10 Ideas for Great Blog Posts and Articles
How to Turn YOUR Knowledge, Passions and Ideas into Articles
Running out of ideas to write about? Need suggestions on what to blog next?
The web is a great way to share your interests and expertise while making money. But you have to be smart. If you write on the same thing as everyone else, your lens won't get noticed. If you write on a topic nobody's searching for, you won't get traffic.
My key to online success is to find and exploit the overlap between your passions, your know-how, your unique assets (photos, crafts, stuff) and what other people want to read, know, or buy. Such as:
1 REVIEWS: Look around your home. Grab your favorite book, movie, video game, piece of sports equipment, product, or something that solves a problem. Review it, showcasing it with an Amazon spotlight. Tell readers specifically what you like about it or find useful, not just vague platitudes like "I love it!" or "It's great!" Use "Review" in the lens title, since people often search for "[X] review". (Example: a review of my cat's carrier, a steady Amazon earner.)
2 PHOTOS: Here's an asset you have that no one else does: your own photos! People search the web for images. Make a lens on something you've photographed. Research and give unique information about it. On your own blogs or websites which preserve the names of graphics you upload, use specific filenames like "bald-eagle.jpg" to target searches. On sites like Hubpages that let you write a caption, be specific there.
3ANSWERS: Go to Yahoo Answers and browse a category you know and love. Look for commonly-asked or interesting questions that you can answer. Make a lens about it! If possible, use your own photos, or even make and embed a YouTube video with a link to your lens in its description! (Example: Why Do Things Float?)
4 CONTROVERSY: Take a stand on a topic that people argue over: the Designated Hitter, the Tea Party, famous hoaxes, conspiracy theories, Twilight vs. Harry Potter. Scan forums and news sites for debates, especially ones where people tend to drop links that "prove" they're right! Create a lens on it and include a Duel Module. Set comments to Moderate in case you get flamed. (Example: Photos of Moon Landing Sites from Space)
5NOT YET FAMOUS: Look for contestants on upcoming talent/reality shows, new actors, or rookies starting their pro sports career. We have no idea who will be successful. But you'll get a surge of traffic when they start, and if they turn out to be a star, yours will be the FIRST big webpage on them, so you'll get traffic!
Combine Ideas
If you're writing a review, include your own photos.
If you're writing on a film, TV show, or celebrity, include controversies or answers to fan questions ("Does he have a girlfriend?" comes up a lot).
6EXPERTISE: What do you know? Pick one aspect of it and explain it clearly. Make a tutorial, an FAQ, or a lesson! Include printables; clickouts can boost lensrank. Test them with a mini-quiz.
7 BREAKING NEWS: Did you just hear of something on the news? Is there a meme? Has a new buzzword or quote suddenly come into vogue? Google loves to pick up new webpages on topical subjects. Watch Twitter's "Trending Topics" in the sidebar for the latest buzz. (Example: Funniest Horse Race Ever.) [UPDATE: don't bother if it's only going to be big news for a month before the buzz dies.]
8TRADITION: Traditions can be anything from holidays to ethnic dishes, to March Madness to a profession's superstitions (never say "Macbeth" or "no-hitter"). What do people want to know about that holiday, or why do they love to share it? Prepare at least two months ahead of time: when National Bubble Wrap Day comes around, your lens will be all ready to help people celebrate! (Example: My Jackie Robinson page gets an April traffic spike because of Jackie Robinson Day.)
9 FANDOM: From Harry Potter to Volkswagen Bugs to Pez dispensers, there are lots of people geeking about it, collecting it, and debating it. Many fandoms have controversies that get people talking! It's better to be specific (Severus Snape) rather than broad (fantasy and science fiction). (Example: Fan-Made Star Trek Movie)
10Homemade/DIY: People like making things. Parents, especially homeschoolers, look for kids' activities and crafts. Kids have to make things for school projects. So teach how to do or make something. Printables are again a good way to get clicks, and Amazon Spotlights of hard-to-find materials may earn sales. (Example: Make an Egyptian Paper Pyramid)
Simple SEO Tip
Search Engine Optimization means using what people search for to help draw traffic.
Here are three descriptive words people often search in combination with a topic. Use them if it makes sense.
Stuff (I get searches for "volcano stuff")
Homemade (Several Top 100 lenses have had "homemade" in the title)
MeganCasey suggests: Unique
(I've seen "what's unique about athena")
How to Get More Clicks, Sales
Credit Where Due
Graphics By MySiteMyWay
Guestbook - So, Which Kind of Page Are You Going to Make?
