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5 Reasons You Should Write About Topics Covered Elsewhere

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One of the things that often comes up as I am suggesting blog topics for clients is “Why should I cover this topic when it’s been covered by other blogs?” It’s a great question – most businesses and bloggers think that they should only write about things seldom covered.

While you do want to cover unique topics, you might also want to consider tackling the common topics as well. Here are five good reasons why.

1. You want to be the main resources in your niche.

Sure, there are already 37,700 exact results for pages with how to increase Twitter followers in the title.

But as a social media blogger, consultant, or business, do you really want someone to have to leave your blog to find a guide about how to increase their Twitter followers just because you didn’t want to cover something you considered overdone? Probably not.

Why? Because anytime someone has to leave your blog to find content, they could easily end up purchasing products or services from your competitor simply because they covered the topics that you didn’t.

2. You want your blog to rank in search results for particular keywords.

When the new Facebook timeline profiles came out, everyone naturally wrote about them.

Although I don’t rank as well as I did before, I did receive lots of traffic from search for Facebook timeline, unsubscribe Facebook timeline, new Facebook timeline, and 42 other variations.

It doesn’t matter how many other sites cover a particular topic. You can still rank well in search for keywords related to the topic and reap the incoming traffic rewards.

3. Your audience wants to know your thoughts on a particular topic.

There is a good chance that you have traffic and subscribers to your blog for a reason – because they want to know your thoughts. This means that they want to know your favorite blogging tips and blogging tools. Sure they can find other lists out there, but they want to know more about the tips you suggest and what tools you use.

Don’t underestimate yourself – you probably have unique insights into lots of topics already covered on other blogs simply because you have experiences that others may not. So be sure to share them. If it makes you feel better, read a few similar titles by other blogs – there’s a good chance you’ll be sitting there going “Hey, why didn’t they mention how to do ___.”

4. The last time the topic was covered was so long ago, it’s out of date.

One of the beautiful things about the online marketing niche is that something written even a month ago could easily become out of date thanks to algorithm updates, new layouts, upgrades, and other changes made by major search engines, social networks, and technologies.

So maybe you could find 44,500 exact results for pages with WordPress tutorial in the title. But chances are a good majority of those are out of date and applying code found within those posts would cause a small disaster on your blog.

What you want to be is the latest person to cover a particular topic, that way those searching for the newer material would find your blog post.

5. You could get listed in a roundup post about a particular topic.

As someone who loves to curate the latest blog posts about a specific topic, I know that while lots of people cover the same topic, they almost all provide unique insights into that topic. Since roundup posts are increasing in popularity, especially in the online marketing niche, writing about a topic that a lot of others cover could easily get you into a roundup post on a high profile blog. This means more traffic and a shiny new backlink to your blog!

Are you apprehensive about covering topics lots of other blogs write about? Or do you see the benefits of having the information on your own blog? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Image © Stauke – Fotolia.com

About

Kristi Hines is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and copywriter who develops blog content, ebooks, emails, lead magnets, and website copy for marketing agencies, B2B, and SaaS.

