Ideas for Counseling Blog Posts
When I first started blogging, it would take a long time to figure out what to write about. However, when I started giving myself goals and deadlines, I had to always look for content. Blogging increases SEO and there are so many other reasons why blogging is helpful. Here are a few ways to find inspiration!
Blogging is a great opportunity for counselors to share their expertise and collaborate with colleagues and clients, yet many are hesitant to start the process. One common concern is the perceived difficulty of generating ideas for blog posts.
While it can take time, effort, patience, and observation here are a few ways to get started:
Think About Yourself
While it’s in a counselor’s nature to put others first, think about yourself and your practice. Picking a topic that genuinely excites you will make for a better post because it will be easier to write and you’ll find yourself putting more effort into your writing.
What are you interested in? What does your practice specialize in? What kinds of articles have you been reading lately?
Think about any TV shows/books/movies/songs you like. Can you connect any of them to counseling topics?
Think About Others
Take this as an opportunity to challenge yourself. Think of what will appeal to your clients or fellow counselors.
What would they like to read about? What does your ideal client like to read about?
Research the topics you are not familiar with and write a post about them.
Are you regularly asked questions about a certain topic?
A blog post is the perfect way to answer your FAQs.
Your client is a very important part of your practice so you have to deliver information that is beneficial to them.
Read Other Blogs
When creating, researching and writing for a blog, do not feel limited to your own ideas. Try to visit other counselor’s blogs. This can help you form opinions on topics. Feel free to write responses to other counselor’s posts, but be sure to link back to them so they gain some website traffic in return.
Engage in a Conversation
Engaging in a conversation is a way to create more ideas. Have coffee with a colleague to share ideas and brainstorm topics.
Ask friends who are not in the field if they have an opinion on a topic. They may have a misconception you can correct or a great point you may not have thought of.
Pick up a Counseling or Marketing Book
Counseling books may contain information on topics you are not familiar with. Take some time to browse them and generate ideas. They may also provide you with more information that can be added to your existing blog posts.
Many books about marketing contain case studies that can help you come up with new topics to write about. As an added bonus, you will gain some additional marketing knowledge to help your practice grow.
Listen to Podcasts
Take the time to listen to podcasts. They a convenient and easy way to help you generate ideas at home or on the go. You can stream one while driving home from work or while doing laundry.
Photo by p_a_h
