As an affiliate marketer, you may encounter the need to write content on topics that are often outside of your area of expertise. However, many copywriters regularly face this challenge and tackle it successfully. All you need is to follow a simple algorithm and in this post we will share the best techniques to understand the topic and give your content a better edge.
Should I tackle topics that I know nothing about?
This is what attracts most of us to writing content in the first place: the opportunity to learn something new, push yourself out of your comfort zone, and test the limits of your writing skills.
However, this type of adaptability does not come naturally to everyone. Building the skills needed to act like this type of expertise can take a lot of practice and time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. With a lot of practice, you will always find something to write about.
How to tackle a subject you know nothing about
How do you write about something you don’t know? It’s actually pretty easy if you follow a simple algorithm: do proper research, gather relevant data, seek an expert opinion, and make a post. That way, you’ll always have something to write about. Now let’s see how to do it step by step.
Understand your audience
First of all, the purpose of writing a blog post is to provide your audience with valuable information and motivate them to come to your website again and again. This is pretty easy if you already have an established audience, otherwise this step may take some time.
Spend some time researching stats as well as feedback left by your viewers. Try to understand what they are struggling with and how you can help them. This information will determine the language type and research depth of your paper:
- Who is your audience?
- Do they have basic knowledge of the subject?
- Will they appreciate professional terminology or find it confusing?
Let’s say you’re writing a blog post on how to go on vacation to the Maldives, but you don’t know how to tackle the “how to get there” topic. A little research will show that almost half of the travelers come to the islands from Europe, so tips on how to get there from, for example, London or Berlin can be really helpful.
research
You need to understand what type of information people are looking for and then gather all the relevant data. Below are some strategies to help you gather interesting data for your blog post.
google the topic
The first step is to submit the topic to Google. Start by exploring materials that already exist, but try to rely only on knowledgeable sources. How do you find these? Pay close attention to:
- Sites with expertise that focus only on one area and back the facts with evidence
- Non-commercial platforms that provide unbiased information
- Multi-follower resources
- latest posts
- Professionally designed websites (this is not always the rule, but a more professional site can show that the resource owner is serious about their project)
- Articles with credentials
- Platforms with lots of backlinks
Read social media and forums
The next step is to get a sense of public opinion about the issue. This is important because real users can give you context and insight into how everything works in practice.
Quora may be the first place to research. Quora not only helps you find what people are asking, but also shows relevant queries.
Facebook can be particularly helpful with its “Related Articles” feature, which displays relevant material you might not otherwise come across.
Also, check the relevant forums and discussion boards. In the field of travel, you can start by exploring the best known forums such as Trip Advisor, Travelerspoint, Thorn Tree by Lonely Planet.
Check the news
Check for any news that might affect your topic. This is especially important for travel bloggers. For example, if you write about a vacation to a seaside resort, be sure to check the local news. If there was a hurricane, let’s say, your blog post would be insignificant, no matter how well you describe the benefits of the resort.
Examine key concepts
In order to write logically and accurately, it is important to have a solid understanding of the underlying principles, terminology, and facts, as well as the rationale behind how they relate.
As you research your topic, check the meaning of every seemingly important term you don’t understand. To do this, Google the term (“define: you can type:[your word]”) or use a thesaurus or dictionary. If you are still confused, consult an expert.
Explore foreign resources
Although the most important research results, findings and news are usually translated into English, it never hurts to search for some authoritative foreign sources.
It is even more important if you are writing in any language other than English. This will give you more insight, a better perspective, stronger evidence and almost certainly an edge over your competitors.
watch videos
Videos are another great source of information. YouTube is the second largest online platform worldwide. So, what kind of information can you find there? Webinars, conference recordings, animated videos, etc. You can also include videos in your posts to inspire users or help them understand a complex topic.
Test the product yourself
Finally, if such an opportunity arises, try to use the products/services yourself. Thus, you will be able to share your personal experience, which is naturally more believable for readers. Be sure to recommend a good product.
If you’re writing about travel, investing the money and purchasing a service just to write a blog post can be very expensive. But, for example, you can try to book a hotel or flight ticket, discuss vacation options with an agent, or go through another travel process step-by-step just like your readers.
Use mind maps
Once you’ve gathered enough information, it’s important to structure your findings. To do this, consider mind mapping: Place your topic in the middle of a blank page and write other related concepts/problems/ideas around this central element. You can show the relationship between concepts by using different colors or the distance from the center of the page.
Mind maps work just like the human brain and help you generate more ideas, increase your productivity, and find connections between facts (including hidden ones). You will have all the necessary information at a glance and be able to structure your writing more effectively.
Consult experts and get quotes
Expert opinion will not only help you clarify certain concepts, but will also give more weight to your writing. Most likely, your credibility cannot come from personal experience with an unfamiliar topic. Thus, it will be useful to share quotes from experts.
Specialists come in many forms. A business representative, a resource at a university, a blogger in the same niche, a client, etc. they may be. For example, a client might introduce you to additional context and share their pain points. Some experts will help you deepen your knowledge. Finally, the average reader can take a fresh look at your content and help you identify areas in your piece that may be unclear and need more attention or detail.
How do you reach experts? Prepare your questions ahead of time and after the interview ask permission to use the quotes in your writing. You can also ask if your link wants to answer any follow-up questions, or run a fact check when your post is ready (in an ideal scenario).
Proceed to this step only after you have done the proper research on your own. So you don’t ask basic things that can be easily clarified on the internet. Second, you will be able to find questions that are really important and require expertise.
Write
Once you’ve gathered enough information, it’s time to put it on paper. Getting started is always the scariest part, so try to make an outline of your article first. Ideally, do this in one sitting so you don’t waste time on the “login” process. Then, take a break and come back later with a new pair of eyes.
The next step is to double-check the facts in your article and improve your writing if possible. Look for sentences that can be shortened without losing important information, as well as phrases that may require some additional explanation or detail. Make sure your writing is coherent and that all parts are logically linked.
Perform accuracy checks
This is important at every stage of your work, especially at the end, when the writing is complete. Make sure every fact in your article is true and can be supported by evidence. At this stage, if possible, you can also send the article to an expert for accuracy check.
make corrections
Re-reading your article will help you avoid bad grammar, punctuation, typos, etc. It will help you make sure it’s not. It may be better to send your article to a professional proofreader who can guarantee that your article is error-free. Do not ignore this step, especially if you are writing in a language that is not your native language.
Get feedback
It would be great to get outside feedback before submitting your article. This feedback may come from a colleague, friend or partner, but ideally it should come from someone with relevant expertise. A new pair of eyes can help you find places that are still difficult to understand and need additional explanation. Alternatively, your perspective may not show the whole picture, so feedback will help fill in the missing parts.
How to write about something you don’t know
Writing about topics outside of your area of expertise may be more common than you think. To make a great post, you need to do proper research, consult with both experts and customers, and verify all the information you collect. Making this preparation will help you understand your subject in more detail. You need to write down all the data you find and make sure it is tailored to the interests of your target audience.
