Do you struggle with what to write about in your newsletter or on your blog? Develop a pool of resources by taking an hour to brainstorm. Take 5 minutes to write each title and its related points and you could end up with up to a dozen article ideas. If you’re quick with your title, you can write a number of brief points that will help you refine your article later. Use a timer if it helps you stay on task.
Here are some of my favourite no cost resources for inspiration when you don’t know what to write about:
-select a Category to view Featured Titles in your chosen industry
-get inspiration for your article titles here and modify to suit your topic
-as an example, here are some headlines I found in the Business & Finance category: “31 Ways To Earn Money And Not Lift A Finger”, “Everything You Need To Know About Mobile Commerce” or “25 Ways To Get Unstuck And Find Your Happy Place”
2. Amazon.com or Amazon.ca
-good for topic ideas
-browse the site for information about what people are looking for
-learn what interests your audience that you can write about
3. What National Day Is It Today?
-find out what national holiday it is today, or why today is so special at National Today
-a comprehensive reference of not-so-well-known holidays you can use to compile fun and quirky facts for your readers or discover a theme to write about
4. 189 Creative Blog Post Ideas That Will Delight Your Audience
-geared to bloggers but suitable for anyone who needs great article ideas and topics
-a ton of unique blog ideas and topic suggestions
5. Read your online or offline news headlines
-give your opinion and comments related to a top story in your industry
6. Have you attended a recent workshop or a networking meeting with an interesting speaker?
-share your new knowledge by writing about what you learned
7. Peruse your past articles
-what have you written about before that you can expand on?
-for example, elaborate on each tip of a ‘Top 5 Tips’ piece to create 5 new articles
Often more than half the work of writing is just coming up with the ideas. Pick one or two of the above methods and get started with your research. Remember, you are just brainstorming here and some ideas will be better than others. There is no need to perfect your ideas. Speed and quantity are more important than quality. The next time you don’t know what to write about, you will have a pool of resources to pick from for your blog post, newsletter article or other writing project.