Whenever I promote my clients’ business blogs or my blog writing strategies on social media, I get proper good questions from DIY business bloggers, like this one from Renee at Sh! Women’s Store.

She asked:

“Is there a trick for when you think everything has been covered? Do you keep expanding or trying to find new angles on the same old topics, or refresh old blog posts, or [something else]?

It’s like my mind has run dry.”   

I know Renee personally, from my Scarlet days. She’s worked for Sh! for a long time and has been instrumental in ensuring the website produces high-quality content. 

To answer her question properly, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to give Renee the regular where to find blog ideas advice. She’s all over that. (As evidenced from the Sh! blog.) To help Renee find fresh content ideas, I needed to dig deep. I’d have to take Renee off the beaten track to find content ideas in unlikely places.

The unlikely places you’ll find blog post ideas

When I thought about my sources of fresh ideas for long-in-the-tooth business blogs, I came up with 7.5 places I venture into. I can usually find new things to write about in one or more of these less-travelled locations. Give them a try.

1. Go off on a tangent

Tangential content is blog posts (social posts, emails, videos, etc) about topics that aren’t directly related to your product or service offering. But still:

• fit with your business values
• have a connection to your industry, products or services
• are of interest to your client base. 

Examples of businesses using tangential content include the craft beer brewery talking about art and music events.

The sex toy company writing about wider health and wellbeing topics related to intimacy.

The bog roll brand talking about other bathroom business and eco-friendly tips for every home.

When you include tangential content topics in your blog content plan, you have so much more to write about. And your readers get to see you in a different light. 

2. Look at the media

You might not find something in the print or online media every day, but it’s worth going through mainstream and industry-specific media once a week. 

Is there a story with an angle that can be relevant to your business? A really simple example relevant to my copywriting business could be the recent debates about the use of copyrighted material to train large language AI models.

Using this story, I could write an opinion piece that relates to my own writing or the implications for my clients.

So it’s worth keeping half an eye on what’s in the news. Perhaps not the front page stuff, but comb through the various sections. There may well be a headline that you could turn into a blog piece for your own site. 

3. Find trending topics and celebrity-related news

In the same way you might find inspiration in news headlines, look at trending subjects on Reddit and social media. And take a squizz at what celebrities are up to. How can you link those subjects back to what your business is all about? 

A wicked example that bowled up in my feed recently was Little Leaf Agency’s 2025 BAFTA outfits as sex toys post.

They took a trending topic and found a way to relate it back to their industry. (Adult pleasure products.) It was really smart. And there’s no reason why this couldn’t have just as easily been a photo-led blog article. (Assuming they could get the images they needed within the copyright laws, of course.)

4. Go deeper into Google

As part of my blog-writing prep, I always look at the top 10 results for my topic and analyse what these high-ranking pages have done to show up for a particular keyword. But when I want non-obvious blog topic ideas, I like to go deeper into Google. Sometimes as far back as pages 10 and 15. 

I know! How weird of me.

The further you dig, the more likely you are to find fresh inspiration or a different angle on a topic.

5. Use chapters from articles and books

This is something we used to do a lot at Scarlet magazine. 

Turn a chapter from a recently written research paper or book into a standalone piece.

So you might use the subject of the chapter as the focus, quoting parts of it. Then to make it your own, you might add your own anecdotes, research, expert opinion or your own opinion.

6. Build on your most popular posts

A reliable way to make sure your blog posts succeed is to find the articles that already go down well with your audience. Then it’s a simple case of giving the people more of what they really, really want. 

You’ll need to check your Google Analytics and Google Search Console to do this, finding out which posts are:

• attracting the most attention
• getting the most conversions.

Use this information to spark related content ideas. If you read a lot of content marketing blogs, maybe you’ve heard this referred to as creating a ‘content block’ or ‘blog series’. All the articles in a block link to each other and work together. 

Example of a content block

Let’s imagine you own an online adult store. (Well, adult content is my niche.) And it’s clear from your analytics that your audience loves articles about kink and bondage. The one you wrote about introducing kink to your relationship absolutely flew. 

To extend this, you might create a content block with related post ideas such as:

• Key bondage kit for beginners
• Keeping your bondage play safe and sexy
• Starting to explore with rope
• Top 10 kinky accessories to use during a tie and tease session.

Creating a series of linked articles on a single topic gives you a whole heap of new ideas to write about. It also scratches that itch your audience wants scratched. 

7. Speak to other people in your industry

The views you hold about your business and industry might be different from your peers, colleagues and competitors. Talking to others about industry topics might spark a new idea. Or prompt you to present a different angle on a subject you’ve already covered. If a contrary or complementary idea is strong enough, you can turn this into its own post. Or, if appropriate, interview that person.

7.5 Refresh older posts

This is the halfa non-obvious blog post idea because it doesn’t involve creating brand new content. It’s about reworking articles you already have. 

The warp speed of the internet has saddled business owners with the feeling that we always need to create shiny new things. But there’s an underappreciated benefit to publishing online: the content isn’t static. It can be updated. And should be. 

In between adding new articles, make sure you keep tabs on older posts that perform well for you. Refresh them every six months or so. Make sure any links still work, that the stats you’ve cited are still relevant, and the message you’re sending still aligns with your business.

Watch what comes out of the blue

Now you’ve got  7.5 non-obvious places to look when you need fresh ideas for blog posts. But they’re not the only ones.

In my 16 years as a writer ), one thing has become unfailingly apparent: article ideas have a habit of popping up when you least expect them. 

A phrase you hear while listening to a podcast. A billboard ad you see when sitting on the bus. A conversation overheard in the coffee shop. There are so many random places where new content ideas can jump up and whack you in the head. So always be listening and looking out, and go slowly enough to take in your surroundings. Let your mind wander, then join up the dots. Maybe they’ll lead you to something fantastic to write about.

Want a hand coming up with ideas for your blog posts? 

While I don’t have an official copywriting service page offering business blog consultations, it’s something I can do for clients and business owners. So whether it’s new ideas, editorial direction or just getting started, I’ll work with you during 3 calls to figure out a plan that delivers a business blog you’re proud of.

Like the sound of this? Send me a message.

Alternatively, book one of my blog writing packages and I’ll handle everything for you—from pitching ideas through to final editing, I’ll deliver polished articles ready for you to post.

Want me to handle the lot? Take a look at my blog packages.