Turning Trivia into Business Blogging Treasure – Part I

A very good habit for those of us who provide business blogging assistance is to keep an “idea folder”. This could be an actual paper folder which we stuff with newspaper and magazine clippings, a notebook kept in a purse or pocket, or a digital file on a phone or tablet. Since I train freelance blog content writers to "learn around", the material they save up in that folder can help them keep the blog posts they write engaging for readers.

“Good ideas are crucial to the success of freelance writers and all creative types. But you have to do more than generate good ideas: you have to get those ideas out of your brain and into some system to save them. Only then can you evaluate those ideas and pick the best for implementation,” says blogger John Soares.

I came across the most wonderful little book of trivia, and decided on the spot to devote this week’s Say it For You blog posts to suggestions on ways to use the “freaky facts and strange stories” author Varla Ventura presents in it.

Of course, stocking up on ideas for future blog posts isn’t all about trivia, as I explain to newbie blog content writers . You want to be perceived as a subject matter expert offering usable information and insights. The basics would include explaining what problems can be solved using that business' products and services, defining basic terminology, and offering statistics showing that many others have faced the same issue as the one concerning the current reader.

Example #1:  Benjamin Franklin died of complications from sitting in front of an open window, Ventura informs us. In every season, Franklin would arise every morning and sit for half an hour in front of an open window.  At age 84, he developed an abscess in his lungs, which his doctor blamed on that fresh-air habit.

What kind of business blog might make use of this story? A healthcare practitioner, for one (perhaps a sinus and allergy physician). A vendor of health food or nutritional supplements. An air purification company. The anecdote might serve as the “attention grabber”, opening the path for a discussion of the way the advice, service, and products offered by that business or practice can help improve the lives of its clients and customers.

Example #2: Queen Christina of Sweden, who ruled in the 1600’s, was absolutely terrified of fleas.  She commissioned the construction of a tine cannon for her bedroom, which would fire tiny cannonballs at the pesky critters.

For whom might a blog content writer include such a story to add interest to a blog post? How about a pest control company? A veterinarian answering questions about fleas?

As John Soares observes, “The best way to have a good idea? Have lots of ideas.” Whatever your business or practice, trivia can be turned into business blogging treasure.