Trying to tackle too much with your topic? Stop writing the everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink posts and start focusing on narrow, specific topics! Besides making it easier to maintain the longevity of your blog, narrow topics get more clicks and are better for your SEO.
Think about it.
If you spend any amount of time in social media, you likely see literally hundreds of blog post titles everyday that cover every imaginable topic from every possible angle. But which ones make you stop and click? The ones that answer the question: WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)
And when you Google something, do you ask a specific questions or type in a bunch of vague generic words? Of course you are specific because you don’t want to sort through pages and pages of unrelated results to find what you are looking for.
So if it’s a toss up between “Small Business Marketing Tips” (YAWN) or “How to Take Professional-Looking Photos with Your iPhone” (YAY), chances are you are going to click on the latter because it promises a concrete outcome: you will learn how-to take better photos.
How to Narrow Your Topic Focus to Expand Your Readership
The key to finding a narrow topic to write about is thinking micro! A good rule of thumb is one blog post, one lesson or insight. Save the related information and insights for another post (and link back to it from your original post).
Pick a Specific Skill – Think of a step-by-step lesson you could share on a topic. This is where the ‘How to’ format works well. Titles like “How to Set Up Studio Lighting for DIY Family Portraits” tell potential readers exactly what they gain by reading the post.
Share a New Tool or Technique – Just discovered a new tool or technique that would benefit your readers? Tell them about it! We were delighted here at MOMeo Magazine to discover that you could schedule a Do Not Disturb blackout period on your iPhone so we shared “How to Silence Your iPhone During Your Off Hours” with our readers!
Answer a Common Question – Brainstorm the most common questions you get asked and turn the answers into blog posts. Are people always curious about how you got so many followers on Twitter? Write about “How to Double Your Twitter Followers in 30 Days”.
Explain New Rules or Developments – Pay attention to the new rules or developments that may impact your readers. Take Facebook as an example. With all the anticipation of the launch of Timeline, there were dozens of instructional posts on “How to Switch Your Facebook Pages over to Timeline”.
Want more ideas on how to come up with content for your blog? Read “Stuck for Topic Ideas? 5 Never-Fail Blog Topics that Get Clicks”!
