Brainstorming Topics

Keyword research will give you a good clue as to what potential topics might work to create interest online. Generally, you want to be as current with a topic as you can and understand that the interest will rise and wane depending on what is currently holding the public's attention. You want to pick topics that are trending upwards in the public's mind and that are also relevant to your niche. For that, you may have to set aside a little time to brainstorm topics, even before you sit down to write.

Keep A Notebook

Inspiration doesn't come on a set schedule, and even if you know of ten topics that will interest your readers, you will need far more to continue marketing down the line. That's why it's a good thing to keep a notebook handy for when inspiration does hit you. It may be when you're watching the news and hearing about some controversial topic that is associated with your niche. If you have your notebook handy, you can easily reach over and jot down several topics regarding that controversy to write on later.

You can also see what others have written online in your market niche and what popular blogs are discussing online. Use technorati.com to find blogs in your niche with large audiences and good ratings and read a few articles to brainstorm topics. Read the comments too to see what other people might have to say about that particular topic and then write a comment of your own.

Read and Subscribe

Part of the process in brainstorming topics is being an avid reader. You should know what your trade magazines, newspapers, blogs, and other media sources are saying about your niche. You should also use them to generate ideas for topics to add to your expert author profile. Check out what other experts in your field are saying and see if you agree with them.

Do A Mind Map

As you go about your day, you will find ideas being triggered from various media sources; you can use a mind map to help bring them together to brainstorm new directions in writing. There is free mind mapping software available online that will allow you keep track of disparate pieces of information, links, and articles, which can help you to reduce the time spent on brainstorming when it finally comes time to sit down to write a few articles for your audience.

Explore Different Article Styles

We have one type of article style, the bulleted list; however, there are many different styles of articles. You can also use them to generate many different articles from one topic. Here, we'll talk about a few different styles of articles that might help you to brainstorm different angles of one topic.

Ask The Readers A Question

In this style, your title is a question. For instance, if you sell shoes, you might write an article on “Why Do People Think High Heels Are Sexy?” This is just one topic, but it can also be split into the woman’s and the man's point of view. When you write in the resource box, you can then point to shoes that have been historically viewed as sexy shoes, and if they happen to be on sale on your website, all the better. However, if you can't point to a sales page directly because of the terms of service, just finish the article on your site with a piece on what makes for historically sexy shoes.

Point To Astounding Statistics 

A topic can be about why 4 out of 5 dentists ask their patients to chew gum to prevent dental decay. If you are selling tourist packages, maybe your articles are about different points of interest across the globe, and if they have some great statistics, why not focus on that? For instance, if you knew that 75% of people who vacation in the summer with their families choose a beach location, then this can be a good topic to discuss why so many people do that.

Tell A Story

Maybe you have a personal story to tell as to why you went into the business you did. Maybe you know of someone's story that touched your heart and made you realize what's important about your business. Telling a story has a way of connecting people to other people's real life situations and also of provoking comparison. Sometimes, you can use the comparison to trigger people into avoiding mistakes by not learning more on your niche market. Other times, it can help them to become more productive by hearing how other people became successful with some method or strategy. Humorous stories can also be used to make light of the human condition while also entertaining your readers. Just be careful to stay as respectful of other people's choices so that no one can see bias or callousness in the way that you tell the story, which will be an automatic turnoff. Keep it heartwarming and friendly, but don't moralize or patronize your readers.

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