This is a guest post by Fletcher Thompson.
It is easy to forget that a blog is out there for everyone to read, when you’re writing it from the protection of your desk in your own home (or parents basement if we want to perpetuate stereotypes). It will be read.
That is, if you know how to write content that people will want to read or that is likely to be found by a search engine. Knowing how to accomplish those two things is a big step in growing readership and increasing traffic to your blog. Writing about trending topics and current events is a great way to achieve that.
Find Connections
Let’s use an announcement of the Coachella line up as an example. Coachella became a trending topic on social networks and most searched term on search engines, in the anticipation of the release of the line up and the aftermath as the blogosphere discussed it. Having content related to Coachella on your blog would surely gain you traffic as everyone searched for information.
Yes, Coachella is a music festival. But music bloggers are not the only ones that could write relevant content related to the festival.
Think Creatively
There are so many other aspects of a music festival like Coachella that can be discussed. In this blog, I will break down all the various ways a blogger can relate content to a specific trending topic or event.
Foodie Blogs
There are always many great food vendors at music festivals. If you are a food blogger, or even just a foodie, you could discuss the vendors that will be at a specific festival, review the food or even suggest great snacks to keep you going throughout the day. I know I would read about that, as a frequent music festival attendee.
Camping and the Outdoor Blogs
People always camp at festivals too. That opens up a whole new can of worms. You could write about camping equipment. If you’re smart, you can even get some companies to send you the equipment to test out. Helpful tips on camping in the conditions of the area of the festival would also be great. Especially if it is information on how to stay clean and not smelly, when showering isn’t an option.
Travel Blogs
Not everyone camps at Coachella. This is Southern California, after all. You can review many of the hotels in the area, for those that cannot fathom going without a shower or air conditioning for a few days. Find out who has the best deals, accommodations and which offer wifi in the rooms.
Fashion Blogs
One of the best parts of attending music festivals is the people watching. Perhaps you’re a fashion blogger. Ready your camera phone and snap away. You’ll have great festival fashion to write about when you get home. You can also discuss the most comfortable clothes and shoes to wear at a music festival.
Equipment Blogs
Discussing the sound gear at a festival is another opportunity. They have to design the sound systems, so that there is no bleed between stages. There is an audience out there that is eager to learn how festivals do that. Plus, like in the example of Coachella, you have to make sure that 70,000+ people can hear the music going on at one stage. You could be the blogger that tells them.
Lighting is another topic, similar to sound, that you can blog about. Talk about the equipment they get for each stage and the people that are running it. Let’s say you write about the weather. Talk about what to expect from the weekend’s weather forecast and how to best prepare for it.
Event Blogs
Maybe you blog about organizing large events. Doing an interview with the Coachella organizers would surely yield a pearl or two of wisdom.
There are bound to be countless others that I have not even covered yet, but as you can see, you can cover one particular topic from a variety of angles and make it relative to your audience.
Capitalize and Attract Traffic
Capitalizing on the attention around trending topics or events is a great way to attract more traffic to your blog. There is probably a way to blog about any trending topic you can think of. All it takes is a little bit of creativity and determination.
Don’t just see music festival when you look at Coachella. See the people, places and things that make it what it is.
There are niche markets for every topic. Some audience may be bigger than others, but that does not mean the audience is not there. Hopefully Coachella will not be too upset when they have bloggers from all walks of life applying for press coverage, as I’ve just listed many of the ways that a blogger can cover a trending topic such as their festival!
Your Trending Topics Strategy
How do you capitalize on trending topics in your niche? Please share your strategies and tips in the comments!
