How to Come Up with Content for a Great Infographic

One of the best ways to attract interest in your blog is to publish an original infographic. Infographics are popular because the help visitors visualize data in a way that is interesting and engaging. Numbers can be boring. An infographic, though, is fun.

Making an infographic isn't always easy, though. You need to come up with interesting content that will draw your visitors in — and make them want to share the visual through their own social media channels.

Coming Up with an Infographic Topic

Your first challenge is to think about what your blog visitors want to know about. The best infographics answer a question for the reader or solve a problem. At the very least, the facts involved should have some bearing on your visitors' lives.

Make a list of questions that your audience might have about a topic of interest. If your blog focuses on life insurance, think about the concerns that some might have about dangerous jobs, and how often they result in death. You can also look at the costs that families incur after a primary breadwinner dies. If you sell health products, an infographic on the contents of various foods, or on the nutrients in certain produce, might be appropriate.

Your infographic should answer a question, using reliable data, that your audience has. Developing an infographic can be time-consuming, but you want to do it right, and you want to make sure that it will be relevant to your audience. And don't forget to choose a topic that lends itself well to visuals. You want to be able to include images.

How to Research Data for Your Infographic

There are lots of great places to find information that you can use for your infographic. Run a web search on “statistics” about the issue in question. Once you have an idea of what's out there, you can start looking for reliable sources. Some places that you are most likely to find reliable information include:

• Trade publications and web sites: If there is a trade association related to the subject of the infographic, there is a good chance that there are some solid stats that the association provides through its web site. The press release section can help you find links to the latest news, reports, surveys, and findings. Industry web sites can also be helpful.
• Government web sites: The government is all about numbers, data, and statistics. You can find a great deal of information by visiting these sites and doing a search. The Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Institutes of Health are all great resources. You can also check into international web sites, like the World Health Organization and the OECD for mostly reliable information.
• Research institutions: There are a number of research institutions and non-profits that offer interesting information and statistics. From the Tax Foundation to the Guttmacher Institute to the Heritage Foundation to numerous other research sites, you can find a great deal of interesting data.

As you sort through the data, though, make sure to measure the source. Some resources are more reliable than others, and there is also the chance that you could end up pushing an agenda (which isn't a bad thing if that's your aim).

Make sure you include your sources on the infographic so that your audience can see where you got the information. That's very important, since your readers will want to know that the information you present is “valid.”

If you don't want to do it yourself, you can also find a virtual assistant online to do the research for you.

What are your tips for creating a good infographic?