46 Article Ideas You Can Use for Your Blog Right Now

Maintaining a blog or online publication isn't easy, and one of the toughest aspects of maintenance is coming up with things to write about! Even if you're preparing an editorial calendar for the next month, or even the next few months, the ideas aren't always flowing. If you need a little help, or if you need something to write about right now, then consider one of the 46 article ideas below. Surely, you can find something here that's compelling to do and to share with your audience.

1. Live blog what's happening at a conference, event, or trade show.
2. Attended a webinar, conference, event or trade show recently? Share what you’ve learned.
3. Instead of recapping the conference or webinar, review it! What would you have wished to learn? What could they have done better?
4. Did you just hold your own event? Do a recap.
5. Will you be holding an event? Do a post about it and why people should come.
6. Do a roundup of niche-related news articles that your readers may have missed.
7. Write a follow-up to one of your most popular blog posts.
8. Respond to comments made on a previous blog post.
9. Write a counterpoint to a post from another blog.
10. Agree with a post from another blog.
11. Ask another niche blogger to do guest post.
12. Ask another niche blogger if you can reprint one of his/her posts. Make sure to write your own introduction and give credit to the blogger.
13. Look at what your competitors are blogging about, and write your own post on something they’ve done.
14. Take a current event and show what your niche can learn from it.
15. Take a seemingly unrelated current event and show what it means to your industry.
16. Find a recent news article on your industry and add your own angle.
17. Compare your niche to something from pop culture, like a TV show or a new dance craze.
18. Counter a prevailing niche trend or perspective.
19. Affirm a prevailing niche trend or perspective.
20. Bust a myth or two about your niche/product/service.
21. Confirm a rumor or fact about your niche/product/service.
22. Make a prediction on an emerging trend, or on something else happening in your niche.
23. Define some niche lingo or key terms.
24. Are there any new research findings or statistics related to your niche? Write a post on why that new something is important.
25. Present the history or some little known facts about your niche.
26. Outline a solution to a big niche problem.
27. Or, just rant about that problem. That’s okay too.
28. Ask several niche leaders about an issue related to your niche. Post the responses.
29. Create a beginner’s post to your niche (think of it as a very quick 101!)
30. Conduct some research on something related to your niche and share your findings.
31. Create a “recipe of success” for your niche.
32. Create a “5 Pillars” or a “10 Commandments” for your niche.
33. Answer a frequently asked question related to your niche.
34. Make a list of the 10 best other niche blogs or news sites.
35. Make a list of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in your niche.
36. Compile a list of the best apps for your niche.
37. Make a list of your favorite quotes related to your niche.
38. Make a pros/cons list of something in your niche.
39. Review a book related to your niche.
40. Ask your readers what they’d like you to write about.
41. Write about the best idea(s) suggested.
42. Conduct a poll.
43. Post the results to that poll.
44. If there’s a movie about or involving your niche, write about what it gets right or wrong.
45. Ask for reader submissions (can be posts, pics, or vids).
46. Share the best ones!

Covering and Publishing on a Beat

In journalism, there's something called a "beat." A beat is a specific topic that a reporter covers, like education, religion, crime, or small business. A beat is similar to a niche or a realm of specialization. When diving into journalism on your own accord, either as a blogger, and online publication, or a company doing brand journalism, you need to determine your beat or niche. Although a beat narrows your range of topics, it makes it easier to cover those topics in the long run. With a beat, you can nurture relationships with your most valuable sources, like the school superintendent for education, or the police chief for crime. With a beat, you can utilize any previous research that you've come across, and eventually tap facts and figures from memory. With a beat, you can develop your blog, online publication, or company as the go-to place on that topic and attract the attention of others.

A beat can be general, like the ones I previously mentioned, or specific such as one particular company or sports team. If you're a business doing some brand journalism, then obviously, your company would be your beat. However, you may want to include your industry in that as well.

Something to keep in mind when working on your beat is to provide stories that are in the best interest of your reader, not simply those of interest to the source or company. This might mean showcasing the other side, asking the tough questions, or taking a different angle. Also keep in mind that when covering a beat, stick to the beat as much as possible. It may be tempting from time to time to cover a big breaking news story or another trending topic, but doing so does not serve the readers. The point of a beat is to cover a topic others aren't covering, or to cover it in a way that others aren't, providing a unique value or perspective. Covering something everyone is talking about, simply for the sake of sales or page views, goes against that purpose.

The point of a beat is to find stories rather than follow them. As a blogger, an online publication, or a company wanting to write and to produce news, finding stories is not only good journalism, but it allows you to find a story that hasn't been found before. A beat fits perfectly into today's growing need of valuable content tailored toward the interests of readers. Improve yourself and your blog or online publication with a beat today.