Summary

Robert Ralph provides guidance on choosing writing topics for Medium, suggesting to draw from personal interests, experiences, and professional expertise, while also cautioning about the sensitivity of content.

Abstract

Robert Ralph shares his journey and insights on selecting topics for articles on Medium. He initially struggled with what to write about but found success by leveraging his expertise in the swimming pool and hot tub industry, starting with a historical piece on Jacuzzi®. Ralph emphasizes the importance of writing about passionate subjects, as it makes the process more enjoyable and the content more engaging. He also suggests drawing from personal experiences with friends and family, recent discoveries, and one's profession, while being mindful of sensitive content and maintaining credibility with research and evidence. Ralph acknowledges the learning curve in writing but enjoys the process, and encourages writers to explore intimate experiences, though with caution due to potential graphic content concerns.

Opinions

Writing about topics one is passionate about leads to easier and more authentic writing.
Personal stories involving friends and family can be a rich source of content, even if names are omitted for privacy.
Recent learnings are valuable topics as the excitement and freshness of the knowledge can be conveyed to the reader.
Writing about one's profession can be informative for readers, but direct mention of the company should be approached with care, especially for negative content.
Articles on new technology should include credible sources and evidence to establish the writer's reliability.
Intimate experiences can attract a large audience but require careful consideration to avoid content that is too graphic or explicit.
The author values the steep learning curve in writing and finds joy in every minute spent improving his craft.
He encourages new writers to explore various topics and offers a supportive wish for their success on Medium.

What Should I Write About?

What do you enjoy reading?

One of the first things I struggled with when I joined the Medium platform knew what I could write about. I work for a high-end swimming pool and hot tub dealer, and I thought I should start by turning to my own knowledge base.

This way, at least I know the facts of the article would be true and accurate. The first story I published was a history on the original hot tub inventor Jacuzzi®, linked below.

Jacuzzi® Hot Tubs, The Real Story

Jacuzzi® was formed in 1915. The oldest of seven brothers, Giocondo and his siblings were from Casarsa in Northern…

medium.com.

The article took me nearly 12 hours to write; now, most of my articles take less than one hour; the learning curve has been steep, and I enjoy every single minute of it.

Passionate subjects

For your first few articles, I would suggest writing something you are passionate about; that way, it does not take a lot of brainpower, and it should flow easily for the reader to digest.

9 benefits of owning a hot tub

People purchase a hot tub for many different reasons; for some, it is a social aspect, whilst for others, it is spending…

medium.com.

Friends and family

I also find it very easy to write about friends and family, although I never mention their names, that is a personal choice; like most people, I love my family to write for hours about them.

My Heart Breaks Every Day

I miss my parents

medium.com

Recent discoveries

You could also write about something new you have learned recently, it will be fresh in your mind, and often you are still excited about the knowledge you have just gained.

What you do for a living

Maybe don’t mention the company, especially if you are writing something negative, this should be an easy topic for most people, and you will hopefully educate us about your industry along the way.

New technology

Not something I could write about; however, there is a massive following for this type of article on Medium. Please link where you did your research and any evidence to your story; this will help with your own credibility.

Intimate experiences

This subject always has a big following, although you need to be careful exactly what you write. For example, I recently got turned down for a publication because my article was “too graphic”.

I wish you the very best of luck on Medium, and I hope this will give some of your reader's inspiration on a topic to write about.

Written by Robert Ralph

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