1) Put yourself in your target market's shoes.

Ask yourself, "What are the 10 questions my customers most frequently ask me?", then write articles to satisfy each of these questions.

Listen to your customers--there are no silly questions! If one person is asking, then there are probably many more people who are wondering the same thing. You are writing to serve the needs of your target market, so why not let them direct the topic of your articles?

2) Go to the bookstore and look at the magazines in your niche.

Look at the titles listed on the magazine covers. Those titles are crafted to attract attention, to stand out to folks who are interested in that topic, and those titles can give you great inspiration for your articles.

Note: Don't read the article and then try to craft an article using someone else's article as inspiration--don't do it...EVER! You want your article to be 100% unique, written by you and not with any 'borrowed' ideas or phrases, so use the title as inspiration, not the article.

3) Put on your teacher's hat.

'How To' articles are HUGE--all of us enjoy the idea of learning how to do something new. No matter what your field of business is, you can teach someone (a potential customer) how to do something.

Are you a landscaper? Write an article teaching someone how to take care of their lawn. Are you a jewelry maker? Teach someone the best way to care for their fine jewelry. Are you a business coach? Oh, the possibilities are endless for you!

4) Fill in the blanks.

10 Great Reasons Why ____

How To ____ in 7 Easy Steps

9 Surefire Ways To ____

The Top 10 Mistakes People Make When ____

Whenever I'm stumped for something to write about, I go through my "template titles" like those listed above and just fill in the blanks. Having a head start with the title helps get the creative juices flowing!

5) Write a 'Top 5' article.

Begin with a title that has the words 'Top 5' in it, for example:

"The Top 5 Benefits of Eating Organic Fruits and Veggies"

"The Top 5 Mistakes Everyone Makes On Their Tax Return"

"The Top 5 Reasons Why Online Businesses Succeed"

You get the idea--sometimes having guidelines for a title is just the spurt of inspiration you need to get your creative juices flowing. EVERYONE can write a Top 5 article no matter what the topic of their article is. And if that's not enough, readers love Top 5 lists!

6) Pick up your pom-poms.

No matter what line of work you're in, your customers will appreciate an article that encourages them. Pretend like you're a cheerleader for a moment and ask yourself, "What areas might my potential customers need encouragement in?" Even if you're in the most straight-laced, non-emotional field ever, there are still emotions around your field of business that affect how your customers feel.

Here's an encouraging article topic for a straight-laced field--Finance :

"How To Give Yourself Peace Of Mind By Living On A Budget"

You get the idea--just think about what stresses your readers out about your field, and write an article to soothe that fear.

7) Don't forget the newbies or assume that your potential clients know as much as you do.

When you're knee deep in a topic on a daily basis, it's easy to forget that your target market may not be aware of what the basics of your field are. No topic is too basic!

Think about how you feel when you're investigating a subject matter that isn't familiar to you, and all you run into are articles that are over your head--ouch! Write an article that goes over basic information. Write for folks who know nothing about what you do but might be interested in becoming potential customers if they did.

Have you got any ideas for new articles yet? Yes, you probably have at least a dozen or more new article topics in mind by now! These 7 article topic tips can be used over and over--there is no end to the number of great, thoughtful, sticky articles you can write if you use these 7 tips.

Now you've got no excuses--you're ready to start writing articles TODAY!