6 Ways To Find Fresh New Content Ideas ??

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Hey, all you genius content creators.

In this post, I’ll share 6 ways you can generate fresh new content ideas and copywriting angles FAST…

And, at the end of this post, I’ll share my #1 biggest secret for keeping this whole content creation business an enjoyable process for you and something you look forward to day after day…

Because if you’re a copywriter, freelance writer, influencer, coach, photographer or teacher of any kind, your business REQUIRES you to be creating content non-stop for sales pages, videos, Instagram posts, blogs, you name it.

Content is QUEEN in any business and while most of us really do enjoy this creative process, sometimes it can be downright stressful…

Especially those days when you’re just not feeling witty or smart or interesting and you hit a major creative roadblock.

Ironically, this is precisely what inspired me to create this post. I was sitting here in my studio, at the 11th hour, of course, trying to come up with a new topic to write about and my brain was struggling to function.

I KNOW I can’t be the only one who hits the wall from time to time, so please leave me a comment below if you can relate.

Maybe you even found this blog post BECAUSE you’re fresh outta content ideas and you need a little inspiration yourself.

The 6 tips I’m about to share with you will help keep the content ideas a-flowing…

And if you’re an entrepreneur, a content creator or a writer looking to grow your online business through nothing but powerful and precise wording, be sure to subscribe to The Right Phrase Pays here on LinkedIn for more marketing and copywriting tutorials coming your way every single week.

As I like to say, the right phrase pays, and now here’s how you get content ideas for days!

Tip #1: Schedule A BRAINSTORM Sesh

As online entrepreneurs and content creators, often our businesses can be extremely isolating. Maybe you’re a solopreneur and do everything yourself, or maybe you have a small team but they work remotely, or maybe you’re the only one on your team responsible for content creation which means there is a lot of pressure on your shoulders to crank out consistent high-quality content day after day.

Whatever situation you’re in, chances are, 99% of the time, you’re in your laptop laboratory all ALONE…

And this is the biggest thing I struggled with after leaving Mindvalley and starting my own business. I went from having 50+ brilliant minds around me all day every single day all day – to none at all…

And for us creatives, this isolation can be one of the most difficult parts about the transition into entrepreneurship.

We are social creatures and, ironically, even though we are more socially CONNECTED than ever before. We have never ever been this isolated.

So, it’s important to create a network of like-minded friends, and colleagues and entrepreneurs to lean on for support. I’d even go so far as to say it’s absolutely necessary…

And, listen, online friends and followers do not count! I’m talking about those people you can call on the phone – WITHOUT texting first – to run ideas by…

Like "Hey, I have this idea and I really want to know what you think about it… "

Brainstorming seshes with fellow creatives ALWAYS spark so many incredible ideas and offer interesting perspectives you may not have thought of.

My friend Leanne and I used to always meet for what we called “breakfast brainstorms”. We’d meet for coffee and start the day by sharing new ideas, strategies and priorities over breakfast and that quick collaboration and connection would get the juices flowing for the rest of the day…

So if you’re feeling stuck about what kind of content to create, call your #1 supporter and start bouncing ideas around… I promise this will help a ton.

And make this a regular practice in your business.

Tip #2: Use real-life EXAMPLES

There’s no better place to get content from than your OWN LIFE.

If you want to win the hearts and minds of your audience, share a personal story, message or experience that will help them relate to you…

Because if you’re going through it, chances are someone else is too.

Trust me on this, in a world full of posed photos, fake followers and robot-generated content, people are CRAVING real life.

This is why memes are so successful. They’re basically real-life organic content, spun with personal experience and hilarity that everyone can relate to. Memes make people go “ME-ME TOO”.

And if you’re not a millennial, just think back to the show Sex and The City. Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, was a freelance writer for a New York City newspaper (basically she was a blogger and influencer way before Instagram was a thing…)

And her column titled “Sex and The City” was based fully on the dating escapades of her and her single friends, the good, the bad, and the outrageous. And this is precisely what made the show so popular. During a time of canned laugh tracks and cheesy sitcoms, Sex and the City was talking about what no other shows were – real-life relationships. And every single woman on the planet could relate.

Now I’m not saying you should go spill the tea on your friend’s deepest darkest secrets but, like Carrie, borrow inspiration from your own life! And I promise your content will be 10000% more interesting.

Btw, I used to watch Sex And The City and think “omg, I want to be Carrie Bradshaw when I grow up. I just want to be a writer who just sits in my trendy apartment on my MacBook writing interesting stories and personal anecdotes… oh and buy lots of shoes and date a guy who makes furniture.”

And FYI that is basically my life now so I am a master manifester, thank you very much. ??

Tip #3: RESEARCH Trends

If you’re having a hard time coming up with content ideas from brainstorming seshes or personal examples, take to the good ol’ internet and research what’s hot.

