Find extraordinary posts, in the ordinary ideas.
My most popular blog posts have simply been me rambling about things that grind my gears. Other people think up my blog posts for me, I just am the first one to put pen to paper, so to speak, and poke fun! Take this post about things I don't understand. I practically was force fed that info from a constant slew of tweets on each subject, every single day.
Simplicity makes people laugh. Yet, simple blog post ideas are over looked every single day because us bloggers sometimes think we need some grand topic to post about.
Here is an exercise I want you to do... take every tweet from the past 24 hours you've tweeted. Look more deeply into each tweet to see if there is a post idea there. I'm going to do this exercise right now. Dude, do I sound like a teacher right now or what??? I always wanted to be a gym teacher, boom post idea right there...
Blog post idea: All about the pressures of building a blog roll. Who should I add? What if I forget people? Will the bloggers I forget turn against me and stage a revolt? Why is it so important to have a blog roll, anyways? Are you GFC or Bloglovin? Why are the people you have added to your blog roll SO AWESOME?! Show some love to your current blog roll. etc. etc. etc.
See simple tweet, lots of blog post ideas.
Blog Post Idea: Commercials named after your dog. Oh wait, your dog doesn't have commercials? Oh, well how about famous dogs or people throughout time with your dog's name and why your dog is cooler. People love blog posts about dogs. By people I mean I do.
Blog Post Idea: People love "How To" posts. Do you know how many people in this world have to occasionally write press releases for work? How about a post on how to write a press release. Even better, what do you do for a living? Are you really good at excel and can give everyone short cuts? What about photoshop? Or maybe you have learned tips on your gadgets none of us know. Write a "how to" post and then start pinning away. All of a sudden you have more traffic streaming in!
Blog Post Idea: Do you ever have one of those posts that after you finish you want to hit publish right then and there rather than waiting until the next day when it is supposed to go live? You just know people will love it? Well I tweeted this on July 10th and it got me thinking, man... dudes have no idea how to properly identify women's clothing do they? This post was born a week later, all from one simple tweet.
The easiest target to make fun of is yourself. I promise you won't hurt your own feelings. Unless you are perfect. In which case, do a blog post on all the things that make you all around perfect and give me your URL so I can watch your followers dwindle away. How to lose 1,000 followers in 10 days.
Actually that is a really good post idea. How to lose 1,000 followers in 10 days. NO ONE TAKE THAT IDEA, I'M USING IT.... AND ON TO MY NEXT POINT....
Take notes all the time.
I can't tell you the amount of times an idea went into my head then promptly left, never to be heard from again. If I don't write it down, I'm a goner. There are a few ways I track my notes...
Lately I have been just starting new posts as a draft, then saving to go back and edit later.
Like how I covered up the post titles? I'm not giving away everything here, people!
Sometimes I'll email myself, but I don't recommend that because then I never find the email again. I also write a lot of stuff down in my planner! No matter how you make yourself notes, be sure to always remember to write a good post idea down!
I hope this was helpful to everyone!!
Now on to the linkup details...
Rules:
Blog about the things that inspire your blog posts.
Follow your hosts... me and Helene via GFC or Bloglovin
Grab a button and link back to your hosts!
Taking notes all the time is SUPER important!! I have so many notes it's not even funny. And finding the simple things and making them into a post. Yes. Also your blog post is so much prettier than mine. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI take notes ALL the time. And I start a lot of drafts as well. :)
ReplyDeletePerfect post is perfect.
ReplyDeleteI'm TOTALLY borrowing (stealing) your idea on how to write a press release. Seriously, we die over some of the ridiculous releases that come into the newsroom. Love your inspirations! I also take notes, my notes app on my phone is full of them!
ReplyDeleteI take notes, screen shots, and sometimes even pictures (if I'm really desperate!). Oh and the tweets is so important.
ReplyDeleteI take notes too, I have a notebook specifically for brainstorming stuff. I'm having fun reading everyone's posts and finding new blogs, thanks for hosting a great link up.
ReplyDeleteI totally stress over my blog roll. You definitely should do a post about this :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome collection of your inspiration - I hear you on the 'write it down' theory, and sometimes when I write ideas in my planner I think 'this is what a comedian or musician must feel like'. But no, this feeling is reserved to bloggers :) Thanks for the link up!
ReplyDeleteI often forget twitter exists unless I am drunk. hahaha
ReplyDeleteI always have 30+ posts in draft with just titles, and I have a blog section of notes in my planner too!
Inspiration is everywhere, but it is ALWAYS in the little things.
