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Do you struggle with coming up with original ideas for your blog posts? Want to get out of the “echo chamber” and not just report repeat news that’s been posted everywhere else? Yes? Great! You’re in luck today because I’m going to share with you my fool-proof, idiot-proof method of brainstorming great ideas for your blog that, chances are, nobody else may have thought about. Bring originality to your blog posts, increase readership and add value to your existing readers with “The Visitor Grid” method of brainstorming!
Brainstorming why your visitors are visiting your blog will help to focus your blog post topics, writing style, and traffic generation and monetization techniques. It is important to be able to “connect” with your reader and having a big brainstorming session before writing does that.
[Incidentally, Copyblogger has a post that expands on why connection with your reader is important in this post.]
It’s with those thoughts that I’ve been thinking about how to better make my posts be more responsive to visitors’ wants and needs, and I’ve come up with my own solution. It’s called the “Visitor Grid” and it helps me to focus my blog posts and laser-target the tone, writing style and topic of my posts.
Visitors to your blog visit because they are “looking” for something (a “need”) and “want” some result.
Blog visitors may be looking for/need:
- Information about people, places, things or services
- Opinions and/or reviews of people, places, things or services
- Like-minded people who share common interests and beliefs
- Funny, sad, provocative news about people, places, things or services
- Tutorials that teach them how to do stuff
Blog visitors may want:
- To be entertained
- To be re-affirmed in their beliefs
- To be helpful
- To be confronted
- To be enlightened
When I’m brainstorming ideas for posts, I match up those needs and wants in a system called “The Visitor Grid“.
How to Create The Visitor Grid
Make a big grid of six columns across by six rows down. Write in the boxes on the top row each of the things a visitor to your blog may be looking for. Write in the boxes in the first column each of the things your visitor may want from visiting your blog.
Once you’ve done that, you should have a table with “wants” in the left most column and “things visitors are looking for” (a/k/a “needs”) in the top row.
For example, say your blog is about gadgets. In that case, visitors may come to your blog looking for/need:
- Information about gadgets
- Opinions and/or reviews about gadgets
- Like-minded people who also have an affinity for gadgets
- Funny, sad, provocative news about gadgets
- Tutorials that teach them how to tweak gadgets
Using the Visitor Grid, place each of those bullet points in the boxes on the top row. Then, down the first column, list your visitor wants (you can use my list above or create your own) in each of the boxes. If you’ve done everything correctly, your visitor grid should now look like this:

Next, fill in the boxes with ideas on how you will match up a visitor’s wants with what that visitor is looking for (i.e., his/her “needs”). For example, your completed grid could look like this:

Now all there is to do is to focus your posts so that you are blogging about a topic from the top row that matches a need from the leftmost column.
For example, a visitor who is looking for opinions and/or reviews about gadgets may be looking because he wants to be confronted with different uses of the gadgets than intended. So, based on the Visitor Grid, you could focus your post on a review of a gadget that is being used in a different way than it was intended.
Here’s a real life example: John Chow has a posting about how an Ipod could be used as a source of power for a vibrator.
Another great feature about the Visitor Grid is that a properly filled out grid will allow you to laser focus your news search efforts on the topics that match the visitor needs/wants grid box. Also, you’ve just outlined ideas for 25 great posts.
Does the Visitor Grid get your creative juices going? If so, what are you waiting for? Get blogging!
Popularity: 16% [?]

