Do you want to start writing online but can’t decide on a topic?
Maybe it’s that you’re good at many things so you don’t want to box yourself in.
Or maybe you find writing about only one thing boring.
Writing online is supposed to be fun.
But it’s also supposed to help you position yourself as an authority in a specific field.
For this reason, you need to pick one major topic to write about.
This way, people will know you for it. And it’ll make your writing process much easier.
However, many people spend far too much time figuring out what topics to write about.
So today I’m going to show you how to choose a topic to write about without feeling like you’re boxing yourself in.
Here’s the process in a nutshell:
- List your skills
- Pick the skills you love the most.
- Choose the one skill you’re best at.
Let’s dissect each step.
Step 1: List Your Skills
Let’s talk about listing your skills.
Answer this question:
What are you expert enough in?
If you’re good enough at it, you’re good enough to create content about it.
Add it to the list.
By the way, I also refer to ideas and branches of knowledge when I talk about skills. I’m clarifying this because if you know a lot about “American History,” you might not consider it a skill. However, I do. And you should, too.
So are you done listing them?
Cool.
Let’s pick your Big 3.
Step 2: Pick Your Big 3 Skills
To pick your Big 3, ask yourself:
Of all of my skills, which excites me the most?
To answer this question, consider the skills or ideas you’re willing to write about every day for the next 6 to 12 months to answer this question.
Done?
Let’s pick your core speciality—in other words, the one skill you want people to know you for online.
Step 3: Pick Your Core Speciality
I have a simple exercise to help you pick.
Ask yourself:
Which of the Big 3 would I feel the most comfortable talking/writing about for an hour without any kind of preparation?
That’s your Core Speciality.
And it’s what you should write about the most so you can build your reputation on your knowledge.
How Does This Look In Practice?
Here’s how I used this exercise to pick my Big 3 and Core Speciality.
| My Skills |
| Graphic design Copywriting Product launches Email marketing Content creation Building automated funnels |
These are some of my skills. I’m not the greatest at all of them. And while you may be thinking, “Wow, you’ve got the skills, Jose,” I guarantee that you also have many desirable skills you can write about online.
After I jot down my skills, I pick the ones where I’m most competent.
Here they are:
| My Big 3 Skills |
| Product launches Building automated funnels Content creation |
It’s now time to get into the meat of the matter.
Let’s say I want people to know me as the Automated Funnels Guy — the guy that helps us automate their sales process so they can generate more leads and sell more coaching, digital products, or services.
For this reason, I’ll pick “Building Automated Funnels” as my Core Speciality.
| My Core Speciality |
| Building automated funnels |
The best thing is my Big 3 complements my Core Specialty.
Product launches and content creation help me attract people interested in building these funnels or at least want to learn about how to make these funnels.
If you can, make sure your Big 3 complement each other.
Does this make sense?
“What Happens If I Pick The Wrong Topics?”
You won’t make a mistake because you’ll write about subjects you enjoy.
And even if you get bored with it after a while, you still have your other Big 3 skills that are complementary to your Core Speciality.
So you’ll be free to write about the other ones too.
Just make sure to prioritize your Core Specialty over the rest of your skills.
Next Steps
Jot down all your skills.
Then pick your Big 3 Skills.
And finally, choose your Core Speciality–the topic you’ll write the most about.
Done?
Awesome! See you again soon.
And if you can’t wait, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Write with maximal persuasion → check this out.
2. Create better content faster with this content system.
