Get Inspired: Blog Ideas for 2014
Write more. Paint more. Photograph more.
Do something amazing. Go down a different path.
Challenge myself.
New year’s resolutions — you might make ’em, or you may think they’re trite and a waste of time. Whatever the case, you’re here, aren’t you? Exploring WordPress.com, contemplating your next blog post, and scheming up 2014. We closed out 2013 with a showcase of year-long, daily, and weekly projects, so let’s brainstorm ways, big and small, to get your work out into the world in 2014.
Think big
Photographer and writer Stephanie Dandan at Infinite Satori sets off for Asia soon to work on a photo storybook called The Wanderers. Traveling solo, Stephanie will meet other explorers on her journey and tell their stories. She lays out her project on Kickstarter, and its design aesthetic — and her nomadic and adventurous spirit — echo the work she publishes on her blog.
But thinking big doesn’t mean you have to hop across oceans to take on something new. Writer and reader Andrea Badgley sets off on a literary journey: she launched Andrea Reads America, in which she plans to read three books set in each state of the US (plus the District of Columbia), and written by male, female, and non-Caucasian authors.
Think small
Consider small goals, too, which help you on your journey to where you’d like to be. Stay motivated or beat writer’s block with manageable, byte-sized tasks:
- Establish a quick feature: a weekly post (or more frequent, if you want) meant to be short and sweet. If your theme supports post formats, use a specific format (like an aside, quote, or image) to distinguish this feature from other posts. From quotes of the day to single photos submitted to weekly photo challenges, the regularity and simplicity of smaller tasks might be what you need to keep your momentum.
- Use daily prompts to jumpstart your thoughts, or download our 365 Writing Prompts ebook. (For responses that you choose not to publish, we recommend leaving abandoned drafts in your dashboard, as you never know when these ideas become ripe).
- Still not sure what to write? Diversify your content. Curate your favorite reads and notable finds. Use the community around you for inspiration.
Join a blogging event — or launch your own
Participate in recurring events hosted by fellow bloggers, from photography and travel to fashion and writing. While we’re at it, check out Zero to Hero, WordPress.com’s January blogging challenge.
Or, why not create your own for 2014? Over the holidays, we mentioned Linda Silvestri’s fun and festive sketch project, in which she established HoHoDooDa (Holiday Doodle a Day). From recipe challenges hosted by food bloggers to reading clubs led by bibliophiles, consider your own event — then submit it to the blog listings page so others can join.
Ask people what they want
Curious about what your visitors want to read, or need advice on how to develop your characters? Ask ’em. You’ve got the tools in your dashboard to do this, from polls to contact forms.
Insert a poll into a post or page to ask questions and get input. Bloggers use polls to meet their specific needs — and have used them creatively for collaborative, crowd-sourced storytelling, too. You can also insert a contact form to a post or page, through which readers can get in touch privately (without having to give out your email address). You can gather a lot of information from contact forms and personalize them as you see fit. Encourage modern-day letters to the editor. Urge your readers for detailed critical feedback on your latest essay or chapter-in-progress. Use these tools in ways that work for you.
Strategize for world domination
If the heading above got your attention, maybe you’re ready to expand your reach. Your blog is just one platform to shape your online presence. To build your network (and personal brand), reach out to people whose work you respect and ask to collaborate. Contribute a guest post elsewhere (bloggers set up submission pages in different ways — check out Thoughts of a Lunatic or A Manic World for examples), or widen your circle and invite guest bloggers to your own site.
Link your blog to your social media accounts like (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and more) with Publicize, which you can do in Settings → Sharing in your dashboard. (We’ll publish a crash course on these tools next week, so stay tuned.) Also think about using social media strategically to best promote yourself and your work in a way that makes sense for you — take a look at these posts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, which are good starting points.
Give your site a makeover
New year, new you, new blog: it might be the perfect time to give your site a refresh. Again, you can go big (switch your theme) or small (add a widget or change your custom header image). Find inspiration in these theme customizations . . .
- Elegant and sophisticated Forever.
- Popular and tried-and-true themes like Coraline and Pilcrow.
- Playful and lighthearted Koi.
- Modern portfolio-style Imbalance 2.
. . . as well as these showcases for more ideas:
- Cool blogs using custom fonts.
- Special theme options you might not know about.
- Adding image widgets to add color to your sidebar.
- Widgets and tools to build your community.
Now, over to you: what’s in store for you — and your blog — in 2014?
- January 8, 2014
- Better Blogging, WordPress.com
Good advice! Definitely some inspiration for the new year and some awesome new blog posts. 🙂
LikeLike
I don’t know if there will be much new for me. When I did my custom design last month, I forgot to create new comment boxes. Since everything else is so new, that’s probably all I’ll be changing for a while.
LikeLike
I love this post so much! There are so many great ideas in it, and it really shows off the sheer number of awesome things WordPress.com can do with ease.
LikeLike
Thanks for the ideas, I am checking other blogs related to English Teaching every day , I am also posting new information every day.
