Are you struggling to think of strong content ideas for your engineering blog? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
As a marketing manager, you’re probably already aware of how important coming up with engaging content is for a successful engineering blog. But sometimes, it can be really hard to know where to start when planning a new campaign.
So, in this post, I’ll guide you through ways of coming up with new content ideas as well as give you a few suggestions of blog topics that you may find quite useful.
How to find new content ideas
To start off, let me look at some ways in which you can discover new topics to write about.
1. Keyword research
Keyword research is the standard way of finding good topics to write about.
There are some great third-party tools to help you with this (like Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.) but you can also rely on Google itself, working with the Google Ads Keyword Planner, Google’s autofill suggestions, and the content displayed in the “People also ask” and “People also search for” boxes in the actual SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
A good way to get started is by entering specific engineering terms related to your company, which will then catapult you down the keyword rabbit hole in discovering a whole range of related keywords.
Try focusing on content ideas that answer questions or solve problems for some of the most searched terms in your specific field or industry. This sort of content is likely to gain traction and will hopefully lead to more potential customers finding your site.
2. Analytics reports
The best way to figure out what type of content already works is by checking your analytics reports.
Platforms like Google Analytics and Google Search Console will give you very detailed keyword information, and while, of course, these would be related to posts that are already ranking, it can give you invaluable information into what’s popular — and what you should be creating more of.
After all, figuring out what sort of content people enjoy is the first step to creating it. There’s no greater insight than using the data you already have.
By looking at which types of posts are already performing well, you can find the most popular engineering blog topics that you’ve already covered — and this can give you insight into what else to cover.
Perhaps you have a very complex article that’s ranking well for a number of keywords and you could create subtopics on this? Or perhaps you can identify a topic cluster you can expand on?
Either way, understanding what works and what doesn’t will shed some light on what you should be making more of.
3. Social media suggestions
Social media is a fantastic tool to help you figure out what’s popular right now.
Perhaps your social media audience has requested a certain topic in the comments section. Perhaps something relevant to your industry is trending? Perhaps you’ve received a lot of DMs for information on one particular topic.
Listening to your audience is invaluable and can get you producing the kind of content they’re ready to eat up.
Of course, this doesn’t only go for social media platforms. Also, take a look at your blog comments and online communities like Quora or Reddit for inspiration.
People generally speak up if they’re looking for specific information, and if you can provide it, it’s a win for your blog.
4. Customer feedback
Analytics tools and social platforms are great resources — but so are your current customers.
Next time you’re in a room or in communication with one of your clients, you can simply ask them if there’s any particular type of content they’d be interested in or if they’re facing any problems they still need good solutions for.
You could even set up a quick survey and send it out to your mailing list (or feature it on your website) to get direct feedback on topics your audience may find interesting.
5. AI
While I’d never recommend using AI to write your content for you, it’s a great tool for coming up with new ideas.
You can ask AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, or Gemini to provide you with great content or keyword ideas, which you can then use to further your research.
Company-focused content ideas
Perhaps keyword strategy isn’t your prime focus right now, or perhaps you want to supplement your keyword strategy with content that focuses specifically on your company.
Here are some topic ideas that bring the content focus back to your company.
1. Recent projects
If you’ve just completed an interesting project, you can turn this into a case study or blog post.
Talk about the technologies used, the delivery process, or even the challenges encountered — this can all be tremendously interesting to other engineers in your field.
Of course, respecting confidentiality is paramount, so always keep your client’s name and personal details out of your posts — unless you have explicit permission to use these.
2. Tools used for projects
You can write about the different tools your company uses for different projects, of course, keeping any confidential information or competitive advantages out.
This is a great topic because it provides a treasure trove of all kinds of creative things to consider, and it can also make for a great point of discussion among engineers.
Outline what tools are great to use, what features they provide, how valuable they are, etc.
Ideally, you’d want to offer a unique or personal perspective.
3. Identifying problem-solving processes
Many engineers would be very interested in learning how you tackle the various challenges you face daily.
Getting a new perspective on problem-solving can be invaluable — after all, there’s always something we haven’t thought of.
