You probably know that distributing your writing through various online outlets is a great way to promote your website or blog, but how do you come up with article ideas? Here are some simple ways to generate as many ideas as you need to keep your fingers busy on that keyboard.
Using The News For Article Ideas
If you have a blog where you comment on social or political issues, the evening news or the online headlines are great sources of ideas. You can use the news in one of two basic ways.
The first is to simply report in your own words what you hear. It helps to add some insight as to what particular recent events might mean in the future. You can also take a different approach, like pointing out what was not reported.
The other way to use the news for article ideas is to comment on it. Opinion pieces work best for promoting blogs and websites with political content. You should have a unique perspective for this to work well and attract clicks through to your site or blog.
Websites that cover a niche can still use the news for ideas. You just have to pick and choose from the headlines. For example, if you have a site about cars, you might have to wait for that news about the latest model or a recall. Then you can take notes, add your own thoughts and write an article.
Using Friends Questions
If you have a website on a given subject, it is likely that its something you know a little bit about. In fact, chances are good that you get questions on related topics, since you are the expert among your friends and acquaintances. Make it a point to write these questions down and you can write articles based on them – and your answers of course.
Use Your Existing Articles
If you change a few lines in something you have already written, the directories and other distribution channels may reject the new article. On the other hand, there are still several ways to use your existing articles to get ideas for more. One way is to simply write another to address any questions readers may have asked you about the first.
Another way to get article ideas is to take one part of something you previously wrote and expand on it. For example, if you already have written Six Ways To Get Rich Online, you might pick one of the ways listed and go into it in more detail.
Another way to use existing material you have is to use the information but change the basic approach. For example, suppose you have a page on your real estate site about how to choose a new house that will suit the buyers needs. You might use much of the same information to write about how to save money when looking for or buying a house. Dont use the existing writing as a guide, though. Read it once and then compose the new piece in new words.
These are just a few of the ways you can get ideas. In fact, coming up with article ideas is the easiest part once you know a few tricks. The writing is where the real work begins.