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Good writing isn’t limited to topics with exciting and plentiful products and services. One of the major barriers writers face when considering topics, especially copywriters and content marketers is the lack of industry content. They fear there isn’t enough to write about.

Well, that’s a lie.

This six-step guide will walk you through options and inspire content development. Marketers can feel confident knowing that there’s an endless number of topics to cover and content to be created.

How do you create content when you think a service or industry is ordinary, lacking any exciting or captivating elements?

For some industries, getting the content-production brain juices flowing is effortless. Take food or healthcare, for example. We can go on for days about content ideas for those industries and products.  Just for starters, think about nutrition, fitness, medical conditions, recipes, etc. The options are endless. On the other hand, it may appear that some niches aren’t as abundant in the variety of articles or stories that can be written. This can be a major roadblock, especially if you’re a copywriter or into content marketing services.

“My product, service, or industry isn’t really different from others out there so there’s really nothing to write about!”

Wrong.

The truth is, when you’re faced with a service or product, no matter how “boring” or run-of-the-mill it may seem, there’s always content to be written.

So, how do you write about a lackluster topic?

A lot of the questions posed about lack of writing ideas is just part of the lie people tell themselves to not engage with scary industries.

Here’s the good news: there are real ways to spice up a “less-fun industry” and still reap the benefits of awesome content.

So where should you begin? How do you even go about developing content geared toward these boring industries and topics?

1. SEO

One of the first solutions to put into action is to look for topics people are searching to improve your opportunity of being discovered.

While this may not seem like the most intriguing form of content creation, you’ll want to extract some of these topics to address the basics. Don’t forget, even if it doesn’t appear to be the most exciting, doesn’t mean there won’t be a “cool” way to present the information.

To do this, try a tool like SEO Moz or Keyword Tool. SEO Moz is not free, but you’ll get two free keyword searches per day if you want to test it out.

Let’s pretend we’re presented with the task of developing content for a wheelchair manufacturer. Upon first thought, wheelchairs do not immediately spool out an abundance of riveting content ideas but proceed to your keyword tool with this topic in mind.

The first thing you might notice if you’re using SEO Moz is the monthly search volume, difficulty level, opportunity, and priority scores. If we were considering how to improve site rank and develop SEO articles, we’d consider these factors, along with others like domain authority, indexed pages, and competition, among others, but for now we’re focusing on topic ideas, so don’t get stuck on the wealth of information offered to you at this time.

• wheelchairs for the home
• wheelchair rentals
• manual wheelchairs
• varieties of wheelchairs

So, what topic ideas come to mind? How about:

• Is Your Home Wheelchair Friendly?
• Wheelchairs: Buying vs. Renting
• Other “versus” pieces regarding the different varieties of wheelchairs

2. Google News

The next option to consider when it comes to discovering topics for less enthusiastic products and industries is Google News. Using Google News to see what’s new with this topic can help ignite a variety of content topics. Let’s refer to the wheelchair example. There’s a variety of news items involving wheelchairs. Specialized wheelchairs could warrant its own article.

Some other examples:

• How Living in A Wheelchair Affects Your Dating Life
• Wheelchair Dangers

3. Market Outlook

By Googling your topic’s market outlook, you’re sure to find trends worth exploring. For example, it looks like the automotive wheelchair lift market is experiencing an uptick.

Here’s a thought:

“How do Manufacturers Modify Automobile Design to Accommodate Wheelchairs,” or how about exploring the different types of lifts and their benefits? (Think: “Selecting the Right Lift For Your Vehicle”)

4. Communities & Forums

The Internet is not short of communities where people rely on the knowledge of others to help meet a need or answer a quick question. Reddit and Quora are good examples of this in action. While it is true that we can’t always rely on the answers and advice provided in these forums, we can acknowledge the questions being asked and use them to formulate content ideas.

Let’s look at Quora in our example of wheelchair content development:

One recurring theme on Quora involving wheelchairs is that of wheelchair accessibility in schools. Another theme revolves around the challenges of wheelchair users. Those are two good places to start when concocting content ideas.

5. General/Related Topics

When it comes to creating content around a “non-exciting” industry, it’s important to view other ideas that may be relevant to your target audience.

In keeping with the example of wheelchairs, maybe content about disabilities, healthcare, medical, elderly, or even sporting events for the disabled are places to inspire content that will appeal to your general audience.

TIP: think about the audience’s other interests related to the issue that your product or service solves.

6. Technical/How-it-Works Content

Let’s not discredit the need for content that focuses specifically on the technical and mechanical nature of your product and services.

One way to demonstrate your product is to break it down and show potential (or current) buyers the specifics of how they work. Tutorials, how-to’s, and videos are a great way to do this.

Final Thoughts

Remember, you don’t want to turn every piece of content you produce into a sales pitch. The secret to an effective content marketing strategy is to build a relationship by using content that is so useful and intriguing that readers almost forget your company is the culprit behind it. There are times when the content should highlight your business and boast your products and capabilities, but that is at key points in time, and it is especially useful when creating content for someone who is further along on the buyer journey. A good way to do this is by creating superb call-to-action prompts.

Be discreet at times and loud at others. Hyperlinks are good, whereas headlines touting your company and its products aren’t always the best course of action. Weave in your message where and when it is appropriate. Valuable content is the key to hooking your readers.

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