stuck Again: The Ultimate Source of Content Inspiration #MyBlogU

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What do you do when you are just fresh out of ideas? Having to create regular, fresh content is the bane of any creator’s existence.

No matter how hard you try, you are going to occasionally burn out. When that happens, you need some new sources of inspiration to push you through the block.

Use MyBlogU

MyBlogU is not the only source of content inspiration but it’s surely most practical and multi-purpose one.

The thing is, with MyBlogU you not only crowdsource those ideas, but you actually build connections through collective brainstorming.

Admittedly, I am new to MyBlogU, but it has been a great resource! #myblogu

— Gary Aviles (@garyaviles) August 6, 2015

Here’s how MyBlogU Brainstorm section works. And here are a few more things you can achieve while brainstorming at MyBlogU:

• Build community around your blog
• Manage your reputation
• Build your personal brand
• Find free editors and collaborators for your articles
• Much more!

You can even store those ideas for later reference and easily find them within your writing productivity dashboard.

Talk to People

Maybe you need to get out of your own headspace for awhile. Get up, go to a local coffee shop, restaurant, park, or anywhere else that people congregate to chat. Then, do something incredibly impolite: eavesdrop.

Yes, we were taught as children not to do this. But it is a valuable tool for connecting with other people, even on a purely psychological level.

MyBlogU. com – Your chance to eavesdrop on the world 🙂 #myblogu

— Phil Turner (@The5Currencies) August 6, 2015

You can hear what real people in the real world are worried about, interested in, amused by, hurting from… anything. You would be amazed by the results. Just be careful not to get caught. Bring a book to pretend you are reading, or something.

@myblogu I do this at least twice a week. It helps me find new problems, issues, concerns, and positive things to write about. #myblogu

— Kari (@RelationshipCir) August 6, 2015

Deborah Anderson of @socialwebcafe says talking and watching people is a great source of inspiration!

For me, I have to say that some of my best ideas came from conversations with my family and often times, around the dinner table.  Our family has always had lively conversations, with no topic off-limits.  In fact, my kids’ friends like to come to our house for dinner because they tell my kids that we are “fun.”  I’m not sure what makes us different from their own parents, but the kids are always welcome.  Because of that engagement, many different ideas emerge and out of that, some of my best articles have come into existence.

Even if you do not have that opportunity (i.e. live alone, etc.), people watching is a great way to get ideas.  Obviously, don’t stare at people, but just a general observation of how people interact, respond to situations, even walk their dog.  Life truly is fascinating.

Mike Shaw of @towermarketing explains it very well why crowdsourcing your content ideas may be such a great idea:

Firstly, I don’t just want to write a blog post that sits on my site not performing (that is a waste of time and serves no-one). The web is saturated with content that does not stir any kind of reaction or response. I want to write something that I know is going to have some impact.  This could be emotional, controversial or something that encourages readers to participate and put forth their opinions and thoughts because it resonates with them.

Secondly, when people are involved in the brainstorming process they are also part of the success the blog receives.  Countless times we have reached out to individuals who are following us on social media for ideas on topics.  As a result, they help share that blog post because they consider themselves contributors (and they are).

Gary S. Aviles @garyaviles also finds his inspiration in all kinds of interactions:

Most of my content ideas come from something that resonates with me during the day such as an overheard conversation at Starbucks, an article or web post or a passing comment from a friend or stranger.  I focus on the interaction and what it means to me, not every word being said.

There are so many experiences like this during the day it is hard to keep track, so I use Trello.com to capture the ideas I do remember.  If it is something I truly want to explore and get back to, I log into Trello.com using my mobile and put it in right away.  If not visceral, I wait until my end of day wind down.  Remembering the experience or interaction is my measure of its value to me.

Switched my flight to Vegas to hang w #myblogu at 11 EDT.  Join the chat! https://t.co/m2wzM9GLWU

— Gary Aviles (@garyaviles) August 6, 2015

Philip Turner @EP_pturner of Time Money Problem adds that he prefers online interactions:

People/people interactions work online for me – ideally a brainstorming room/location where people throw half-formed ideas in

Get Inspired by Personal Relationships and Life

What about conversations with people you know? Coworkers, friends and family are a great source of content ideas. You just have to go back to what you have talked about. Even people who are only vaguely in contact with you can help.

