’ve written three blogs a week for three years now for our sister company Media First.
During that time I have often wondered where the next post is going to come from, yet I haven’t missed one yet. Of course, it helps to have a great team of inspiring people around me – including an amazing editor who is not only uber talented but exceptionally good looking (Ed – is this getting obvious now?)
Anyhow, here’s how I get my ideas for regular content:
The news and trending topics
News sites are a great source of material and inspiration for the content I produce.
Whether it is news from your own sector or industry, or national or international news, current affairs and events are a source that cannot be ignored.
Sometimes the content I produce will be a direct commentary of these stories, but on other occasions, it will just help me find a way into writing about a wider issue I want to discuss.
I once used a news story about stoned sheep as a hook for a blog about media training, which, to prove one of my points you will read about shortly, was written in an A&E waiting room while waiting for my wife to be seen by doctors (ever the supporting husband).
When you are sourcing stories through social media sites, it is always worth looking at how people have reacted. This will give you a ‘voice of the people’ perspective and these thoughts can trigger an equally strong source of creativity. Via: @37agency
The other great thing about using this source as inspiration is that your content will be timely – often a key factor in motivating people to read.
Ideas come when you least expect them
One of the things I have found is that content ideas often come to me when I’m not really expecting or looking for them.
Some of the better ideas I have had have come to me on the commute, while playing with my children, in the middle of the night and even while sat on the loo (possibly too much information, but it is true).
Whereas it can often be a fruitless, smash-my-head into-the-desk kind of frustrating experience if I’m sat in the office trying to forcefully generate ideas.
The key for me is to make sure I make a note of these ideas when they pop into my head, even if it is just on my phone, because they can often quickly be forgotten.
Interview people
Carrying out interviews can be a great source of content and they can breathe fresh life into your blogs.
Not only can they be written up in a variety of ways, from a straight Q&A style to quotes throughout an article, but they also often generate additional content ideas.
People in your organisation, key influencers in your sector and people you have recently worked with could all make good interviewees and help you produce something a bit different for your readers.
My one word of advice would be to avoid the word ‘interview’ – it tends to make people nervous and cautious – not what you need for producing interesting content.
Make it sound informal by referring to it as a ‘quick chat’.
Recycling
This may sound unintentionally arrogant, but I find combing through the archives of content I have produced before a good source of material.
By that, I mean I find ways of repurposing that content into something new.
It could, for example, be as simple as updating an old blog. For our sister company Media First, I once wrote a blog that looked back on the best interviews of the year. Now I do that every year.
It may be that the topic has moved on and developed and that I’m now in a position to write to follow-up post capturing that new thinking.
Or perhaps I might now focus in on a specific part of a previous post and take a look at it in more depth.
I’ll also look back at the blogs that have been particularly successful in the past and think about how that content could be freshened up.
Your colleagues
The people you work with can be a great source of content ideas.
And they are often better placed to know the issues and problem your customers are experiencing and want answering.
The challenge, however, particularly for larger organisations, can be to get wider team members to buy into the content strategy.
There are two approaches here. One way is to hold formal brainstorming (I hate that word) meetings with a few people from different parts of the organisation. This can be a good method, but some people may feel reticent about coming forward with ideas which are not fully formed, particularly if there are more senior colleagues in the room.
The other approach, and one I generally find more productive is to speak to colleagues informally and more regularly and remind them that I am always after ideas for blogs. With this method, I tend to find people regularly send me an email or a text when a content idea comes to mind.
The competition
Chances are some of your competitors are producing a lot of their own content, which could provide an inspiration.
I will do this very occasionally, but it is not something I’m a big fan of.
This isn’t because I think my content is better, but because I fear it can be too easy to fall into the trap of producing something similar.
Originality is a key factor for me in content that stands out so I prefer to find my inspiration in other sources.
Ask the audience
What better way to find out what your readers want to read about than by directly asking them?
If you feel you are approaching the end of your content supply, ask your readers what issues they would like you to address in future posts.
Or put the question out there through your social media channels.
Even if you only get a handful of responses, it could generate some fresh ideas.
Whilst I’m on this point – why not let me know what you’d like to see me write about next by emailing hello@thirtyseven.agency.
Turn to the tech
If all else fails, you can always turn to the tech.
There are plenty of blog topic generators available on the internet where you simply need to type in a few phrases and the algorithms do their magic. Hubspot has a pretty decent one for example and I used it to type in the words ‘content’, ‘marketing’ and ‘writing’. It came back with the following:
15 best blogs to follow about content
Think you’re cut out for doing marketing? Take this quiz
7 things about writing your boss wants to know
20 myths about content
What will marketing be like in 100 years?
As you can see, the ideas they generate aren’t always relevant or unique, but they are free and they may just come up with something you can work with and develop.
At Thirty Seven, we offer content and design services to ensure your campaigns reach the right audiences at the right times. Our journalist led approach ensures your content is interesting, engaging and informative so you gain brand awareness and engagement whether it is social media content or a whitepaper.
Media First designs and delivers bespoke media and communications courses that use current working journalists, along with PR and communications professionals, to help you get the most from your communications plan.
