52 Blog Post Ideas for the #AtoZChallenge #AtoZThemeReveal

Over the last couple of weeks, I've heard so many people say this.

But then, with the April A to Z Challenge around the corner, it is only natural to stress a little bit as most people decide on a theme and build their posts around that. Some of us are participating in the Grand A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal when we offer a glimpse into what you can expect in April!

I am excited to be part of the A to Z Challenge's 10^th anniversary!

Yes, as always my theme will be in sync with this blog, Collecting Smiles. There'll be the usual personal development posts, Wednesday Wisdom posts, Mindfulness posts, and the monthly Gratitude Circle blog hop on the last Thursday of the month. (mark your calendar at the letter V for 25th April and feel free to participate.) There'll be book reviews, parenting posts, travel posts and quotes. And maybe even a guest post or two! And anything else that fits in here with my general theme. I hope you enjoy April here.

So, if you are one of the bloggers who's wondering what to write, fret not, my love, you are not alone.

In this post, I'll answer that question by sharing with you enough blog post ideas to keep you blogging for at least a year.

Blogging is not easy. Do you agree?

I think it is more like ... being consistent is not easy, particularly for those who have day jobs and other routine stuff that takes up time. Kudos to those who do it like a champ!

By the way, my first A to Z Challenge was in April 2013 and I loved it.

This is my seventh year! Have you signed up for this year's A to Z Challenge? (link is at the end of the post)

Last year, in my theme reveal post, I shared tips about what works for me - planning, posting, social media, images, and more.

Consistent blogging improves your Alexa rank and traffic. Engaging with your community means more comments. The support, the motivation and the energy are all pretty encouraging. For those of us sporting a few ads in the sidebar, I guess things are looking up too. I love that my creative muscles stay flexed and ready to go all the time.

I started blogging in 2003 and now have six blogs I manage on my own. This year, I'll be posting daily on four although I've only registered this blog for the A to Z Challenge. Yes, love the writing habit and yes, I quite enjoy blogging daily.

I do miss a day once in a while, but I no longer let that stress me out. But I definitely believe that as a blogger, I must be consistent and regular with my writing and to truly experience the benefits of my er...labor.

So...

Let's return to the original question.

What to write about?

I bring you 52 blog post ideas that will keep you busy not only through the A to Z Challenge, but also all year long. Yep, not a week or month, but the whole 52 weeks that make up an awesome blogging year. Not saying you should blog daily, although that's not at all a bad thing. Most people write once or thrice a week and that's quite decent. But don't let the lack of ideas stop you from blogging more often.

Go ahead and maintain an ideas notebook. Yes, I keep one so that none of my brilliant thoughts are lost forever.

