I’m not very good at writing blog posts.  Correction: I’m not very good at writing MY blog posts.  Why?  Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to write about.  A few years back, I decided to start a running list of topics, and ever since then, I have tried to keep topics planned several months ahead of my posting schedule.  This takes the indecision out of it, and it also helps me treat this more as a “job for a client”.  Let’s dig into the details.

How I plan my blog topics

I’ve heard some whispers about people trolling other freelancing blogs or using AI generators to find topics.  Either one of these could be useful if you’re really stuck in a rut (more on that later), but I’m stubborn and insist on doing it the hard way.  

• I write them down when inspiration strikes: I’ve been amazed at how often it happens for me to be a few paragraphs into a topic, when BAM, inspiration strikes for a 2 or 3 more topics for the blog.  I instantly scroll up to my master list of topics and write them down.  The next time I have a free moment, I’ll try to squeeze out a few similar topics from those, too, since they were good ideas!
• I see a crosslinking loophole and fill it: One of the most important skill areas for me as a professional blog writer is crosslinking.  If I’m writing a topic and realize that I can’t crosslink it to another topic area that I’m talking about, I take that as a sign that I need to write a blog post about it!  For example, if I’m writing about SEO and SMO and how to differentiate between them, I should have a blog topic about what SEO is and another one about what SMO is.
• I write about what I know: Sometimes it can feel pretty lonely on here (after all, I’m just a very tiny fish in a HUGE sea).  So, if I need to reconnect to my own experience as a professional writer, I write about what I know and, by extension, what I care about!

What to do when I get in a rut

If I come across a topic that I really, really don’t feel like writing about, I move the topic to another future posting date and go to my favourite topic area: ask me anything.  If I have someone around whom I can ask, I will put the question to them.  In the more likely scenario that I don’t, I’ll just think of the craziest question I’ve ever been asked in the past and generate a blog topic from that!  Since this is a freelance writer blog, I do keep it industry-focused!

All this being said, I’m always a big fan of hearing from you, dear readers.  If there is anything that you’d like me to cover, please feel free to contact me!  Also, if there are any bloggers out there who would love to guest post on here, you can also reach out!