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{ 36 Responses }

  1. Sareena says:
    Hi Kristi, Excellent post!! I accidentally stumbled upon the post and found it be informative. I am really gonna adapt the strategy for my blog. I liked the #3 point. It is true that readers often like to know their bloggers opinion about a particular topic even if its is already covered because they value the words of their favorite bloggers. Thanks for the wonderful post :) The post can really help newbie bloggers like me a lot. Regards, Sareena
  2. Rahul Kuntala says:
    Fantastic post, Kristi! Love the way you've crafted the post, and I definitely agree with all of your points (especially with #1). All I can say now is, I'm gonna consider your advice and digging into the topics which I love to cover on my future posts. Thanks for the great share.
  3. Vijay Reddy says:
    Ya, topic may be same but representation of the post will be different, also if you rank well to beat the other blog for that topic you get great traffic....
  4. Tim Potter says:
    Just because a blog is related to X does not mean that you can not try and incorporate areas that fit your niche market into it. I am working on a blog for the new Facebook search. There are tons of articles on the web concerning this. Yet I want to make if fit my niche market which is Expat Travel in the Philippines. So I will include all those things that fit my niche market however I will also cover all the great features of Facebook's new search engine. So reading this has given me insight on how to dabble out side of my market but stay true to what I post. Thank You. Awesome post gives me more and more Ideas.
  5. Doina says:
    This is really a-maz-ing peace of writing. though all points are valuable and keep to remember in the selection of topic. I look so much into #5 for the selection of topics. Its really true and practical.
  6. vicky says:
    I liked these points and I am going to keep them in mind when searching for a blog post. The 2nd point is well etched in my mind and I am surely gonna use it more. Writing so thst my blog ranks for a particular keyword will help in bringing more traffic. Thanks Kristi.
  7. Ray says:
    I think it would probably be difficult to write about something so unique that it has never been covered before. Then again, you never know. I guess it's possible. It does make sense to write about something rather than sending a visitor elsewhere to find what they are looking for.
  8. Suzanne Carter says:
    One thing to bear in mind when you are worrying about covering a topic you may feel has been done to death is that those other blogs have not been in your voice. I spend a lot of my day reading, reading and reading and I only truly engage with some blog posts because I like the author's voice.
  9. Joshua says:
    One of the MAIN reasons I like to write about the topics which covered by other people already is: if other people write about it and if it gets attention, then there is market there. Why to try to find a unique angle when you can spend more effort to dig into existing pool. If there is a competition, then there is definitely good money there, so I will always write about evergreen topics at the same time with other posts.
  10. KC White says:
    Loved this post! It was just the thing I needed to hear in order to overcome my insecurities as a newbie blogger. My topic (web/blog design) is pretty common and I've been spinning my wheels for ages wondering how to stand out in a crowded niche. Here I am a year and a half later with little-to-no progress because I've been suffering from analysis paralysis. I've come to understand that it's more important to get out there and DO something, rather than be paralyzed by fear & over-analysis.
  11. Gautam says:
    I totally Agree With You and How Could Small Bloggers Get Current and new News.. So they can Cover The Topic Covered Elsewhere... I am also ranking good for them..
  12. Ed says:
    Interesting post. I have noticed that I get more traffic for topics that there are a lot of other posts about on the internet already.
  13. James says:
    I am a starting blogger myself and I find this really helpful. Thank you for the five writing hacks suggestions you mentioned
  14. Vivek says:
    Write a blog post on the topics which are already discussed a lot of time helps author is many ways. The most important thing is, now you don't need to perform in depth research on the topic, since it available all around. Thanks for the great post.
  15. DJ says:
    Great tips. A lot of people try to stray away from posting about topics covered elsewhere because they want to be different. But they don't realize that by giving their own insight and opinion on a topic, the post will be different than all of the other blogs talking about the same thing.
  16. charansingh says:
    as a social media blogger, consultant, or business, do you really want someone to have to leave your blog to find a guide about how to increase their Twitter followers just because you didn’t want to cover something you considered overdone? Probably not.
  17. Chris Glidden says:
    Great list! These are some very important aspects to keep in mind while new bloggers like myself begin to write about topics. Doing a basic google search on a blog topic can be daunting. It is nice to get input from established bloggers.
  18. Shyam Sunder says:
    That was informational. I really liked point 1 & 3.Usually I don't like to write on topics that are so common and a lot has already been written about them.But your post makes me to think again.Thanks for the awesome post.
  19. Nikhil Phirke says:
    Great Post kristi, Many bloggers tell newbie to write about unique things, I'll surely direct the new bloggers to this article.
  20. Sapna says:
    HI Great post! I have been here for the first time but I think this won't be the last. I was really down and out as I have seen most of the points I know have already been covered and covered so well, but now this gives me a difference perspective to my thinking. Thanks for the pep talk. Sapna
  21. Philip Bean says:
