How to Find Successful Topics to Write About
Need help coming up with successful topics? Read on.
One of the most common problems writers have is coming up with ideas to write about.
Not just any idea as some writers will tell you but ideas that people want to read about. This is what makes a successful piece.
Sometimes it is a lack of ideas that we get and sometimes we over complicate the ideas we already have in our minds. In other words, get out of your own way as you are just complicating the matter at hand.
How do I know this is true? I’ll tell you because I do the same thing.
Put together a topic discovery process.
I have found if you don’t have a ritual or process to work through you won’t get this done correctly and it won’t be successful.
A process works your mind by putting it into a state that helps generate ideas. Many ideas. I write them all down. Sometimes I get in a zone and write headlines. This is the starting block for any article or post.
Reality sets in after about 30 minutes and I have 20–25 potential ideas. After I look back over my list I find a hot topic I want to read or write about.
After you have worked this ritual for about 2–3 weeks it will become a habit that I promise you will get excited about. It will help you write articles about the topics that people will enjoy reading. So let’s get started on this process.
This is how my process works:
· I go to a forum and start reading about the general comments in a genre that I want to read about. This way I can find ideas from the questions being asked and the responses to those questions. This really gets my mind in high gear.
· Once I find a topic I try and outline what I want to say and how to explain it. This will tell me if I need to do some reading. If I need additional research I find an influencer on the topic and read intensely taking notes and finishing my outline.
· I like to do a 5-minute mind map to come up with the exact topic I am going to write about.
· Next is the exciting part to me I start creating a headline that is going to deliver my message in a way people will relate to and want to read about. If you need to know more about headlines read my post on “Strong Headlines Will Make You More Money”.
Then start writing.
Where I go to find topics.
I always start with Quora because I get many ideas quickly. If you are not familiar with Quora go to quora.com. It is an easy format to follow.
Register an account.
Go to search and put in a genre or topic. What comes up is questions asked by members and answers by members. I read a response or 2 then start writing headlines.
If I am not in a zone and only get a topic or two. I proceed to Reddit.
Reddit is a little wild-west as its members seem to all act like experts and what will ensue is a lively debate. These back and forth debates are great for peaking your mind into the zone with topics.
Another great place to visit for ideas is Ubersuggest. Ubersuggest is the brainchild of another great writer, Neil Patel.
You can enter a domain of an online competitor and it will suggest better keywords then they have which is absolutely amazing.
The reason I use it is that I can put in a keyword like “strong headlines” and get the top 20–25 articles written and how much traffic they have produced. By scanning these headlines, you can get a feel for what works well in Google. Then craft a headline in the same vein but different and presto, you have a great headline.
This is usually all I need to get pumped and spewing headlines all over the paper that I have to actually get up and go for a walk with my dog to calm down.
If these sites don’t do it for you then look around at other similar sites.
When I usually do this.
I usually always do this on a Monday morning because I create so many ideas I can just write the rest of the week.
I do this in the morning because I have found that a well-rested mind produces at really high speeds and I get results quick.
I tend to write every headline that comes to mind. I scan the list during the week and delete random nonsense. Believe me about 2–3 headlines will be random or extremely controversial and should not be used.
It's easy to get a weeks’ worth of headlines.
Yea after dumping say 3 that are random and picking 7 for the week you still have a minimum of 10 headlines.
I just put new headlines the next Monday on the same list after deleting random and used headlines.
My conclusion on this topic.
It is so important to create a process that you will use once a week at the same time every week. I cannot stress this enough.
If you form this habit it will be hard to break because it is enjoyable.
I believe that if you continue to do this you will always have a topic that you enjoy writing about that your listeners want to read about.
This is the way writing should be, exciting and fun!
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