I was crazy enough to think I should publish only original works on my blog. Then I searched for brand-new blog post ideas that had never been published before.
Then I realized the truth,
Search “How to take a real dinosaur as a pet on Google.”
You’ll see many articles teaching you how to take a dinosaur as a pet or what foods you should give them, where you can buy one, dinosaur breeders, how to hatch a dinosaur, ten reasons dinosaurs make good pets, make your pet dinosaur, etc.
So, how could I write an original article? Everything has already been written.
Now I know. Creating something new is impossible.
However, there is a way. You can steal blog post ideas but can’t copy an original work.
Yes, there are no copyright issues, but as a Science graduate, I am extremely concerned about ethics while stealing ideas from others.
What I proposed by stealing ideas?
For example, grab a blog post from your expertise area (from a pro writer/blog), read the whole article, and steal the idea.
Don’t even think about copying a single sentence from that.
Stealing ideas from other bloggers is one of the best ways to keep your blog alive. You’ll never run out of topics for your next article.
Even this blog post idea is stolen from Jeff Goins’s article titled “Great Artists (and Writers) Steal.”
I don’t want to hide that from my audience.
You should always respect others’ work and give credit. So, I usually link out to the original article or at least to a separate article on their blog. That is one of the best ways to show your gratitude.
I know well-established, leading blogs don’t have a high value of your link, but at least it makes you a genuine person.
Sometimes, I comment on their blogs just to say “Thank You,” or I tweet the author and say, “I wrote an article based on one of your articles. If you like it, please share it on your social media”.
They are cool people and love to help beginners. So, don’t be afraid to contact them. At least some of them will respond to you. I can guarantee you that.
Isn’t that an excellent way to promote your article?
I think that the success of blogging depends on mutually beneficial relationships with other bloggers. If you take anything from them, please be kind enough to give something back even if it is small.
Regards to this article, I stole the idea, but I didn’t copy the original. I wrote an entirely new piece and gave some new tricks that the original article didn’t have.
So, If you are seeking new blog post ideas, check out these influencer blogs. They have well-researched, regularly updated, and the most shared content.
Neil Patel Digital
jeffbullas.com
Copyblogger
Problogger
Backlinko
Quicksprout
Convince and Convert
AgoraPulse
Content Marketing Institute
As a social media strategist, I’m passionate about social media. So, I steal blog post ideas mainly through social media and use some free tools.
1. Pinterest: search results for blog post ideas
We search via Google all the time. Have you ever used Pinterest as a search engine? It is not just a social media platform. Pinterest has a vast search power using keywords.
It is just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll find a lot more features when you get on with it.
Even if I worked as a social media strategist, I couldn’t recognize the power of Pinterest until I read this.
How I Made Blogging on Pinterest My Full-Time Job
Click on the link (it’ll open in a new tab on your browser) and read right after you finish this article.
It shows how to make money from Pinterest and how they bring a ton of traffic to their blog through Pinterest within a few months.
You’ll be amazed when you see actual screenshots and analytics reports of their blog traffic.
With this fantastic Pinterest guide, I reconsidered and revamped my abandoned Pinterest account.
I know most bloggers and even social media marketers do not believe in Pinterest’s power. I was once there. That is why I want to show you this.
Here you can see how my Pinterest account grew (almost 2500 followers) with few tweaks in less than 30 days.
Don’t take this wrong. I’m not saying that it is easy. You have to work hard to bring your pins to the top (it is like ranking your blog on Google’s first page).
It is not impossible.
So, do not underestimate Pinterest. It is becoming my best asset now.
I think I should write a new article about Pinterest and what I’ve learned within the last few months.
Let’s get back to the topic.
How do I steal blog ideas from Pinterest?
It is easy and simple yet powerful. I search for a keyword/phrase that I want to write an article about on the Pinterest search bar.
Some hot posts will appear at the top of the results page.
Below the search bar, Pinterest will suggest some keywords related to our search. Click on any relevant keyword and narrow the search results to find something precisely related to your niche.
By this method, you’ll be able to find the best and the most popular posts/images on Pinterest. Click on one and go to the linked blog post or locate a better Infographic and write your article based on that.
See, this infographic alone gives so many new blog post ideas already. All the facts are there. You just have to convert it to your words.
Or
Some influential Pinterest boards with high-quality pins provide new blog post ideas, blogging tips, tricks, etc.
Best of the Best Blog Posts
How to Blog
Blogging Tips
Blogging Tips & Tools
And I also created a Pinterest board for bloggers. It is called “Blogging Tips For Beginners.”
Follow my board, and you’ll find some valuable tips and new blog post ideas from pro bloggers daily.
If you want to pin your posts on my Pinterest board, do not hesitate to join the board. Put a link to your Pinterest account in the comment section below. I’ll send you an invitation to join my board right away.
2. Quora: questions into blog post ideas
You can find answers to almost any question on Quora. When you have performed a search on Google, at least one or two results from Quora will appear on the first couple of pages.
Quora is a popular platform right now.
If you still don’t have a Quora profile, create one right now because answering or asking questions on Quora will open new doors for you.