LikeLike
Great advice, also love the title, ‘Strategize for World Domination’ 😀 Good ideas and stuff I hadn’t even thought of. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
LikeLike
Thanks for the ideas! I hope to implement more soon. Right now, I’m just trying to keep up with my own goal of writing 6 days a week!
LikeLike
Ive been doing a weekly ‘lazy poets Thursday haiku using my own photo for inspiration and it seems quite popular!
LikeLike
So much great info here, I want to read this again & again as a guide & inspiration!
LikeLike
I needed this today – the book I’m currently reading for Andrea Reads America is moving pretty slow, and I was starting to lose steam for the project. Seeing it here has remotivated me – thank you. I love all these other ideas as well. I am intrigued by the possibility of launching a blogging event. I’m going to think about that one.
LikeLike
Excellent bullet points to start fresh and better oneself.
LikeLike
Great ideas that I will definetely try out!
LikeLike
I consider this post very motivational. Today I created my own blog, my first blog and your post tells me exactly what I need. Thanks
LikeLike
Love these ideas. Bookmarked….
LikeLike
Great advice! Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Gave a make over to my blog few days ago and will continue my association with some of the blogging events that I take part in. This post has given me a push for having my own personalized targets as well. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks so much for all the ideas, and the ventures you mentioned at the beginning are so inspiring!
LikeLike
My new year’s resolution for my blog, ‘Such Friends,’ about early 20th century writers and artists, is to post regularly about what they were doing in Ireland, England, France and America 100 years ago, 1914. It’s going to be quite a year…
LikeLike
Some great advice, thanks for posting so many good ideas!
LikeLike
Excellent piece Cheri. For me, at least, it is timely and useful.
LikeLike
Loved it! Definitely going to share with others.
LikeLike
I gave my blog a makeover a few days ago and it’s given me more inspiration to carry on and do more. I’ve set up a few weekly events and more people are joining in and I have more ideas to come. Thanks also for these other pointers.
LikeLike
Well done! Well done Cheri! At 81 years old and WordPress blogs that have not gotten a single post. Perhaps you have inspired me. But, Alas I doubt that creating other sites or redoing current ones will prove otherwise. Therefore I remain till death an eternal pessimist.
LikeLike
Thank you for some new ideas! I posted every day last year and am now searching for a new approach to boost my audience. Looking forward to another great year on WordPress!
LikeLike
Thanks for the inspiration. Not doing resolutions, but looking to challenge myself in new areas.
LikeLike
Nice Pictures 🙂 Do you have any tips for new bloggers
LikeLike
Do check out The Daily Post, where you’ll find tips, tutorials, and inspiration for blogging, writing, photography, and more. Welcome to WordPress.com!
LikeLike
Yep. Followed the site makeover tips and it sure did make a whole lot of difference (went with a BIG makeover though). Now weekly posts look more than just a possibility.
LikeLike
Thanks for posting, this stuff is a great reminder. I started my Blog with a Goal, if I make it, Ill shoot bigger 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve done a complete overhaul of my blog this week, and was glad to see a few extra tips and tricks here I hadn’t thought of yet! For one of my goals this year, I’ll be reading, cooking, and reviewing a new cookbook once each month of 2014.
LikeLike
I found a lot of “30 day blog challenge” ideas online and I found it helps me want to keep writing since I have pre-determined post topic every day. Eventually I might stop doing them, but for now it gets me writing!
LikeLike
Great suggestions. As a baseball blog I’m limited, but try to do a monthly column, as well as the adventures of my kids and I during the summer months. It can be tough in the off-season coming up with ideas, though.
LikeLike
Love the idea of hosting a recurring event.
LikeLike
You are absolutely right. I don’t make them but you have achieved yours already. You challenged yourself by setting a new years resolution.
LikeLike
Good ideas!
LikeLike
These are some really good tips! I’m super new to blogging, and I’m just starting to figure it all out. So thank you!:)
LikeLike
So much great stuff for the new year. Thank you for the inspiration!
LikeLike
Thank you for these ideas! Now I’m thinking to buy my own SLR, hhahahaha.
LikeLike
A really refreshing way to plot for the year! 🙂
LikeLike
I like this blog post 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for the blog, i think this year is going to be a turn around for me as i will put in everything in me to see that i put down information about my yet to be published book and the published ones: “Daybreak Massacre and The Last Dictator”. Both were published by Trafford. Ned Tony Emeni
LikeLike
thank you, having just started my first ever blog, total newbie, i am going to be trying a lot of your suggestions
LikeLike
These are simple but very useful tips. 🙂 Thank you.
LikeLike
Thank you for your advice! I’ve just started blogging on WordPress and have committed to writing more often and connect with people in the bloggosphere.
LikeLike
Shall i write a post asking readers what topics they would like us to cover the most?
LikeLike
Sure — you can certainly do that, in lieu of a contact form or poll, to gather feedback from the very people who visit your site; they can leave comments on the post.
