The Ultimate Guide to Content Ideas for Business Owners and Marketers

We're midway through the year. Do you have your content calendar filled out for the next few months?

Whether you need to flesh out your blog topics for the rest of the year, are planning newsletters because you're taking time off, or you just realized you don't have a consistent schedule, I'm here to help.

Coming up with article ideas and topics to write about can be daunting for many.?

I actually find it fun.?

Brainstorming ideas is one of my favorite parts of writing, and? I often feel like I'm in a "flow state" while doing it.

For those of you that stress about idea generation, these tips can help you get started.

If you still need help, get in touch to learn more about how I can help with content strategy and execution for your brand.?

10 Creative Ways to Generate Content Ideas

1. Answer your customers’ top Q&As.?

Do this through videos, one-off blog posts, interviewing a subject matter expert, or surveying customers to learn more about their top questions and concerns. That’s called content curation, btw, and it’s a great way to cull more content as part of your strategy.

2. Go small as you think about how to come up with article ideas.

Read local newspapers and stories in your town and other small towns nationwide. Look for trends and inspiring stories that could apply to your brand or spark ideas for content.

3. Set up a Google alert.

If you need inspiration to come up with content ideas on a specific topic, this is a great way to see what’s being published on the topic. I follow "side hustles" and "freelance writing.” I follow experts and influencers writing about those topics field on social media. I also think of new angles to the topics being covered that could work for my clients or the readers of my freelance writing newsletter.

4. Spin stories for your audience.

One of my favorite exercises to do when I’m generating article ideas for clients, content ideas and new blog topics is to read an online article and dive into different angles on the topic. What’s the money story here? What’s the career angle? Is there a section of this story that could be fleshed out and turned into its own article? Probably!

5. Look ahead.

Research dates, holidays, anniversaries, and special awareness months or celebratory months as you think about how to come up with content ideas. Is your brand celebrating a 10-year anniversary of a signature product? Did your company invent new technology five years ago that’s changing the industry? Find stories within your company surrounding dates.

6. Flag interesting emails.

I have a folder in my Gmail labeled "story ideas." When I get a pitch from a publicist or read a captivating headline from a newsletter, I put the email in that folder to review when I need to brainstorm pitches for clients. You could also have a folder for “great subject lines” and use one of those newsletter topics as idea inspiration for content creation.

7. Browse Google trends.

See what terms are trending on Google trends in the categories you’re covering and notice what's new and hot right now. You could work on a quick turnaround news story to capitalize on the topic and try to get some traction by linking to relevant content on your site. Or, see which topics were trending around this time last year and if they’re applicable, create content around those searches.?

8. Use an Article Ideas Generator Tool

When you're feeling stuck coming up with blog post ideas or article ideas and you're short on time, check out an online tool. Yes, AI generative tools are great for this, like Chat GPT, Bard, Writing.io, Copy.ai, Jasper.ai, Rytr.me, and more. (Check out my article on How AI is supporting creative work for Dropbox.)

You could also play around with Hubspot's Blog Ideas Generator tool and get a week's worth of blog topics for free.?

9. "Listen" to online conversations.

Research content ideas by investigating real-world problems. SEO guru Neil Patel recently acquired "Answer the Public" a "search listening" tool that generates questions people search for online around a certain topic. As an example, I typed in "content ideas” and received 47 questions, as well as search volume and CPC rates. Type in questions your customers would ask and use the results for inspiration. You could also check out your brand’s Facebook pages and LinkedIn pages, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, Reddit, Quora, and Product Hunt for ideas for articles your niche audience would be interested in. Discover the most profitable freelance niches.

10. Search for ideas within podcasts.

What podcasts do you listen to for business development or for pleasure? Are there topics the hosts discuss that could be researched, refined, and reworked into content for your audience??

What topics are podcasters in your niche addressing that could make for great article ideas??

I find that listening to podcasts is a fun way to come up with content ideas for my freelance writing blog or for clients.

Hungry for more? Get 15 ways to come up with content ideas or freelance article ideas.

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Hey there! I’m Diana.

I’m a New York-based freelance journalist, copywriter, editor, content marketing writer, and freelance coach.

I’m a published author of Your Perfect Diet?Match?(Simon & Schuster, December 2020),?100+ Tips for Beginner Freelance Writers?(Self-Published, August 2019), and co-authored three B2B books for the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY Foundation).

I love covering topics that help people and their loved ones live healthier, happier, fuller lives, whether it’s through health, wellness, personal finance or pet content topics.

I’m also a wife to a first responder and a mom to two toddlers, a large dog, and quite a few dust bunnies.

You can learn more about me, my publishing background, and my nearly 20-year freelancing journey at DianaKelly.com. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.