Tat of @muminsearch has one more example:

My children often do and say things that give me inspiration for content. They are creative in ways that most adults have lost and a goldmine of content ideas for someone who writes about creativity.

Another source of inspiration is dance. I love dancing and I try to find the same fulfillment that I get from dance in other areas. I find that dance is a great metaphor for balance and for life in general.

Speaking of metaphors, they are a great way to jump start your brainstorming and you don’t need to find the perfect to make it work.  Just look around and pick the first thing you see, then try to figure out how this thing could relate to your content. Or go for a walk and see if anything catches your attention.

@myblogu I find that I am so different from my family that they definitely give me different angles and ideas. #myblogu

— Kari (@RelationshipCir) August 6, 2015

Kari @RelationshipCir of Be Happy Tips finds lots of inspiration from her personal life:

Many of my ideas come from my daily experiences. Whenever I find myself asking a question about my life or something I experience, I often write about it. That includes issues that arise in my relationships, career, personal development, or random experiences with strangers. For instance, I had a TV repair guy show up to my house the other day with his pants below his butt, and that inspired a post on my dating blog for men.

I also find that TV can be a source of inspiration for me. I use it as an excuse to get lazy sometimes, but many times I find an idea that I can use for my blogs. For instance, watching shows like Maury makes me (mostly) annoyed, but it is a great show to help me brainstorm dating topics!

My son (walking outside after hours of video gaming) – "It's so… so REAL out here!" #myblogu

— Don Sturgill (@DonSturgill) August 6, 2015

David Leonhardt @amabaie lists some of the actual examples of content he got from his personal life:

• The cats outside are inspiring: If cats could write epic novels
• Here are a couple experiences around our house that inspired blog posts: Why to NOT change insurance companies and Duct tape – a frugal parent’s best friend
• From a visit to the library… inspiration: Book marketing lesson – authors you might also like
• A sign post around the corner from our house inspired this one: Confusing Road Signs – Left or Right
• Do movies count? Sometimes they also inspire me: The stripper’s guide to writing and Write into the woods

Much of my content is from visual prompts: postcards or photos suggest connections btwn people or places, ideas & stories emerge #myblogu

— James Downs (@James_AL_Downs) August 6, 2015

Christopher Jan Benitez @christopherjanb of BloggingPro also finds inspiration in personal life:

I normally find inspiration from my personal experiences and use them as starting points to introduce the topics related to my niche. I remember using my relationship with my then-girlfriend to explain what SEO is to beginners. It’s through these personal experience that  help you stand out from the rest. As for idea, I suggest you choose one of your hobbies not related to your niche site and use it to explain terms and principles that you normally discuss in your site. Hope this tip helps.

@myblogu I find Facebook groups can be great ways to come up with content ideas. See what everyone's whinging about. 🙂 #myblogu

— Angela Alcorn (@AngelaAlcorn) August 6, 2015

Patricia Weber @patweber explains her brainstorming process the following way:

My self-brainstorm comes from all you mention – personal life, our dog, any life experience. However, my best brainstorms come from my pastor’s Sunday messages! In going to a Bible-based church, there is a fortune in finding introvert meaning in so much of what my pastor’s translations are in his weekly message.

As soon as I have a light-bulb moment, I note on our message note form how it might apply to the more introverted. Then I let it noodle around in my head for a day or two. It may or may not look and sound like my initial reaction. This Sunday experience for me is as rich in ideas as our dog, my family and business experiences.

Also read this article on how MyBlogU helps Patricia in brainstorming and why it’s a perfect fit for introverts.

Your daily professional routine can also inspire! Brandon Schaefer of @90DayPro puts it this way:

I don’t know if I brainstorm… it’s more of recapping what I went through during the day… what I learned… what I liked, and disliked… and what I can share that’s going to help someone do better in business or life.

Some of my best life lessons I’ve learned from business, and some of my best business lessons I’ve learned from my life… they really go hand-in-hand and it’s important to understand the balance between the two. Basically, when I write…

I’m sharing my private diary with the world. Sounds crazy, but it works… and it works very well.

You can also use your overall education and background and apply them to your blog niche, like Jeevan Jacob John of @DaringBlogger explains:

When I was in high school, I used to try and apply a lot of ideas I learned to blogging.

