Struggling with choosing topics to write on? Use these 5 strategies

Choosing topics for content can be an important and sometimes challenging task. This is because there are so many questions that stare at us — How to find a new topic for the article? How to know what to write? What are the best methods for finding new topics? But did you know that you don’t need any fancy tool to shortlist keywords or topics, but some smart work and common sense?

A key mantra to remember is that there is no one fixed method; sometimes you have to use five-six combinations to reach the ultimate topic that your audience would love to read. Copy and pasting from several sources and compiling it all in your article, is not at all a proven recipe for success in the long run for a good content writer, said Kanwal Gurleen Singh, Head-Training & Placements, Assistant Professor in Marketing at Apeejay Institute of Management and Engineering Technical Campus in Jalandhar.

So what are some tried and tested ways that work? Use your competitor’s insights. Everybody does this. If you cannot figure out, what to write. Simply, check what your competitors are writing.

“If your competing website is getting great traffic, it’s better to copy their keywords and write your original article on them. The idea is that your competitor has already cracked the code, by doing thorough research and analysis, or with the help of certain tools,” Singh advised and said that you can use certain paid tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, UberSuggest, Moz Explorer to analyse the competitor website in terms of traffic and successful keyword.

Use Google suggest. It is always there for you and comes to the rescue. “Go to Google.com and type keywords related to your main area or domain. You will notice that as you are typing, Google will make certain recommendations. Get an idea of what is being searched. Type your complete keyword and start typing all letters, starting from ‘a’. For example, if ‘Content Writing’ is your keyword, type ‘content writing’ followed by the letter ‘a’, and read all suggestions. Then type ‘b’ and so on. You will get a lot of ideas from this exercise,” Singh said.

What’s great about this technique is that you get to see keywords that are being searched in real time, keywords that people are searching for right now.

Use Google Trends and create Google Alert. We already know that Google always comes to your rescue.  Google Trends will give you a wide overview of trending topics in your domain. However, not many people use this. You can narrow down the search as per your region and time.

“You can also create a Google Alert on a specific topic, Google will then send you an email on the latest content published on your chosen topic. Although Google Trend will not give you specific keywords, it will give you very useful information on — what is the hot-selling talk of the town, currently. You should have the skill to convert it into a good keyword or topic as per your requirements,” Singh explained.

Identify low-competition keywords. Use your favourite keyword research tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, UberSuggest, Hubspot, or Moz Explorer. You have to filter the results to keywords that have very low competition; these can be identified by looking at a keyword difficulty level of say 20 or less, for example.

Make use of AI content writing tools. AI has become the talk of the town. It has grown manifold in the last few months. You can make use of various AI content writing tools like ChatGPT, Jasper AI, Writesonic, Copy AI, Rytr, and Quillbot to generate new topic ideas for various types of content.

Copy and pasting from several sources and compiling it all in your article, is not at all a proven recipe for success in the long run for a good content writer

–Kanwal Gurleen Singh, Head-Training & Placements, Assistant Professor in Marketing at Apeejay Institute of Management and Engineering Technical Campus in Jalandhar

Choosing the right topic for your content is crucial for several reasons

Audience engagement: When you address topics that resonate with your audience’s needs, challenges, or interests, they are more likely to consume your content, share it with others, and interact with it through comments, likes, or shares. This engagement boosts your visibility.

Relevance and value: When your audience finds your content valuable, they are more likely to trust your expertise, return for more content, and potentially become loyal customers or followers.

Differentiation: Choosing unique or distinctive topics can set you apart from competitors and establish your brand or content as unique. By offering fresh perspectives, insights, or angles on a topic, you can differentiate yourself and attract a specific segment of your audience who resonates with your approach.

Authority and expertise: When you consistently deliver valuable content on relevant topics, your audience perceives you as a trusted source of information. This can lead to increased credibility, industry recognition, and opportunities for collaborations, partnerships, or speaking engagements.

SEO benefits: By targeting keywords or topics that align with your audience’s search queries, you increase your chances of appearing in search engine results pages.

Longevity and evergreen content: Selecting evergreen topics that remain relevant over time ensures that your content continues to attract readers and provide value long after its initial publication.

Content planning and strategy: By having a clear understanding of the topics you will cover, you can create a cohesive content calendar, ensure a good mix of content types, and align your content with broader marketing or business objectives.