Where You Can Get Article Ideas From

Here’s a good article on how you can generate ideas for articles. I’ll add more after the article, but read this first:

7 Tips For Producing Ideas For Articles

By Janet Simpson

I am a firm believer in writing and submitting articles. Articles work. They bring in traffic and they entice readers to visit your website in search of more information. Sometimes, however, it can be a challenge to continuously generate new ideas.

Here are some tips that will help you in the process of creating ideas for your articles.

#1 – Join discussion groups and chat rooms that focus on your particular niche. You can find discussion groups at Yahoo! and Google. Once there, look for the common threads. What questions are being asked consistently? Answering these questions is an excellent idea for the topic of your next article. You know beforehand that there are readers searching the internet for the answers you provide in your articles.

#2 – Search engines are a very good place to find out what people are talking about. Look through Google, Google Trends, Yahoo! Buzz, Dogpile, SearchSpy and MSN. You will find the hot topics of the day listed in these search engines, and hot topics are good themes to focus your article.

#3 – Dig out your old articles. Articles that you have produced in the past are excellent fodder for new articles. It is easy to edit your old copy, add a fresh slant and give up-to-date information.

#4 – Article directories. If you visit the most popular article directories, you will find a gold mine of information. What are other authors writing about? What are the common threads? Read other authors’ articles and come up with your own new and fresh ideas.

#5 – Calendars. Journalists use calendars to remind them of special occasions, annual events and holidays. You could do the same. For instance, there’s a host of ideas you can come up with around Thanksgiving. Conjure up new titles that fit in with your niche.

#6 – Surveys. What conclusions have been deduced from other people’s surveys? Use these conclusions for titles of your articles or create your own survey. Ask your subscribers exactly what information they need and answer their needs with your articles.

#7 – Generate a list. Make a list of the most popular or the easiest ways to… or the top 10… or the seven steps to whatever. Generating a list is one of the easiest ways to creating an article.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Simpson

More ways to generate article topics:

1. Blogs – Read blogs. Lots of them. In fact, you should subscribe to as many RSS feeds as you can related to your niche. You can get article ideas from these blogs. You don’t have to read every single blog post. I like to scan headlines. When I find one that I like I’ll read the blog. You can usually get ideas for articles from reading other people’s blogs within your niche.
2. Join some forums – Forums are a lot like discussion groups. Talk to other people in those forums and you’ll quickly figure out what is important to them. Write articles on those topics.
3. Talk to people off line – You’ll be surprised at the information you can get off line. Any time you are face to face with someone interested in your niche, ask them a few formal questions about their perceptions and struggles. Just like in a forum, you’ll quickly get an idea as to what is important to them. Then you can write about it.
4. Read magazines – Off line magazines are still a good source of information. A good article in a magazine can spark some imagination.
5. Industry trade conferences – Talk to people in your industry. What are they doing? Follow them and write articles. You can even interview a prominent person in your industry for an article.

There is no limit to the number of places from which you can get ideas. Make a list, brainstorm, and start writing.