Using the news for blog ideas

You’re probably working too hard to come up with the ideas to blog about. If you’re tired of staring at a blank page waiting for inspiration, look no further than the thousands of journalists turning out stories every day.

First off, let me introduce myself. I’m Will Eifert, a freelance copywriter and internet marketing consultant. I’m one of a number of writers T&S uses to create great content for their clients.

As you might expect, many of my clients rely on me to help them come up with blogging topics. I’ve found you can use the audience of the news media to create quality content and social engagement.

An example

A widely covered news story in Oklahoma City has been the rapid increase in the number of earthquakes shaking the area. It’s reported on consistently and the story has even been circulated in national news outlets.

As a response, Elite Insurance Associates created a blog post on the caveats of earthquake insurance, and challenged the sensibility of buying it.

This is the kind of content that can spark sharing and conversation. Insurance agents might share or comment with their opinion. People who’ve bought earthquake insurance may want to have their say online.

The beauty of this is that the idea has been given to you. You simply need to offer up your company’s take on that situation. So how do you make that happen?

Note: Elite Insurance has changed company names to Thrive Insurance. As a result, their old blog is no longer online.

How to get blog post ideas from the news

The most obvious source of story ideas is your own noggin. What local news stories have you heard that you thought apply to your business. Are there any national news stories that you could either apply your expertise to or apply to your local area?

If none come quickly to your mind, you can use Google to find inspiration. Try this: Google your business niche, and select the “News” tab.

Google will serve you up with news stories that it thinks are relevant to your search term. Now you have a pretty vast source of ideas.

Also make it a habit of checking national news sources regularly, particularly trade publications that will publish information relevant to your business.

Coming up with ideas isn’t that hard, see? Try this out with your blog, share and see if you get some more comments and social sharing.

Interested in learning more about me? You can find out more about me on my website, or follow me on Twitter at @woeifert.