I used to run out of ideas, until I found this

If you’re like me, you’re constantly wracking your brain and the internet for topics for blog posts.

Along with stories and trends to keep your speaking engagements fresh.

Plus, you’re looking for PR opportunities based on current media topics.

If that’s you, too, you’re gonna like this one, people! I’ve got a resource that puts you in the know, each and every week.

We make this magic by leveraging what’s popular in talk radio.

Love it or hate it, talk radio brings the ears.

Two of the most popular shows on the airwaves, Rush Limbaugh and NPR’s Morning Edition routinely score 12.5 million listeners a week.

But you don’t have to win the radio guest-lottery to take advantage of talk radio’s popularity. Instead, you can exercise your influence by writing, talking or speaking about the topics that have people buzzing.

And no, you don’t have to scan the radio dial for hours! Just check out The Talkers Ten, the top weekly stories and people on talk radio in America.

In one sweet chart, you can find out what the top radio shows are talking about (hint: it’s probably what’s hot on the television news and online media, too.)

You can use the top weekly stories to spark interest in your material, grow your influence and show your expertise.

Start by scanning The Talkers Ten.

And think about your area of expertise. Can you offer insights on issues? Can you use these stories to share a tip or your own advice?

Let’s brainstorm a few ideas from this week’s Talkers Ten:

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving Boston Marathon bomber, is in the news for the penalty phase of his trial.

Psychologist/psychologist/therapists:

• The affects of peer pressure on teenagers
• The impact of sibling dynamics
• Brain development in teenage boys

Lawyers:

Death penalty considerations or answers to common legal procedural questions

The Deflategate Report and Tom Brady

Marketers:

What affect the report will have on the NFL’s image and value as a brand. What about Tom Brady’s image and value as a brand?

Lawyers:

What laws, if any, were broken? Who decides if and how someone will be punished in this situation?

Business experts:

What are the financial consequences of the news in this report?

Sport writers, commentators:

Who, if anyone, should be held responsible? What impact will this have on the game? The fans?

Parenting experts:

How to talk to your kids about cheating. Or fallen idols.

Presentation coaches:

Critique the messaging and body language of the speakers during the inevitable press conferences that follow every major news story. Use them as examples of effective communications or cautionary tales of “what NOT to do.”

And now, here are three ways that you can put this weekly wisdom to work growing your fame factor.

1. Contact your local radio or television shows to pitch yourself as a guest expert on one of these hot topics.

A while back I interviewed veteran television news producer Roshanda Pratt and asked where producers got story ideas. One of the top sources?

“National stories – we’d ask, what’s happening in the national news and how can we localize it?”

2. Write a blog post using one of the topics.

Copyblogger is absolutely masterful at delivering its advice wrapped in a pop culture reference.

• “The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words”
• “The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine”

A similar one from the HuffPo machine:

• “The Definitive Guide To Channeling Your Inner ‘Mad Men’ Character”

3. Write a post for LinkedIn’s Pulse.

Pulse is LinkedIn’s own professional self-publishing platform. When you post an article, you’re building your profile and tapping into exactly what your network is talking about around the virtual water cooler.

And if the LinkedIn gods select your post to recommend on the Pulse network…whoa nelly! You’ll be enjoying hundreds or even thousands of new eyeballs on your ideas.

(A variation on the LinkedIn idea: Publish a guest post on another website.)

Your fame boosting assignment:

Look at the list and brainstorm ways that you could tie your authority to one of these news topics.

Then, add The Talkers Ten to the list of websites you check on a weekly basis. You’ll get a flood of newsworthy story ideas to connect to your expertise.

You, my friend, are full of win.