Creating consistent content day in and day out...that is also engaging and valuable...and that you can also be proud of...is freaking hard. Trust me, I’ve been there guilting myself that I haven’t put up a blog post in months but feeling so stuck on what the heck to even talk about I opt for another episode of Ghost Adventures instead of dealing with it.
When you’re trying to run and grow a business, it feels like a never ending tunnel of MORE, MORE, MORE. You have to create content for Instagram, your Facebook group, write blog posts, create freebies, send emails, build landing pages, do podcast interviews, write articles…..it’s a lot of work!
I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought to myself, “Is it all worth it?” And I’m guessing by the fact that you’re reading this post you can probably relate.
And as much as I hate to admit it to myself sometimes, YES. Yes, creating all of this content is important and necessary if you want to grow your business.
Why though?
Because by putting out consistent, valuable content, you’re building relationships with your audience. You’re helping them with their problems which leads to them trusting you and coming to you when they need more help! It also helps you to attract your ideal clients directly to you, which at the end of the day is going to increase your bottom line which is the goal of any business.
So yeah, kind of important.
So without further ado, here is a stockpile of ways that help me find inspiration when I’m drawing a blank!
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1. BRAIN DUMP
Brain dumping is one of my favorite ways to generate new ideas. You have them in you, they’re just sometimes locked away in a dusty old chest somewhere that you lost the key for. 😂
Whenever I do a brain dump, I always set a timer for 20 minutes. Because let’s be real, nothing gets the creative juices flowing quite like a deadline!
You can jot your ideas down on post-it’s, a notebook, your phone, or type like the wind. Just make sure you have no distractions! Turn your phone on airplane mode, put on your favorite playlist, and whatever pops into your brain jot it down!
And remember, this is a no judgment zone, and don’t worry about if it’s a “good” or “bad” idea. Just let your thoughts free flow! Maybe it’s a couple words, maybe it’s just a phrase, maybe it’s a question.
But just in case you still find yourself feeling stuck, I gotchu.
2. CREATE CONTENT BUCKETS
As much as I love a good brain dump, it can still be tough if you don’t have some sort of starting point. I’ve found it’s wayyy easier if you have a specific category in mind, then brainstorm from there!
So how do you figure out your starting point? You figure out your content buckets, my friend.
First, think about your niche or area of expertise. Not solid on that yet? Then just think about your end goal! What do you want to make your living doing? What are you going to be helping people with? What do you want to be known as the go-to resource for?
Once you have that, come up with 3-5 topics that will SUPPORT, and are in alignment with, this niche/end goal. These will be your content buckets.
So for me, my content buckets are music, entrepreneurship, mindset, social media, and lifestyle.
You want your buckets to be broad topics so that way all of the specific topics that fall within it = your content ideas. 😉
3. ASK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS
Give the people what they want! This is personally my favorite way to get content ideas. You can use the questions feature in your Instagram stories, ask via a social media post, send an email, tweet it, or all of the above!
PRO TIP:
Just make sure you keep the replies organized! Whenever someone tells you what they need, record the response in a spreadsheet, put it in a note on your phone, whatever works for you. Just make sure you write it down!
4. USE ANSWER THE PUBLIC
I recently discovered this website via some internet lurking and boy oh boy is it GOOD. All you have to do is head to answerthepublic.com, type in a keyword , and VOILA. The website conjurs up content ideas that people are actually SEARCHING FOR and asking about! Talk about hitting the easy button…!
5. EMAIL YOUR AUDIENCE
Same idea as #3. 😉
6. READ THROUGH POSTS AND COMMENTS IN FORUMS
Are there any Facebook groups or online forums specific to your niche or industry? Make note of them and set aside time once every week or so to go take a peek. Read through the posts and also the comments on posts. Are there any questions you seeing popping up repeatedly? Jot them down! These are usually a GOLDMINE.
7. LOOK AT GOOGLE SEARCH SUGGESTIONS
So you know how when you start typing something into Google and it starts auto-populating the rest of your sentence? That’s Google showing you what other people are actually searching for. See anything that looks relevant to you? Write it down!
The other place I like to look on Google is scrolling down to the bottom of the page and check out the “Searches related to…” section!
8. READ THROUGH BLOG POST COMMENTS
Similar to #6. Are there any well-read blogs in your niche or industry? Checking out the comments section of blog posts can be another place to see the kinds of questions, struggles, and concerns your target audience has!
9. INTERVIEW CURRENT OR FORMER CLIENTS
Why did they choose you over someone else?
Is there something that you do that they think you are just killin’ it at?
Ask and you shall receive. 😉
10. CHECK OUT PRODUCT REVIEWS
If you are in the physical product market, this is a GREAT way to find out where your competitor’s shortcomings are.
PRO TIP:
Sort the reviews to show 3 stars or less and read those! Go straight to the problems. This will tell you everything you need to know to make sure your product is better.
11. YOUTUBE COMMENTS
Are you seeing a theme here with looking at comments? Lol
Seriously though, comments are a market research (and content idea!) GOLDMINE!
12. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
Still feeling uninspired and like you have absolutely no clue what you’re doing? One of my favorite ways to help get some inspiration is reading the email newsletters of successful entrepreneurs I admire! I mean, they’ve gotta be doing something right, right? And I encourage you to go OUTSIDE of your industry for this one! Because sometimes you’ll draw incredible parallels and come up with super creative ideas by forcing yourself to look outside of your own little box.
13. CONTENT IDEA GENERATOR
Oh, didn’t know this was a thing? Yeah, you’re welcome. 😉
Here’s my favorite one!
BONUS TIP: SET UP A TRELLO BOARD
So I keep saying “write it down,” but that can be easier said than done if you’re not sure WHERE to do that. And believe me, if you don’t have a dedicated spot to keep everything you’re just creating a bigger mess for yourself. I personally use a Trello board to house all of my content ideas. I have it broken down into category, like entrepreneurship, mindset, monetization, etc. And then I fill in from there!
P.S. It’s free!
Very informative. You know, I think it would be worth making a video clip for your text. People perceive and assimilate information best by hearing. You can try using https://www.movavi.com/learning-portal/best-free-mp4-editors.html. I myself use this program and precisely because it is free, simple and multifunctional.