We put on our thinking caps so you don’t have to. Ready, set, write.
So you’ve started a blog recently. The rush of starting a blog is inversely proportional to the anxiety of actually writing one. Sometimes the idea of writing is more exciting than the very writing itself. And as many great writers will tell you, writer’s block will rear its head when you least expect it. This is fine if you’re a novelist or screenwriter, it means you’ve hit a logical roadblock which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But if you’re writing a finance blog to meet your content marketing goals and are on a tight publishing schedule, with multiple blog posts going out like clockwork, like us, writer’s block is something that can be avoided with a little planning. After all, we’re writing about numbers, by numbers, for numbers. In this case, chasing our own tail in the quest to be the most creative is a luxury we simply cannot afford.
Therefore, in order to streamline your content creation and blogging process we’ve compiled a cheatsheet that will help you come up with blog ideas for your finance blog the next time you find yourself counting how many times a cursor blinks per minute.
1. List and embed videos that deal with your niche.
For example, you could put together a list of 20 actionable videos on how recent graduates can start investing their newly earned salaries. Think of useful and helpful videos that will make your readers better at what they do. When you can’t create, curate.
2. Compile a good list of posts and links that are focused on one topic.
Say you’d want to write about how the covid-19 pandemic will impact personal finance in India. Find the most actionable links and tag them in a listicle. People will appreciate you taking thee time to curate this list.
3. What marketing tips didn’t work for you?
It’s always good to know what worked, but there are many things that don’t work. Why don’t you share them so no one else makes the same mistakes? Do a funny blog on your marketing bloopers this way you come across as knowledgeable yet funny, a combination that is in short supply.
4. Write out a list of FAQs.
Are you asked tons of questions? If so, write them down and answer them. If you haven’t been asked any questions, think up the things that people would probably ask about your product or service. What things could be an issue that people might need more clarity on?
5. Take an unrelated topic and tie it to your field.
Take something that has nothing to do with your field and turn it into something that has something to do with your field. Take food for example, it’s a little removed from the finance sector, write a blog about the 10 ‘Most expensive meals on the planet and how to financially plan for them’. What you’re doing is telling people how to save money to meet a goal, you’ve simply chosen food to be the medium. Think about how you can apply this idea to your own writing.
6. Ask a financial influencer or industry expert to write a guest post.
Guest posts are a great way to get more followers and build authority. They also offer a break from your usual writing style and add variety to your voice.
7. What sets your blog/business apart from your competitors?
Sometimes, it can be scary when your competitors’ websites look way more amazing than your own. Maybe they are better at social media than you. Maybe they have a bigger team than you, which makes it easier to create more or do more. Write about your USP or any proprietary processes, systems or tech you have in place and why it gives you an edge. For example, write about how your new AI based investment planning software offers more accurate investment advice than others.
8. Profile a few readers and/or customers.
Pick someone who interacts with your blog regularly. Like the topmost commenter on social media or someone who replies to your blogs and Interview them. You might just learn something new about your blog or business.
9. How do you use social media for growing traffic and sales?
Share how you’ve used social media to grow traffic and sales. This is a topic that many people are interested in as a way to grow their own blogs and businesses, so if you have great tips, share them all.
10. Create an ultimate guide.
Write up an ultimate guide to something in the finance industry. Teach people the tricks of the trade, and they’ll be super thankful. Just like we’re doing with this post.
11. Do a Q&A interview with your team.
Write a list of questions and send it to the people on your team. This will help your readers and customers feel like they know who is behind the scenes and get better acquainted with you building trust and ensuring greater engagement.
12. Recently hired new employees? How’d you come to the decision to hire them?
Share characteristics and qualities that business owners or entrepreneurs should look for when hiring their team. For example, write about your new CFO and why he’s such a great fit or write what it takes to be the CFO of a financial institution.
13. Write a manifesto.
A manifesto is a great way to condense your message into a short, all-encompassing format. If you’ve written it well, readers get a fuller understanding of your core message, which you may have been trying to communicate for years.
14. Do a (number) by a (certain age) post.
Have you ever heard of “ 30 by 30” posts? Think of this blog idea as a bucket list before your audience reaches a certain age. For example, 30 Investments to Make By 30.
15. Put together a gif-filled post.
Everyone loves gifs. Put together a post and use gifs for the images. Gifs have a way of adding humor and energy to posts in a way that images and graphics can’t. You could also make your own with Boomerang. Use this as a reaction to current events or financial news. For example, GIFS from THE Office That Best Describe This Year’s Budget.
16. Use questions on forums as blog ideas.
Have you ever spent time on websites, like Quora? There are so many people asking questions that you can use for new blog ideas.
Once you’ve written your answer in blog post format, go back to the question on Quora and leave a comment that answers the question. It’s helpful, and it could also bring some traffic back to your blog.
17. Find the best jokes from the finance sector and share them in a blog post.
Like I said earlier, people love humor. We like to laugh and smile. A great place to look is on Google. There are plenty of good places full of jokes.
Do this as a special post and share it on a Friday or a day off.
18. Seen any good movies related to your niche? Pick one and tie it into something to do with a topic in your niche.
For example, write about 10 Things The Wolf of Wall Street got wrong or How The Big Short was accurate in its portrayal of the industry. Here’s a list of finance-related movies to get you started.
19. Pick out three financial planners or industry experts who inspire you. If they collaborated to make a product, what would the product be?
For example, What if Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Raghuram Rajan and Warren Buffet created a cryptocurrency. What would it be called? How would they market it? Have fun with this topic, but back it up with insights and knowledge.
20. List of hacks.
Write down the hacks to doing a certain task or job you have knowledge in. For example, 10 Hacks to Help You File Your Returns This Year.
21. Rant about something.
Does something in the finance sector bother you right now? Write up a rant about it. For example, Why The RBI’s Loan Restructuring Exercise is a Bad Idea. Don’t be afraid of a contrarian point of view as long as you can back it up and defend it.
22. A day in the life of _______ (preferably someone from your niche)?
For example, A Day in the life of a CA. This is an hour-by-hour breakdown of how these professionals function. Don’t forget to share pictures — it’s always a lot of fun for people to peek into others’ lives.
23. What are the best books in your niche that you’d recommend?
Think about books you’ve read that have been the most helpful to you in your niche. Review financial publications and articles frequently.
24. Come up with a fact vs fiction post.
Demystify common finance myths and misconceptions. For example, most people are afraid of credit cards because they think defaulting will lower their credit score. Bust the myths behind this thinking and present both sides of the story.
25. What are your go-to finance apps?
We live in the age of apps. You can’t go anywhere without seeing people looking at their phones or tablets. List out your favorite finance apps and do reviews of popular apps.
We’ve covered as many possible blog topics as we could. Hopefully these get your creative juices flowing. If you’d like Word Hatter to help you plan, write and even publish your blog on finance, there’s a lot more ideas where these came from.
