What should you write about?

Or maybe you shouldn’t just “write”.

I know how difficult it can be sometimes to write and create content in general. You want to expose your readers to the best possible content, yet way too often you find yourself in the so-called “writer’s block” without having any indication when this terrible torture will end. Other times, you’re just a beginner trying to figure out what to focus on, yet the idea light bulb doesn’t seem to go off.

Many of you reading this are trying to figure out what to write about when it comes to your newsletter. The reason for that might be not having a clue where to start from or not being that confident about your writing. The good news is that having a newsletter can and should be about more than just simply “writing”. It should be about curation. If you look at it that way, curation may be the first step, writing comes second. This can be a remarkable source for inspiration in your writing. If you already know what you want to discuss and you have your articles picked out, the writing flow might come more naturally.

This article is for people who are starting a digest, are stuck and want to loosen up their creative spirit. So if you’re about to take your first steps into the world of curation and you don’t really know what your newsletter should be about, keep on reading! Get inspired by taking a look at our tips and the examples we’ve provided along with them!

What is curation?

First things first. Let’s talk about what curation really is. The process in its essence is a way of sorting through a lot of information, picking out what fits you and your purpose the most and then presenting it to others. But that’s just scratching the surface. We believe curation is more than that. Wouldn’t you agree that it is also about expressing an opinion? You make a statement with the content you share with your audience. Curation is a way of getting a certain message across. Think about it, you can use different types of content to do that. Articles, pictures, videos and so on.

If you get into the habit of of curating consistently and you put effort in it, you can get yourself on a radar for others to spot you, that might result in the right people taking interest in you! Who knows, it’s an ocean of opportunities out there :) A platform like Revue that focuses on curation is a perfect place for you to get the proper exposure and get on that radar.

Last but not least, curation is also about that detail, that extra mile you’re willing to go for your audience. And it all starts with passion and focus. Writing is great and somewhat necessary, but curation can be that secret little key to making a world of difference in your newsletter. Both compliment each other, yet curation can be that special something that sets you apart from the rest.

Moving on to what you can focus on? What should you write about?

Of course, a great way to go is by focusing on something you are passionate about and you know a lot about. So just start by thinking about your passions! What is that thing that sparks excitement in you? Is it your hobby? What better excuse to find time for something you love and get to learn more about it than having a digest dedicated to it? Get a discussion going with your audience and soon enough you’ll see that writing about your passions always pays off!

It might be about your profession, it might be about what you love to do in your free time. Writing and curating about that topic will simply give you joy every time you sit down to put your newsletter together, because it won’t feel like work. As long as you’re putting your heart and soul in this, let me tell you, others will see that and they will appreciate it. A great example for inspiration is Ross Chapman, who writes about UX design, eCommerce and other cool stuff. Then you have Music x Tech x Future which is an awesome digest about, well… you guessed it: Music, technology and the future by @basgras. Another super cool newsletter is Barista Hustle by @mattperger which specifically focuses on coffee or as he puts it “Views and news about the brews”.

What those three awesome Revuers have in common is their passion for what they’re writing and curating about. You can easily see that in their digests. So go ahead, think! What excites you? What makes you want to write about and express your opinion on?

Another good approach is to write about your professional projects. 
Show you know what you’re talking about. Build some credibility for yourself and your professional choices. Send your readers interesting articles that relate to what you’re doing right now, what’s happening with your company. A good strategy is to keep them updated on the projects you’re working on at any given moment. One of our users, a photographer, even shared with us that by sending out a newsletter to his clients in which he talks about his work, he regularly lands jobs out of it!

Thing is, the emphasis in your digest shouldn’t be on “selling” or “promoting” a product. It might be a great sales pipeline, as one of our users put it, but the most important part remains the usefulness of the content you provide your readers with. A great example for this is one of our own talented users, Gabriella Cleuren. Her digest contains not only interesting content for her readers but it also exhibits her own work!

Write about the future. If you’re interested in let’s say AI, VR, business or whatever it is, how about discussing the future of that chosen topic with your audience? What if you put yourself 5–20 even 50 years from now and think how a specific industry that you’re interested in will look like? Cool idea, huh? You can talk about innovative robots, flying cars or just how you imagine the world of startups will look like in 30 years from now. The stage is yours to experiment with what feels right.

Finally, when I sought advice on what to write about, a smart person once told to write about what angers me. To focus on what grinds my gears and express that with my words. So you might want do the same. If you can’t think of anything else that excites you or that you have a lot of knowledge about, just focus on your frustrations in a field of your choice. Then just channel those into your writing. Talk about how you think it should be, point out what’s wrong with it. Find materials that support your opinion, share them with your readers and try to spark a discussion. If you stick with it, eventually you might be on your way to becoming an opinionated thought leader since you might have a very different stand from others.