I love the yahoo questions idea which I will definitely look into. Thank you!
These are very good ideas!
Very helpful information, and a lot of new ideas I hadn't heard of yet- thanks!
Great lens with a lot of resource!
Great lens!! Inspiration abounds on this page! :) I have many unused photographs that need a home.
Interesting ideas to keep in mind when making my next len, thanks
- AUTHOR
@tedwritesstuff24: Actually, I hadn't gotten around to updating for a while, so, thanks!
Guess you may know.. but the magic 8 ball lens has been taken down...
Great ideas. I need a Camera, been wanting to make a photographic lens
I really learned a lot from you! Thank you so much! You're the best! ;)
Great lens, thanks for the advise and ideas. loved it.
Thankyou. I'm already thinking about other things.
Nice lens - love the graphics!
Need to keep this lens in mind long-term. My brain is overloaded already.
Some nice suggestions here. got me thinking out of the box.
I believe in the Homemade stuff, that will do good for me...Learned a lot from this lens.
been here before but followed thru a link from your Squidbits blog, this time a more considered read proved very informative and useful
Excellent lens. Newbies and experienced squids can learn a lot from this and your other lenses!! Blessed
Wow! It took me a month before I found your lenses. I'm glad I did. You have such valuable inputs! Thank you so much! ^_^
You lens gave me so many ideas! I think I'll mix Tradition with Travel and write a lens that is not too personal.
Great suggestions. I am getting so many ideas.
I'm learning so much about Squidoo, by reading your lenses... thank you for your sharing so much and inspiring me to persevere! Just like in the world of bricks & mortar, it takes a great deal of work to create something others appreciate.
I've visited and left supporting comments and likes with hundreds of lens here and have only had a couple of members take a moment to leave a kind word of support or appreciation, in return. So, I can only imagine the unsung efforts required to get where you are, today. I've always put my all into things I undertake and am moving forward to whatever awaits me, today (I hope that wasn't too deep).
I tip my hat to you and am off to learn more :)
- AUTHOR
@lauranlauran: It's basically my "big bold numbered list" trick explained on my CSS tricks lens here:
http://www.squidoo.com/advancedCSS#module104949741
I tweaked it for this lens in two ways:
1) I changed the background color to light blue on the tinted paragraphs. Use a text editor's find/replace to replace #ff9 (the color code for the pale yellow) with #def (color code for pale blue)
2) I added the big graphics flush right in each paragraph. To get the effect, upload/store a graphic somewhere like Photobucket or Picasa, get its URL, and then insert the following image code JUST before the body text of the paragraph (indicated in gray on my template) and JUST after the code that makes the big, bold number (indicated in dark blue on my template):
That code says "put an image in this paragraph, but make it flush right at the edge of the paragraph, so that any text in the paragraph will fill in the space next to it. And give a bit of padding on the left side of the image so the text isn't bang up against it."
Very useful lens that shows the direction for a newbie like me. Thanks for sharing
I really like your ideas and the layout. How did you do it?
Great ideas and suggestions here! I love to read about a writer's personal experience. I think it brings so much more depth to the article and draws me in as a reader. Great job!
Hi thanks for the great ideas and tips.
I would prefer making informative lens on topic that interests people...
Your ideas will help me a lot!
Thanks!
Goodness... I learn so much from you. Thanks!
Got some good ideas now!
I love these type of helpful lenses. You did a great job laying out some different type of ideas. In fact, you sparked a few new ideas for me. Blessed!
As a Squidoo newbie I'll be coming back to this one again and again! Thanks so much.
great list and thanks for the link to the $7500 lens post.
This list is great, lays it out clearly which path to take in finding a good topic. I am still new to squidoo, so lens like this are a great help to newbies. thanks
thanks for sharing, I think I might has a few new ideas now.
Thanks for the great information.
Loved the tips ... thanks for sharing!
Really great lens, I read every word and clicked out on every click. Rare if you visit as many lenses as I do every day. I was intrigued by figuring out where there was controversy and trying to get in the middle of it, and also your take on celebrity lenses. I would add that responding to the quests you are provided can bring about some really successful lenses, usually ones that would surprise you. Angel Blessed!
great tips thanks :)
I wanted to read this before making my first lense, and it gave me quite a few ideas!
This is a resourceful lens for me to consider :)
Simply awesome !
