How to spice up content for boring topics

There are no boring topics. There are only boring writers. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “That’s easy for you to say. You’re a pro.” But it’s true. I don’t care who you are or what you do – there will come a time in your life when you will have to write about a topic you are less than thrilled about it. It’s even worse when you are required to make this topic interesting for other people. It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but it can be done. 

Sure some people might argue that writing interesting content relies heavily on thorough research, awesome sources, and an interesting gimmick. But I’m here to say that thought is wrong. Having great research and interesting sources can help, but it’s not necessary to write interesting content. All you need to do is ask the right questions and then answer them. Don’t believe it’s that easy? 

Let’s practice with a topic that may be considered boring: Door Knobs. At first glance, it seems like a completely mundane topic. That is until we come up with a few interesting questions surrounding the typical who, what, where, how, and why. 

Here’s some I came up with in five minutes: 

– What are some cool ways to decorate a doorknob?
– At what temperature is a door knob too hot to touch?
– Who invented the door knob?
– How can you fix a broken door knob?
– What is the world record for the biggest door knob?
– Do door knobs have to be made out of metal?
– Why do all door knobs generally appear to be the same size?
– Where can I get door knobs that match French doors.?
– What type of hardware is needed to install a door knob?

Some of these questions may still seem extremely boring. However, asking out-of-the-box questions like these are what great stories are made of. They go beyond the expected and give detail in the seemingly ordinary things. Visiting sites such as Answer Bag, Quero, Profnet, Yahoo! Answers, Reddit or WikiAnswers can also give some insight into boring topics. Millions of people find these questions interesting and are searching for the answers. You have the power to provide them with one. Suddenly, boring topics don’t seem so boring anymore… at least it’s not for the intended audience.