While we all know the importance and the impact of good content for any business. But the truth is there are times when writer’s block is real, and we run out of content ideas. Not being able to come up with fresh content ideas can be super frustrating and leave you feeling stuck.
When you’re under pressure to produce new content, repeating old ideas or coming up with set-and-forget content can be tempting. If you ever find yourself wondering, “What should I write my next social post about?” we’ve got some winning ideas for you!
In this blog, we’ve put together our top tips and methods to help you generate fantastic content your audience will love and engage with. No more struggling with writer’s block – let’s get creative!
The Secret to Content Ideation: Questions!
It’s important to be in a problem-solving mindset before you try to brainstorm content ideas. You’re aiming to address the issues and concerns your target audience may have about your business, your industry or even your offering.
In other words, you are looking for questions. It could be things people ask aloud, things they search for, or things they ponder.
By drilling down into the pain points of your audience and the questions they’re asking, you’ll be able to use these challenges as a springboard for epic content ideas. The best bit? Using this approach means you’re crafting user-centric content, with a high chance of generating high engagement.
10 Fail-Proof Ways to Come Up With New Content Ideas
1. Learn from Industry Peers
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The internet is flooded with content about all topics. Take a squiz at the content shared by similar companies to see if they address topics you’d never considered. There’s a good chance you will be able to use what has worked for them as well if you have a similar target audience.
We’re not here to tell you to copy your competitors. Instead, this approach is all about gathering ideas and keeping your finger on the pulse of other businesses in your industry.
Head to the comments after that. Your competitors’ followers are likely posing insightful questions and contributing ideas you may utilize as a springboard. Subscribing to the newsletters of companies in your industry will give you new, fresh content ideas ready to be repurposed into your next social posts.
2. Crawl Social Media
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An average user spends about 2 hours and 29 minutes daily on social media. Thoughts, interests, and ideas are continuously exchanged on social media platforms which can generate a plethora of content ideas for you.
Kickstart your content creation by doing a little virtual eavesdropping. Even your Instagram or Twitter feeds will reveal plenty of interesting content ideas.
Check out which topics are trending amongst your followers, and follow hashtags relevant to your industry. Keep tabs on what is being discussed in forums and online communities that you’re a part of. This will ensure you never miss a winning post idea!
3. Google Search Suggestions
Google is another powerful place of content inspiration. After searching for a question on Google, you’ll be able to scroll through related search terms and queries. These can generate some great content ideas for you.
4. Use a Topic Generator Tool
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Leverage the power of tech to generate mindblowing content ideas. Caption generating tools suggest topics based on which keywords people search online. All you need to do is feed the tool with words relevant to your business, and it will come up with twenty different topic ideas.
But if you’re looking for content ideas that have been curated and handpicked by experienced marketers, make sure to check out Plann. Our done-for-you caption starters, high-performing hashtags and repurposing tips make it oh-so-easy to produce engaging content at scale.
5. Repurpose Content
Repurposing content offers several benefits, including reaching a wider audience, saving time and resources, and increasing engagement. By sharing old content in new ways, you can get more mileage out of your content and make it work harder for you.
Whether you’re updating a blog post, turning a podcast into a video, or creating an infographic from a white paper, repurposing content is a smart way to make the most of your content marketing efforts.
6. Ask Your Audience
What is better than to ask the audience yourself? With the popularity of polls and online communities, it’s relatively easy to get direct input from the audience on what topics interest them.
Jump onto Instagram Stories, run a poll and use those results to inform your next batch of social content.
7. Interviews
One interview’s worth of information can help your content schedule for a week or two. Ask an expert in your industry if they would be interested in being interviewed. You might want to contact social media users your audience follows. If you’re having trouble thinking of questions, now would be a good moment to ask your readers what they would like to know.
8. YouTube Industry Videos
YouTube is one of the best platforms to consume content and generate fantastic ideas. There are several ways you can use YouTube as inspiration. Finding the most popular videos in your industry—whether they be how-to videos, trending videos, news videos, or anything else—works best. The themes you should concentrate on with your content can be found by looking for those with views, comments, and other engagement.
9. Discussion Forums
Having mined comments on YouTube and social media, you might want to try finding content ideas on forums like Quora. You may uncover content inspiration by typing in your area of interest. Look for issues you haven’t addressed, or collect a few related issues and attempt to write an exhaustive guide.
10. Roundups
A roundup by itself can be a fantastic post. Give your audience a few excellent pieces of material to read – together in one place. Additionally, simply reading the topic itself might be inspiring. You can build your material after observing what others find appealing.
Take your content creation to the next level
Now you’ve got stacks of content ideas and inspiration, it’s time to get creating! With Plann, you can create, plan and schedule all of your social media posts in one place.
Tap into our done-for-you content starters, leverage our high-performing hashtag sets and effortlessly repurpose content across multiple platforms.
What are you waiting for? Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Plann Pro and skyrocket your engagement.
