Once I used to work at a advertising company, I might learn professional trade blogs, reminiscent of HubSpot, Advertising Brew, and Backlinko (to call a number of).
Certainly one of my principal questions day by day was, “How do these manufacturers do it? How do they consistently give you sensible weblog concepts?”
In the present day, I’m pulling the curtain again for you right here at HubSpot.
How the HubSpot Weblog Comes Up With Concepts
Earlier than we get began, it is vital to know that when the HubSpot staff comes up with weblog concepts, a number of groups are concerned together with Website positioning, Weblog, and Monetization.
Due to this, we divide our brainstorming course of into two elements: non-organic and trend-responsive analysis and Website positioning matter analysis.
We then mix these efforts in our Insights Report on a month-to-month foundation (which you’ll obtain a replica of under).
Featured Useful resource: Search Insights Report Template
Let’s dive into each these processes under.
How the HubSpot Weblog Generates Development-Responsive Weblog Put up Concepts
“Weblog matters that relate to traits, analysis, or thought management yield bursts in non-organic site visitors that may provide help to achieve guests whilst you’re ready for Website positioning-driven posts to rank,” says Pam Bump, the HubSpot Weblog’s Viewers Progress Supervisor.
“As a result of they usually embrace knowledge, quotes, or different unique info, these posts can even earn backlinks, which not directly enhance your search authority.”
She continues, “On prime of the potential referral advantages, non-organic content material additionally allows your weblog content material to be extra trend-responsive. By giving your insights on the newest information, traits, and analysis in your trade, you place your weblog as a supply for thought management.”
“Relatively than being a weblog individuals simply discover when doing Google searches, you improve the probabilities of audiences following you, subscribing to you, or visiting your web site to search for the newest trade info,” Bump provides.
Nevertheless, whereas non-organic content material supplies many strong progress alternatives, discovering fashionable or research-driven submit matters for a particular viewers is not at all times simple.
In truth, it usually requires hours of brainstorming.
She says, “Whereas our Website positioning staff makes use of specialised instruments to establish weblog posts that may pull in natural site visitors, I leverage quite a lot of development analysis ways to establish submit concepts that may pull in non-organic site visitors from sources like electronic mail, social media, and referrals.”
Beneath is one brainstorming course of we’ve used right here at HubSpot.
1. Begin by focusing in your weblog classes.
Earlier than you get began, it is vital to have some type of highway map in thoughts.
Select crucial clusters, or weblog classes, that you just need to give attention to for the quarter and develop concepts round them.
Instantly, simply realizing the clusters you need to give attention to might spark a number of concepts for thought-leadership or data-driven analysis posts.
Every month, our staff chooses a handful of clusters for every weblog property. For us, that is advertising, gross sales, service, and web site. Normally the clusters relate to issues like enterprise targets or trade traits.
Moreover, we embrace different classes apart from these clusters, reminiscent of Viewers Progress, Lead Acquisition, and Consumer Acquisition to assist us brainstorm matters which might be associated to our lead technology targets.
2. Overview the content material you’ve got already written to encourage new matters.
Now that you just‘ve performed a fast brainstorm of some new concepts, let’s see what‘s already been written in every cluster that you just’re specializing in.
To do that, search your website for the cluster. We do website searches at HubSpot, by typing in “website:weblog.hubspot.com/service buyer expertise” in Google, for instance.
With this formatting, you possibly can change the hyperlink and alter the key phrase to be no matter you are in search of. Then, Google will discover posts on that key phrase on that website particularly.
Whenever you‘re developing with weblog concepts, looking the positioning to see if the subject has been coated is essential. The rationale you’ll need to do that is that you will discover high-performing posts that provide you with inspiration for brand new angles or you will discover posts that you just need to replace with extra quotes, knowledge, or new analysis.
This may even provide help to keep away from key phrase cannibalization.
Caroline Forsey, Principal Advertising Supervisor and lead of our thought management weblog program, says. “Consider totally different angles for in style matters you‘ve already coated. As an illustration, let’s say you may have loads of content material relating to LinkedIn — however you may have none from a thought chief within the area.
Maybe you possibly can conduct an interview with a LinkedIn worker for a thought management angle, like ‘High X Suggestions from a LinkedIn Marketer’.”
Forsey provides, “I additionally like to consider some matter angles that really feel like they’d hit on a reader‘s greatest ache level. If you wish to write about TikTok, one of many greatest challenges within the area is producing leads — so one thing like ’How These TK Manufacturers Generated Leads on TikTok‘ or ’Greatest Practices for Lead Technology on TikTok’ is a robust contender.”
“You could possibly additionally take into account extra case-study-esque content material, like ‘This Model Generated 5,000 Leads on One Viral TikTok Video: Right here’s How’,” Forsey continues.
“When brainstorming, I like to consider a significant stressor for entrepreneurs first and work backwards from there.”
3. See what the competitors is doing.
When you by no means need to copy your opponents, it‘s vital to see what matters they’re writing about. It will provide help to fill in gaps that your opponents are lacking and maybe enhance on weblog matters they’re discussing.
This additionally lets you understand what‘s happening in your trade. What’s the newest information and must you be writing about it?