Say you want to create content around dating, to continue on with my Carrie Bradshaw example. Search Instagram for hashtags on that topic and look for the top posts for the week.

Or, head over to YouTube and search for similar topics. Find the YouTubers who are consistently creating great content in your niche and check out their most popular videos. That’ll give you a good idea of what people are actually looking for information on.

One more tool I like to use is BuzzSumo.com. You can search for any topic or keyword and it will actually pull up the best performing content on that subject matter based on total online engagement. It’s a pretty cool tool and it’s free to use for a limited number of searches. So check it out…

Researching trends will give you that first hit of inspiration you need to start writing. Of course, never copy what you find. Rather, use it as fodder for your own thoughts, ideas and stories.

Tip #4: EDUCATE Yourself

Without fail, one of the quickest ways to spark content ideas is to learn something new. That is when you, the teacher, become the student. Listen to a podcast, read a chapter of a book, watch YouTube videos – anything!

As Mark Twain famously said…

“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same pieces of colored glass that have been in use through the ages.”

So teach yourself something new, then share that content through YOUR mental kaleidoscope by flavoring it with your unique structure, thoughts and voice. You get the idea.

As they say, we often teach what we most need to learn.

So this is an awesome opportunity to grow through your content creation process. Share that you too are learning and create rapport by asking for honest feedback and insight.

Which brings me to…

Tip #5: ASK Questions

Never has it been easier to get immediate feedback from your audience. Simply send an email to your subscribers, tell your viewers to leave a question below, or use Instagram’s built-in question feature to ask your followers what they want to learn from you next!

It’s simple, it creates reciprocity, and opens an immediate and transparent 2-way communication channel between you and your peeps!

Some of the best marketing campaigns I’ve ever created starting with asking my audience just one simple question:

What problem can I help you solve next?

So before I move on, let me ask you!! What problem can I help you solve next? Leave me a comment below and give me content ideas for future posts!

And lastly, that brings me to…

Tip #6: LOOK For Inspo In Unlikely Places

Whether you like it or not, one thing about us creative entrepreneurs is we can never quite turn our brains off – no matter how hard we try…

You say insomnia, I say inspiration!

Really tho, I’m sure you’ve experienced this before… you’re watching random internet cat videos, or talking to your Mom, or listening to the conversation of the people sitting behind you on an airplane (hey, it happens), or you read a headline on a magazine in the grocery store line up…

So you just let the thought flow by like the dream you swear you’ll remember.

And then you forget it. And next time you go to create a piece of content, your brain is a blank, you feel dumb, and you’re pretty sure you’ll never have a creative thought again in your entire life.

Creativity does not happen on command.

You’re lucky if it does strike at the precise moment you’re sitting at your laptop with that cursor blinking in your face over and over and over and over again.

The truth is you ARE a creative genius you just need to get better at documenting those brilliant thoughts when they do decide to show up.

So, anytime you have a creative download – just write that stuff down! Carry a journal with you, take notes in your iPhone, or my favorite, record a quick voice memo. “Hey Siri, record a voice memo”… push record and boom.

My phone is full of what I call “Inspo-Files”. Some of them are fully flushed-out ideas and outlines… Others are nothing but a lingering question.

But now, anytime I need a sales page hook or content angle, I have a bunch of ideas waiting for me.

Those are my 6 ways you can generate fresh content ideas on-the-fly!! But have you figured out what the biggest secret of them all is yet?

Let’s do a quick recap…

You can… BRAINSTORM

Use real-life EXAMPLES.

RESEARCH Trends

EDUCATE Yourself

ASK Questions

And

LOOK for Inspo In Unlikely Places

Yes, you got it! The biggest secret to content creation is to BE REAL!!

As long as you’re being true to yourself and sharing what’s authentically important to YOU, your message will matter. So worry less about likes and more about sharing what you love...

And if you feel called to do it, freaking do it!

Good luck cranking out that content! That’s all I’ve got for you today.

Please subscribe to The Right Phrase Pays if you found this article helpful. I’ll be back next week with a brand new tutorial.

Alex

P.S. How do you generate fresh content ideas? Comment below and let me know!

Alex Cattoni is the Founder of the Copy Posse Agency and Academy. Since 2011, she has launched several successful brands and has proudly partnered with many of the hottest transformational brands and businesses on the planet, writing high-converting sales copy, scaling multi-million dollar brands, and crafting iconic promotional campaigns.

Today, she’s on a mission to mobilize the raddest, baddest crew of authentic copywriters with a passion for creating community, credibility and conversions with nothing but powerful and precise wording.

Through her weekly YouTube videos, Alex helps copywriters, aspiring copywriters and entrepreneurs learn, write and ignite their businesses with words that work.