One of the biggest things that hold most people back from starting a blog is not knowing what to write about. I think it comes down to lack of confidence in one’s ability to write. So you don’t consider yourself a writer? That’s okay. You don’t have to be. All you have to do is share what you know, what you are an expert in, or what you are learning as you learn it and people will respond. The beauty of blogging is you don’t have to be perfect, or a perfect writer. You should of course, use proper grammar (for the most part) and what you write needs to make sense to your audience. If in doubt talk it out. Read what you write out loud. If it sounds strange to you it is likely to sound even stranger to your readers. But back to content.

If you are having trouble coming up with content, start with a list of something in your genre or niche. Lists are very popular with readers and often lists get picked up and referred to on other blogs. On my blog WE Magazine for Women, I compile a lot of lists, one of them is a list of Women Bloggers to watch. It is by far the highest visited (and commented on) post of all the blog posts we write. It has helped us grow our following AND advertising revenue.

Other types of content that are popular with readers is how-to advice. Teach what you know. This post is a good example. I know a lot ( a really lot) about blogging. So I share what I KNOW about it with others.

Write a 99 Ways to article. Or 33 steps, or 47 tips. Break those tips down into bite-sized pieces and do a series. For instance, the 99 ways could be broken down into a series of tips over a period of time such as a few days or weeks. Similar to what I am doing here with 3 tips.

Once you start getting into the flow of your content, there are other things you will need to do to get your blog noticed. In my text post I will write about 3 Tips to Get Your Blog Noticed and Followed.

By the way, the other biggest question is how to make money with your blog. I will write about that topic in a future post.

For more ideas on what to write about, check out my special report: 35 THINGSS TO WRITE ABOUT For YOUR NEW BLOG (free PDF download)

Heidi Richards Mooney is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of WE Magazine for Women, a WordPress Web Designer, the author of a dozen books and a social media consultant and trainer. Heidi has interviewed hundreds of experts on Social Media Around the World. In 2003 Heidi was named one of 50 women shaping the Internet by the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2009 she was named a Twitter Woman to Follow by Only2Clicks.com. She works with solopreneurs, professionals and small businesses in ecommerce, direct sales and retail. Follow Heidi on Google Plus