Awesome tips! I need to put some of these to work for me! :)
I have found that I have created posts on things that I am not that interested in, their a bit to sales orientated for what I like. I have a lot of interests that I am passionate about rather than just selling things.
These are all great ideas. I think you've got my motor running here. Thanks!
I've got several lenses 'In the oven," so to speak, but I think with your advice I'm gonna' start all over an' share something that I totally love. Thanks for so many great tips.
Great list, although I never seem to be short of ideas, there is still lots to take away from your page. Thanks.
Thank you for the brainstorming session. Very helpful!
Thank you for the invaluable information
Wow, this is a wonderful lens, im a newbee at all of this and have only created a few lenses, and i keep poking around and editing them, i hope to be as precise and right on with my articles as you are some day! Again, wonderful job and thanks for all the great tips and ideas!
Great lens! I definitely loved the way this lens was laid out. Very easy to read, didn't take forever to get through and gave me tons of great ideas. Thanks ;)
Very good informative lens! Great ideas!
awesome lens for a newbie like me... Thanks a lot..
Very nice! Great tips here :)
I seems do not know what to write, but your lense has been very helpful, thanks.
My biggest problem is coming up with ideas for new lenses. Yes I have lots of titles but find that lenses on those subjects already exist, I then need to find an angle which hasn't been covered or where I think I can do better. I think I becobe too self-critical at this point but I hope this lens and some of the links will help me to get over this. Thanks for your help.
Oops, I forgot to say, I think I might do a lens on my daughter's school project on making a pig house from the 3 Little Pigs. We had so much fun and it came out great!
So far you are my favorite Lensmaster! Thank you so much for all the great work you do. After all these years of surfing, I think I've finally found the community on the web where I belong!
thanks so much for these! i'm not overly active on this site because i can't come up with ideas, but this one really did help! thanks again!
Great job. There's always something to write about if you use these ideas.
Another brilliant lens. Thanks for sharing the little details - your secrets.
a great lens, and we all need to think like our people think!
Good stuff! It's amazing what people search for. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips, added to stumbleupon :)
- AUTHOR
@darciefrench lm: Thanks, Darcie! I put it down with the "Featured lenses' instead, since my "Brainstorming" plexo is really for people to suggest one specific topic/lens idea, like I did with #1-10 above. But it's a good lens! Ambitious, too!
Lots of good ideas. I was just saying to my husband that I'm running a little short on inspiration. :)
Awesome Squidoo Tips lens- I added the Magic 8 Box Idea Generator to your brainstomring list -:)
Great ideas! Thanks for giving us a heads-up on what works and does not for those of us who struggle with new ideas.
Thank you for the great Advice. Have a great holiday
Even for a Seasoned Squidoo Lensmaster, this is still useful info.!! This is a Wonderful and Very Useful Lens, Nice Work!!
Awesome lense! I really love your ideas. Thank you so much. This is one of my favorite great lense :)
Great lens ideas. Thank you for always being so helpful.
Great ideas, Greekgeek! You are very helpful.
A great thought provoking lens. Never thought to browse through Yahoo Answers for ideas.
Wonderful Suggestions and the lens is well presented.
Great suggestions - thanks! I took your suggestion on Yahoo Answers and discovered an idea for a new lens.
Checked your RSS and learned so much . Again, in this lens. Thanks for all the tips. I understand more now.
I came looking for your squidoo monster lens, but found this gem instead. Great ideas! Drop me a link to your monster lens, I'd love to read it but couldn't find it. :)
- AUTHOR
@MeganCasey: Thank you, Megan!
This is a very smart list! Wonderful suggestions for lens types that will not only be fun for people to create, but will also be useful to readers (and poised for good traffic).
Have not heard of Yahoo Answers. Will try it. Thanks for the other tips, too. Sometimes, what you really need is to just sit down and do it.
I also used to struggle with what to make lenses about, now I have a list and not enough time. Thanks for the suggestions.
Super advice and wonderful graphics. As you mention, Yahoo Answers is a good place to gain inspiration for a lens
Well, now I have two dozen or so lenses on my to-do list... so, uh. Thanks, I guess? :D
I've been busy with the tradition type lenses for Halloween, along with using some of my travel expertise to publish new lenses. I remember struggling for ideas when I first started publishing, but now I have hundreds of "to-do" lenses to be published. Once you get into a large niche you like, the possibilities are endless. I'm lensrolling this to my (much older) 48 Ideas for Squidoo Lenses page.
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