Brainstorming Topics To Write About

Brainstorming topics to write about sounds dull, but this is a very important step. Skip this step and you will spend 6 months wondering what you should do. Your prospects want information. More than 93% of all Internet searches are searching for information (in the form of How To...).

Let us go through a few examples of possible titles you could write about:

Example 1: Weight Loss

How To Lose Weight Safely

How To Lose Weight With Organic Foods

All Natural And Organic Diet

Effective Weight Loss Recipes

Quick Weight Loss Food Recipes

Example 2: Home Based Business Training

How To Grow A Home Based Business

How To Be A Better Marketer

What Is The Best Way To Grow A Home Based Business

Most Effective Way To Grow Home Based Business

Example 3: Identity Theft

How To Protect From ID Theft

Best Way To Guard From ID Theft

How To Protect My Social Security Number

How To Be Safe From ID Theft

Protection From Identity Theft

Example 4: Arthritis Pain

Organic Solutions For Arthritis Pain

How To Reduce Arthritis Pain

Natural Ways To Reduce Arthritis Pain

Okay. Notice how we went through 4 different examples and talked about what might appear in each 'How To' category? There is nothing particularly sexy or glamorous about brainstorming, but notice how specific and targeted the titles of the articles are.

The title should contain the keyword phrase you will use throughout your article. Ideally, you want the keyword being optimized positioned as close to the beginning of the title as you can possibly get it. This will help you out when the search engines find your articles.

Body of Article

In the body of the article itself, you are not going to mention names of products or names of companies. You are 'neutralizing' the names of other people to showcase your name -- called branding. So your name will eventually become a household word! That is a joke. I am testing to see if you are still awake. However, you are going to address the issue, talking a bit about how bad the issue is, and then you'll discuss basic 'How To' facts or helpful tips. This is about genuinely helping consumers make better choices.

YOU Are the Expert

Here is a part new marketers miss. Why do this, you ask? This marketing principle has to do with how people buy. An expert can be someone who does not necessarily know a whole lot more than their audience, but they do convey their message logically, armed with confidence. It never hurts to be a true expert. That is why you want to pick topics you can write about sincerely. Tap into your natural life experience, add your job experience, and play with imagination too.

Almost Done -- A Few General Things to Keep in Mind

1. Generally, your article will be 400-450 words in length. 300 words is even better. This is true because people already owning other websites (relating to your articles) will not want to write their own content. They are looking for fast and easy article already published. That is good news for you! Whenever someone picks up your article and publishes it on their site, they must publish your name and website URL (or landing page...or blog, if you do not yet have a website of your own). I've talked about this big benefit in my prior tutorial (under 'viral marketing').

2. Make sure your articles are optimized, appropriately. You want the keyword phrase to be sprinkled throughout your article. Try to disperse the keyword phrase evenly -- in the beginning, middle and end of your article.

3. Do not discuss names of products or companies. I already said this but it bears repeating. It is not helpful for you at all if you skip this point.

4. You are interested in getting people to your data capture page. DO NOT sell people in your articles. This is true because people only want information. Your time for a sale will come later, when you show people you care.

5. Article marketing is a game of numbers. One or two articles will do little, if anything, when it comes to generating leads.

Make a commitment to write several articles per week (at least 3-4 or more if possible), and stick to your commitment. After a few months of this work (seeing that you may be rolling your eyes... because I have been there), it will pay off. You will notice a drastic difference in your daily lead count.

6. Repeat -- get them to your data capture page.

Starter List Building -- Please do not pay for a service that submits your articles using submission software. It's better to submit your work yourself, even if it takes more time. Feel free to check out the article writing tool found in your 8-week plan.

7. Currently, the locations I recommend submitting your articles to are:

a. www.articlemarketer.com

b. www.ezinearticles.com

c. www.isnare.com

d. www.articlecity.com

e. www.articlesbase.com

And there you have it, the nuts and bolts on writing your earliest articles. If you feel that it takes you more time than you first thought, be patient with yourself. Your brain will want 'content' before writing your first few articles. To do this, head to any one of the directories I've listed, and see what others publish by category. This will help to get you started in the proper direction.

As You Move Forward --

1. Keep it simple.

2. Do not try to accomplish everything too quickly. Take things in stride.

3. Those who see the best results with articles are ones that are consistent, even when you do not see massive, IMMEDIATE results.

4. Doing something, even if it is wrong, is far superior than doing nothing at all.

Barbara Brinkmeyer, MBA

bkb2012