We’ve looked at whether a niche has ‘evergreen content’ or not but how about content… full stop?
Of course any subject matter is going to have something to write about but it sure is easier in some areas than others.
Ideally you want to find a topic that is still active and that is still evolving. This way, there will consistently be new things you can discuss. Ideally though, you want new topics that will remain evergreen.
In some ways, this makes fitness or bodybuilding less than ideal. After all, not much tends to change in the world of bodybuilding or fitness from one month to the next. Press ups will always work your pecs and sit ups will always work your abs… there are only so many countdowns of exercises for each bodypart you can write!
So how do websites on this topic overcome that limitation? One method is that they look at studies and research on the topic to find new ways to train and new suggestions. For instance, a study might come out showing that slow curls can lead to hyperplasia (the growth of new muscle cells). This then is a great new article in the making and what’s even better is that it should remain relevant as long as subsequent studies don’t reveal the information to be incorrect.
Still though, this is an area that’s going to involve a lot of reading to stay up to date and it’s not highly easy.
Technology on the other hand has lots going on and lots of new information – it’s just a shame that a lot of it won’t remain evergreen.
This is another reason that learning a new subject can be a useful strategy – this way you can share what you learn as you learn it. It is news as far as you are concerned and as far as your audience is concerned. At the same time though, as long as what you learned was accurate, it should still be useful information even when someone reads it ten years later.
Make sure then, that even when you feel you are something of an expert in your field, that you keep on learning and keep on absorbing new information.
This is another scenario where broad subjects come in handy. The ‘Art of Manliness’ blog for example is a blog that covers anything that could be considered ‘manly’. This includes working out, making conversation at work, trimming your beard, shaking hands, smoking cigars, drinking whiskey… there are literally hundreds of different topics available that will still be within this niche.
Even if you don’t choose to go as broad, consider giving your niche something a little different just so that you’ll have more original content to come up with. And remember, if what you’re writing has been done a million times before… then really you may as well not bother.
Researching Your Niche and Coming Up With Topics
Once you have your niche, it’s definitely a skill to keep coming up with new topics and new articles to write. In order to do this, you need to make sure you have as much ‘input’ as possible. In other words, the more you keep learning on your subject, the more information you’ll have to recombine and make into new topics. What’s more, providing yourself with lots of information from other blogs and magazines will hopefully inspire you to come up with topics that will perform well.
So where can you get this inspiration and this information? A few good examples include:
- Other websites
- Magazines
- Books
- Podcasts
- YouTube
Don’t just follow the exact formula of posts in other media though. If you do this, then yours will be unoriginal and likely derivative. Instead, think about ways you can learn from the nature of the article, rather than copying the specifics.
So if you like the way one article combined two topics, how about combining two different topics? Or if the article had a unique structure, how about applying that structure to something else?
It can also pay to read about things that aren’t related to your niche at all – or that are vaguely related. This can give you ideas that you can then apply to your own topic, or it can provide you with more opportunities to combine topics and come up with something new.
For instance, reading about parkour you might find that you are able to come up with a new fitness topic – leg training for free runners. Or maybe if you have a coding website and you are reading about nutrition, you could work out which foods can support healthy brain function for a coder. How about décor?
The more you read, the better your writing will be and the more ideas you will have – it’s that straightforward!
Another tip is to make sure you keep your eyes open for new topics and that you do more research to discover newer ideas.
So for instance, if you’re reading about nutrition you might see the mention of a particular amino acid, or a particular nutrient. If you haven’t heard of it before, then perhaps you could research that. Maybe it has some unique properties that not many people know about? Maybe it can be found in a particular food item? Maybe you could come up with a recipe around that?
Sometimes new ideas come just when you ask a question. Why is it that you can’t rip that piece of paper in half 7 times? Why do we sneeze? Do your own research and follow your own inquisition – if you’re thinking it, then other people might be too.
Finally, don’t be afraid to go straight to the source for breaking news and ideas. Go to expos in your niche, watch the games live if you’re writing about sport, check the patents if you’re writing about technology… even consider calling someone from high up in an organization to get the scoop. Or what about looking at press release sites to hear news straight from big companies?
