What's Selling on Constant Content?

[Constant]

In December, lifestyle, technology, and business articles dominated the sales list. While it's useful to look back and see what sold in December, it's also useful to start thinking about February. With that in mind, let's look at December's top categories as well as those that were popular last February.


Writing Ideas

Based on the lists above, beauty, travel, technology, and dating and romance are likely to be popular topics for February. With spring right around the corner, it's also time to start thinking about seasonal articles. Articles related to Valentine's Day, Easter, college applications, spring getaways, gardening, home improvement, Earth Day, de-cluttering, getting ready for bikini season, and income taxes could appeal to buyers right now.

Customers often alert us in advance that they'll be purchasing articles on a given topic – sometimes in batches of several hundred at a time. For example, we've recently had advance notice about large orders for articles on specific topics such as:

• Mobile technology
  Broadband
  Solar energy

When this happens, we look at the existing catalog to see where we stand. From there, we compile a list of suggestions for the customer and/or put out a call for content on the topic. If you look at the public request page, you'll see some requests marked "Standing Request – [Topic] Articles Needed." These requests are issued by Constant Content (Support) either when we know an order is in the works or when we notice a surge in demand.

In addition to monitoring the public requests, visit the Writing Ideas section of Constant Content. This section contains a list of the most recently sold content, category inventories, and search topics. Currently, "water damage" appears on the list of both recent and popular search topics. While the Home Improvement category has about 500 articles listed, a quick search shows just 14 articles about water damage – with close to half of those offered for usage rights only. "Wheat allergy" is also searched for frequently; yet only 11 articles appear using the search function.

Balancing what's sold in the past against what people are looking for now is a good starting point, as is thinking about what customers will need in the next few months.

[Celeste Stewart]

You've seen the top ten categories list, checked out the popular searches, and know that certain topics are in demand and likely to sell – now what? Now it's time to brainstorm article ideas! This is my favorite part because you never know what's going to capture your imagination.

Let's start by reviewing the top ten category list which Constant Content recently shared with us:
• Beauty
• Mobile Phones
• Personal Finance
• Internet
• Electronics
• Online Business
• Marketing
• Computers
• Pets and Animals
• Travel

These categories are pretty broad – lifestyle, technology, and business – so let's see what customers are searching for as well. I looked at the popular search topics list (Writing Ideas > Search Topics) and saw a few interesting ones. "Wheat allergy" caught my eye as did "iPhone development." Both are hot topics right now, and they seem like a good fit as far as those top ten categories are concerned.

I know what you're thinking. You can see that iPhone development and mobile phones makes sense. That one's easy, but what about wheat allergy? How do wheat allergies relate to beauty, mobile phones, personal finance, Internet, electronics, online business, marketing, computers, pets and animals, or travel?

Let's look at that question again and remove the obvious ones that don't really make sense:
How do wheat allergies relate to beauty, pets and animals, or travel?

Here are a few questions that immediately come to mind:
• Do beauty products contain wheat?
• Should people suffering from wheat allergies avoid certain cosmetics?
• Is it a hassle to travel with a wheat allergy?
• Can dogs and cats suffer from a wheat allergy? If so, is wheat a common ingredient in dog food?

Instead of going with the more obvious beauty topics such as spring fashion, makeup and hairstyle tips, and manicures, I'm thinking about wheat-free cosmetics. And, yes, according to a quick Google search, hydrolyzed wheat protein is commonly found in cosmetics, soaps, lotions, shampoos, and other personal care items and may be problematic for allergy sufferers. Dogs can also suffer from wheat allergies.

"Water damage" is another term that I noticed. I quickly searched Constant Content to peek at the existing articles. Restoration, cleanup, and mold appear to be common themes as expected. The basics are covered, so let's get creative. Again, we can use the same question and scratch off the obvious:
How does water damage relate to mobile phones, personal finance, electronics, computers?

While we could assume that people searching for water damage are involved in the water damage restoration business, what about writing an article from a different perspective? For example, since computer topics are popular, an article about recovering data from a water damaged computer could be a good fit. An article about flood insurance and water damage would fall under the personal finance category.

Finally, try to write articles that appeal to several potential markets. While an article about marketing a water damage restoration business would contain a popular search term and fall under a popular category, who would buy it? How many water damage business consultants are out there and how many are using Constant Content? Probably not too many. In contrast, the water damaged computer article could appeal to customers interested in technical articles or water damage articles.

Use what's hot as a starting point, and have fun dreaming up different angles to common topics. You may just surprise yourself, and customers will love your unique perspective.

[Abbamay]

Thank you Editors and Celeste - I really appreciate the tips and the great communication. You guys do a great job.