Thinking Of Content Topics

Whether it be newspaper columns, blog posts, podcasts or vlogs, those who produce content regularly often find themselves unable to think of fresh and engaging topics to explore and elaborate on. It is hard to devise new and interesting subjects to write about or record every week or month. But hard does not mean impossible and there are some strategies to help content creators unlock their creativity and foster a continuous flow of captivating ideas for content.

The first and easiest way to come up with ideas is to simply ask the audience. Creators can put out a social media post asking their followers to suggest topics and subjects for them to produce content on. This also allows producers to know what the target audience likes. And, by seeking ideas from them, audiences feel engaged in the content production process and are likely to watch the finished product.

Staying abreast of current events and trends is also a great way to find suitable topics. That is why those who produce content must subscribe to news outlets, follow influencers and opinion leaders and attend relevant events. They must expose themselves to new information to broaden their knowledge base and understand the significant issues they need to cover.

This is easy today as, thanks to social media and search engines, information is abundant. But not all of it is accurate. So, creators must put in the time and effort to select reliable sources and understand complex affairs to generate correct and precise ideas.

Speaking of search engines, content developers can conduct keyword searches to know what people are looking at. Google Trends is a valuable tool for this. The keywords thus searched and identified can become the topics for the articles or audio/video productions.

Effective keyword search, though, is not just about finding out what is popular, it is about understanding why they are popular. The content should address the questions and concerns the audience is actively seeking answers for.

Similarly, content creators can also leverage social listening. When walking on the streets, sitting in the park or travelling on public transport, they can listen to the conversations of the people around them to know what arouses the public’s interest and how they feel about current happenings. Social listening can also turn into social conversation with the creators participating in the discussion, putting forth their arguments and getting real-time feedback. This will help them understand gaps in the available knowledge and the course their text or multimedia production needs to take.

Themes for content can also come from producers’ life experiences. In fact, articles and multimedia productions based on personal insights, challenges and triumphs are often more unique and relatable than objective observations. Creators can share the physical or metaphorical journeys they have gone on, lessons they have learned and the advice they have received to establish a connection with their audience.

Revealing personal vulnerabilities humanises the writer or videographer and allows the audience to empathise with them. This, in turn, builds trust and respect. 

Collaborating with other creators can also help fix topics. This may be one-on-one collaboration based on personal relationships or group collaborations on projects or in conferences. Discussing with others in the same field as them can help content producers bounce ideas and find a few that stick. Of course, such collaboration would have to be on a give-and-take basis. Creators need to help others if they want to be helped by others. Of course, everyone is a competitor, but competition must not keep professionals from working together for the betterment of the entire industry.

Revisiting old articles or audio/videos is yet another strategy to get ideas. The old content may need to be followed up on or there may be new information that can be added. Sequels and remakes, when done correctly, can help expand a pre-existing intellectual property and explore new dimensions of a subject audiences are already familiar with. That is why, when faced with a shortage of new ideas, it may be good to review old works and see what can be done from them. But creators must be careful not to give old wine in a new bottle. It is about giving new wine in an old bottle.

Generating new content topics consistently is both an art and a skill that can be polished by understanding the audience, staying informed on current affairs, drawing from personal experiences, listening to people, collaborating with other creators and reviewing old works. The key is to stay curious, explore diverse avenues and keep an open mind.  With these strategies in their toolkit, content producers will be able to easily and quickly come up with new ideas for content that captivate and resonate with the audience.