50 Ways for Writers to Find Article Ideas
One of the joys (and frustrations) of being a freelance writer contributing to multiple magazines, newspapers, and websites is the need to come up with a constant flow of new ideas for articles.
This is not always an easy task by any means—often it seems downright impossible—so we’ve compiled a list of ways to find articles almost anywhere.
- Read community bulletin boards.
- People-watch in a coffee shop, park, or other public space.
- Think about seasonal topics like holidays or national awareness months. (Here is a list of awareness months in the US – please post in the comments if you have links for those outside the US.)
- Revisit a story you’ve already written and come up with new other angles for other markets. Reslant accordingly.
- Ask your friends/relatives/neighbors/roommates/coworkers what’s on their mind (but don’t quote them unless they know it’s on the record).
- Take a national trend and localize it.
- Take a local story and figure out how to make it relevant to a national audience.
- Go for a walk outside and let your mind wander.
- Reread queries that never landed assignments, and figure out how to breathe new life into them. Maybe there’s a news peg that makes them more relevant now or there’s a new market that would be a good fit.
- Strike up a conversation with a local business owner as you’re paying for your coffee or perusing the used books.
- Try something that scares you, then write an essay about the experience.
- Keep your eyes open for “Coming Soon” signs. New restaurants, bars, stores, spas, and other businesses could all make interesting articles for a local publication.
- Experiment with mind mapping and let your mind wander from topic to topic until you find something you’re excited about.
- Read blogs in your subject area.
- Subscribe to newsletters that cover topics that interest you.
- Attend an event and try to introduce yourself to at least five new people. Listen more than you talk.
- Jot down the names of products that catch your eye, then Google them.
- Peruse the magazine racks wherever you go out, especially if you’re visiting a new city or state that has titles that are unfamiliar to you.
- Keep track of historical milestones, like the anniversary of women’s suffrage or the founding of your local college.
- Read your alumni newsletter to see what your classmates are doing.
- Save your notes from interviews and see if any of the unused material sparks a new article.
- Let your friends and relatives know what types of stories you’re interested in so they can do some scouting for you (only if they want to).
- Read press releases.
- Follow a forum to see what people are buzzing about. (But follow this advice on forum etiquette.)
- Read other articles and think about what information is not included.
- Check out a publication’s editorial calendar, and write a query based on that.
- Find out what anthologies are looking for essay submissions, and let the topic inspire you.
- Set up Google alerts for the topics you cover regularly. (Plus, read more uses for Google Alerts.)
- Think about the issues you’re grappling with (maybe you’re getting married, buying a condo, or looking for a book publisher), and write about that.
- Look at statistics (for instance, those generated by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics or the International Statistical Institute) and see what stories the numbers tell. Or do the numbers lie?
- Mine your old notebooks for great ideas that might have slipped through the cracks.
- Reread your journal entries from middle school or high school and write a query for a teen publication based on that.
- Look at your blog posts that generated the most interest, and think about how to reframe that topic as an article.
- Fill in the blank: “10 Secrets of _______,” “8 Places to ____” or “5 Ways to __________.”
- Read the ads in your local newspaper to find out what stores, restaurants, or other businesses are opening, expanding, etc.
- Search Amazon for non-fiction books that will be released in the next 6-9 months. What topics come to mind that you could tie into the book release? (I’m pretty sure I found this idea through The Renegade Writer, but I couldn’t find the exact post.)
- Look at family photos, and think about what was happening in your life 1, 5, or even 10 years ago. Were you planning your child’s first birthday? Hoping for a promotion? Thinking about getting a dog?
- Read obscure magazines as you wait at the doctor’s office or hair salon. Ask the receptionist if she’ll pass them along to you before throwing them out or recycling them.
- Take two seemingly unrelated topics (for instance, dating and the economy or food and friendships) and think about how one might impact the other.
- Befriend PR people, and ask them to keep you in the loop.
- Look at your topic through a pop culture lens. For instance, what can the first ladies teach us about fashion? What does Grey’s Anatomy tell us about dating?
- Read the letters to the editor to gain insight into what readers are thinking about.
- Play tourist in your town and explore an area that is new to you.
- Flip through a course catalogue for your local continuing education center. What courses catch your eye?
- Listen to podcasts in your area of expertise and see what topics emerge.
- Take a myth and turn it on its head.
- Follow people on Twitter and see what they’re tweeting about. (Plus, read more Twitter tips for business.)
- Monitor sites like TrendHunter and SpringWise for inspiration.