I will write another article on Quora and how we could use Quora effectively to promote our businesses.
After setting up your account, you should fill in the section called “Knows About” with your enthusiastic fields. Don’t forget to answer a few questions from time to time and keep your profile updated.
Quora will inform you (via email or mobile app notifications) when Quora members ask questions related to your “Knows About” categories.
The simplest way to find new blog post ideas using Quora is,
Just type something similar to your blog’s niche. You’ll see related topics that Quora has created.
Then dive into those topics to find an interesting question with a sufficient number of views and educational answers.
When you click on a question, you’ll see some “Related Questions” right next to it.
Coming up with new blog post ideas which people are interested will not be a tough task for you now.
3. HubSpot’s blog topic generator: for quick topics
HubSpot’s blog topic generator is straightforward and swift.
Launch the tool, and you just have to type a few nouns related to what you plan to write next and hit the “GIVE ME BLOG TOPICS!” button.
That is all.
You’ll see five new blog post ideas associated with the nouns you’ve entered.
I’m thinking about “Pinterest Marketing” right now.
The results are pretty good, huh?
I’d like to take the 4th topic. “7 Things About Pinterest Marketing Your Boss Wants To Know.”
Make a few changes and make this topic look like nobody ever wrote.
4. Ubersuggest: keywords into blog post ideas
With Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest, we can now see results from both Google Keyword Planner and Google Suggest in one place.
If you’ve used this tool once, you’ll never use other complex keyword planning tools again.
Search your primary keyword/phrase on Ubersuggest. It will give you keyword ideas from all over the web. You can apply some filters to find the best results.
Generating new blog post ideas out of search results is easy.
5. Favorite movies: extract blog post ideas
We all love movies, no?
When I watch a new movie or a TV show, I notice some new blog post ideas from my favorite characters, dialogues, or quotes.
How about;
10 Social Media Marketing Lessons From Disney’s Moana
7 Leadership Lessons From Jackie Kennedy
People like to read this kind of article (I prefer it) more than movie reviews.
By this method, you’ll be able to discover some unique blog post ideas which are easy to promote on social media.
6. Blog post ideas from comments on blogs
This method looks very simple and primitive, but even professional bloggers use blog comments to extract new blog post ideas.
Do you know why stealing ideas from blog comments is so powerful?
Because they are not computer-generated ideas by analyzing trends and data.
These comments show what exactly people are finding right now, modifications to the existing article, some points missed by the writer, their experiences, or their opinions on the subject.
The best comments are seen on the best blogs. So, we must find some fabulous blogs that are updated and relevant to our blog’s niche.
I have mentioned a few influencer blogs above I read daily. You would find some enlightening comments from pro bloggers on those blogs.
For example, I captured this comment from Ryan Biddulph’s blog “Blogging From Paradise.” Here you can see how informative Hassaan Khan‘s feedback and almost all the other comments on that article are from bloggers.
Can’t you find a few new blog post ideas from this comment alone?
7. Buzzsumo: blog post ideas from trending contents
Buzzsumo is a pretty crazy tool to find trending content and the most shared content on social media.
You can find trending topics most shared content within the last few hours, weeks, or months. Their filtering system is exceptional.
Even if Buzzsumo is such a powerful tool, I put this at the end because it is a paid tool.
You can’t use fully-powered filters without subscribing to a paid plan. All the other methods and tools I mentioned above are FREE.
However, I should say that if you are OK with the price, don’t think twice. Invest in Buzzsumo right now.
This would be the only tool you’ll ever need to generate new blog post ideas.
Over to you
Are you a newbie blogger like me? My recommendation is, do not to try all these techniques. One or two is more than enough for you to start.
Trying all these at once will complicate the process, and you’ll get bored quickly.
Honestly speaking, I use only the first four methods 99% when I want to write something.
However, I have tried all the other techniques too. If not, I never recommend those to you.
Don’t waste your precious time and energy too much just to find the best blog post ideas.
You’ll never find the best. Just grab something and write about your adventure. That is more meaningful than waiting for the best.
I’m telling you this from my experience. I had already spent an enormous amount of time and energy to find something new, and It didn’t work.
Is it OK to steal? What do you think?
Did I steal an idea from Jeff Goin’s article in the right way and create something new, or I failed?
Please leave a comment below. Your comment may help me to find a new idea for my next blog post.
Featured photo by Alexis Brown
Hi Nirodha,
Amazing blog post. You’ve clearly shown some fantastic strategies to find new blog post ideas. Perhaps we tend to create blog post ideas more than observing that what’s going on — you’ve tried to hit that part, which I liked the most.
This blog post will surely help readers contemplate the idea of scratching the surface and finding the ideas right off the bat.
I’m glad. Really!
Thank you for featuring my example. It’s an honor.
Thanks, again.
Hi Hassaan,
Glad you liked it and honor is mine.
I couldn’t include the “Good Books For Blog Post Ideas” here. Sometimes, I find blog post ideas even from fictions. What do you think about that?
If you have any good books in your mind, please let us know.
Thanks for the comment.
