Have you ever struggled to come up with yet another inspiring topic to write about in your ezine, on your blog, or to post to the various article marketing sites to help promote your business?

You’ve heard it before – content is king – so you want to make your articles meaningful. Here are 5 tips you can use to make sure your readers are interested in what you have to say.

1. Steal Your Story
I don’t mean the words that others use – steal their ideas! Create a Swipe File and include all the great articles, headlines, words and phrases that you find in print magazines and newspapers and online. Once you begin looking what others are writing about, your head will be spinning with ideas for your own take on the topic.

2. Case Studies
This is your opportunity to write about the fabulous work you do – and the results your clients have gained. A Case Study tells an engaging story that pulls your audience into your work, without selling.

3. Interview People
Who do you want to connect with? Who do you admire? Who do you want to stay in touch with without sounding like another sales call? Come up with a few questions (keep them simple) and your article is based on the answers…and you may learn a few things in the process.

4. Write a Review
What’s new in your industry? New products? New resources? What do you like about it? What don’t you like and why? This type of article shows you’re keeping up on the latest trends.

5. Listen to Your Readers
What questions do you hear from your clients over and over? What’s important to your readers? If you don’t know, ask. It can be as simple as doing a quick email survey to some of your top clients…or jotting down the questions you hear during your sales call (and put them in your Swipe file).