Associated Content Tip of the Day 18 Oct 2007: Topic Focus

I see way too many broad topics at Associated Content. That’s fine if your reward for writing is seeing your words on the screen. If you’re looking for AC to pay for your writing, you have to keep your article on track…one track.

Don’t wander off topic. Don’t add new topics to the article halfway down page two. And here’s the real tip of the day: think out side the box.

Slice your topic into tiny, focused topics. Don’t even think once that “Things to see in Washington D.C.” will attract any money from AC. Maybe, just maybe, “Top Ten Smithsonian Exhibits” will. Even better is, “5 Best Exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.”

So you took a trip to D.C. You now have 20 different articles to write, not one. Slice that trip up into all the minutia you can.

• Write a review on your hotel.
• Write a visitor’s guide to the D.C. metro. Include the ins and outs of the stations that a tourist would be interested in.
• If you’re going to write about the Smithsonian, put a slant on it. “Best Cheap Food in and around the National Mall” is something every tourist needs.
• If something unique happened on your trip like a special tour of the White House, you better know you have to write that.

Getting the idea yet? Don’t generalize! Get out your magnifying glass and dissect your topic. Boil it down until you’re covering one and only one topic.