Hey Nirodha,
This is a really thorough and comprehensive post, I’m so glad that you wrote this! I’ll actually have to reference back to this in the future. Interestingly enough I touch upon the subject of aggregate vs. original content in my latest podcast that I uploaded today. In my opinion it’s cool to find inspiration from other topics that are being discussed out there, but I disagree that we shouldn’t be focusing on creating original content. Because there are thousands of posts that have similar ideas, I think that creating original content it will allow our brands to shine by adding value to our audience because we’re discussing things that haven’t been discussed before. At the same time though coming up with original content is incredibly difficult, and re-engineering previously discussed ideas for our own purposes has it’s merits too, especially in discussing topics that are trending on the internet and everyone is talking about them. With all of the algorithm changes occurring on the digital sphere, the need for original content to perform well is crucial, but also engaging our audiences with trending content that’s relevant and timely is equally important too. As long as you’re giving credit where credit is due for ideas and sources you utilize for your own purposes, as well as adding your own take and spin to it, then you’ll be successful in sharing your thoughts and ideas. Nice work again with this post, it’s incredibly rich, easy to digest and engaging.
Hey Brandon,
Thank you very much for the comment, and I should say that you are the one who guided me to write a 2000 words article. I honestly do not know much about SEO and Google ranking. You told me that lengthy articles help to rank better on Google. So, I did it. Thanks again for that advice man.
Yes, I agree with you. It is possible to create fresh content which has never published elsewhere but not for me. I think it takes time and experience in writing in a specific niche for a long time. What do you think?
I have heard that Neil Patel once talked about one of his clients. The client asked him to bring his blog to the Google’s first page (I do not remember the niche/blog about). He had found an area which related to his client’s blog that nobody has ever written and then he wrote an article on the topic.
So, that is possible. Yes of course I agree but, Neil Patel is an expert of blogging no? He knows how to play with the internet and of course with Google.
I would love to hear your podcast, and it is time to share that with us. I’m sure that it’ll inspire content creators and one day we all be able to be an expert in our niche.
Hi Nirodha,
What an amazing monster blog post!
I don’t really think it’s stealing. It obvious that we hardly find anything that’s not published yet. It’s totally fine to seek inspiration from other bloggers, or resources and come up with an idea for our own blogs.
Everybody has a unique style to speak to their audience. Likewise, there are numerous posts on finding blog post ideas but you nailed it! I mean there’s always an extra effort on the writer’s part. As a reader, we would like to consume images, screenshots and other examples.
You’re producing great content here.
It’s always a great idea to give credits. I can see you have potentially given links to multiple sources which actually make this a rich blog post.
– Arfa
Hey Arfa,
First, thank you very much for your helpful comment. Really appreciate that.
Yes, of course, I’m inspired by reading articles from professional writers such as Jeff Goins, Seth Godin, Joanna Penn, and you Arfa. I have been working as a freelance social media strategist for years but, I didn’t even realize that blogging is such great way to make bonds with people and share ideas.
I know a lot about social media and freelancing but, still struggling to write for my blog. I feel like my writing is terrible. So, comments like this from an experienced pro blogger drive me to accomplish my goals in blogging.
Thank you very much again.
This is really a great post and one will truly never be short of ideas. Very detailed and helpful. I get ideas from reading more books, articles and blog post. I just pick my keywords and create a folder to keep them.. i just go there to pick my blog write-up by developing the post. Thanks for sharing this post..
Hey Sunday,
I’m glad you found it helpful and really appreciate sharing your methods.
Thanks for the brilliant idea,
In this post, you’ve shared about how the ideas should be sought to develop high quality content for blogs.
‘Stealing ideas’ may sound little captivating, but the whole idea is to understand what target readers/audience is looking for & serve them with something they can’t resist.
Thus, it can be well said that blogging is not an act, but a process.
Hey Aziz,
Glad you liked it and thank you very much for commenting on my blog. I just wanted this kind of inspiration from the other bloggers like you.
I agree with you 100%. I’m not an experienced blogger. I just started this blog for fun and improve my writing skills. However, within the last few months, I understand that blogging is not an act, but a process as you’ve mentioned.
Haha… I think I love this title.
I steal blog posts ideas often. I do it by simply looking at something my competitors didn’t cover then I tweak the title and write about it.
Nice one you’ve here, Nirodha.
Keep it up.
Emmanuel
Hey Emmanuel,
Thank you very much for sharing your method with us. Is it working for you? Love to some more.
Thanks again for stopping by and commenting.
Pinterest and quora seem like excellent tools or approaches for blogging success. Thanks to your article, I am wiser to adapt to these approaches. Thank you
Hey Shan,
Pinterest and Quora are the best. According to my experience as a freelance social media strategist, use those two not just for finding new topics, you simply can promote your articles via Pinterest and Quora.
As I said before, earning money through this blog is not my primary intention but, I have made about 300$ so far from affiliate links. Trust me most of the click came through the Pinterest.
Quora is one of the best methods to generate quality traffic for the blog.
Hello. I found your article very informative and read it through with great interest. I only recently discovered this blog and I am glad I did. I like your approach and writing style. I will certainly read more articles. Congratulations on the blog and best wishes!