As the owner of a surf-centric business, you know that blogging is an important part of your marketing strategy. But coming up with new and interesting topics to write about can be tougher than stripping the wax from a soft-top surfboard.
You want your blog posts to engage readers and drive traffic to your website, but you don’t have time to sit around brainstorming ideas all day. That’s where I come in! In this blog post, I will give you some tips on how to brainstorm blog article topics that will get people excited about reading your content.
1. Make a list of topics that you’re interested in or passionate about
Making a list of things that you’re interested in is a great way to brainstorm blog article topics.
This is because when you’re passionate about something, it’s easy to come up with ideas for articles. You’ll also be more likely to stick to a topic that you’re interested in, which means your readers will be more engaged with your content.
For example, if you’re involved in a recent advancement in the ecotourism or sustainable surf travel sector, you can write about these. Alternatively, you might be releasing a new surf-related product that you’re really excited about. If that’s the case, talk about what makes it so interesting.
Your passion for these topics will come through in your writing, and that’s what will make your articles stand out from the rest.
2. Think about current events or news stories that would make good blog post topics
By thinking about current events or news stories, you can come up with ideas that are both timely and interesting to your readers.
The best thing about using current events or news stories is that they’re relevant and shareable. This means that your readers are more likely to engage with your content and share it within their own networks.
For example, if you’re a surf tourism, surf tech or surf brand business owner, you could look at events or news stories like the following:
- A new law that affects surf industry businesses
- A recent study or report on the surf industry
- A news story about a successful surfing event in your area
- An interesting statistic about the local surfing industry
Essentially, current events and news stories resonate with your audience because they’re all about what’s happening right now.
3. Ask your readers what they’d like to read about – hold a poll or survey on your blog
Another fantastic way to generate article ideas for your blog is to ask your readers what they want to read about!
You can do this by holding a poll or survey on your blog, or even just asking for ideas in the comments section of a post. This is a great way to get ideas for articles that are guaranteed to be popular with your audience because you’re going straight to the source.
Google offers a great number of poll and survey templates in Drive, but there are also many other online tools you can use, like Survey Monkey or Typeform. It really is a foolproof way to brainstorm article topics that are sure to gain traction! And who knows? You might even end up with a series on your hands if there are enough popular ideas to warrant it.
4. Brainstorm ideas with other owners or managers – collaborate to create a series
While writing is generally a solo activity, it does help to brainstorm ideas with other surf industry stalwarts. This is especially true when you feel like you’re in a blogging rut.
Collaborating with other surf bloggers is a great way to generate new blog article topics. You can bounce ideas off of each other, collaborate on a series and help each other stay accountable. Better yet, you’ll make new connections (and maybe a new friend) in the process.
How do you reach other small business owners though? Well, I’ll admit that this can be tricky. However, thanks to the proliferation of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, it’s easier than ever to connect with other small business owners. You can also search for online surf hospitality or surf tourism groups in your area or attend local surf competitions or action sports events.
Once you’ve connected with the owners of other surf-centric businesses or brands, you can start brainstorming ideas for blog articles. You can also collaborate on a series of blog posts, which is a great way to generate traffic to both of your sites (not to mention, it’s always more fun to brainstorm with someone else!).
5. Use social media to find inspiration – look at trending hashtags or explore different accounts
As mentioned earlier, social media is a great way to find inspiration for blog article ideas. By looking at trending hashtags or exploring different accounts, you can get a feel for what people are interested in and brainstorm ideas based on that.
Hashtags, in particular, are a great way to brainstorm ideas because they can be very specific. For example, if you see a hashtag like #surfcampownerproblems, that could be the basis for an entire article addressing common problems faced by the owners of surf-centric businesses.
What’s more, you could also look in the comments section of popular posts to see what people are talking about. This can give you an idea of what people are interested in and help you brainstorm ideas for blog articles that would be relevant to your audience.
So there you have it!
Coming up with topics for your blog can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re feeling stuck, try brainstorming ideas using one of the methods I’ve outlined in this post.
You could make a list of topics that interest you or brainstorm about current events and news stories. Alternatively, ask your readers what they’d like to read. After all, there’s no shame in admitting that you need a little help brainstorming topics – even the most successful blog writers do it (*cough* me *cough*)!
Collaborating with other bloggers is a great way to come up with new ideas, and social media can be a goldmine of inspiration. So next time you’re struggling to think of something to write about, use these brainstorming methods.