“A few of our highest performing weblog matters have come from aggressive analysis, or newly printed knowledge or research from credible magazines, web sites, or publications we like to comply with,” says Bump.
“Whereas we do not attempt to repeat precisely what opponents or different publications are doing, we do ask ourselves, ‘How can we cowl this development higher, give stronger insights on it, or in any other case put our personal spin on it.’”
Forsey provides, “I really like seeing what’s being written about, after which pondering of another angle. For instance, if publications are consistently writing about how AI might take our jobs, I prefer to spin my very own angle on the highest-paying jobs ensuing from AI.
Lean into matters different publications are writing about, however take an opposing or distinctive twist when doable.”
Moreover, you possibly can browse social media because of this as properly. Social media can let you understand the ache factors of your viewers and check-in with what is going on on along with your audience.
Staying up on trade information is among the finest methods to brainstorm weblog concepts.
Forsey provides, “When new options grow to be obtainable for a social media platform or instrument, there’s usually loads of alternatives to discover new angles there, as properly.
Like when LinkedIn launched its personal model of Stories, that was a chance to brainstorm a subject like ‘X Greatest LinkedIn Tales We‘ve Seen’, or ‘LinkedIn, Instagram, or Fb Tales: Which is Greatest?’”
4. Have a guidelines of weblog matter concept standards.
As soon as you’ve got created some weblog concepts, you must examine and ensure every weblog submit matter is aligned along with your total weblog standards.
For those who don‘t have weblog standards but, perhaps it’s time to set some requirements round what every weblog matter ought to cowl.
For instance, with the guidelines of standards Bump’s created, all our weblog submit concepts want to supply worth to our weblog viewers.
They need to additionally both align with a cluster or lead-gen aim, embrace non-organic components reminiscent of knowledge or authentic quotes, be both trend-responsive or evergreen, and have some key phrase alternatives.
5. Keep organized.
You need to monitor your weblog concepts in an organized style. At HubSpot, we use an concept technology spreadsheet the place writers and editors can brainstorm concepts for quarterly clusters, or simply write down ongoing concepts.
Finally, this course of helps preserve us organized on the subject of producing constant weblog submit concepts.
Jay Fuchs, Gross sales Weblog Editor at HubSpot, describes his course of.
He says, “I attempt to discover matters that reconcile participating material with practicality when developing with analysis or trend-based weblog matters.
Meaning discovering buzzy, intriguing material that lends itself to an article with a compelling title, fascinating supporting supplies, and — maybe most significantly — actionable recommendation.”
Fuchs explains, “That would imply a bit about one thing like avoiding frequent pricing errors or gross sales methods that may grow to be outstanding within the close to future.
A method or one other, you must decide matters that hook and assist — ones that command your reader‘s consideration and allow you to profit from it with perception that they’ll be capable to apply, going ahead.”
Now that you understand the HubSpot course of on the subject of producing non-organic weblog concepts, let’s dive into the Website positioning facet.
Brainstorming Website positioning-Optimized Concepts
Whereas Bump and the weblog writers brainstorm non-organic concepts, our Website positioning staff is difficult at work creating weblog matters which have an natural aim in thoughts. That is their course of:
1. Take a look at your organization’s merchandise, targets, and buyer base.
To begin, HubSpot’s Website positioning staff will overview our merchandise, targets, and buyer base.
Amanda Kopen, an Website positioning Strategist at HubSpot, says, “When developing with weblog submit concepts, first you must have a look at your organization’s merchandise, targets, and buyer base.
At HubSpot, we brainstorm weblog posts as they relate to our totally different merchandise (advertising, gross sales, service, and so on.). Then, we slim it right down to matters the place we now have experience however are potential ache factors for our clients (social media advertising),” Kopen provides.
Throughout this section, our Website positioning staff is reviewing our personas, prioritizing weblog clusters (determined by Website positioning and monetization groups), and brainstorming what can be useful to our viewers.
Moreover, the Website positioning staff will establish massive matters, underperforming matters, and previous however high-performing matters.
2. Conduct key phrase analysis and run a content material hole evaluation.
After the preliminary brainstorm, it is time to do your key phrase analysis and content material hole evaluation.
Kopen explains, “As soon as we now have a possible ache level in thoughts, we use Website positioning finest practices — like conducting key phrase analysis and working content material hole analyses — to see precisely what individuals need to study (how usually ought to I submit on LinkedIn), and we begin writing from there.”
Throughout this a part of the method, our Website positioning staff will collect domains with comparable audiences and conduct a content material hole evaluation (discover out what these websites are rating for that HubSpot is not).
We‘ll additionally have a look at associated searches on Google to see what persons are looking for. Then, we’ll establish alternatives the place we are able to replace previous weblog posts or recycle the URL (so we do not lose the Website positioning juice, however have up to date content material for that matter).
3. See if there are any linking alternatives.
Lastly, the Website positioning staff may even talk with HubSpot’s product and academy groups to see if there are linking alternatives reminiscent of any programs or merchandise of ours we ought to be linking to.
Creating Site visitors-Producing Concepts
And that is how the HubSpot weblog comes up with high-performing weblog submit concepts constantly.
By taking the time to do strong analysis and concept brainstorming, you possibly can give you weblog matters that drive 1000’s of readers in, like me, whereas boosting site visitors, authority, and credibility.