Summary

The website provides a list of five tools that can help writers identify popular topics to write about and ensure their articles are widely read.

Abstract

The article "5 Tools for Finding Popular Topics that People Would Actually Read" addresses the common challenge writers face in finding engaging topics that attract readers. It suggests using Buzzsumo to identify the most popular articles based on social media engagement, Answer the Public to visualize common questions related to a topic, Google Trends to track trending topics globally, various Google search features to understand related queries and interests, and Google Keyword Planner for search volume data. These tools aim to streamline the process of content creation by providing insights into what readers are currently interested in, thereby increasing the likelihood of an article's success.

Opinions

The article implies that writer's block and the fear of content not being read are common issues among writers.
Buzzsumo is highlighted as a particularly useful tool for content marketers due to its ability to provide data on social media engagement.
Answer the Public is praised for its visualization of popular questions, which can inspire article topics.
Google Trends is recommended for its ability to showcase trending topics across different regions and time frames.
The article suggests that Google's search functionalities, such as auto-complete, related searches, and "People also ask," are valuable for understanding what users are searching for.
Google Keyword Planner is noted as a powerful tool for those running Google Ads, providing detailed search volume data to inform content and marketing strategies.
The overall sentiment is that using these data-driven tools can lead to a more successful and profitable writing career by aligning content with reader interests.

5 Tools for Finding Popular Topics that People Would Actually Read

Use these tools to look for trending topics you can write about.

As a writer, there is nothing more distressing than that blinking cursor on a blank page. You wrack your brain for ideas, but it can sometimes feel like the well of creativity has dried up. So, you might need a little help in coming up with topics.

Suddenly, inspiration strikes and you finally start typing in your words. Your article comes to life. You finish your masterpiece and publish it. Congratulations!

Then, the writer’s second most stressful feeling in the world starts brewing in the pit of your belly. Is your work going to be read by anyone?

Luckily, we have tools to help you hit both birds with one stone. The following tools won’t just help you find the topic inspiration you need to get those creative cogs moving. In the list below are tools that can clue you in on the popularity of your chosen topic. This gives you the best chance at publishing stories that people would want to read.

So let’s get on with it. Here are five tools to help you with what you need:

Buzzsumo: This is the most useful tool for content creation and marketing. Off the bat, it gives you a list of the most popular articles on topics or specific websites based on their social media engagement. The free version would already give you access to that data. Just type in your keyword or the website you want to check. It will be limited to only 10 listings though. The paid subscription gives you so much more. You can also filter results by country, language, and date range. Additionally, you can analyze the data for the website or the topic to find out which social network works best, what day is the most popular for user engagement, and much more.

2. Answer the Public: Don’t you wish someone would aggregate the most popular questions being asked about certain topics? Answer the Public doesn’t just do that, it does so beautifully. This website also has a free version and a paid subscription, with the paid subscription allowing users to perform unlimited searches, compare data over time, and export to CSV. To use it, just type in your topic, brand name, or product. Then, it generates a visualization of all the questions coming from your specified country.

3. Google Trends: The search engine giant offers a lot of tools for exploring topics you can write about, but the one that I highly recommend is Google Trends. It shows you trending topics worldwide. You can also filter the topics by location and by date range.

4. Google — The search engine has a lot of little functionalities to give you an idea about what people are searching for in relation to your chosen topic. There are four main ones to look out for:

The auto-complete function: When you start typing out a topic, Google will suggest queries based on what people usually look for.

“Related searches” section: This appears at the bottom of the search results page when you enter your query in Google.

“People also ask” feature: If you type in a question in the Google search bar, it will automatically know that it’s a question that requires answers. Even better, the search engine shows you other questions related to the one you searched for. For instance, if you type in “What should I write about?” It will show you the following result:

“People also search for” recommendations: These recommendations from Google don’t always come out when you type in a query. Google sometimes offers these alternative searches when you click on a result and hit the back button to go back to Google.

5. Google Keyword Planner — If you run Google Ads, they have a neat little tool called Google Keyword Planner that gives you the search volume for queries. Marketers use this tool to find keywords to bid on.

Unlike the other tools and features from Google that we’ve included in this list, Keyword Planner is not open to the public. It requires you to log in and set up your Google Ads account to access it.

That should be fairly easy to do. Once you’re all set up, the tools section will appear. If you don’t have an active ad, it will only show you a very broad range for the average monthly searches

Having an active ad account would give you more definitive numbers.

There you have it, five tools to that are designed not just to help you get your writing mojo back but to actually find the topics that people are looking for and will most likely read about. Using the data-driven approach to content production can help pave the way for a successful and profitable writing career.