Feeling stuck with generating fresh content ideas? You're not alone.
Many individuals like yourself sense that content templates aren't the ultimate solution, but finding an alternative approach seems daunting. Perhaps you're not confident in your writing abilities, or you simply lack the time to brainstorm extensively. Moreover, without a comprehensive content strategy to guide you, the task becomes even more challenging.
What is Content Creation?
Fast fact
Key takeaway
While I typically emphasize the importance of establishing a content strategy as a starting point, I also empathize with the struggles faced by entrepreneurs and small business owners.
That's why I've compiled three innovative methods to help you consistently generate engaging content ideas that will power your distribution channels:
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1. Use Google Alerts to generate content ideas
Set up your Google account and use https://www.google.com/alerts to "monitor the web for interesting new content". Simply type in the keyword most related to your industry or product, and it will feed you a bunch of articles and headlines of related content from today to how many days ago you wish to see.
I check this daily. I visit articles that look interesting down the list and copy down any attention-grabbing titles. I then log all this information onto my trello dashboard (2023 update - now changed to Loomly) and combine them into articles or posts I can write and publish on my respective channels.
2. Leverage subcultures
One of the problems many people face is they feel like they have run out of things to say. They have already posted everything about their product, brand, or service, and anything they write seems repetitive and boring. This issue arises from a lack of understanding in content marketing. However, there is a relatively quick fix: investing in subcultures.
Let's take the example of owning a restaurant. The obvious subjects for creating content would be the food, the venue, bios of the chefs and team members, customer testimonials, and behind-the-scenes insights into the business. However, by identifying and investing in a specific subculture related to your brand, such as fine dining, eating out, a popular ingredient craze, or even events like #girlsnightout, you can differentiate your brand and gain new inspiration for content creation.
By aligning with a relevant subculture, your brand not only stands out, but it also opens up exciting possibilities for content creation. Your owned channels will no longer solely focus on the brand itself, but also encompass certain lifestyles, bringing you closer to producing truly valuable and captivating content.
3. Answer questions
People run out of ideas on what content to create because they are only trying to initiate conversations instead of responding to existing threads. One easy way to create a lot of new content is to look at what people are asking.
Find out what people are asking is via platforms like https://answerthepublic.com/. Simply type in your industry or related keywords and see the how, what, why, and where people search for in relation to your keyword.
You can also find out what people are asking by simply searching for your industry or related keyword on forums such as Reddit and Quora.
What you would find are a lot of very inspiring posts and ideas that you can create content to answer to. This kind of research is also highly beneficial for you to further understand your target audiences and your SEO opportunities.
Here are some more ideas:
Source: Stefanie Marrone, socialmediabutterflyblog.com
The Ultimate Solution: Having a Content Strategy
Remember, these methods are just the beginning. Stay open-minded, experiment with different techniques, and adapt them to suit your unique needs and industry. With a little creativity and persistence, you'll overcome the content idea roadblock and embark on a journey of continuous inspiration and success.
However, it's essential to bear in mind that these quick-fix options may consume a significant amount of time as you wander somewhat aimlessly in search of content ideas. That's why, as I always emphasize, the easiest and most effective solution is to devise your content strategy and identify your content pillars right from the start. By doing so, you establish a solid framework to guide your content creation efforts, ensuring that each post contributes to your key learnings and helps refine your overall content approach.
So, let this be your reminder to invest the time and effort upfront to develop a comprehensive content strategy. It will serve as your compass, directing your content creation efforts and ensuring that each piece aligns with your long-term goals. Embrace the journey of content creation, constantly iterate and refine, and watch your business flourish through the power of engaging and impactful content.
More Resource
 | Looking for practical content creation tips to stir your brain juice and follow as you execute your content? Start with our Super Guide on Acing 7 Content Formats! |
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