9 Ways to Generate Hot Topic Ideas for Your Information Products

One of the big questions new information producers have is what topics they should publish.

Back in journalism school, I had a professor who told us that to be successful we always had to know WIGO: What Is Going On. He recommended we be continually tapped into the myriad of information sources all around us.

That's sound advice, not just for journalists, but for information producers too. Learn to spot the hot themes that appear in the world around you. Below are 9 ways to get you started.

1. Read your local and national newspapers every day. Look for topics and themes that keep recurring. What makes the front page? What kind of experts are being quoted? Read the letters to the editor to see what topics are pushing people's buttons.
   
2. Listen to the radio and watch TV. Keep up to date, not just with the news, but also pop culture. Hot themes can manifest themselves in any format from sitcoms and music to fashion and home décor.
   
3. Pick up a couple of trade magazines that have nothing to do with your industry or profession. For example, if you're in financial services, you might choose Grocer Today and Professional Builder. Ask yourself what issues these different industries are facing, and what solutions they are using. Are there any parallels you can draw between them and you? Are there any ideas you can adapt?
   
4. Examine demographic trends. Demographics are statistics about a population that deal with characteristics such as age, sex, income, location and occupation. You can find this data at government resource sites. American Demographics magazine is also a good source.
   
5. Look at industry trends. How is your industry changing? What big issues are looming on the horizon? How will things such as new legislation or demographic changes affect the industry? Trade magazines and industry associations can help you find this information. Don't be afraid to call up an industry expert.
   
6. Scan the bestseller lists. What types of books are selling well? What problems or desires do these books address? Look for themes in both fiction and non-fiction titles.
   
7. Talk to clients. What questions do they ask you most frequently? Which of your services do they use the most and why? What big problems do they have that you consistently solve?
   
8. Talk to employees who work on client projects. What thought processes do they go through or tasks do they perform to complete the work? What skill sets do they have? What knowledge? Remember, what seems like old hat to you is often a revelation to clients and others outside your industry.
   
9. Call up a book publisher. Many publishers actively seek out books on a particular topic when that topic is hot. Find out what they're looking for. That should tell you where they think the money is.