4. Staff profiles
You may be interested in featuring staff profiles on your blog. This diversifies your engineering blog and adds more character.
People are generally interested in people, and you never know what type of interesting information you may uncover by interviewing people in your own company. Who knows, maybe Anna, the graphic designer, secretly builds model airplanes?
Profiles are also very shareable, and most people would be quite proud to be featured.
5. Explaining the benefits of your business clearly
You don’t want to push your company on your engineering blog only, but you also don’t want to disregard it completely.
After all, this is your platform, and the end goal of your content marketing strategy is to get more business.
So, you can also use your blog to your advantage, using the platform to clearly explain the benefits of your company and the expertise it can bring.
Perhaps you could even feature great case studies or testimonials to showcase your expertise.
6. Behind-the-scenes content
If there’s anything the advent of social media has shown us, it’s that people love behind-the-scenes content. So, you can use this to your advantage on your blog.
You could also mix up your content here by featuring a photo series or video content in addition to written text — that’ll give your readers a nice look into the way your company works.
Externally-focused content ideas
Even armed with a great keyword strategy and company-focused content, you may still be looking to add some more variety to the mix.
Here are some more externally focused content ideas you could draw from.
1. Spotlight on engineers
You can use your engineering blog as a platform for spotlights/profiles on engineers.
While you can do a biography spotlight on a well-known engineer from history, you could also interview current engineers.
Focus on that person’s unique view of the industry, challenges they’ve faced, projects they enjoy working on, life-changing moments, etc.
This type of content is also very shareable and may win you new readers or backlinks.
2. Translating current data sheets
A lot of information can be really hard to digest and work with, so translating current data sheets and rewriting parts of them into more approachable terms can be a great content idea — if it suits your industry.
Throwing this type of content into the mix every now and then can add good variety.
3. Commenting on current publication news
People following an engineering blog always want to see your unique perspective when it comes to industry news and ideas.
Stay up to date with the latest in the engineering and tech industries, and then start sharing your perspective. Some publications may even miss out on some facts and details, so you can create supplementary information, ensuring your audience has all the info it needs.
Make sure to keep it professional, though, and it’s best to steer clear of any controversial topics.
4. Review the latest engineering tools
Writing product reviews isn’t overly common on engineering blogs, but why not? This can be a great drawcard, providing it suits your industry.
You can test both hardware and software tools and then provide in-depth reviews on your experience of using them, explaining basic features, looking at what worked well, explaining what didn’t, etc.
Many engineers may have questions about hardware or software, and there’s not always someone there to answer these questions — you can be that person.
5. Comment on current or updated legislation
On the news side, you can write content on the latest developments in legislation changes.
These can significantly affect engineers, so it’ll be good to cover this topic.
However, always add the caveat that you’re not providing legal advice and are only offering commentary on updates and changes. Also, always link to the actual legal legislation so readers can turn to the official documents directly.
6. Reports from trade shows and conferences
Trade shows and conferences are happening all the time — but not all engineers have the chance to visit.
By visiting industry events and reporting directly on these events through your social platforms and then following it up with a blog post, you can add value and share valuable information with everyone who wasn’t able to attend — or even those who did attend but need a reminder or notes on what was covered.
As always, you want to share all the facts and as much information as possible.
Crafting new content
Hopefully, these tips have given you something to get started with.
There is a whole world of content to be discovered. Sometimes, you just need to dig a little deeper and come up with something truly unique to help you and your business stand out.
If you need assistance in crafting content, drop me a line here.
Content Ideas FAQs
You definitely can — and should — draw inspiration from other sources. Look at engineering journals, online forums, social media groups, databases, and even news sources to gather new topic ideas.
It’s not necessary to post a new blog article every day. In fact, it’s better to post slightly less frequently but ensure that every time you post, your content is of excellent quality. That said, you should still stick to some sort of posting schedule, as consistency helps manage audience expectations.
Collaborating with other industry professionals or accepting guest posts is a great idea. This gives you the chance to diversify your content offering, and it also helps bring in new perspectives. As an added benefit, you’ll likely reach new audiences and get more shares when featuring other people’s work.
