Okay, so you’ve chosen a niche, started a blog, and written a few product reviews on your new affiliate site.
But now you’re stuck for ideas.
You know you can’t keep writing reviews only because you want to reach a broader audience, target more keywords, solve more problems, and establish your site as a genuinely useful and credible authority in your niche.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) you’re not alone.
I’ve repeatedly seen niche marketers struggle for content ideas once they’ve written a few product reviews and comparison posts.
Here’s an example from NicheHacks Facebook Mastermind.
Here’s another one
This guy on Quora has a similar problem
I’m not talking about general content ideas.
I’m talking about content ideas for affiliate blogs.
Blog post ideas that not only solve problems but also help you drive more sales and commissions.
Ideas that don’t seem promotional or salesy but still make money for you.
You struggle to find such ideas because your thought process is wrong.
You think about individual blog posts or search keywords when coming up with content ideas instead of looking at the broader needs of your audience.
In this post, I won’t give you a list of ideas or headline templates to fill your editorial calendar.
I’ll share unique content angles, with lots of examples, you can use to come up with unlimited ideas for your nice site.
No matter what niche you’re in, you can apply these angles to keep coming up with new content ideas.
Ready?
Here we go…
To discover 200+ profitable niche markets click the image below now…
What You’ll Learn In This Post
- How to never run out of content ideas for your affiliate site
- How to use closely related niches to generate unique content ideas
- Why you should always keep the problems of your readers in mind during idea generation
- How even the most boring niches can use creative angles to come up with amazingly engaging content
Understand Your Audience First
One of the primary goals of content creation is to provide value to your audience by publishing actionable and problem-solving advice that matches their interests.
But you can’t do that unless you actually understand what your audience wants.
So before coming up with any content ideas, research the hell out of your audience.
Find out their needs, wants, income level, location, hobbies etc.
Use free tools, databases, forums and competitor research to gather this data.
For example, you can use YouGov Profiles to get a sample persona of your ideal buyer based on real data.
You can find profiles based on interests, popular brands, magazines, personalities, or things people associate themselves with.
I searched for the term “veteran” and here’s what the site suggested.
Here’s the sample profile based on real data from more than 14000 people interested in the topic.
You can click on each of these categories like Professions or the Top States to get more details.
It’s a good place to start your search.
Then, of course, you have Facebook Audience Insights that gives you even more details about the likes and dislikes of your audience.
Simply search for the key interests of your target audience and Facebook Audience Insights will tell you everything about them from their gender and demographics to favorite brands and Pages.
You can gather additional information about your audience through sites like Quora and Reddit, competitor blogs, and industry-specific forums. And don’t forget to research the top keywords and search queries of your audience.
Once you have enough information, you can turn it into a proper buyer persona using the free persona generator tool by HubSpot
It asks you everything about your audience and gives you a consolidated profile that you can use while creating content and devising your marketing strategy
Keep this profile in mind when coming up with new content ideas and try to target the problems identified in it.
Once you’re done with this step, it’s time to move forward.
Here’s how you can use different creative angles to come up with unlimited content ideas for your affiliate site.
1. Talk About the Things Your Customers Desire
Amateur marketers talk about their products.
The experts, however, highlight the benefits of their product without actually focusing on the product itself.
They tell their readers what’s in it for them and highlight the things they desire.
You can apply the same strategy to find numerous content ideas.
List down the key benefits of your product.
- Think about why people buy it?
- What’s the value they’re trying to get out of it?
- What’s THEIR return on investment (ROI)?
Real benefits connect with the desires of your customers.
For example, which of these two headlines look more tempting and persuasive?
Source: HelpScout
The second one of course because it simplifies the message and focuses on the core benefit of the product.
People don’t buy products, they buy better versions of themselves.
For example, people buy mattresses for a good night’s sleep, for comfort, and relaxation.
To get up refreshed in the morning
To have an active day at work.
Not because of some fancy features.
Getting my point?
Think of content ideas from THEIR perspective.
Think of the titles that THEY would be interested in reading
Here’s a great example.
This blog makes affiliate commissions selling juicers, blenders and other kitchen appliances.
Here’s one of their most popular posts
Can you find juicers or blenders mentioned anywhere in this title?
The post focuses on the actual benefit that people get from juicers without actually promoting any product.
