How to Get Topics for Blogging

I have been asked several times by other bloggers – How do I get topics for blogging when posting articles on PFI. For some reason, that is one of the easier things for me to come up with in regards to maintaining a blog. Sure, there are times when I have writers block or don’t have a good “feel” for a post – but those times are very few.

As most long time readers of this site know, Passive Family Income is a blog focused around personal finance with a heavy influence of passive income and family related topics thrown in. I decided to put together a list of ways I get topics for blogging that hopefully you can use and that I may look back and remind myself about when ideas become thin.

Here are different methods that I use to generate ideas for my posts -

Radio – I guess I am getting old, but I listen to National Public Radio when driving in my car to and from work. This is a great place to get topics for ideas on blog posts. Be sure to keep a notepad and something to write with in your car or office if you listen to the radio. That way you can quickly write down your idea so you don’t forget it later.
Newspaper – While the newspaper industry is struggling, I still find a lot of value in reading them. I subscribe to the weekend edition of our local paper and scan every section front to back as soon as I get it. While I may not read every article, anything that appears to be an interesting topic gets written down for later.
SEO – When researching a set of keywords for my niche site or other affiliate marketing campaign, I often come across ideas for new topics for blog posts. Keep that notepad handy so that you can jot down anything that you may come across that seems interesting.
Other Blogs – I am not saying to go and steal other ideas from your peers, but look at what they are writing about. See if you can take a particular topic and expand on it or focus on a certain area of the article for a post on your site. I don’t use this method as often as I should, but whenever I come across an interesting post from another site I make a note of it for a possible future topic.
Every Day Experiences – This is my favorite source to get topics for blogging and is where about 50% of my topics come from. Since PFI has a family focus and I have two young boys – I am able to generate probably five decent topic ideas each week just around things they do. Even if it is a small event, I try and be creative and use that event to spawn a post. Another good practice is to become observant when you are out shopping or at a restaurant. See what people are doing and how they are acting. You would be amazed at the ideas you can generate just by people watching.
Status Posts – I also try to sprinkle in updates or status posts to fill up days of the week. I write a weekly updates post to link back to blog carnivals I have participated in over the past week. I also include other status posts to report passive income results and personal finance goals.

Once I have generated my list of ideas for a blog post, I always try and add my own experience to the topic so that I can put that personal touch on the post. I believe that this is a very important step so that I can be honest and truthful with my readers. It is also important not to copy or steal great work from other sources like newspapers and blogs. Instead, be creative and make the topic your own. Not every idea you write down on that notepad will be used or make for a good post. However, the collection of those topics can provide endless amounts of material to write on that will get you through those difficult writers block times and make your blog a success!

What methods or ideas do you use to get topics for blogging?