35 responses so far ↓
1 How To Jumpstart Your Blogging With The “Visitor Gridâ€? | Manoj Jain’s Blog // Feb 25, 2007 at 8:33 am
[...] to focus your blog post topics, writing style, and traffic generation and monetization techniques.read more | digg story Filed under Technology News by [...]
2 Brian Clark // Feb 27, 2007 at 1:40 pm
This is an excellent post. I think if people put 1/4 of the thought you recommend here into their posts, they’d be amazed at the results.
3 Philip Liu // Feb 27, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Brian,
Thanks for your thoughts! I appreciate the visit!
4 He Really Does Help You Blog « John Chow dot Com // Feb 28, 2007 at 7:40 pm
[...] A Fool-Proof Method To Brainstorm Blogging Ideas [...]
5 Stuart // Feb 28, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Very good post! Thanks for the pointers.
6 Philip Liu // Feb 28, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Hi Stuart, welcome and thank you!
7 Tony // Mar 1, 2007 at 2:20 am
I’ve tried this out today, and while explaining this concept to a buddy of mine, and filling the matrix in with my own examples, it really got some awesome discussion going. This is a quite well applied idea, thank you Philip.
8 Sam // Mar 1, 2007 at 3:36 am
Wow, now that’s helpful, I’ll be sure to put this to good use, thanks alot !
9 ilker // Mar 1, 2007 at 6:58 am
Really nice post but I don’t think I would want to put so many ads on my blog..
10 Philip Liu // Mar 1, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Don’t thank me, thank YOU for trying it out and participating in the discussion.
11 Why Do Readers Subscribe To Your Blog? // Mar 4, 2007 at 11:53 am
[...] new knowledge that was previously hidden in plain sight. I would like to think that my article on fool-proof brainstorming is an example of a post that is enlightening to my [...]
12 Shane // Mar 4, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Thanks Philip,
I needed this today!
13 101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle // Mar 16, 2007 at 1:39 pm
[...] Brainstorm by matching up your readers wants and needs using the Visitor Grid method of brainstorming. [...]
14 Travis // Mar 19, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Awesome tip! Thanks!
15 antonio // Mar 20, 2007 at 11:33 am
Very helpful post, I love your grid!
thank you!! ^_^
16 Existential Ventures » Blog Archive » Bookmarks: Ideas Folder // Mar 24, 2007 at 5:17 pm
[...] A Fool-Proof Method For Brainstorming Blogging Ideas [...]
17 From Zero to Hero - Quickstart blogging at Web Business with North x East // Mar 26, 2007 at 11:50 pm
[...] study as well. Also though, I just like Philip’s blog the most and some of his posts like: A Fool-Proof Method To Brainstorm Blogging Ideas, The Complete Blogging Resource List For The Pro-Blogger and most recently 101 Great Posting Ideas [...]
18 thepaperbull.com » Blog Archive » My biggest blogging mistake so far // Mar 31, 2007 at 12:04 am
[...] A Fool-Proof Method To Brainstorm Blogging Ideas [...]
19 æ•™è‚²ä¸æ–‡ç¿»è¯‘ » è®©ä½ çš„å?šå®¢ç‚™æ‰‹å?¯çƒçš„101个奇æ€?妙想 // Apr 29, 2007 at 8:33 pm
[...] 想办法满足读者的需求,�以用访问者头脑风暴方法 [...]
20 web live :: 101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle :: May :: 2007 // May 3, 2007 at 9:32 am
[...] Brainstorm by matching up your readers wants and needs using the Visitor Grid method of brainstorming. [...]
21 è®©ä½ çš„å?šå®¢ç‚™æ‰‹å?¯çƒçš„101个奇æ€?妙想 | æ•™è‚²ä¸æ–‡ç¿»è¯‘ // May 30, 2007 at 1:59 pm
[...] 1ã€?想办法满足读者的需求,å?¯ä»¥ç”¨è®¿é—®è€…头脑风暴方法写写一个问题的æ£å??é?¢ã€‚ 2ã€?写一篇指å?—。 [...]
22 Brad Isaac // Aug 8, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Hi, I just stumbled your site. This looks to be a good tip for coming up with ideas. I’ll give it a shot and see how it works. Thanks.
23 TecnoCulto » Blog Archive » ¿Cómo hacer Popular Nuestro Blog? // Sep 8, 2007 at 4:11 am
[...] una lluvia de ideas sobre lo que tus lectores quieres y necesitan, aquà hay un método muy efectivo.Escribe un post analizando los pros y los contras de algo.Escribe un totorial.Haz una entrevista a [...]
24 101 ide dalam menulis blog. | Dream is Inspiration // Sep 9, 2007 at 2:45 pm
[...] Brainstorm by matching up your readers wants and needs using the Visitor Grid method of brainstorming. [...]
25 Orange Ideas // Sep 23, 2007 at 3:43 am
I just registered a new blog to share ideas and get new. I’m gonna use these tips. Or just let me try. I know if i do follow these, i can be a successful blogger.
I’m lucky… i read your post before i could actually start posting in my blog. Very good tips.
26 阿æ?œåœ¨çº¿ » Blog Archive » è®©ä½ çš„å?šå®¢ç‚™æ‰‹å?¯çƒçš„101个奇æ€?妙想 // Oct 29, 2007 at 3:08 am
[...] 1ã€?想办法满足读者的需求,å?¯ä»¥ç”¨è®¿é—®è€…头脑风暴方法写写一个问题的æ£å??é?¢ã€‚ 2ã€?写一篇指å?—。 [...]
27 Jen / domestika // Nov 1, 2007 at 8:46 am
What’s most brilliant about this idea is the way it places the focus squarely on the reader… where it properly belongs. Thanks for this!
28 Original Content is King, Links and Money Will Follow // Jan 16, 2008 at 4:58 pm
[...] may seem childish, but try to make an idea web (brainstorm) of your topic. This can help channel your knowledge and pop some new things out onto your blog [...]
29 liz remus // Jan 20, 2008 at 11:53 pm
this is an excellent post! I am definitely bookmarking this one to save. This is exactly what I was looking for and what a neat idea. Hopefully this will help me to further my blogs.
30 Yus // Jan 26, 2008 at 12:13 pm
This is a very helpful article. I’m feelin’ excited to start a new blog. I hope you dont mind if i save a copy of your article for my personal reference.
31 santosh // Feb 23, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Excellent stuff again! You’re not just helping, you’re also teaching well! Thanks again
32 James // Apr 6, 2008 at 10:47 pm
This is actually quite a good idea, and original at that. Thanks for sharing such a useful idea. I will be making my own grid soon.
33 wafflesatnoon.com » Blog Archive » Blog Ideas When You Have Writer’s Block // Apr 11, 2008 at 11:26 am
[...] reading Visitor Grid Concept Blog [...]
34 101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle | { thou shall blog } // Apr 26, 2008 at 3:29 am
[...] Brainstorm by matching up your readers wants and needs using the Visitor Grid method of brainstorming. [...]
35 How to Write a Good Blog Post - Blog Archive - Four Island // Jun 20, 2008 at 4:49 am
[...] of what you haven’t thought of yet.From the same place as the 101 posting ideas, we have the Visitor Grid, another great way to come up with ideas for your blogI hope that I’ve just fulfilled the reason I [...]
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