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Starting a blog? How to find topics to write about

October 19th, 2011 by Hannah du Plessis
If you are like most people, you need inspiration to be able to start writing. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Starting a blog
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Solve a problem

Your customers come to you because you have something they need. You solve a problem for them. Write an article for each problem you solve, and tell them how you solve that problem for them. Use keywords in the article that your clients will use to look for you. If the article uses the same words they use to search, it will come up as the most relevant content, and you will meet their immediate need.

Visual content

Some people prefer watching a video to reading. Consider making short videos on each problem you solve.

“Pet Peeves” or something you feel strongly about

If you have an issue or topic that you feel strongly about, write an article about it. Say how you feel and why you feel that way. It could be something that is wrong in your industry, or a way a competitor (don’t name them!) deals with clients or issues.

Facts about your industry

Facts work too. If you’re stuck, look for facts, and write a story around it. You can gather data from an independent survey, a library, government statistics, Wikipedia, or any other way that comes to mind.

Keywords or phrases

Do keyword research on your main keyword and phrases and find related keywords. You can then write an article about each keyword or phrase.

Make your own survey

This works if you have a list already. Ask them for their ideas. Find a topic that is controversial and get a discussion going. Then you can write about it.

Breaking news

If you have anything newsworthy happening in your industry, like a new product launching, you can write about it. It can also be a Press release.

Resources

If you can provide a list of resources that your clients can use, you can compile one. This works if they are your products, or if you are an affiliate for someone else’s products. You can write a paragraph about each resource’s pros and cons.

Conduct an interview

Find an expert in your industry and conduct an interview with this person. It could be about your product or service, or about something newsworthy in the industry. Ask a series of questions you know your readers will be interested in.

The series

You can also make a series of articles about a topic. Make sure each article can stand alone as well. Then you can link to the previous article and the next one.  

Case studies

Use case studies, telling stories about how your product or service helped other clients. Prospective clients will identify with the way you helped others and be attracted to you.

You have more knowledge about your product or service than anyone else. Use that in your articles.

It is a fact that companies who blog get 55% more traffic than those who don’t.

So what are you waiting for? Start that blog today!

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14 November 2011 - 1:24pm — Tash Pop
Tash Pop's picture

Great compilation

Great compilation Hannah :) Just a note, making short instructional videos is a fantastic way to get exposure as well as make your site attractive to search engines. Google heavily favours sites with video content than those without it so it might at the same time increase your rankings. Another cool thing with videos is that you can almost 'reuse' content (ie. record any instructional post/article as video based on the same content). My two cents :)

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About the author

Hannah du Plessis's picture
Hannah du Plessis
Attraction Marketing
http://attractionmarketing.net.nz

Hannah du Plessis, Expert Author and top sales leader for Avon, has always had a strong interest in sales and internet marketing. She created Attraction Marketing to help self-employed people, as well as small and medium sized business owners solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients.

Hannah learned the hard way that chasing prospects and sales targets don't work. While working as a sales representative, Hannah did what she was told and chased every prospect. She used cold calling as well as the traditional sales processes as expected and experienced nothing but failure and frustration.

Then Hannah learned about the science of positioning and everything changed. She learned the psychology behind sales; why people buy, how to take back her power, and how and why these principles apply not only in business but in all spheres of life. Hannah's sales quadrupled as a result.

Hannah now helps others to approach their work and their lives from a position of power.

Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Hannah now resides in Auckland, New Zealand.

Auckland