Great content is the foundation for any successful website or blog. Content marketing is also one of the most effective tactics a business owner can employ. Unfortunately,  it sometimes seems to be very difficult to find something original to write about, particularly on a regular and consistent baiss.

Article ideas are actually all around you.  It’s a matter of knowing how to keep your eyes and creative mind focused on article ideas.  So let’s take a look at a few ways to find unique article ideas. Finding arei

#1. Top Magainzes. Mainstream magazines always focus on the latest and most interesting topics in their category. They have the whole catchy article thing down pat.  Grab a few headlines from any magazine that you enjoy and convert it to meet your niche.

For example, “Is Your Hair Color Aging You?” from More Magazine (September 2010 issue) can be changed to:

  • “Is your home aging you?”
    “Are your pets aging you?”
    “Are your eating habits aging you?”
    “Are your business habits aging you?”
    “Is your commute aging you?”
    “Is your freelance business aging you?”
    “Is your technology aging you?”

The headline can be molded to fit just about any niche.

#2 Use News Headlines – Every day there are controversies, emergencies, tragedies, disasters, weird news, achievements and editorials published. Find stories that affect your industry and write about them. Tapping into current events is a great way to not only create content but also to attract new readers and drive traffic to your website.

#3 Read Blogs – How many times do you read a blog post and comment on it? If you’re not reading industry blogs and interacting, you should be. It’s a wonderful way to increase your awareness and exposure, and to drive website traffic. It’s also a great way to generate content ideas. Use your comments as the foundation for a new article. Expand on a blog post you recently read. If someone posted a particularly compelling comment, ask if you can include it in your article or blog post.

#4 Networking. Networking is a tremendous way to drive traffic to your website. It’s also a lucrative source of content ideas. Use comments you’ve read or made to start an article. Follow interesting links and use those ideas as a starting point for content. Sometimes, you’ll have a particularly compelling interaction either while networking online or off. Use that interaction as the foundation for an article. Finally, browse social media sites and look for commonly asked questions. Those make great material for valuable articles and blog posts.

#5 Bestseller’s List – Visit Amazon.com’s bestseller’s list for your category and browse the top 25-50 titles  Do you see common themes? Read the table of content for those books to brainstorm article ideas.

When you look outside the box for inspiration, you can come up with relevant and interesting content time and time again.  When those content ideas start flowing, write them down someplace safe.  That way, when you’re seeking a good content idea, you already have a list of them saved.