But within the content, they’ve linked to the juicer brands they’re promoting.
Smart, isn’t it.
Apply this to any niche you want.
Here’s an example from a blog promoting running shoes.
Do you see shoes mentioned anywhere?
Here’s another one.
And here’s a blog post from an affiliate site promoting mattresses.
Do you see the trend?
They’re making big money by promoting Amazon products, but all of their top posts focus on the benefits of the product instead of the product itself.
The trick here is simple.
List down the key benefits of your product and then use those benefits to come up with new content ideas.
Think of all the things your target audience wants to have.
Using this angle also makes readers much likelier to click on your affiliate links because the products are mentioned naturally and contextually in your content.
To discover 200+ profitable niche markets click the image below now…
2. Talk About the Fears of Your Customers
Now, look at point number one from another angle.
Instead of highlighting the benefits of your product, think of the problems your product is solving.
Problems that people can avoid if they use your product. Fears that bother them so much they’re prepared to spend a fortune to solve them. Think of all the undesirable things that your product can save your customers from.
Let’s take the mattress example again
See, we’re simply using a different angle for the same product.
The headline doesn’t mention mattresses and focuses on the fears of the target audience. Within the content, they’ve presented a certain mattress brand as a possible solution and linked to its sales page.
Here’s another niche website targeting baby care products using the same content strategy of targeting the fears of its audience.
Look at this post.
No mention of any product
But in the body content, they’ve linked to the products they’re promoting.
Again, you can apply this to any niche.
List down all the fears of your audience and think of ways your product can help them.
For every fear, you can come up with dozens of article ideas.
3. Create Detailed “How To” Tutorials of Your Product
Don’t just sing praises of your product all the time.
Also, tell and show your audience what they can do with it by creating detailed “How-To” posts and tutorials.
Think of all the different ways customers can use your product and then create content that can help them do it easily.
It’s a pretty common content angle that most affiliates already use.
For example, here’s a detailed post I did a few months ago on using Ahrefs
Or this detailed tutorial on using Hootsuite
Here’s an example of the same content angle in a different niche.
Here’s another one
This detailed Etherium guide by Unblock is another good example in a relatively new niche
All of these posts have affiliate links to the products they’re promoting.
This angle makes their content useful and gives value to the readers because of which they’re more likely to buy from them.
List down all the different ways your product can be used and come up with “How-To” post ideas for all of them.
4. Highlight the Common Mistakes of Your Target Audience
Ok now flip the last angle and focus on how NOT to use your product.
Think of all the common mistakes that people make or can make while using the product you’re promoting.
Again, this is applicable to every niche.
For example here’s a site promoting baby products like strollers, stroller fans, umbrellas and other relevant accessories.
They’ve used this angle perfectly
Here’s an article on a niche site promoting different brands of running shoes
This site promotes kitchenware and home appliances.
And this one promotes toothbrushes, oral hygiene products, and dental services
The negative angle works well because it evokes curiosity in the reader and forces him to read more.
You can use it by making a list of the common mistakes people make while using your product, all the wrong ways to use your product, or any misconceptions about your product that people have.
I’m sure you can extract dozens of article ideas using this angle.
5. Share Case Studies and Success Stories
Nothing builds trust and credibility more than a detailed and well-written case study.
Showing your prospects how someone used your product to solve a problem or achieve success is not only a great way to demonstrate its effectiveness but also a powerful strategy to persuade potential buyers.
A recent study found that more than 50{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of marketers consider case studies as the most effective content type when it comes to lead generation.
Source: Bright Talk
For some reason, I don’t see many affiliate marketers (especially newbies) use this content angle as frequently as they should.
But those who realize its effectiveness, never miss a chance to leverage the power of case studies.
Here’s a good example from Yaro’s blog.
Yaro is a well-known blogger and this case study (in which he promotes Aweber) must have brought him dozens (if not hundreds) of sales.
Here’s an example from a blog promoting swimming gear, a completely different niche from the previous example.
The title looks so convincing, doesn’t it?
And what about this post from a baseball affiliate blog
Ideally, you should only promote products that you’ve used yourself so that you can share personal experiences and recommendations.
But it can be hard to do this when you’re promoting a wide range of products from Amazon or any other retailer.
