Coming up with content ideas
This is originally a podcast episode. Listen to it on different platforms!
Today I want to talk about the planning part of the plan-create-post on Instagram process. I want to talk about coming up with content ideas. The purpose of this particular episode is to show you that ideas can be found literally everywhere.
Just a walk in the park can result in content ideas. So can listening to a podcast, reading a book, consuming content on social media, talking to your friends and family… Literally everything.
What to do with new content ideas that come to you?
It’s very important to write them down. If you don’t write them down, they’re gone. So, have a content ideas bank. If you’re not sure how to start one, I have a free Asana template for you. All you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter, and you will get it for free. Import it into Asana and start filling it with your ideas. There are also a bunch of tips and tricks for content planning, creating and posting.
Of course, you can use other apps for that. You can use Notion, Google Docs, your notes on the phone, a physical notebook… whatever you’re most comfortable with. But make sure you start one today.
How to actually get content ideas?
Have content pillars
The first thing is having content pillars. If you don’t have a niche and your content pillars, this is going to be much harder. I will do an episode on this soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that. But this is surely a great starting point. Once you have your content pillars, it will be much easier to recognize a good content idea.
Listen to your audience
Now think about this: Is there something people constantly ask you about or seek your advice on? This can be in real life, or in your comments or DMs. If you get some of the same questions, this is a great topic for one of your posts.
Use different websites
If you don’t get a lot of questions just yet, there are a couple of websites that can help you. There are forum-like websites, like Quora or Reddit. You can see different topics and what people tend to ask about the most. If a thread is very popular, has a lot of interactions, it might be a good idea to create a post about that, since that’s something people are curious about.
Also, there are two websites which will tell you about internet searches using your keywords. They are Answerthepublic and Answer Socrates. Both of these will create a list of queries and questions people used to search the web, containing the keyword of your choice. Both of these are great for some general ideas.
Search on Google
Doing a Google search can also help. Once you type in your query, you will see a list of “People also ask”. You can see all the related searches, and as you expand those questions, more will pop up below. This is a great way to see what people are searching for.
You should have a bunch of ideas already, but there’s more.
Books and podcasts
If you listen to podcasts, or read books, there are usually little nuggets that can spark your inspiration. You can even use quotes.
Use other people’s content for inspiration
Another thing is researching other people’s content. Go to TikTok or the explore page and study the viral content. TikTok might be a bit better for this. Just search your keywords on TikTok and look at most viewed and most liked posts. Find some things they all have in common and recreate them.
What works on TikTok, usually works on Instagram too.
Join my content ideas membership
Finally, if you want an ideas generator, you can join my membership. In this membership, you will receive a content calendar with ideas for every single day of the month. There is one main idea for every day, and a list of holidays and observances you can use as content ideas. I will show you how in one of my future episodes.
Along with content ideas, you will also receive access to a reels library with trending sounds and filming instructions, and a bunch of bonuses, like a list of hooks and CTAs, a list of hashtags I ranked on and other resources.
The membership is constructed so you have all types of content in your strategy, including educational, entertaining, inspirational and promotional, and you will definitely not run out of ideas again if you decide to sign up. You can test it out for just $5.99 for the trial month.
If you have any questions, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram or email me.
Conclusion on finding content ideas
Content ideas literally are everywhere. It’s up to you to find them and then work with them as best as you can. Coming up with content ideas doesn’t have to be hard at all!
Finally, here’s an idea for today:
Ask yourself this: What can I teach my audience that they can get up and go do right now, and see results? Create that post!
That’s it for today’s episode. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week with an episode about the creation part of the process! Bye!
