What can a business write about?

During my copywriting training workshops, it is not unusual for someone to say that they find it difficult to think of what to write about for business blogs, social media updates, press releases and newsletters.

If you are faced with the ‘what can a business write about’ challenge, you are not alone.

Here is a checklist of topics and ideas, presented in alphabetical order:

CHARITY
Charities that you support

COMPANY
Company expansion
Merger or acquisition
Opening a new office

CUSTOMER
Case studies about your customers
Client signup
Customer service, new forms of
Customers, ask them what they would like you to write about
Customers, new, increase in numbers

EVENTS
Exhibitions or events where you have an exhibition stand
Open days, i.e. to attract new staff
Speaking at an event, conference etc
Workshops or seminars that you are running

EXPERTISE
Expert opinion or statement on a current news item

FAQ
Produce a Frequently Asked Questions list

FAILURE
People are fascinated by failure. If you don’t believe me, pick up a newspaper and skim through the pages; you will find examples of entrepreneurial, government, family and technology failure. If your enterprise has failed and learned from the experience, consider writing about it. It would be a refreshing change, wouldn’t it?

FINANCIAL
Annual financial results
Investments that you have made in your enterprise

GOING GREEN
Carbon neutral announcements
Energy reduction programmes
Sustainability programmes

INDUSTRY
Industry (i.e. the industry or sector you operate within) events or news

LEARNING
Certificates or learning accreditations that you have been awarded.  Company wide learning initiatives. Training programmes that you or your colleagues have attended.

LOCATION
Moving offices, moving location or launching into new markets

MARKET RESEARCH
Market research results, surveys etc

MARKETING
Marketing campaigns that you are launching

MEDIA (PRESS) RELATIONS
Media (press) coverage

NATIONAL DAYS
Visit: https://www.awarenessdays.com/venue/united-kingdom

PARTNERSHIPS
Partnership with another enterprise

PATENTS
Patents, inventions or new ways of doing things

PREDICTIONS
Predictions that you are making (especially at the start of the year)
Trends that you have noticed

PRICE
Price changes (especially price reductions); however, a price rise may also be worth writing about, in that customers may wish to buy now, before the price increase

PRODUCTS / SERVICES
New services or products / New ways to use your products or services
Product or service tips and helpful ideas

PROMOTIONS (MARKETING)
Free shipping
Sale, special offers, incentives etc

RECOGNITION
Award events that you are holding
Awards given to your enterprise
Awards given to members of staff
Standards achieved (ISO etc)

SEASONAL
Seasonal topics including new products and seasonal advice

SOCIAL MEDIA
Hashtags, comments received, number of followers reached

SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorships that you have won or are providing

STAFF
Human interest stories
Inspirational stories
Personnel changes including new members of staff and long serving staff who are retiring

TECHNOLOGY
Technology that you have started to use i.e. cloud-based services, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, robotics

TIME RELATED
Anniversaries, i.e. the date or year that your enterprise was founded
The length of time that your most popular product or service has been around

TRADE / PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Tie-ins or other news

TRAINING
Training programmes that you are running

VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering to help a good cause

WEBSITE
Website, new – particularly if it has some interesting features and content

WEIRD NEWS
The world’s most expensive ______ / Youngest _______ appointed

WRITING
Books or e-books that you are writing or have published
Book recommendations that you are making
Reports or white papers that you are publishing

I hope that this ‘what to write about’ checklist is helpful. I am writing a book on copywriting and the above is an extract from the book.