Does that mean you can’t use case studies?
Of course not!
You can quote other people and use their publicly available stories to find content ideas and create new posts.
Like this article.
Or this one
If you have good stories to tell about your products, you’ll never run out of customers.
To discover 200+ profitable niche markets click the image below now…
6. Share Tips and Best Practices for Using Your Product
Here’s another creative angle that can give you dozens of content ideas for your affiliate site.
Start sharing different tips, tricks and best practices for using the products you’re promoting.
Help your customers accomplish different tasks by using your product or share tips to prolong product life and help them gain more value out of it.
For example, here’s an article on an affiliate site primarily promoting different lights, lamps, and related equipment
This site promotes air conditioners and related equipment
And talking about niche sites, here’s an article from a site that targets a very specific niche – women automobile enthusiasts in New Zealand!
It’s an easy angle, isn’t it?
But to make it work, you need to be knowledgeable and passionate about your niche because you’ll need to share tips with your audience to accomplish different tasks with your product.
To brainstorm ideas, make a list of the most common ways people use your product. Also, think of the most common maintenance issues that people face with your product.
Then come up with multiple “XX Ways To Do XX” or “XX Tips To Do XX” or “XX Tips To Avoid XX” type posts for each issue.
You’ll have more content ideas than you can handle.
7. Use Expert Roundups To Gain Massive Traction
Expert roundups are one of my favorite content types.
In fact, whenever I’m short of ideas, I go for a roundup post because it not only helps generate new content but also drives massive traffic. Plus, readers love roundups because they get to hear so many different experts on one topic in a single post.
They’re particularly useful when you’re trying to build momentum for a new niche site.
We’ve done lots of expert roundups on NicheHacks as well.
Like this one
And this one
But the same angle works well in other niches as well.
Like this one
Or this one
There’s even an expert roundup on putting your baby to sleep
And it keeps getting weirder
I’ve found this angle used in niches I’d never heard of.
But if you look at it, the formula is pretty simple
“XX Experts Share Their Best Advice To Do XX”
It’s a template you can use in any niche.
Just keep coming up with new roundups to share advice about different things.
If you want to know more about how to create an expert roundup, read this detailed guide.
8. Connect Different Events and Holidays With Your Product
As an affiliate marketer, any events or holidays should be your favorite days of the year
Because these are the days when shoppers around the world go berserk.
Just look at these stats
- Alibaba sold more than $25 billion worth of merchandise on Singles Day in 2017
- Amazon’s Prime Day sales exceeded $1 billion in 2017
- Indian e-Commerce startup Flipkart sold more than $500 million dollars worth of merchandise in the annual Diwali season.
What does this tell you about e-commerce and events?
People love spending money during holiday and special events.
Which is why you should leverage such events to drive more traffic to your content and maximize your affiliate sales.
Again, this applies to just about any product niche.
Have a look at some of these examples.
Promoting mattresses?
Here’s how you connect with Valentine’s Day
Can’t think of any New Year ideas for your product?
Look how this handbags affiliate has connected two completely unrelated things.
Selling hair extensions and beauty products? Lots of ideas for Christmas
And here’s how you connect a serious niche with a fun event
And what about this one! Really creative.
Blogging about pregnancy and early childhood products? Here’s how you sell on Mother’s Day
See, you can build connections between your product and an event to come up with new and engaging content ideas.
So how do you do this?
Make a list of all the events and holidays in a calendar year.
If you’re operating in a certain country only like China, India, Russia, USA or any other, add local events to your list as well.
Then start thinking of different ways to connect your product with each event.
You can share product usage ideas, gift ideas, or any other angle that your audience likes.
It’s a great way to cash in on holiday traffic spikes.
9. Create Product Roundups for Your Niche
Okay, so you’re in a weird niche and have run out of content ideas.
It’s time to turn to the good old product roundup post.
Yes.
Just go to Amazon (or any other affiliate network that’s relevant to your niche), make a list of 11,23,37,49, or 101 (or any other fancy number of) products based on any predefined criterion like price, popularity, uniqueness, freshness etc., describe each product in a few lines and press publish.
