Post Subject Ideas.Where to Start?
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INTRO
I have sources that I regularly use for generating ideas for posts, of which I will mention a few below...A lot of these you likely know about, maybe there are some new ones you have not thought of...
However I am interested in learning where you go, or what you do to get your ideas for posts...We can all help one another by sharing, and all learn through the process! Please use the comment section below to add your favorite methodology for figuring out what to write about...
Myself, I try to gather some good keywords or long tail keywords that have a low competition score and a decent click rate/month, and do this prior to looking for fresh ideas...I generally try to generate a list of 5-10 (closer to 5 most of the time!) such keywords...Then I go "shopping" for ideas...
Sometimes as I surf, there is an idea triggered from something I will see (not related to the keywords for which I am searching for ideas) and I will jot it down, and then later go do some keyword research to see if there is a way to create an article (so I do the process both ways - keywords, search, ideas, see maybe good ideas while searching, and then go back to see if keywords are available that would work)...
SOURCES
Starting in no particular order, here are a few sources I use to get ideas:
1. Blogs - There are some well regarded sites within the IM community that I regularly visit. These include (among others) sites such as Backlinko, Brett Rutecky's Blog (does reviews), Mathew Woodward, etc. I want to see what is new...
2. Pinterest - This is the same I like to do a search using my keywords, generally broad, and see what comes up...Maybe I can write a post using my keywords on a subject that is related...
3. Flipboard - This site gathers all the lastest happenings to include videos, posts, articles, etc. I can search also using my keywords and quickly get all the related latest stuff out there at the moment...
4. Haystack - I like this just to see what videos are playing at the moment. You can set the site to add areas of interest and it gathers the latest, and then you can choose which to watch that are of interest to you.
5. Twitter Trends- One of the programs I have has a tool that tells me what the latest trends are at the moment. Sometimes these can relate to my keywords, and sometimes they can distract you...If you stay focused and search only those that pertain to your keywords, good to go...
6. Online News - I have apps on my phone for huffington post, cnn, reuters, al jazeera and others that have material often relating to some of my interests (iin this case my keywords)...Worth a glance, again here, do not get distracted, is easy to have happen!
7. Emails - As most people starting with online marketing, over time I have signed up with a number of folks that will send me emails to sell stuff...Most I do not react to, but I do like to see how they are writing their mails, and what they have to say...It can be useful to get ideas and some of the better posts you can often use as examples for preparing and marketing your own ideas, and yes maybe it will spark something for a post...
8. Forum Sites - In my areas of interest I have become a member or have the url bookmarked so I can quickly get to the site and see what the people are doing/writing about/have to offer...Generally these are places that I can start really drilling down looking for a good idea...
9. Reddit - This is a site that, once you learn to navigate, you can see what is going on up to the minute. This is it's value...If you can write a post that has relevancy right now, your chances of getting a ranking (and traffic) is increased...
10. Google - Alphabet Search and Targeted Subject Daily Messages - Kyle goes over this rather well in training, so no need to add much here...
11. You Tube - I like to do the same with You Tube, I have gotten a lot of good ideas spending 15 minutes, doing searches using my keywords and see what comes up, then look at relevant videos to the right of the video loaded...
12. JVZoo - This is a site that sells software and other related online marketing information, but I like to see what offers are the latest, and sometimes look at what they are selling...What is hot?
13. ClickBank - Same thing as JVZoo....
14. Amazon - Here for the purposes of content marketing, I will go to Kindle, and see what is hot selling, and perhaps read the foreward...Good topics, hot topics, and gives you some idea of the angle you could take...
15. eBay - I use this mainly for eCommerce sales, but certainly I get ideas on what and how to create titles that are more enticing than the competition...Also sometimes I will jot down ideas that pop up in my head for later use...
16. Alibaba - I started using Alibaba years ago, and still enjoy going there to see what is the latest in the markets....Idea city!
17. AliExpress - Same as #16, mainly use to source potential drop shippers, but certainly has generated an idea or two!
18. Education (College/University) Forums/Alumni Groups - I am a member of several alumni groups to include UoM and BU...There folks gather and try to help each other out...Lots of idea sharing there, and eventually a place I can tap into to post content and get an authority site backlink - useful - the people are generally very switched on and have lots of ideas....
19. Wealthy Affiliate - This resource cannot be underestimated...With the wealth of knowledge and the diverse membership, there really is a huge pool of ideas for posts...
20. Wikipedia - I use this site often, there is just soooo much available, and it too will take you to related ideas that you may be able to use to creat your own unique take on a keyword...
SUMMARY
So there you have it, just a few sites/sources off the top of my head that I visit for post ideas....
My suggestion for the process is to:
1. Develop good keywords for a possible post...
2. Surf the idea generators you find useful as described above...
3. Keep an "idea page" handy and add to it when triggered by some of the sites you visit*
* Ideas are like dreams, if you do not jot them down, they get lost in the chaos of daily living and they are gone...
4. Develop/write your unique and valuable articles from the ideas generated, using a slant that is interesting, relevant, and current.
Rinse and repeat...
Now it is your turn...What sources do you like to use to get ideas for your posts?
Cheers
Dave
Recent Comments
18
I get ideas to write about by reading books and doing research. My niche is Christian Fiction Books. I also get ideas by finding key words. For example using Google and the Alphabet soup process for finding key words, I found Best Selling. So, I put Best Selling Christian Fiction and then I wrote about that.
Ed
Hi Ed, Yes the alphabet soup method is one I like too...Once I have some potential keywords. I go to my keyword tool to see which may be useful....Then go hunting for articles and such to get ideas....Thanks for your feedback! Cheers! Dave : )
Nice post. Google Alerts can also give you very up to date articles on your chosen keywords too. You can either use them saying something like "very interesting post I found today" or rewrite them to suit your particular niche.
Hi Kennick, You are right, I get daily the latest from that tool, and I check it out too....I have one page on my main site that I post some of these on, and of course, as you say, give credit....Thanks for your comment! Dave : )
HI Suzy, Glad I could help or add here, thank YOU for adding a comment! Cheers and best of luck! Dave : )
Top of the morning to you, Dave.
Thanks for the thought-provoking material - bookmarked ;)
Where were you when I was in the desert? Please see my post
http://tonypitwood.com/new-deadline-approaches#more-206
I certainly need to get to the training on keywords, etc.
But I will be bothering you . . . ;)
Hi M8!!! How are you doing? Just hanging here, it is still hot in Dubai, and I am itching to move on to a cooler place for a bit, hopefully soon! No porbs on the info, you know I like this stuff! I will check out your post now (having my first coffee, it is 0421 AM lol! Cheers and take care of yourself! Dave : )
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Great blog post, love it, thank you very much, Dave. ;))
Thanks Jewel! How are you this fine week? : )
I am super fine, thank you!! :))