If It’s Worth Talking About Then It’s Worth Writing About
Struggling for content ideas? Listen to what people are talking about
If you ever feel like you have no idea what to write about you’re not alone. I often hear people saying they don’t know where to start.
But when you do find yourself struck with indecision, there’s a simple solution: Listen to what people are talking about.
Think about the conversations you’ve had recently. You’ll be surprised how many potential subjects you come across each day. What are you talking about with your friends, family, colleagues, clients and connections? What are they asking, and what are you asking them?
Current affairs, trending topics or industry news
Celebrity weddings, political decisions, sporting events, fashion trends, reality TV shows, global events - all things people talk about.
And you may think there is no point writing yet another blog post about trending topics. So many other people have already shared their opinions so why add yet another post to the mix?
But just for a minute consider all the radio stations, news channels and newspapers that cover the exact same stories. They all write about the same events, they all cover major news stories, and they all have a share of listeners, viewers and readers.
Why? Because they all communicate news in a slightly different way. They might include their own assessments, get expert opinions or look at the story from an alternative perspective.
The same goes for your blog, article, or essay. Your readers will be interested in the way you approach a topic. Can you offer a different perspective or an alternative view? Can you add personal experiences or insights?
Tips and advice
You may think there isn’t any useful advice you can share that hasn’t already been covered elsewhere. What’s the point of compiling a list of top tips when your customers can just ask Google and read 100 other posts on the same subject?
But as I said in the section above, it doesn’t matter whether everyone else has already written about it, the way you approach it will make it unique. Plus, if you blog regularly, you’ll start to work your way up the search engines, and maybe one day, you’ll be the answer that comes up at the top of that Google search.
On top of that, someone may stumble across your blog by accident, and suddenly one more person will know about your content. That person could turn out to be your next subscriber, customer, or referrer.
Frequently asked questions
If you’re getting asked the same questions over and over again, why not write blog posts addressing those questions?
A hairdresser who gets asked which styling products are best could write a review post. A gardener getting asked regularly about how to grow tomatoes could create a step-by-step guide. If you sell insurance and frequently get asked about a specific clause in a policy, explain that clause in a way that people can understand.
Share your expertise. Give people answers. What do readers want to know?
Your personal experiences and insights
AI might be able to bang out a generic guide on a well-covered subject, but it doesn’t have personal experiences or insights. People still want human connection, and sharing stories is a great way to create these.
You don’t have to write about your deepest, darkest secrets if you don’t feel comfortable sharing those things. However, writing about difficult subjects can help other people who have had similar challenges or traumas to feel less alone. You could always write about a difficult event using fictional characters or turn it into a poem.
Alternatively, think about funny, weird, embarrassing, awe-inspiring, interesting or life-changing experiences you’ve had and write about them. We all have stories we’ve retold several times. These could be about work, love, friendships, hobbies, travel, family, school or any life event.
Remember, if it’s worth talking about, then it’s worth writing about.