I herby commit to change that.

Therefore, today I have created a list of 10 types of content you can use for your blog. When you have writer’s block (cough, Lindsay Bell and Jason Konopinski, cough), you now have something to jog your brain.

It’s not just a list, though. Obviously my examples are PR, marketing, or social media relations. But you can easily turn these ideas into something for your industry, blogging niche, or particular interests.

And now let’s see if I’m right about seventh tip. Will this blog post get commented on and shared more than some of our more popular blog post (Pinterest!) in January?

I’ll report back!

10 Shareable Content Ideas

1. The Manifesto. At the beginning of the year, there were lots of blog posts written about the three words people were using to drive their success in 2012. While I didn’t write a blog post about it, I have “focus, delegation, and vision” posted on the wall in front of me. You could easily get 500 words out of that.
2. The Pop Culture Tie-In. I am terrible at this, but Molli Megasko is fantastic at it. She can tell you what’s happening on The Bachelor or with the Kardashian sisters and tie in a PR lesson.
3. The Debate. We often commiserate there isn’t enough debate on the social web, so why not create it? That’s what Paul Sutton and I did last week when we debated Pinterest (I won). Giving people the opportunity to see two sides of something works incredibly well.
4. The Good. I have to admit I was a bit leery about showcasing good PR case studies, but if it’s researched and written well, with some valuable lessons professionals can use in their daily lives, it works well. I tested this theory with how FedEx handled a customer service crisis using video and it’s our third most popular blog post this month. That said, when I wrote about Ocean Marketing being fired and how the new PR pro is handling the N-Control business, it didn’t rank in the top 10. My theory is it was an overplayed story by then. So be timely.
5. The Bad. It’s no surprise the bad case studies are shared over and over and over again. The Papa John’s and Boners BBQ case study I wrote about employee communication and how to handle a PR crisis when they go rogue is our second most popular blog post. But when you write these types of case studies, do it in a way that is valuable to the reader and doesn’t attack the people involved. Attack the idea, not the person.
6. The Ugly. Let’s be real. People like train wrecks. They can’t stop watching. If you can figure out how to write about one without attacking a person, it’s going to be pretty popular. Ragan does a nice job of this quite often by using terms such as “most hated” in their headlines. It grabs attention, makes people want to read and share.
7. The Lists. Voila! Just like I’m doing today. Nate Riggs is the foremost expert on the blog lists. In fact, he did an entire webinar for Spin Sucks Pro on the topic. People like lists. They’re easy to read, bookmark, and return to later. Make sure you include the number of things in your list in the headline.
8. Freebies. Give stuff away! It might be a book a friend has written, a collection of free eBooks available from other bloggers, or your own eBook. John Falchetto does a nice job with this. Right on his home page, there is a big orange box where you can get several free things. People like free.
9. Ranked Lists. This isn’t something we do here because, well, we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But this works really well for other bloggers. In fact, Forbes just released their 50 most influential social media professionals and it was shared all over the world.
10. The Something of the Year. Just like People does their sexiest man alive issue, you can do the same for your niche. Maybe it’s an app of the month or a productivity tool like Michael Schechter did with his Perfect Computer blog post. I do a book review on the first Friday of every month and a blogger to follow on every other Friday. There are lots of ideas for the something of the week, month, or year.

There is likely a part two and three to this blog post because there are so many tried and true ways to have your content commented on and shared. But I’ll stop here for now. After all, I sometimes need ideas for blogging and now I have two!

Thanks to Hubspot for the image.

Between that and all of the brand building we did last year (speaking, blogging, networking, guest blogging, featured columns, social media, email marketing, and more) things are set to explode here and we’re hiring…again! Just goes to show that it doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen if you’re consistent and work hard at it.

With that lesson of the week, following are the top five stories.

5. Start-Up Opens a One-Stop Shop for the News. I’m not sure I ever thought I’d live to see the day that the Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today would all work together. But it’s here. Now if this is combined with the Cubs winning the World Series this year, we’ll all know hell has frozen over. Ongo shows articles from 20 publications, in one spot, and is int talks with dozens more. Check it out if you like to read and want to have it all in one spot.

4. Why the News Release Is Worthless In Today’s Social Media Space. No matter how you feel about the news release (I think it’s completely worthless), this is an interesting take on how to efficiently and productively pitch the media with your news. And, I know it will come as a big surprise, it doesn’t include a news release.

