How I Make $5,000 Each Month Writing About Meta Topics
The meta-er, the better-er
When I first started writing online, I had no idea that I could make so much money.
In fact, I was just happy to be making a few hundred dollars a month.
But then I discovered the power of writing about meta topics. And I realized that there were people and companies out there who were willing to pay me good money to write about the things that mattered to them.
That also matters to everyone passionate about a certain subject.
Today, I make $5,000 or more each month writing about these meta topics on my portfolio of websites. These topics are some of the biggest and most obvious ideas in my niches.
This article is about how I do it.
What Are Meta Topics?
I’m not talking about Facebook 2.0.
A meta topic is a broad, overriding theme or issue. In other words, it’s a big-picture concept that encompasses many smaller ideas. For example, a meta topic in the field of psychology might be “the nature of the self.”
This umbrella concept would encompass topics like self-awareness, self-esteem, and identity.
By definition, meta topics are broad and complex.
In other words, meta topics are the biggest topics in a subject area.
So big, in fact, that most people don’t think about them. They are probably invisible to your competitors.
To give you a better idea of how this applies to blogging, here are some examples of big topics that I’ve written about:
- How to make money blogging
- How to start a blog
- What is a blog
- How to get traffic to your blog
- How to make money with affiliate marketing
- What is affiliate marketing
These are just a few examples, but as you can see, they are all big topics that get a lot of search traffic.
Next, I’ll show you how I find them.
How I Find Meta Topics That My Competitors Miss
I’ve found that it can be helpful to think of topics like a beginner with no prior understanding.
For example, let’s suppose my website is about swimming.
I might ask questions like “What is swimming?”, “Is swimming fun?”, and “What are the different types of swimming?”
By thinking about the subject from a beginner’s perspective, I’m able to come up with a list of potential meta topics that I can then research in more depth.
Once I have my list of potential topics, I always check the competition.
I do that by looking at the results in the Google SERP to see if anyone has already written about any of the topics.
That just means Googling the question or topic.
If there’s little to no competition, that’s usually a good sign that I can write and rank a comprehensive blog post on the topic.
Here are some more tips to spot Meta Topics:
- Assume you are new to the planet and have no idea about the topic. What would you ask? What would you notice? What would you see or hear?
- Start with the definitions of the major parts of your topic. Google your niche + glossary of terms. Then see if anyone has written an article about those terms.
- Follow meta trends in your niche with Google Alerts, Facebook Groups, and online forums.
Oh, and you can also use keyword tools to shortcut your way to Meta Topics.
Here’s how.
How I Find Meta Topics With Keyword Tools
When it comes to finding meta topics that will make you money, keyword research tools like Ahrefs, RankIQ, and Deap Market are lifesavers.
And massive timesavers, at that.
By using these tools, you can quickly identify high-traffic meta keywords that you can rank for.
Here’s how it might work: first, head over to Ahrefs and enter a seed keyword.
For example, let’s say we’re in the Disney niche. We might enter “Disney” into Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer tool. From there, Ahrefs will return a list of related keywords.
The main word Disney is too competitive, so we need to tweak our settings:
- Let’s go after Questions related to the Disney meta topic
- Now let’s filter the questions for only keywords between 0–20 difficulty. The lower the number, the easier to write and rank.
Here is what I saw when I did this a moment ago:
A few things to note here:
- I underlined some important features in red marker
- KD = Keyword Difficulty
- I ordered the keywords by KD (that’s why you see only 0 in this screenshot. There are at least 133 pages worth of low competition keyword questions for Disney).
- The Volume and Traffic Potential (TP) are guesstimates. You usually get more than what it states here.
- The Parent Topic is a meta topic one metal level above the question. You can consider writing about that topic for even more traffic.
Next, take a look at the SERP for each keyword.
Identify any low-hanging fruit that you could realistically target. In our example, we might see a SERP opportunity for the keyword “What is Disney lightning lane?”
If so, then we can write a high-quality piece of content for that topic.
By taking the time to do your keyword research properly, you can find meta topics that will make you money month after month.
How I Write Articles About Meta Topics
Every big project starts with a lot of small steps.
And when it comes to writing, those small steps often start with asking a lot of questions.
I write big topics by comprehensively covering the bit topic from every angle and every context. I ask more stupid questions, do research, and then answer them accurately and directly, with no padding.
That’s because the more you know about your topic, the easier it will be to write about it comprehensively. So, if you’re tackling a big writing project, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.
Ask questions like:
- What is this?
- Are there other types?
- What does this do?
- What doesn’t this do?
- How does it work?
- What can go wrong?
- When do you use this?
- When don’t you?
- Who is this for?
- Who isn’t it for?
- What are all the use cases?
- What mistakes do people make?
- Where does this happen?
- What are all the possible contexts for this thing?
Research your topic inside and out.
And then, when you sit down to write, focus on answering those questions as directly and concisely as possible.
As a professional blogger (whose name escapes me) said recently, “Be thorough but not wordy.”
By taking these steps, you’ll be well on your way to writing a great piece on any meta topic.
Example Outline for Our Disney Article
If I was going to write an article about “What Is Disney Lightning Lane?” here is how I might outline it:
- What Is Disney Lightning Lane?
- What Attractions Offer Disney Lightning Lane?
- What Are the Benefits of Using Disney Lightning Lane?
- How Does Disney Lightning Lane Work?
- Is There a Cost to Using Disney Lightning Lane?
- Are There Any Restrictions to Using Disney Lighting Lane?
- How Can I Prepare for My Visit to a Park with a Disney Lighting Lane Pass?
- What Are the Policies for Using Disney Lighting Lane?
- Tips for using Disney Lightning Lane
- Frequently Asked Questions about Disney Lighting Lane
I’d probably go into when to use Disney Lightning Lane, how much time it saves, and anything else that I think I (or anyone else) would want to know about it.
After answering all of these questions, I would insert a relevant image and video.
Then, I would link to at least one external source (maybe the YouTube video or Disney) and interlink several of my related articles on my site.
Before I published the article, I would check my RankMath SEO plugin for suggestions, preview the article, and run the content through a plagiarism checker.
I don’t run a Disney-themed site, but this is what I would do if I did.
How I Monetize Meta Topics
Monetizing a website or blog can be done in a number of ways.
Two of the most popular are display ads and affiliate marketing.
Display ads are simply advertisements that are placed on a website, typically in the form of banners or text links. Affiliate marketing, on the other hand, involves promoting products or services on behalf of a company and earning a commission for each sale that is generated.
In both cases, it is important to carefully select the products or services that are being promoted.
This ensures that they are relevant to your website’s audience.
For example, if you have a blog about swimming, then it would make sense to promote swimming gear as part of an affiliate marketing program.
Keep in mind that we’re talking about self-hosted websites (like those on WordPress.org).
As for display ads, start with Google Adsense then move to Ezoic.
You can integrate your site with Ezoic ads at any time, in theory, but you may find it an easier process once you get to at least 1,000+ pageviews per month.
By carefully selecting the products or services that you promote on your website, you can maximize your earnings potential while also providing value for your readers.
Final Thoughts
If you want my recommended tools (not an affiliate link) for making money with Meta Topics, I would suggest tools such as RankIQ, Ahrefs, and Jasper AI.
I’m experimenting with a few automation tools right now, so I’ll let you know about those.
Thanks for reading!
Related posts:
- I Wrote a Free Blogging Guide (No Strings Attached, Downloads, or Sign Ups)
- How I Make $5,000 Each Month With Keyword Cloning
- How I Make $5,000 Each Month Writing About Emerging Topics
- How I Make $5,000 Each Month Writing About High-Ticket Topics
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