LikeLike
This is such great timing! I have just launched my craft and art blog and started to panic about keeping up with interesting blog posts! This makes my ‘list hapy’ brain start planning a bit more and setting out the posts for each month – baby steps! this was a great way to look at things!
LikeLike
I will seriously consider all that you have mentioned..
LikeLike
Great post. I have learnt something new. Now I’m starting a weekly collage post on random topic to motivate me to post regularly. Hope it can cure my blogger block.
LikeLike
Great Ideas!! I especially love the recurring events, I had no idea how to connect with other bloggers of the same like and now because of you I now do!! Thank you!!
LikeLike
Fantastic post. This will definitely help me become a better writer. Just wonderful!
LikeLike
Excellent….a boost of inspiration.
LikeLike
These are all wonderful ideas. I will definitely use some of these ideas, especially the one about posting more regularly.
LikeLike
Great post! Definitely following some of these tips! Here’s to better bloggin’ in 2014! 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you. Most helpful.
LikeLike
Thanks for the shout out, Cheri 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for posting! I’ll definitely be taking some of these ideas on board during 2014!
LikeLike
Thanks for the motivation.
LikeLike
Fantastic ideas and advice.Thanks.
LikeLike
This is great! As a newbie to the wonderful (but initially daunting!) world of WordPress, this is extremely welcome! Thanks!
LikeLike
Great idea! New year’s resolutions not only about your private or professional life but also about your blog.
LikeLike
great idea as I missed a lot of days due to exams, I will look forward to participate..
LikeLike
I’m changing it UP! Thanks for the kick-in-the-pants!
LikeLike
First time blogger and this just blowed my mind! Thanks for the courage and powerful blog!
LikeLike
“Do something amazing. Go down a different path.Challenge myself”
Best lines I read this new year.And very inspiring
.
LikeLike
Cool inspiration — am gonna implement it all now!!!
LikeLike
I love this post so much! There are so many great ideas in it,
LikeLike
I like this post — it gives a new direction on posting.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for linking to the yeah write weekly writing challenge in your wonderful 2014 blogging must-do list. We have enjoyed all the new visitors and subscribers, and we are excited about folding all the newbies into our humble little community. We are honored to be mentioned here.
LikeLike
I’ve been working on revamping my blog by going through the #zerotohero challenges each day. My goal is to post a heck of a lot more this year and build up a good following as well as new contacts through networking on WordPress.
LikeLike
Thank you for the motivation and good ideas! Definitely helpful and inspiring. Think I got a new direction…
LikeLike
Hey would you recommend creating a blog if you need to keep 2 separate distinct journals? For instance could you have a menu with 2 tab items (DayTrades and SwingTrades) each menu item could contain unique posts? Then perhaps a 3rd menu item in which I make posts on random thoughts?
I am wondering if I should just switch over to creating a website.
Thanks, Rob
LikeLike
You can create “tabs” in a custom menu on your blog/website: https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2013/04/17/working-with-custom-menus/
A tab might pull posts from a specific category you’ve created (ie, “daytrade”), which sounds like an option for what you describe.
I think it’s manageable to keep all your material on one site, provided that there are still some connective threads between the material in each tab. Some people have sites that touch on each of their interests (ie, food writing, but also travel writing). It’s possible, and I don’t think a site needs to, for instance, have just one niche/focus.
It depends on your interests and what you want to do. Hope that helps.
LikeLike
Great advice! I just gave my blog a makeover and am now trying to get more readers to my site!
LikeLike
Excellent advice! I’m just starting out so this should be very helpful
LikeLike
Great idea. I should get serious with blogging in the new year.
LikeLike
Found the ideas bland, but then again, I am known to be picky.
LikeLike
Nice ideas for a beginner!!!
LikeLike
Thanks soooooo much, this is helpful.
LikeLike
Great write up made me think more about my blog. Love the idea of holding blog event so will have to check out some in the uk. How do I find them. Thanks
LikeLike
Really nice ideas! I’m just new to blogging so reading over this has given me sense of direction, plus I want to be a novelist myself so I’m intrigued about ‘The Wanderers.’ Is there a way I can find out more about it?
LikeLike
There’s a link to Stephanie “Wanderers” project in the post, which I’ve linked again here. Again, here’s her Kickstarter page.
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike
Definitely found some inspiration and have gotten many ideas 🙂
LikeLike
Awesome! 🙂
I know so many of us hesitate to read certain docs because it’s maybe very lengthy! Not in this case; I found it to be informative, simple, easy to read & enlightening.
Thanks for the tips! I find it very satisfying to know what & how to do things for my blog!
Happy 2014!
LikeLike
thanks for the great ideas! love it, thinking big and small and taking risks 🙂
LikeLike
Hi everyone — can I join any of your conversations? I’m new with this blog.
LikeLike
Welcome to WordPress.com! You might want to check out the blogger chatter and discussions over on The Daily Post, our editors’ blog for blogging and writing tips, WordPress.com tutorials, and other resources.
LikeLiked by 1 person