3. 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer. There are plenty of people that think Edelman is “a legend in their own mind” when it comes to its 11th annual Trust Barometer, but I find it fascinating, especially as it relates to our trust in corporate America. But I leave it to you to decide what you think.

2. The Six Pillars of Influence. I think David Armano is one smart guy and this blog post certainly doesn’t discourage that opinion. He describes six critical “pillars” (not to be confused with metrics, he says) that are significant when analyzing influence. And guess what? Klout or any of the other tools aren’t described here. Check it out!

1. Eight Ingredients that Make a Community Manager. The community manager title was the most talked about of 2010 and companies have now either made the hire or decided against it. If you’re still on the fence, Lisa Barone has eight traits that she recommends you look for when interviewing candidates. I can’t think of a trait I’d add or one that I disagree with in her post.

Do you have a story you’d add that I missed?

Or, is it sending you too many updates when people have conversations that have nothing to do with you? I get all of the emails so I don’t know it works for you. Please let me know! If you love it as much as I do, we’ll have a wedding ceremony.

If you’ve not testing it out, try it! Let me know what you think. And, in return, here are the top five stories for week ending Oct. 8, 2010.

5. Beyond Foursquare: The next generation of customer loyalty. FINALLY someone else talking about how location-based applications can change customer loyalty by allowing discounts and specials directed at individuals. I really believe data gathering of those who “check-in” will allow businesses to individualize a customer’s experience every day.

4. Seven ways to lead without uttering a single word. We always talk about leaders from the perspective of executives and, unfortunately, this article from Terry Starbucker is no different. BUT I think his tips are valuable for any leader within the organization. I’m a big believer in mentoring and coaching leaders at all levels and these tips work well for all of them.

3. Become reenergized at work. While this BusinessWeek article is written for business owners, it’s applicable to everyone. There are five tips for recharging your batteries, taking a vacation, and renewing your passion for your job (or business). I’m on vacation week after next so I’ll let you know how these tips work out!

2. Chipotle: Rise of a fast-food empire. I actually am not a Chipotle fan, but Mr. D would eat there every day, if he could. What I am a fan of is how quickly they’ve grown and how they maintain integrity to their core values. In this Forbes article, Steve Ells talks about not only how he got his start, but his three secrets to success, which are applicable if you’re a business owner or a new college graduate (and everything in between).

1. Why the revolution will not be tweeted. If you don’t already consume everything Malcolm Gladwell writes, start now. He has a way of telling  a story that very few people have. In this article, he makes the argument that today’s social activism, flanked by Facebook and Twitter, is reliant on weak ties and no real loyalty. While I don’t fully agree with his premise, it’s an interesting and very thoughtful read. Thanks to Mark Schaefer for bringing this New Yorker article to my attention.

And one little self-serving read…our Social Media Primer eBook. It’s pretty, it’s full of tips on how to measure and how much time to spend, and it’s only $9.99!

Have a great weekend!

Then, when I asked each of you what you’d like to read about in future blog posts, my friend John emailed me and asked, “Why is it that during tough economic times, most companies reduce marketing budgets? If marketing is of real value to a company and if marketing works for that company, wouldn’t you increase spending in tough times?”

This brings me to one of my favorite case studies: How Kellogg won the cereal wars of the Great Depression. Forbes, The New Yorker, and several other national media highlighted this story earlier this year, when it looked like the economy wasn’t likely to get better anytime soon. Following is an expert I refer to a lot when people ask me the same question John asked.

In the late nineteen-twenties, two companies—Kellogg and Post—dominated the market for packaged cereal. It was still a relatively new market: Ready-to-eat cereal had been around for decades, but Americans didn’t see it as a real alternative to oatmeal or cream of wheat until the twenties. So, when the Depression hit, no one knew what would happen to consumer demand. Post did the predictable thing: It reined in expenses and cut back on advertising. But Kellogg doubled its ad budget, moved aggressively into radio advertising, and heavily pushed its new cereal, Rice Krispies. (Snap, Crackle, and Pop first appeared in the 1930s.) By 1933, even as the economy cratered, Kellogg’s profits had risen almost 30 percent and it had become what it remains today: The industry’s dominant player.

With social media you can now heavily push your brand, your company, your service, or your product at half the cost of traditional methods. If you listen, build your communities, let your brand ambassadors spread the word, and provide value, your business will come out of the Great Recession as a dominant player, no matter your size.

So my question for you is: If you decrease your spending and no one knows you’re still in business, which creates a drop in revenue and profits, doesn’t it make sense to spend money and time on the new forms of marketing, advertising, and PR?