Whether you are writing articles for Associated Content or one of the many other freelance writing websites out there, it can be difficult to choose topics to write your articles about. After a topic is chosen, the research follows and words tend to flow freely for experienced freelance writers. However, deciding on great topics to write about can be tricky. Here are some great tips to follow to brainstorm and select great article topics:
Keep Your Eyes And Ears Open. The world is full of interesting stories, events, places, and more. All you simply need to do is keep your eyes and ears open. If something catches your attention, chances are it will catch someone else’s attention, too. As I am talking to friends and family, if I find myself saying, “Wow, I didn’t know that…”, I am making a mental note to myself about possible article topics. I also keep my ears open to other conversations I overhear. I’m not necessarily eavesdropping on purpose, but if I am waiting in line at the grocery store or on a treadmill at the gym next to two Chatty Kathies, my ears are open.
Is It Google-Worthy? If I hear about something interesting and feel compelled to go home and Google it, I may consider writing an article or two about the topic. Or perhaps that topic will spur me to brainstorm and write about related topics. I am a naturally helpful person, so if I hear about a problem a friend or family member is having, a trip they want to go on, and so on, I may naturally Google some information about it to help them out. In the process, I may find topics worth writing about. I choose many of my article topics based on the belief that if I am Googling the topics, chances are many other people also are. Many times a topic has been overdone, but if I find that the articles online are mostly written in hard-to-understand jargon or if I can find another angle to approach the topic from, that’s a plus.
Don’t Recreate The Wheel. Obviously you don’t want to churn out articles that have been written about by twenty other people already. So if my Google search on topics turns out a bunch of results, and I can’t think of a new angle to take with it, I will back away from an idea. Obviously writing articles for Associated Content or other online freelance companies is based on SEO. So some research time should be taken into account to research sites like Google Adsense, Google Trends, and Zeitgeist. Each of these websites have different uses, and can give you an idea on how much traffic a topic will receive as well as what the hottest topics being searched recently are.
Keep A Running List. If you are having a hard time coming with article topics for even one article, it can seem unimaginable to have a running list of article topics. Yet if you follow the tips in this article, you will find that you likely have many article topics to choose from. My list currently has about forty topics on it. Sometimes the list gets a little shorter, and sometimes it gets a little longer. But with a running list of brainstormed topics, I can simply sit down and choose which topics I feel like writing about today and run with it. Like many writers, when my brain is turned on to write, I just want to sit down and let the words flow. It can be very frustrating to have to stop and research article topics, research how many hits the article will generate, and so forth when my brain is ready to write.
I hope I have been able to give you some advice that will help you to keep a steady supply of great article topics on-hand for you to sit down and start writing about at any time.
