High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
20
Goof-Proof
Ways to Find Writing Material forYour Article or Blog
“I have writer’s block, again.”“I write one paragraph and don’t know what else to say.”“I don’t have anything new to write that has not been already written.”
Do you find yourself believing any of the abovescenarios?
First, you need to know that you do have something to say.A topic may have already been discussed on someone else’sblog or within an article but not always from the sameviewpoint or written in the same style as your own. If you believe you have a story to tell, you will find that story.
Here are 20 Goof-Proof Ways to Find Writing Material for Your Blog or Article:
#1 – Check your Send box.
A good portion of the material I find for my newletters,articles and blogs comes directly from my Send email box.
Half the battle has been won
becauseI am already aware of what it is that others may want to know. So check your Send box and seeif you can find a topic that might spur a thought which can lead to an article or blog post.Elaborate on your answer and create 350 words from that entry.
#2 –
Take a survey.
www.Surveymonkey.comis free to set-up a basic account wherebyyou can ask your email subscribers (if you have an email list) or your colleagues, family or friends to complete. Ask what topics might be of interest to them. Once the survey questions aredesigned in Surveymonkey.com, you receive a link which can be posted to your website, blog or
Tip:
T
ry to get into thehabit of looking at life'sexperiences as a sourcefor writing material.When you have athought which may make for good material,send yourself an email,create an ideas folder or make a mental note toreturn to that thought inthe future.
Page2 Of4You can use this Tips sheet on your website or blog but only with Permission from the Author
your can include this link in an email. Just ask a few questions about topics people want to knowmore about and if you can offer a free consultation or a free e-book or tips page as a 'thanks'; allthe better.
#3 –
Sign up for other people’s newsletters.
But do this sparingly because it can become overwhelming. I like to subscribe to blogging experts, real estate professionals and other virtual assistant newsletters. This offers a great source of information and allows me know whatit is people in my target field are interested in reading.
Tip: Create a separate email account just fornewsletters such as a Gmail or Yahoo. This wayyour regular business email does not flood withnewsletters and email marketing which can becomea hindrance more than a helpful tool.
#4 –
Find a forum related to your industry and participate in the discussion
.
There are many forums out there for nearly every business. As a virtual assistant, I likewww.VirtualAssistantForums.com Other forums I like are the www.ActiveRain.com blog site
for real estate professionals andwww.thecoachingforums.com for coaches. Social networking
sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook also offer discussion forums as a a means to find goodwriting material.
#5 –
Create Google Alerts
for topics you want to know more about. You will receive amyriad of blog posts, articles and comments in your Inbox which are specific to your keywordtopics. Use that Gmail or Yahoo box for your Google Alerts as well. You can receive alerts dailyor weekly depending upon your preference. If you find that an alert you have set-up is notsuitable for good material, click the delete button and do a keyword search for other topics. Agood way to find good Google Alerts is to run a keyword list from Google’s own keyword toolhttps://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
#6 –
Go to the Library.
As basic as this may sound, there is no other place I have foundwhich has the best sources for writing material. Find an hour a month to go to the library and peruse the periodicals. Here I can find real estate news for my real estate articles, small businessnews for my blog and newspaper articles from papers I do not receive at my office. I also findlocal news and small papers in my area which prove helpful to reach local customers. Further, I just find the library to be a relaxing atmosphere that so much more gets done without a phoneringing or hearing the ‘ding’ that an email has come in.
#7 –
If you are a virtual assistant, ask your clients for publications.
I received a box of real estate magazines from a realtor once which kept me in writing material topics for months. Even past editions of magazines offer great topic suggestions. Ask your clients to sendyou e-newsletters they receive from the varying organizations as many real estate professionalsoften retain memberships. Many of my blog posts for real estate are generated from Realtor.orgfor example.
Page3 Of4You can use this Tips sheet on your website or blog but only with Permission from the Author
#8 -
Write from personal experience
.
If you have a tale to tell about your interactionwith a client use this as a means for discussion.
#9 –
Create a videoblog instead of a written blog post.
You can useCamtasiaStudio(for Mac and PC) for free for 30 days. With this program you can narrate 'how you didsomething' in video format directly from your own computer. Or, try your hand with WindowsMovie Maker or PowerPoint to make a slide presentation.
#10 –
Create an audio and post this to your blog.
You can use Audacity for freehttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Topics to consider would be “how-to’s” or ‘the benefits of doingsomething in particular vs something else.
#11 –
Take a picture and write about it.
If you see something funny or peculiar, thisoften can trigger good material. Posting a photo adds a nice visual and can drive your pointhome.
12 –
Create a Rainmaker account
onActiveRain(for real estate pros) and then signon for their daily webcast of popular posts entitled, "The Daily Drop".
On days when you just can not find something to write about, comment someone’s blog post just to keep thecreative juices flowing. But there are many great topics discussed on ActiveRain and ideas whichregularly prove useful. If you are a real estate virtual assistant, you can open an account onActiveRain as well and post your blog there and/or comment others’ discussions.
#13 –
Recycle
an older blog post or article and add something new to it.
#14 –
Take a business webinar course through Hubspot
www.Hubspot.comandthen write about what you learned. Many of their topics include social networking, emailmarketing and creating a better website. Sign-up for their webinar notifications via email and beinformed when a topic comes about that may be of interest to you.
#15 –
Ask a question and then answer it yourself.
An example might be, “Whatmarketing tools have I used in the past 6 months which have helped to increase my client base?”
#16 –
Use a new hardware or software product and write a product review.
Even if you sign on for a free trial, use the product for a specified period of time and take noteson the things you liked or disliked. Some companies will allow you have a longer-than-normaltrial period if you write them and explain that you want to write a review.
Add a Comment