Good Morning,
One question that comes up repeatedly when people ask me about this blog is: Where do you get the ideas for topics?
The question always surprises me because the hard part is narrowing it down to just one. Sometimes I get a list of things to write about and end up throwing it away because I realise there will never be enough to time to write about everything.
Everything you do that’s related to your business gives you a topic to write about on your blog, in an article, and even use for a report. I find it’s really more about how much time you have than it is about the topic itself. Just look at this post as an example.
Enough people have asked about this that it became something I wanted to write about. It would take about an hour to write an outline, fill in some information and have the foundation for writing about 5,000 words on this subject alone. That’s enough for – roughly – a 20 page report.
To write a blog post on this topic is as simple as reading through two or three e-mails people have sent and typing an answer.
The most important part of blogging is sitting down each day and doing it. Just Do It.
It’s like any writing or any other skill. The more often you do it – the more you practice – the better you get at it.
Just look back through some of the posts on this blog and you will find at least a few that are good examples of poor writing. Now ask yourself – why would I let those posts stay where people can see them?
Believe me, it isn’t because I could see the future and decided it would be useful to keep them as examples for anything. What DID occur to me is that if I”m ever stuck for something to write about, I can always look at my own content to find a topic. Heck, I could even reference my own blog post and just write more detail.
You can see there really are lots of sources for topics to write about. Read the newspapers, other blogs, subscribe to newsletters and speak with colleagues. Then just pick a topic that tickles your fancy.
There’s no requirement for pulitzer prize winning prose, and your post can be any length you end up with. Write 150 words and your finished? Fine. Just write whatever it is you have to say.
It doesn’t even have to be a fact-based presentation of information. You could write lots of posts for the sole purpose of expressing your opinion on a subject.
And that’s my two cents worth. What do you think?
Conrad