- Instead of writing what you know, write what you want to know. Use an assignment as an excuse to ask fashion designers about their best style tips, entrepreneurs for their most successful marketing secrets, and so on.
- Use keyword tools (such as the WordTracker tool) to suggest SEO-friendly ideas for online articles.
Anything I’ve missed? What strategies do you use to find story ideas?
Leave a Comment
Thanks, got my creative juices flowing!
Handy list! I suffer from constant information overload, and a fascination with far too many subjects. I really need to focus on a few subjects and try not to stray too far off into other realms constantly.
Pretty thorough list! My stories most commonly come from reflecting on my past or reacting to “breaking news” with commentary from the heart. At least those are the stories that draw the most attention and feedback.
Great list. Much appreciated
wow – I’m not a writer, but this is one awseome list…
Just one question : what’s with the picture that goes with this article ? do writers ever wear suits and ties ?
With all layoffs in the media industry, I have to think it’s even more competitive for freelancers right now. Great list to always be thinking of ideas.
Thanks for the list! I loved a bunch of them, especially the idea of looking at issues through a pop culture lens. Though I think the only thing you could look at through the lens of Grey’s Anatomy is promiscuity. I’m just saying…
One tip that’s always worked for me is to Google the broadest possible term for what I’m writing about. I find that after reading a couple of things on that topic, my creative juices get flowing.
You are amazing and these are some of the best tips ever!! Perfectly for a new freelancer like me.
Max — this writer likes to dress up in a suit to feel important, and he’s got a severe case of writer’s block.
That’s a fantastic resource – well worth a Stumble! I have to admit that I try to do most of my writing in a limited number of niches where I specialize and I have a content-based site or blog in each one so an extra tip that I find useful is to look for the phrases people search for to get to my sites. These phrases often provide me with ideas. Also, you can use a WordPress plugin called “SearchMeter” on WordPress blogs, which will report the exact phrases people type into the search box on your blog and can be useful for spotting trends. And speaking of trends, don’t forget Google Trends for spotting rising interest in certain topics.
Thanks for the terrific ideas on coming up with new articles. I sometimes play the tourist in town when taking street photos as well.
Great list and I’m sure it took a bit of research to pull all that together.
Ugh. Thanks…I know ALL about this particular dry spell.
Great list! I especially love your suggestions about taking content about one subject and applying it to other audiences or situations. Various forms of that strategy have saved me from writers block more times than I can remember!
I find it difficult to do work as a freelance programmer and then continuously keep up with writing content for my blog. So thanks for the tips Susan. I have this bookmarked now.
I searched the internet for exactly this and your post came up. Perfect! I have half a mind to print it out and hang it on the wall. Total genius, thank you.
Great list, Susan.
For point 3 & 19, here are some of my bookmarks for awareness months, historic anniversaries etc : http://delicious.com/mumbaiwallah/calendar-of-days
Chryselle
Hey Susan,
Great post! Also read the follow up to this on your site. Pretty much covers all the ways that you could exploit to get an idea.
Your post worked for me. I read it the whole through! thanks.!!
If you can’t find something here to get your creative juices flowing then you are beyond help. Print it off, pin it on your wall and never be stuck for a story idea again.
Hi, Great Tips.
I have here also some tips on “how to find free articles?”
http://ecommercelib.blogspot.com/2009/06/lesson-1-part-2-how-to-target-your.html
Hi,
Thanks for your great post. I use Article Ideas software. That’s FREE too. Please chec the link above.
I am from Bangladesh and trying a luck with writing short articles. Could you please advise me for the outlets. I am lazy too.
Thanks.
Naser
Reading your ideas I am not getting any more ideas that I can include…You have a half century there; bravo for that and thanks for such nice ideas for writers..
Wow, that’s great ideas! Thanks!
Thank you, a massive help!
You are an amazing person. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I was completely stuck and now I’m actually excited about trying some of these.
Wonderful tips, Sure I will make use of it
This article is just in time for me. I needed some brain storming tips to get my juices flowing and this one has done the trick for me.
thx very informative
Great list of ideas! Thanks!
A must read for the wanderers seeking out ways to write something. Brilliant notes.
Best article for a freelancer article writer.
i think for a best article writer u have write down what comes in your mind. People sharing their idea by speech but u have to share your idea by writing…..
superb.
mahesh
Best article for a freelancer article writer.
i think for a best article writer u have write down what comes in your mind. People sharing their idea by speech but u have to share your idea by writing…..
superb.
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Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day.
It’s always useful to read through articles from other authors and use something from their sites.