This is a saying often heard in content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).
As the adage suggests, high-quality and relevant content is critical for a company’s success online.
However, finding appropriate and timely topics to write about isn’t always easy.
So, if you’re a content writer and are running out of ideas, here are some ways to generate attention-grabbing content:
However, Before Anything Else…
Don’t dive straight into writing content without considering:
Your Target Audience
You must know who you’re writing for.
For instance, if your company’s target audience is entrepreneurs, writing about lifestyle topics might be a bad idea.
Or, say, if your readers are remote work newbies, they’ll appreciate tips on how to be better at their virtual assistant jobs.
Keeping your readers captive requires delivering value-added content.
So, how do you generate articles that grab attention?
Write What You Know
What are you an expert on?
Or what are you interested in?
There are so many online writing jobs that have specific niches.
After all, writing about your passion makes it easier to find interesting topics. You can even break down complex concepts into simpler ones for your readers.
Take bookkeeping, for example. Most people would find it difficult to write about because of all the math involved.
However, some people are still interested in the field, so you can talk about how others can apply for online bookkeeping jobs.
Just make sure your topics of interest are still in line with your company’s branding.
Use Tools to Generate Topics
There’s no shame in using the tools available to speed up the process.
You can start with keyword research to find out what people are talking about online.
From there, you’ll see related questions, content outlines, and competitor articles.
All of these can inspire you to come up with many good topics.
(Even the highly controversial ChatGPT can be used to generate ideas. It just needs the correct prompts for optimal results.)
Review Old Articles
Don’t let your past articles rot in the company’s blog archives.
Instead, review them and see if you can update any of them. You can also optimize your old articles so they rank better in search engines.
Lastly, rereading previous articles might inspire you to follow them up with related content.
Piggyback on the Current Trends
This is where tools are useful. You can use them to look up trending keywords and come up with topics accordingly.
Or, you can also go over your social media feeds to see what everybody’s talking about.
Current trending topics have a high search volume. So, writing about them often attracts more readers to your site.
Check Your Competitors
If you’re running out of ideas, just see what your competitors are writing about.
Obviously, don’t copy everything they do. That’s just plagiarism.
However, studying your competitors gives you an idea of what you’re up against and will give you a hint regarding the topics that resonate with your target audience.
Plus, only you can add your own twist while writing similar content writing topics.
Don’t Forget to Write An Attention-Grabbing Headline
When you finally have a list of appealing topics, be sure to write engaging headlines for each one.
No matter how well-written your content is, no one will read it if the titles aren’t enticing enough.
Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and ask yourself if you’d read an article with the title you came up with.
If the answer is “no,” it’s best to come up with another one.
Lastly, make sure the quality of the content itself is good.
On that note, if you’re looking for writing jobs so you can work online, head to Remote Staff’s job listings. They’re always updated, so you’re sure to find a role that best suits you.
Remote Staff has also been in the industry for 16 years (and counting)! The company provides after-hire support so you’re never alone in your remote working journey.
Interested? Register today!
