17 ways to find blog-worthy topics

More and more companies are starting corporate blogs that are dull, dull, dull. Here are 17 ideas for topics that make for interesting posts and will help get you out of dullsville.

1.    Conferences: Your comments on one (or several) of the speakers. What struck you as interesting and why? Or your takeaway on conference overall: 3 things that were most interesting or most over-hyped.

2.    New studies and reports: What are the top one, three, or five takeaways you think are particularly relevant/interesting. (People like reading lists, bullets in blogs.)

3.    YouTube videos: upload, link, add commentary on what you like, find interesting about video that has caught your attention.

4.    Book recommendations: Note on what you’ve just read and 3- 5 bullet points on what you thought were most interesting about book.

5.    Notes or emails from customers/employees/partners that are worth sharing because of their ideas, advice, appreciation, experience, etc. Just make sure the person is OK with you sharing.

6.    Stories about people: When you hear of a story about a person or fellow employee who does something that moves you, write about it – and include why the story affected you so much. This helps get to know you and your company’s culture.

7.    Views on breaking news: what’s your point of view on a story that’s in today’s headlines that’s relevant to your business?

8.    Dinner/meetings with customers: what’s on their minds and why – about industry trends, the economy, talent, etc

9.   Do a guest “interview”: send 3 questions to someone influential who you respect – a peer at another company, an academic, the head of a major industry association, a sports figure — and ask him/her to email answers. Then post in a Q&A format.

10.    Best practices and management tips: Share some of your company’s best practices – or your management advice — so others can learn from you.

11.   Share a presentation: If you’re making a presentation at a public conference, embed it as a post.

12.     10 things that surprised me about… This theme is evergreen. 10 things that surprise me about my company during my first month here. 10 things that surprised me about working in this new geographic location.  10 things that surprised me about learning to work for our well known CEO.   10 things that surprised me about expanding our business in China …

13.  Be magnanimous: No company has all the answers. Have you seen things at other companies you admire or think deserve attention? Praise and talk about them, taking the opportunity occasionally to tie it back to  your POV.

14.  Wax metaphoric: Observing a thread or theme in your business that’s comparable to something outsiders might find accessible, e.g., baseball? Wrap a post in a metaphor to put a new spin on things and make your view of the world more accessible.

15.  Be a (constructive) critic: Don’t be afraid to weigh in on something – in the news, on other blogs, in the markets – on which you have a strong opinion. Having a well articulated and strong point of view pulls people in, elicit reactions, and, if positioned constructively, can engage you in and expand an existing conversation that’s already got some momentum.

16.  Take sides: (Partly related to the item above.) Is there some big issue playing out in your industry or related ones on which your company has a position? Then say so, articulating why you believe what you do, while always trying to be respectful of those with other points of view.

17.  Historical corollaries: Have any great anecdotes to share that relate to today’s climate? Something in the past that readers will find an interesting and unique perspective that sheds new light on a current issue? Tie the present to the past with an observation that points out the parallels.

Thanks to my Beeline Labs partner Hylton Jolliffe for brainstorming on this.