1. Repurpose your existing material. Convert your promotional brochures, workbooks, audios, DVD into interesting articles to promote your business. Give it a new lease of life with a different twist, approach or angle e.g. local versus global.
    
2. Dig in your knowledge and experience. You can explain a step-by-step technique or write about a solution to a common problem your clients have experienced.
    
3. Keep a log of all the questions that pop to your mind and remain unanswered. Chances are, other people would like those answers too. Share your information in an article when you find the answer. For example, “How can I write articles faster?” could produce an article ‘Three Strategies to Write Articles Faster’?
    
4. Browse shelves of libraries and bookstores. They are a source of topics that publishers have researched for you. They publish only books they believe will sell. Don’t they?
    
5. View TV and videos to get your creative juices flowing.
    
6. Check your inbox for feedback and queries from potential or existing clients. Their unsolicited input will guide you on your choice of articles to write. Give them what they want.
    
7. Survey clients, colleagues or social media group members to gather information about their areas of interest and concerns.
    
8. Observe people. Real life examples will liven up your articles with material that resonate with readers. What a good excuse to justify ‘people watching’ next time you’re sipping a cup of coffee at Gloria Jean’s or Starbucks.
    
9. Search blogs, forums, discussion boards, LinkedIn Q&A, Google groups to identify issues, problems and solutions that people in your target market are discussing.
    
10. Review books and products. You can also review the reviews.
     
11. Interview top people in your field. Readers will welcome valuable professional insights.
     
12. Check Amazon’s best sellers list. Study readers’ reviews to find their likes and dislikes. Armed with this knowledge, you can create popular articles.
     
13. Check eBay Pulse http://pulse.ebay.com for a daily snapshot of current trends and hot picks. It also shows popular eBay searches, stores and products.
     
14. Look at the affiliate marketplaces such as Clickbank.com http://www.clickbank.com and CommissionJunction.com http://www.cj.com for products to review and earn an affiliate commission with any sale generated from your review.
     
15. Read Yahoo answers and ‘Ask the Expert’ columns. Great material for ‘how to’ articles.
     
16. Read actuality e.g. popular magazines, newspapers and media releases for topical information that will prompt new ideas.
     
17. Follow conversations on social network sites e.g. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for trendy topics.

Read, read, read... online and offline, from junk publication to more serious books to trigger new ideas and get your creative juices flowing.