I’ve written for Fast Company, Forbes, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Parents, Fox Sports, Golf Digest and many more. In fact, blogging is how I made a huge career shift over nine years ago from corporate attorney to sports business analyst for ESPN. And it served me again a few years ago as I decided to start my own business and become a publicist.

One of the most common questions I get asked is how I choose the topics I pitch to publications. In fact, I find that most people are doing the process backwards, so here are my best tips to coming up with topics to pitch!

First, I keep a running list in Evernote of my blog topic ideas.

Here are the typical ways I get an idea to add to the list:

• A client or social media follower asks a question
• I find myself explaining the same thing to clients or potential clients over and over again
• I make a mistake in my business that I learn from
• I have a success in my business that I can share with others by giving actionable advice on how I got there
  
  

It’s all about being aware of what’s going on in your own business and around you. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find inspiration everywhere. My list in Evernote is so long, I’ll never write all those blogs! 

If there’s a topic I feel particularly passionate about, I’ll find somewhere to submit it right away. 

For example, one particular piece I wanted to write was about public speaking, so I did a Google search to see which sites covered public speaking the most often. Entrepreneur, Inc. and Fast Company were all up there, and I ultimately chose Fast Company.

This is where I see people get it backwards. 

They have their eye on a specific site, and then they try to come up with a topic that works for the site. You can do it that way, but I often find my clients trying to shoehorn in a topic they really want to write on a site that just isn’t the right fit. 

Your best writing will always come from what you’re passionate about, so pick your topic first…then find the outlet it fits.

Give this strategy a try, and let me know how it goes for you!

P.S. Want to read that article I submitted to Fast Company? Check it out here.

If you need some tips on getting started, check out my free guide on How To Position Yourself For Free Publicity. You’ll get my expert advice on how to position yourself for loads of FREE publicity, including everything from guest blogs and podcast interviews to radio, TV, and speaking gigs. Download it here to get started!