10 New Content Ideas for Your Blog: Which Will You Try Today?

Do you ever feel a bit tired of your blog?

Perhaps writing yet another post feels like a real effort.

Or maybe you’re quite enjoying writing, but your posts don’t seem to be getting so many comments and shares as they used to.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with blogging, producing the same types of post over and over again.

Here are ten fresh ideas to shake things up:

#1: Don’t Write a List (or Do!)

List posts are popular with bloggers and with readers for a reason: they work! But if pretty much every post you write is “Six Ways to…” or “Fifteen Tips on…” it’s time to try something different.

If you’ve avoided lists because you think they’re shallow or overdone, though, give one a try — and see how it works for you and your readers.

#2: Write a Much Shorter Post Than Usual

Sometimes, a short post can have a disproportionate impact. You might choose to introduce a topic then open it up to your readers, or you might want to write something completely different from usual — perhaps a poem.

If you’re struggling to find the time to blog, or you’re feeling burned out, short posts are also a great way to keep up some momentum without pushing yourself too hard.

#3: Host a Guest Blogger

A fresh perspective and new voice can be great for your blog, so why not invite someone you know to contribute a guest piece?

If there’s someone who regularly comments (and has interesting things to say), they could be a great person to ask.

#4: Be Opinionated

If your posts tend to be quite fact-based and informative, try shaking things up with an opinionated, or even controversial, take on something in your industry.

What makes you angry? What do you disagree with other bloggers about? Of course, you won’t want to be rude or offensive, but do state your thoughts and ideas strongly (and back them up with evidence). 

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7 Link-Building Tips for Busy Bloggers [Guest Post]

Creating great content for a blog requires a lot of time and effort, but if no one sees your great content it won’t really matter.
Building links is one of the most important things you can do to increase exposure to your blog, but if you’re busy creating content, it’s hard to find much time for link building.
Here are seven ways you can attract valuable links, even if you don’t have much time to spare:

1. Prioritize Quality Content

Getting natural links to your blog is much, much easier with high quality content. If you don’t have content that other people will want to share, you’ll have to work far harder to get links.
While creating great content isn’t really a link building method, it does drastically increase your chances of getting unsolicited links and social networking shares, and when you make specific attempts at getting links, you’re far more likely to be successful.
Prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to your blog posts. Publishing one really awesome post per week will give you much better results than publishing several low quality posts that don’t stand out.
Think of your blog’s content as the foundation of any link building efforts. Brainstorm post topics that will interest of your target audience and that haven’t been over-done in your niche. If you’re struggling to find content ideas, check out this post from Copyblogger: 50 Can’t-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics.

2. Use Linkable Graphics

Blog posts are typically very text-heavy, but don’t ignore the potential impact of photos and graphics. Adding an image to your post can help grab the attention of your visitors, and it’s also a great way to attract some links with little effort.
Social sites like Pinterest (and to a lesser extent, Google+) tend to be rather visual, so having an eye-catching image is great for encouraging visitors to share your post. Plus, posts with great images tend to get more clicks from social media users.
Using images can obviously help you to get links from social networking sites as visitors share your content. Some of those links will be nofollow, but there is still some benefit to having them. The added exposure that your post gets via social media can also lead to bloggers and other social media users seeing it and linking to it (a viral effect). Read More........

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