A Perfect Storm
Effective Brainstorming for Good Blog Topics
When brainstorming leads to great ideas…
One of the most difficult tasks in keeping a blog updated — as we hear from small business owners and blog writers — is coming up with new topics on a weekly basis. We’ve heard nightmare stories about people who, trying to think of even one topic to write on, sit in front of a piece of paper or a computer monitor for hours.
One of the services Ray Access offers its blog clients is providing a targeted list of blog topics. We usually brainstorm four months’ worth of topics at a time, which translates into about 16–17 unique, fresh, timely titles. Then we put the titles into a weekly content schedule. And with the brainstorming techniques we employ, we can do it in about 10 minutes for each client.
Lightning Thinkers
Just because we can come up with so many good ideas in such a short amount of time doesn’t mean we’re lightning fast thinkers. The writers at Ray Access rely on exceptional writing and editing skills, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are all that brilliant. We’re just good at putting words on paper. We work hard at it.
But it’s not those capabilities we rely on when it comes to thinking up blog titles. In fact, being too cerebral may actually disrupt effective brainstorming. Analysis and judgment can impede a productive brainstorming session. Brainstorming can get a little crazy when we let our imaginations run free with no boundaries, so it’s something we do in the privacy of our office.
Tips for Brainstorming Blog Titles
New York advertising executive Alex F. Osborn coined the term “brainstorming” and recognized its value in the creative process. He wrote about brainstorming and its possible usefulness in a 1953 book called Applied Imagination. At Ray Access, we’ve borrowed ideas from the world’s master barnstormers and added a few steps of our own.
For the brainstorming process to work for you, you have to being willing to experiment. Read the tips below, take what feels right, tweak them as needed and make your own recipe for success:
- Set aside a specific time to get together with your team to brainstorm. Put it on the calendar in advance. This way, everyone involved can flex their creative muscles in preparation.
- Shout out ideas uncensored. Stopping the process to analyze or judge ideas is one of the biggest obstacles you’ll run into. Let the ideas flow, not matter how outrageous. The analyzing part comes later.
- Appoint a note-taker before you start. Once the creative juice is flowing, don’t interrupt it with mundane matters like “who’s writing all this down?”
- Get comfortable. Make sure everyone involved is fed and hydrated. Gather in a place where everyone can sit or pace for as long as the session lasts. Make sure the temperature is just right. Once the body’s needs are out of the way, the mind can be free.
- Set a timer. One of the reasons to incorporate brainstorming sessions into your creative process is to save time. If you take so long that you get tired or have to put off other tasks, it’s not working correctly. A good idea is to come up with a few more viable ideas than you need; then stop and move on.
- Think in terms of your stakeholders. For example, if you need to come up with blog ideas for a real estate company, give yourself 10 minutes to come up with blog ideas for buyers, 10 for sellers, 10 for Realtors and so on. Give each angle its due.
- Remain open-minded. Explore topics as they come up. An outlandish idea may not be suitable, but it can open up a new vein of ideas. Take the time to see where those ideas take you. Being open-minded and intellectual are not exclusive, at least they shouldn’t be.
- Call for help. If all else fails and your brainstorming sessions turn out to be more like hair-pulling sessions, contact Ray Access. We can do the brainstorming for you and send you the results. Although we charge a fee to non-clients for this service, think of the time you’ll save.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.