For instance: The things I learned in my psychology class – especially related to human behavior; I used those concepts and wrote about them.

My economics class on the other hand, familiarized me with ideas such as economic cost, comparative and absolute advantages, all of which I wrote about, in terms of starting a blog and choosing a niche.

As for other life experiences – driving and traffic. I do recall writing a guest post on traffic building (and comparing it to driving a car).

Finally, here’s a great input from Liudas Butkus @leduxx of EasyM6:

I heard this from James Altucher that creativity is a muscle and just like a muscle atrophies when not used so does creativity. So, it’s best to make a daily routine of brainstorming sessions. Sit down write 10 ideas for blog posts and go one with the day, tomorrow sit down and write 10 more ideas and so on. Soon you will have hundreds of ideas and plenty of golden nuggets that you can then turn into blog posts and with time you will get better and better at this.

@bme of Should You Write has a great point too: Inspiration is everywhere!

Ideas are all around us 24 hours a day: In the news, in the movies, in your reading, in your conversations, etc. We just need to be open to those inspirations.

More!!!

Here are some sites that can sparkle your inspiration: Please add yours! (Of course @MyBlogU is already on your list!)

I find that when I help others with MBu brainstorms that it fires up my own creativity too #myblogu

— Phil Turner (@The5Currencies) August 6, 2015

Goodreads

Goodreads is a book lovers website that allows you to track what you read. You can also find new books to read, create wishlists, reviews books, and share your reading exploits with friends on social media, or on the site itself.

Books have inspired me for as long as I can remember! #myblogu

— Anna Fox (@manifestcon) August 6, 2015

They even have book clubs you can join. What you may have never considered is the potential for creating content from ideas found there.

Buzzfeed, for example, has a popular article titled 65 Books You Need To Read In Your 20’s. Several of the images came from Goodreads. Could the original idea have been sparked there?

Quora

This unique social platform allows experts to come together and offer tips, tricks, advice, and ask or answer questions within a knowledgeable community. It is a rather positive place, and has grown a lot over the years.

A trip through popular questions and answers will give you an idea of what people are looking to find out. If you own a blog, especially a niche focused one, this site is a goldmine.

Trends Trackers!

Google Trends used to be a go-to source for anyone who was looking to check the pulse of the Internet. But there are many more awesome trend tracking platforms and tips to check out! Hashtags can also be a huge source of trending content inspiration.

Maybe that will be a keyword, a news story, or a particular piece of content. You can also find out how hot certain trends are over time. This is invaluable information for anyone, but especially if you need content ideas for a blog.

Today I Learned

Reddit is a powerhouse of content of all kinds, so feel free to check out multiple subreddits. However, a personal favorite of mine is Today I Learned.

It is a place full of fun tidbits you might have never run across, many of them quite obscure. They run the gamut of topics, and so you can find just about anything there. A couple of examples of posts that are the most popular of all time there are:

• TIL most Japanese schools do not employ janitors or custodians. The Japanese education system believes that requiring students to clean the school themselves teaches respect, responsibility, and emphasizes equality
• TIL a set of 19 questions such as “Do we have the right patient?” and “What operation are we performing?” can reduce surgical deaths by more than 40%.”

TED Talks

TED Talks are incredibly inspirational, no one would deny that. Given by some of the most influential people in a multitude of industries, you can learn so much from their experience.

You can also get ideas for topics you know about yourself, that you can offer to others in an easily digestible format. Think of your own TED Talk style content, and how you might make it. You will get some great blog posts, podcasts, videos, or anything else from it.

Zen Habits

There is a reason a million people read this website. Zen Habits is a breath of fresh air on a web full of busy, noisy content that can clog your head.

The topics covered tend to be about enriching life in a multitude of ways, and it can be helpful when trying to come up with ideas yourself.

Real Future

This is a fun newsletter that gives you a daily dose of inspiration. In each one, Alexis Madrigal provides five tidbits of information in a single email, covering a multitude of topics from both the past and future.

You can find an archive of old emails here.

Finally, I have listed a bunch of more tools and resources to come up with a great content idea, so be sure to bookmark that one too!

@myblogu No excuses for lack of inspiration today! #myblogu

— Kari (@RelationshipCir) August 6, 2015

Do you know of any good places to find content inspiration? Let us know in the comments… we could always do with more, and so could our other readers!