dentify a Need
· Try aiming your topic to name a need or problem that our reader may have. If you can have this in your mind as you write a post, it not only ends up being a well-focused post, it ends up being useful to readers.
· Identify concrete needs that you are aiming for the post to fulfill; and questions that you want the post to answer.
· Picture a Reader –Suggested method: Have a person(s) in mind as you develop your topics. Try keeping their situation, needs, questions, and challenges in front of you as you write. As you choose topics to write about, you might even picture them in your mind.
Most of us have never written for a NewsFeed before. With that fact in mind, I went searching for what other writers do or should not do and I came across this:
· If what you are writing about is one that others are also covering, one of the things that you may attempt to do in this phase of choosing topics is to find a new angle. How can you bring your own spin to the topic? How can you give your readers something unique to ponder? You may want to contact the other writer, i.e. work on the subject as a question and answer conversation between both of you; or one of you take part of a topic and the other take another part. Another area that you do not see often on other blogs that will make our NewsFeed unique!
· Write something that matters to you: Write an article that matters to you (as opposed to one that is merely reporting news or tapping into a popular topic). When something matters to you it shines through in the way you communicate about it and this has a way of engaging others who also thinks it matters.
· Writing on a topic that is currently popular or that people are searching for information on, is definitely something to keep in mind as you select a topic to submit.
· Use a tool like Google Trends to watch trends of what people are searching Google for. Keep an eye on social media sites to see what people are talking about.
These topics can be well worth tapping into, particularly if you find a fresh way to explore them.
One Topic per Post
· This will vary a little from NewsFeed to NewsFeed depending upon your niche and style of writing. Articles that really hone in on one particular topic and communicate one main idea tend to do best.
· Most people are now reading on mobile platforms, they tend to scan content, flip between pages and not to dwell on any one thing for too long. Instead of a longer subject or more than one idea to share, try writing a series of posts
Looking for more ideas?
· Add to NewsFeed conversations. One of the great things about NewsFeeds is you can use other blogs as inspiration for article ideas. Readers can and do respond well to a good conversation.
· Some of the best articles have come from reader questions. They work well because if one reader wants to know a particular answer you can guess many more do too.
· If you bumped into a friend who also likes training dogs with the same methods as you, what would you talk about? Write on I have created an imaginary conversation partner or recalled a real person who would be interested in the blogs subject matter. You might imagine giving this person advice, discuss the latest news, or laugh about that funny thing someone did.
Other areas to look at
· If you started over in your niche today, what would you need to know? What would you do differently? Where would you look for information and guidance?
· Write advice or an explanation for an absolute beginner to your niche or a facet of your NewsFeed theme. It can be amazing how popular even the most basic advice can be.
I have a problem on where to start! I know what my subject is… Now what do I do?
· The trick is to break it up into pieces. Start looking for the chunks, look for places you can break the big subject into smaller ones. Some ideas for where to start: Are there obvious chunks?
· Many topics have chunks you can think of right away, for example you might talk about puppy training and technique as two chunks.
Other ideas on writing your topic to consider
· Consider when you write at what level of experience you are writing about i.e. about has beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, these can be chunks too.
· Are there chronological chunks? Some subjects have a beginning, middle and end, or categorized by time.
· Think how people often try to place things into eras, “Golden Age”, etc. What is the “history” of your subject?
· Outlining Topics is a tool you might want to consider when writing more than one topic for us.
· When you look at a books content page we have chapter titles then under that you might see subheadings. That is pretty much, what an outline is.
o Taking “feeding your dog” as a subject, we might start to outline it, using nested bullets like so:
o “Feeding your dog”
Techniques (when to feed, free feeding, or picking up food at a certain time)
o Equipment (bowls, on floor or raised, metal or plastic, measuring scoop)
o Types of bowls for slow or fast feeders, where and when to feed ( in crate, in separate room, with humans )
o Selecting proper dog food: raw or home cooked vs store bought
o Treats or no treats
(you get the idea- each one could be a topic to write about!)
· Keep drilling down, going up and down the list to find more places where you can branch off, re-categorize items, and generally expand as best you can.
· When you have exhausted your ideas then look over the list for inspiration.
Reviewed July 26, 2016
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- Written by Donna
