Fighting the "blank slate" phenomenon is a common practice for any copywriter. But there comes a time when not only can you not start writing, but you also don’t know about what. Where do you get ideas to help you start generating themes for your content?
At the very beginning of acquaintance with the profession of a copywriter, everyone is faced with the problem of what to write about. Until you have regular customers and orders, you need to develop skills, so many copywriters write articles for sale. But in such cases, a blank sheet of a Word document is common. When you start looking on the Internet for information on how to write an article or how to find a topic for an article, you will find materials on choosing some niches. And not a word on how to choose a topic. But everything is much simpler. Nobody demands expertise from you. And for sale, you can choose simple texts that will be in demand on the exchanges. So where do the ideas come from?
Idea N1. Film descriptions
This is a very popular topic. Descriptions of new products that have just been released on screens, or previews for films that have not yet been released, are bought up within a week. Do you know why? There are so many movie sites out there that need descriptions to attract visitors. And this requires a unique annotation that allows the site to reach the top.
What to do: Take a list of films that came out in six months or a year. Watch the first 20 minutes of the film and make your annotation. Firstly, this is a unique description, and secondly, it is about a new product. Descriptions of old films will not be bought from you.
Try it, you will like it!
Idea number 2. Transcribing video files
Let's start with what transcription is. Do not be intimidated by this word. Transcription - transferring an audio track into text. For example. you watched an interesting program or video and wanted to write an article about it. Nobody conveys author's programs in written language, so you may well have your own unique article.
The same goes for amateur videos with workshops on construction, knitting, and more. If the author did not rewrite his entire speech under the video, you have just a treasure in your hands! For master classes, by the way, it will even be relevant to make screenshots of the video and attach them to the article. But don't forget about copyright. The video source should be indicated in all cases.
By the way, transcription is another type of income. At different sites, people are looking for people who can type audio or video in the form of text. No, this is not a divorce. They pay for it. If in doubt, work with such customers through exchanges.
Idea number 3. The actual master classes
Do you like to sew, cook, knit, do something with your own hands? If you are not sorry for your techniques and secrets, then you can sell them profitably. There are two options here:
- sell on specialized sites to those who want to repeat your experience;
- sell once to the customer.
In order to implement the first option, you must have a fairly well-promoted account, where beginners come to gain experience. Most often, this is done by seamstresses or those who knit with a hook or knitting needles, roll toys. Because it is in this area that people can make their own designer toy, clothing, accessory according to their own elaborated scheme. The second option is more suitable for recipes, construction. Here no one will specifically buy instructions from you. It will be easier for you to sell such an article so that it is freely available to readers.
If you decide to take up master classes, please note that this is a detailed step-by-step instruction with photos. Pictures must be unique, that is, taken by you in the process of work, of good quality. The more visual and detailed material, the better and more expensive, respectively. All steps will need to be painted and accompanied by a snapshot.
Idea number 4. Problem Articles
These are materials that help to resolve the issue. The better it is worded in the title, the easier it will be for the customer to find your article. So how do you come up with this very question?
1. Decide for yourself in which topic it will be easiest for you to realize yourself - construction, psychology, home / life, children, cars, strollers, clothes, language learning, cinema, beauty. Have you decided? Let's go further.
2. In any area, select the subject you want to write about. That is, break down the topics for yourself into points.
3. The article can start with: 5 tips for… / 15 films with… / 16 ways to… / 8 nuances in…. / 7 wrong actions that… / 8 steps to…. (please note that these are just examples for generating the name, use your own work).
4. Also, problem articles can start with questions: what to do? as? when? You can also start generating a name from them (What to do if your teeth turn yellow? How to remove a beetroot stain? When can you collect oak branches for a broom?)
So, what should be the result:
What topics can we compose?
Write down the resulting topics, write articles on them, and put them up for sale. By the way, while writing articles, you will want to reveal this or that issue in more detail, which means that new topics will appear! Write them down.
Idea number 5. How to come up with a topic for copyright articles
Of course, problem articles are always relevant, but experienced authors or professionals in any field of activity have a need to write their own material. Believe me, the pros also have gags. How to defeat them? Create a matrix for yourself, which will indicate for whom the material is being written. This will allow for a clearer distribution of the topics of articles, and immediately there is a range of problems that should be disclosed.
In each section, indicate this range of problems. This is what the matrix might look like:
- for clients (your achievements, what project you worked on, what new things did you learn);
- for colleagues (tricks at work and innovations in your field, your own know-how, which is not a pity to talk about);
- for students / beginners (explanation of the basics of the profession, problems in the terminology of the sphere);
- for those who are not "in the subject" at all (general articles about the profession in order to attract an audience, arouse the interest of the public, "warm up").
This is an example circuit that works. New thoughts will immediately begin to arise. Describe each of the sub-items in this matrix too. You will have a large enough table that you can replenish, mark the topics already written.
Basically, the blank slate problem only occurs at the beginning of your blog (page / account management), because your readers will ask questions later and more and more topics to cover will appear.
Another very important rule is to mentally prepare for work: free up the work space, eat, do everything so that nothing distracts you.