You can make posts like
- 27 Most Popular Running Shoes Ideal for Beginners
- 17 Cheap But High-Quality Mattresses To Guarantee You a Good Night’s Sleep
- 33 Refreshingly Unique Products To Help You Overcome Anxiety and Depression
- 11 Amazingly Lightweight Wheelchairs To Help You Move Around Like an Athlete
Don’t just take my word on this, look at how other affiliate sites are using this angle to drive traffic and bank big commissions
This is a BuzzFeed post that links to multiple antidepressants, toys and gift items on Amazon.
This one’s from a niche site that primarily targets people with mental illnesses.
You can use this angle even if you’re in a boring niche.
And I mean REALLY boring.
Like welding
But it works well in more lively niches as well.
I can keep adding more examples like this one.
Got the point?
Now it’s up to you to use this content angle in different ways (price, popularity, relevance) and combine it with other angles as well (Best Products for Christmas etc.)
You can add even more value to such posts by turning them into product comparisons and by helping your readers choose the best product like this post which not only lists the best e-commerce platforms but also compares them.
To generate more ideas using this angle, think of your primary niche and all the associated sub-niches.
Take “22 Essential Gadgets Your Kitchen Needs Now” as an example.
You can so easily apply the same angle to the sub-niches of kitchenware.
“22 Different Types of Cutlery Your Restaurant Needs”
“11 Artistic Japanese Crockery Items To Lighten Up Your Dinner Table”
“7 Essential Uniform Items for First Time Bakers”
The more you think about the different niches associated with your primary niche, the more ideas you’ll be able to generate using the same content angle.
To discover 200+ profitable niche markets click the image below now…
10. Share Free Online Tools and Apps With Your Audience
All the content angles I’ve shared till now will not only help you engage your readers and bring more traffic but also boost your product sales.
However, this particular content angle might not make you as much money
But it’s still great for building rapport with your audience by giving them unconditional value, which ultimately translates into future sales.
So there’s no harm in using it occasionally.
Here’s how it works.
Choose any task or problem that your audience wants to solve and find free online tools and apps that can help them solve it.
You can also include premium tools in your list to make it profitable for you in the immediate run as well.
Like this post, we did a while back here on NicheHacks
Or this one with the same angle but a different category
Let’s see how affiliates in other niches are using this angle.
Alcohol addiction is a big niche with a passionate following. This post shares free tools to help people maintain sobriety.
Cooking recipes, another popular niche.
If you’re in the personal finance niche, here’s a good example for you
But what if you’re in a niche where apps aren’t so useful?
No problem, try looking for apps or tools for other related interests of your audience.
For example, if you blog about handbags or jewelry items, you won’t find any good apps for these products.
But women who’re interested in handbags also want to know about the latest fashion trends, right?
And what about sharing free apps and tools to design your own jewelry?
The truth is that you can find apps for almost any product niche these days.
Recommending free and paid apps from time to time is not only a good way to provide additional value to your readers but also opens up new revenue generation opportunities.
11. Recommend the Best Books in Your Niche
Just when you thought they’re gone, books have made a comeback.
Over the last few years, book sales around the globe are steadily rising. Which is why it’s a great idea to share useful and insightful books to your readers from time to time.
Just head over to Amazon and search for books related to the different facets of your niche. Put together all the books in a blog post, add your own thoughts for each of them, and hit publish.
It’s just amazing to see the number of books you can find on Amazon on ANY given topic
For example, if you’re promoting gaming consoles, gaming mouse, keyboards or anything else that has to do something with gaming, you can publish a post like this one.
If you’re in the pregnancy or post-pregnancy niche, here’s an example for you
Or if you’re promoting digital cameras and photography equipment, here’s one for you.
Sharing the best, the most popular, or the newest books about any topic in your niche is a great way to give value to your readers, keep them engaged, and earn additional commission.
To discover 200+ profitable niche markets click the image below now…
Are You Ready to Create More Content?
Seriously, if you use each of these angles for your niche blog, you can generate more content ideas than you can handle in the next 12 months.
Just put your creative hat on and start thinking about the needs of your audience and how you can use these content angles to fulfill them.
Content creation should never be a problem again.
I’d love to know what you think about it.
The post 11 Creative Ways To Generate Unlimited Content Ideas for Your Affiliate Site appeared first on NicheHacks.
SOURCE: Affiliate Marketing – NicheHacks – Read entire story here.