Articles That Sizzle - Top Ten Topics
There's one key rule that every writer should understand before
sitting down to write an article and that's "know your audience".
Who are you writing for? A limited group of subscribers to a
magazine about pig farming or a wider, more general audience?
If your goal is to reach as many readers as possible, you'll
need to know which subjects sell.
Given the choice between "How To Grow Mushrooms" and "Decorate
Your Home on A Budget", which do you think would be the most
popular? Pretty obvious, isn't it? But when you're faced with a
choice between "Sell Your Junk on Ebay" and "How to find and
destroy virus on your computer", it's no longer quite as easy to
decide which topic to go with.
Having run a website with lots of original content, I've been in
a position to monitor the subjects that are most likely to draw
attention. By basing your articles on the following ten subjects
you'll know you're writing articles that will be read. And
that's the idea, after all, isn't it?
1. Children
Babies are born every day creating a constant demand for advice
about every aspect of childcare and general parenting.
Try to imagine of the kind of situations parents are likely to
find themselves in and give them information to help them deal
with it. If you're a parent yourself, you should have no trouble
finding a plethora of sub-topics to write about.
Article ideas include:
* Entertaining young children during long journeys * How to feed
a fussy child * Developing a regular sleep pattern * When should
solids be introduced? * What you can do to improve your child's
education and * How to say "no" and mean it.
2. Home and Garden
When you consider that we spend most of our leisure time at
home, it isn't difficult to understand the popularity of
articles aimed at helping people make the most of their
surroundings.
Women want beautiful, clutter-free homes where they can enjoy
entertaining friends and a safe-haven where they can raise their
families; men want homes that are easy to maintain and that
won't make too big a hole in their bank accounts.
Article ideas include:
* De-cluttering your home * Decorating on a budget *
Child-proofing your home * How to throw a successful dinner
party * Quick cleaning tips and * Designing a low maintenance
garden.
3. Relationships
Most of us want to love and be loved. We want romance, great sex
and the security of a stable relationship.
Articles aimed at those who are either looking for a
relationship or want to improve the one they're in have are
always popular and, contrary to what most may think, not just
amongst women, either.
Article ideas include:
* How to attract a mate * Where to go and/or how to act on a
date * Using an online dating service * Does speed dating work?
* Great sex tips * Is he having an affair? and * Arranging a
romantic break
4. Personal Care
Women have always spent time and money on their appearance but
during the past few years men have been rapidly catching up.
While it's a shame that so many people are unhappy with their
looks, as writers we can help them find new ways of dealing with
their problems. We can offer advice to help them make changes or
simply help them understand that they're not alone.
Article ideas include:
* How to combat spots and blemishes * Looking great on a budget
* Home-made natural beauty products * How to dress to suit your
figure * Dressing for different occasions and * Give yourself
the perfect manicure
5. Health
While health related articles weren't particular marketable a
few years ago, with more and more people now turning towards a
healthy lifestyle, there are now entire magazines and websites
dedicated to healthy living.
Now that the focus has turned from cure to prevention, most
people are looking for ways to improve their health. Fitness
studios have never been so popular and even good old-fashioned
walking's back in vogue.
Get typing and do your bit to bring health and vitality to those
around you.
Article ideas include:
* Alternative therapies * What is the "Body Mass Index"? *
Healthy weight loss * Lowering the risk of heart disease and *
Low fat cooking
6. Making Money
This is one that'll never go out of fashion! No matter where in
the world you are, there will be always people interested in
making money.
Think of the stay-at-home parent who's looking for ways to help
top-up the family income. What advice would you give to him or
her? And what about those women who are trying to juggle a
career and family without falling apart? Do you have any tips to
help them cope?
What about those who are looking for a job? They're out to make
money, too. What advice would you give somebody before going to
an interview? How should they go about writing a CV?
And then there's saving money. As they say, a penny saved is a
penny made.
Article ideas include:
* How to dress for an interview * Making money on the Internet *
Running a business from home * Tax saving tips * How to find
cheap flights and * Generating an income from your hobby
7. Food and Drink
We eat every day. More often than not, we eat several times a
day.
Eating isn't simply a means of survival. Everything from the
preparation of a meal to actually eating it can be a fun and
enjoyable task.
Whether for basic meals or for something more out of the
ordinary, advice and tips on how to make food and drink more
interesting always make popular articles and there are lots of
food related traditions and festivals around the world that can
make interesting articles, too. Article ideas include:
* Healthy lunch packs for kids * Successful dinner parties * How
to ice a cake * Brew your own beer * Meals for vegetarians and *
How to choose wine
8. Weddings
Every day, thousands of couples all over the globe saying "I
do", making weddings a market that simply never dries up.
A plethora of services are available to help the engaged couple
plan their wedding and for the writer, each and every service is
also a subject to write about.
Article ideas include:
* Why employ a professional wedding planner? * Displaying
wedding photographs * Scrap-booking your wedding * Weddings on a
budget * How to choose a dress that will suit your figure * The
role of the best man and * Wedding day hairstyles and/or make-up
9. Crafts and DIY
People love making things.
Whether it's a quilt to be given as a gift and heirloom, a toy
for the baby of the family or a full set of kitchen cupboards,
somebody out there will want to make it.
Article ideas include:
* Re-vamping old furniture * Using paint effects * The basic
toolbox everybody should have * Flower arranging * How to hang
wallpaper and * Gifts to make on a budget
10. Self Improvement
People are always searching for ways of improving their lives
and that often means looking inward and solving problems within
themselves.
>From improving self-confidence to increasing spiritual
awareness, self improvement is a popular subject, especially
amongst women.
Article ideas include:
* Speak up and be heard * Meditation: How it can help you
understand yourself * Bring out the leader in you * How to get
what you really want * Improving your communication skills and *
Disposing of emotional baggage
So there you have them. In no particular order, the top ten most
sought after topics to help you write articles that your editors
will love.