Do you ever run out of content ideas? You sit down to plan your content for the week and you have no idea what to talk about?
Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.
Whatever the reason or wherever you are in the content creation process, there most likely will come a time that you are stumped on what content to create each week.
1. Previously published content
When was the last time you updated an old blog post?
Most of us, write a blog post, share it, then it sits on our website. Sometimes people search on your site to find the post or maybe a power partner frequently shares a link or two for you. Or maybe you are ranking with google for that post.
But how often do you go look at past blog posts and update the content? This should be part of your regular process.
I try to update a blog post about 1x/month. Sometimes more, but I try to do it at least 1x/month. This is an old post that has been updated! This is a post that always gets a lot of traction, so I keep it updated with new ideas every 6 months or so.
So go back through your posts or videos today and find a few that you can update in the next few weeks. Which ones get the most traffic or engagement? Start with those ones.
2. Answer the Public
This is a site that I love when I need to turn my brain on for ideas. It’s super easy to use and generates a TON of ideas on a particular topic or keyword.
When you type in your keyword, it will generate a bunch of ideas and questions that you could answer in relation to that topic. For example: when I type in content marketing, I get 201 ideas: questions, prepositions, comparisons, etc.
3. Keep a list of social media ideas.
You know all those ideas that pop in your head at random times? It is a really good idea to keep a list of those ideas as they pop into your head.
If I’m out at the movies and think “that is a great blog post idea” or “I need to highlight that client”. I make a note on my content calendar. Then, when I’m ready to create my content calendar each week, I pull that out and have a list of ideas from the last few weeks.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Make sure that it fits in with your content cycle. It is not wise to just throw something up when you feel like it. Keep track of your ideas and work them into your 3, 5, or 7 day content cycle.
This has been magical for me. I don’t know about you, but there are times when I sit down in front of the computer and it’s like my brain has shut off. Those are the days I really need my list of social media ideas.
The most important thing here is that you keep the ideas in ONE place. I like Google Docs, but that works for me. You could like pen and paper, or Evernote, or Google Keep, or the notebook app on your phone. Whatever works for you – use that.
4. Google
Did you know you can Google for ideas? Yep.
Type in a keyword and a list of questions will display that people are asking about that topic. When I am stumped as to what direction to take my content, sometimes I do that to get my mind flowing.
It’s a good way to research for a blog post or video script. And, if you can answer that question in your blog post, it’s great for SEO too.
5. Trending Topics
Do you know what the trending topics are in your industry?
Do you have Google alerts or another tool set up to know when there is something new in your industry?
For example: last week Pinterest released a bunch of new features. If you are a social media manager, you should be talking about them.
Are you talking about content that is relevant right now? Are you showing up as the expert in that space for your tribe? They are looking for a leader. Are you being that person?
Set up some sort of alert or tracking system so you know what you should be talking about real time within your niche.
6. Personal Stories
When in doubt, share a story.
It could be a client success story. It could be highlighting a Power Partner. It could be about a goal you achieved. It could even be about a mistake that you made and what you learned from it.
Personal stories are great because they make your content unique. No one else will have the exact same story as you. Their details will be different. They will tell it in a different way.
Keep track of those wins and mistakes on your list of content ideas to pull out on a rainy day when you need something to post.
7. Ask your audience
What questions are you constantly getting from your audience?
That should be at the top of your list to talk about in your daily content.
It is really common to suffer from expert blindness. This is when you assume that because you know something or that you could do it in your sleep, that everyone has that same skill.
Whatever your genius, that is a unique set of skills that no one else has. You should be talking about that often.
One of the questions I get often is how often should I be posting on social media? Or I read something about the algorithm changes, how does that affect me?
My answer is always that same: How often are you posting on social media right now? If you aren’t posting every single day, then that should be your first step. If you aren’t posting on social media consistently, then you don’t have content for the algorithm to monitor.
It’s why I talk so often about consistency. It’s the first step to gaining Omnipresence.
So think about the questions you are constantly asked – whether on your social media, from prospects, in sales conversations. Start talking about those questions and answers now. Then when you do have the sales conversations, hopefully your prospect is already prepped and you can focus on the strategic side of those calls.
I hope that gives you a few ways to find some content ideas. You should never run out of content ideas. There is ALWAYS something to talk about.
If you think that you have talked too much about a particular topic, I can almost guarantee you that you haven’t. People don’t see every single post. They don’t watch all your videos. They don’t read all your emails. So keep talking.
And use the ideas in this post if you do get stumped. I don’t ever want your lack of content ideas to be the reason that you aren’t posting or sharing your message.
No matter where you get your ideas or how you keep track of them, make sure you are intentional about what you are posting. Follow your content cycle. And make sure your content drives.