    It always good to stop worrying you mind just by writing down what you have in your mind on a piece of paper. You have given many ways to come up with excellent topics for websites without boring your visitors. Thanks for you’re sharing.
  22. Samuel says:
    Don't worry about the amount! All you have to worry is to present it to the best of your ability and make it the greatest! Right Kristi, your thoughts are the most important to you and the audience might as well be interested :)
  23. Martin Casper says:
    Hi Kristi...thanks! One of the most challenging aspects of blogging that I have seen in individuals that I work with is fear. Fear of projecting their thoughts. Fear of what someone might think if they disagreed with another blogger, even though they know it is ok to disagree in a kind, professional manner. When one realizes that they have value, that they have knowledge that someone needs, then they become a force for success. I really like what you discussed about taking a topic that has been hashed and re-hashed, but maybe old and needs a re-fresher. Find your niche and capitalize on it.
  24. Jeet says:
    @Kristi: That's a post I am going to show to a LOT of people who tell me to only write on new topics. Your personal take on every topic can be different and you don't need to just rehash what's already online. The round-up tips will probably make more people write on popular and trending topics ;)
  25. Jules says:
    Hi Kristi, This is such a great post! As blogger our aim is to attract people with what we had posted in order to increase the traffic our sites. It is very important to cover the topics that it is relevant to your products. The content is very important as you have lots of competitors out there, when people find your content interesting they end up purchasing your products. You have excellent post! :)
  26. Steve says:
    All very good points. Posting about relevant topics is the best way to generate traffic and take over a niche market on the web. I was amazed at how well Bleacher Report managed to smoke the vast majority of sports news agencies and is right up there with ESPN for the latest news on the web. They managed to do it by pumping out large amounts of relevant content about every single relevant sport and team in the nation.
  27. Darnell Jackson says:
    Good one Kristi, One way I've found to "hack the system" is to watch how news stories progress on Google. Follow a popular story from the time that it breaks throughout the day. Notice how the new headline titles appear to fill in angles that earlier writers missed. 800 am: BREAKING NEWS Acme co files bk 830 am: Acme co bankrupt scandal rocks markets 900 am: CEO behind Acme co breaks silence The story is like a conversation that starts and doesn't end. All you have to do is substitute the story for your keyword and start making really good points that everyone else missed.
  28. Kiranbabu says:
    Great post. I am a newbie blogger and at first i ignored the content written by others and by reading this i got to know how to make more out of old content... thank you...
  29. Robert Kraus says:
    Great post Kristi. I had been wondering if it would be a good idea to write blog posts based on what I find in other articles. You've given me 5 good reasons to do it. Thanks, Robert
  30. mohit chauhan says:
    hey Kristie a great list of tips by you. I really like the idea of roundup blogs, it appears to be beneficial and couldn't agree more with points 3 and 4. There a lot of topics on which we might know better than others but we simply don't recognize that and underestimate ourselves. Also, fresh content even on similar topics attract people to explore and search more. Thanks for the info
  31. Rajkumar Jonnala says:
    I would write on any topic only on my blog given any kind of competition. Because. don't ever think the topic is too much for you. Every one learns by mistake. I always advice take chances in your blogging carrier.
  32. Nishadha says:
    Some really good ideas. Another reason could be that the existing ones doesn't cover it in detail and you think you can do a better job of it. With so many blogs and websites it's almost impossible to write about something that isn't covered already. The thing you can do is improve upon it.
  33. Servando Silva says:
    Hello Kristi. Some years ago when i had a tech Blog, I used to review samples for many brands. Because of my location, I was probably one of the last medias to receive products (compared to all USA big medias) and I still had to do the job. Instead of lacking enthusiasm, I´d take advantage of this by reading and going over all the reviews to analyse the pros and cons and summarise everything on my own review. If one media covered an specific thing and another did a great job on another topic, I'd take more time to analyse both and offer a better reading for my readers with my unique point of view. That way my site could be the number 1 resource with the best review from all, and steal the thunder of the rest who got the samples first. And considering Tech (phones, tablets, computers and everything I used to review) evolves very fast, I think the blogging market isn't that difficult at all. There´s always good content you can create and still be unique with the points you mentioned. Great post.
  34. prem says:
    Hi kristi Quite an informative post for newbie bloggers like me. I have many times given up on topics I have thought of as I found plenty of such in search engines. I was also wondering if my updated post will become obsolete in sometime but that's the way it is!! Thanks . I ll take this as an inspiration
  35. Andrew says:
    Nice post. I think #4 is an especially good one to think about. I've had many occasions where I found a topic that seemed to be covered to death, but with a little closer look many of the posts were out of date. Keeping things up to date and current, even if they are quite popular themes, is a great way to stand out from the competition.
    • Rosemary Willingham says:
      #3... Don't underestimate yourself. Most often we think the other person is smarter. However, their are those who are waiting to hear about your experiences, which may enhance their growth. Great post. Rosemary Willingham