52 blog post ideas for the April A to Z Challenge and beyond

1. Shed the stress. Yeah - half the people I know, who claim blogger's block are giving in to the stress they feel. The very thought of writing a post freaks them out and they decide not to attempt it at all. Writing a blog post can be a cake walk. Just gather your thoughts and get going! Write about why you are stressing about writing.
2. Write about an incident in your life. I've noticed that most readers enjoy personal stories. Why? Because they can identify with them. So, show your readers your human side.
3. Write about what's happening around you. This can be news, a one-off incident or why, even a conversation you had with someone, or a sight you saw on the way home from work.
4. Read something somewhere? What are your views on it? Write about it!
5. One of my favorites-Is a book review. Review the book you are reading. What, you don't read? Hmph! Go ahead and tell your audience why you don't read!
6. Why not try something new and vlog? Yep - don't write. Just make a video of your post. Your readers will love it. And videos are the future!
7. Host a blog hop. It is fun, it brings you new readers and makes your blog buzz!
8. Write a post about your five favorite blogs/bloggers. And let them know so they can come visit your post and perhaps share it in their networks-although that's not mandatory. It is a nice way to link to the blogs you enjoy.
9. Interview a blogger who inspires you. Do a written question and answer format if you are unable to do a live interview. Ask fun questions.
10. Choose five favorite blog posts you've learned from and compile them into a post, linking to the blogs with a brief summary about each post. Great way to introduce your readers to new blogs while sharing valuable info with them. Cool way to connect, too!
11. Experiment with podcasts. Use audio content to widen your reach and get more subscribers. Check out popular podcasts to see how it is done - embedding the audio in the post, take away points or show notes and a summary of the podcast. Here is a step-by-step guide on podcasting for beginners.
12. Browse your blog comments to see if there are questions and answer them via a blog post
13. On social media? Of course, you are. Run along your news stream and pick up questions to answer. Link to the person asking the question.
14. How about a "top ten" from your blog around a particular category?
15. Write a how-to or a how not to post. Inject humor into your posts. Pobody's nerfect, you know.
16. "What I learned from..." Fill in that blank and make it fun!
17. Had a problem and found a solution? Share it with your readers.
18. Learned something new? Share it with your readers. Be descriptive. What did you learn? How did it help you?
19. Write a kickass product review of a product you loved.
20. Watched a movie recently? Review it. Ask your readers about their favorite movie.
21. Experiment with SlideShare. Turn your how-to blog posts into slideshows and post them on SlideShare. That's a great traffic generator.
22. Write a series post on something you are passionate about.
23. Talk about a recent travel experience.
24. Write about your favorite travel destination
25. Invite guest bloggers from your niche.
26. Highlight your regular commenters and compile some of the best comments you got on your blog. Let the commenters know.
27. Write about gadgets you can't live without.
28. Publish a photo post (Wordless Wednesday, #ThursdayTreeLove)
29. Gather your favorite motivational/inspiring quotes and publish.
30. List your favorite books/authors/musicians and write about them
31. Set your clock for 15 minutes and free-write about anything that comes to mind.
32. Grab the days of the year calendar and pick at least ten to write about. (My favorites are important health days, World Happiness Day, World Coffee Day, World Health Day, Women's Day, World Smile Day...and so on)
33. Write about a social cause close to your heart.
34. Write a "then" and "now" post. Could be around technology, your school days, your lifestyle...
35. What do you enjoy about blogging/writing?
36. Write about 99 things that make you smile/happy
37. Pick a photo prompt and write about it
38. What do you prefer? Tea or coffee? Write about it. Make it fun.
39. Write about someone who inspires you and why
40. List ten things about you that you feel others should know and ask others to share one thing about themselves in the comments.
41. Write about a memorable walk/bus/train/flight journey
42. Write about what you would do if you had to unplug from your devices for an entire day.
43. Write a short story
44. Write a poem
45. Pick a favorite quote and describe why
46. If you could rewind the clock 10 years, what would you do differently?
47. If you are a DIY enthusiast, share tutorials on your blog
48. If you are an expert on something, share your knowledge and tips
49. Share memories from your childhood
50. What is the one piece of advice you'd give a younger person.
51. Have hobbies? Share them with photos
52. Write about your favorite food/comfort food/share a recipe. Describe why. Do you have memories associated with it?

Is that list good enough? Mix, match and blog on!

Even if you use each idea thrice, you'll be blogging thrice a week and should have a thriving blog!

Got ideas to add?

Come on! Spill them in the comments!

P.S.: Got questions? Let me know in the comments.

Happy blogging! Here's the AtoZChallenge sign up master list (closes on 7 April) Here's the link to sign up for the Theme Reveal (after you sign up for the A to Z Challenge) Here's where you can find the gorgeous banners and badges and calendars Here's where you can see answers to the Frequently Asked Questions on the AtoZ Blog What is the April A to Z Challenge? The April A to Z Challenge is Arlee Bird's brainchild that debuted in 2010, setting forth a challenge to all bloggers for the month of April. He asked: Can you post every day except Sundays during this month? And to up the bar, can you blog thematically from A to Z? Most of the time if you subtract Sundays from April, you then have 26 days-one day for each letter of the alphabet. You would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.