Where Do You Get Your Post Ideas From?

I am often asked where I get my post ideas from. Since starting this blog in December 1, 2005, there has not been a single day that gone by where I did not have at least one new post for people to read. From the beginning to today (781 days) I have made 1812 posts (not including this one) for a daily average of 2.3 posts per day. This kind of posting consistency has been one of the major reasons for the blog’s success.

The problem many bloggers have with maintaining a consistent posting frequency is finding stuff to blog about. I’m sure we all have days when we feel like there is nothing to write about. Here are some sources I look at to get my posting ideas.

The Blog Comments

The blog comments are my number one source of new post ideas. It’s also the best source of post ideas because it comes from your readers. Readers ask questions in the comments. If the question is really good, I will answer it with a new post instead of in the comments. This is a win-win blogging situation. Your readers are happy and you have new content.

Emails from Readers

I get tons of emails everyday (more so than blog comments). Most of the emails are for questions that I’ve already answered in the blog but the person was too lazy to use the blog search feature. However, once in a while I will get a questions that I have not answered. Instead of answering by replying to the writer, I will answer it as a new blog post if I feel that others would ask the same question.

My RSS Reader

I track dozens of blogs using my Google Reader. This is a great source of new post ideas. Most people use their RSS readers to keep track of their favorite blogs. I use it to as a source of never ending posting ideas. Just because one blog has written about a topic doesn’t mean you can’t write about it. You can add you own viewpoint or give a counterpoint. Who knows, you might even start a blog flame war.

Networking Groups and Trade Shows

Trade events and networking groups are a great source of content ideas. Posting frequency always increase when I’m at a trade event because there are tons of stuff to report on. If you don’t have the budget to attend an industry show, use a service like Meetup to find local events in your niche. Just getting together with other like minded people will results in dozens of new posting ideas.

Go Dine Out

As far I know, this only works for me at the moment. Well, I’m sure it will work for a restaurant review blog as well. Eating out at a new restaurant means a new fine dining post. Not only do I get a nice dinner, I also get new content and the dinner becomes deductible for income tax purposes. 😈

I would be interested in knowing where you get your post ideas from. Please share them in the comments.