DAyyyum girl - full of ideas! I sadly don't have too much trouble coming up with posts, I keep a list and then just look at it and pick one I feel like. My problem is more finding time to pour the effort into actually making it a good post. Gah.
ReplyDeleteI have SO MANY draft posts, from having a random idea and just creating a blank post from my phone with the title as the idea. Also, I love your tweets idea, I'll have to do that the next time I'm feeling stuck.
ReplyDeleteGreat post ideas, love the whole looking at tweets idea!
ReplyDeleteI have a billion drafts too. It's the easiest way to keep track! hint: if you email your self have the subject line be, for example "blog post - inspirations" and then you can find it by searching blog post or the actualy content!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post. I rarely re-read my tweets so checking them for post ideas is an awesome idea. Thanks for the tips, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI have notes in my phone too! Mostly I blog about my life and random shenanigans though!
ReplyDeleteTWITTER!!! I love it and it totally inspires some of my posts. People say the craziest shiz on there.
ReplyDeleteI love that you took us through the train of thought from tweet to blog post. I do have some future post ideas in draft form and by that I mean a blank page with a draft title. Thanks for hosting the linkup!
ReplyDeleteI have a notebook where I jot ideas down all the time. It's a ridiculously long list. I also have a draft email in GMail for when I don't have my notebook. Yet I still have days where I'm not feeling any of my ideas... Such is life.
ReplyDeleteIs it bad that I'm terrified to reread my tweets? I like to pretend that they are gone in a matter of minutes.
ReplyDeletelove this!!
ReplyDeleteso many good ideas for ways to be inspired.
I also have about eleventy bajillion drafts!! usually when I look back at them though I realize there's a reason why I kept them as a draft (they sucked!) haha!
I have never thought to look through my tweets for blog inspiration - so freakin' smart! I always love your tutorials and have most of them bookmarked on my laptop for easy referral when I'm trying something new. Thanks so much for hosting this linkup, I love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is so, so good! I love how you get post ideas from your own tweets! I never actually thought of that before, but it's TOTALLY true. Probably only if you're hilarious {like yourself} though! ;)
ReplyDeleteYOOOU rock my world!
Why do you draft em all? Why not schedule them for certain days. It's so helpful
ReplyDeleteGreat great tips. I definitely suffer from bloggers block : /
ReplyDeleteI am planning on reading each and every post of the people who've linked up. Invaluable info if you ask me. Genius link up, my friend.
ReplyDeletebut no really, my blog would be quite boring if i didn't make fun of myself on it on the regs.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree on taking notes. Sometimes I'll have an idea and think of some specifics and if I don't write it down, I remember the big picture but not specifics and the post never gets written.
ReplyDeleteAnd my cat's name is Bauer after Jack Bauer and he doesn't react when I watch 24 reruns. I was hoping he would!
Yeah taking notes is so important if one wants to be able to recall stuff, the older we get the more important it becomes
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome! I really need to start taking notes so that I can quit forgetting things.
ReplyDeleteI do the whole new post thing to for my ideas!!! I downloaded the blogger app just so that I could easily save my ideas on the go and not email myself to do it later or text myself. Thanks for all the great ideas - I will try out that twitter idea when I get scared that my draft counts are dwindling too low!
ReplyDeleteyou are one of those bloggers whose posts frequently piss me off because I wish I had thought of them, but then I get over it because I really like you.
ReplyDeleteSuch an awesome link up! I'm constantly thinking that I have nothing to blog about. Thanks to all of these wonderful tips (yours and those that linked up) I really shouldn't ever think that again. High five Sarah & Helene!
ReplyDeleteHey, you really do get some great ideas! I just met a big boxer (dog) that had my name. We were at a big get together at the beach for a friend's birthday. We didn't know everyone at the party. So this guy kept yelling; "Haley!! Come here!" I was pretty confused until I figured out that the dog's name was Haley too. That was certainly a first.
ReplyDeleteJust started following you from the link up! (I'm #63 in the link up list.. pictured as a hotdog.)
Definitely have to make fun of yourself!
ReplyDeleteI love this! For real can't wait for "How to Lose 1,000 Followers in 10 Days." I'm sure it'll be hilar.
ReplyDeleteI need to write blog notes down more often. I guess I should get a blog notebook first eh??
ReplyDeleteP.S. just got done reading through everyone's posts! Some really great feedback to the linkup's topic! Kudos for thinking this up! You and Helene make great blog buddy partners :)
These tips are honestly amazing. I loved this.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same as you - I write down my ideas AND make draft posts. Whatever I'm closest to - paper/pen or computer/blog, I'll do whatever is easiest. Now I don't feel like such a spaz for forgetting ideas as quickly as I get them.