Yetunde Onafuye: Running Out of Content Ideas? These 3 Tips Can Help You Get Through

In today’s world, content is king! From Twitter to Instagram and Facebook posts, YouTube videos, radio and television show scripts, blog or website visuals and write-ups… and whatever you can find online, they are curated by content creators who work pretty hard to grasp the attention of online audiences.

To be clear, content is beyond written articles or blog posts. It is the short copies and ads employed by companies and brands that want to attract prospective clients and customers. Content is the script and outline played out on radio and TV shows. YouTubers and vloggers are content creators. They work to feed their audience with engaging, appealing and standout content to make money. Not to forget the bloggers and content writers who curate original, crisp and detailed articles for their blogs and the websites of their clients. 

Every day, millions of visual and written content emerge on the internet. Companies and organizations also constantly employ individuals to create fresh and trendy content to attract clients.

Since there is a huge demand and fast consumption of online content, creators are constantly working to develop new content ideas and strategies. Companies need several ad copies per week. Blogs and websites also need articles and posts. YouTubers need to keep their subscribers updated. Radio and TV Scriptwriters also need to put out fresh content and ideas so they can stay afloat. 

Now, what happens when content creators start to run out of ideas? The demand for content and the need for fresh ideas can put creators in a box. 

That being said, here are 3 key tips for content creators that are struggling to put out new written, audio and visual content. If you’re a creator who is looking for novel ways to birth user-friendly content, these tips could do the trick for you:

Track the demands of your audience

How so? First, monitoring the demands of the readers or viewers has increasingly become one of the most natural ways for content creators to produce new stuff. Now, tracking one’s audience for novel ideas works in two ways: the first is via comments and the other is through direct surveys. 

If you’re a creator, you can easily get new ideas for your next vlog or article via comments from your previous works. Yes, it’s that easy! For instance, you wrote a blog post on lucrative business ideas for budding entrepreneurs. The typical comments from the reader can be “how do I get a business loan?” “Can you break down the starting cost and expenses?” “How do I write a good business plan?” “Is there a way to attract investors?”

The comment section is a goldmine because readers come up with many questions. Pick one or two questions and turn it into a detailed blog post.

Same goes for YouTubers, ask your subscribers to tell you what they’ll like to watch next. You will get more than enough ideas for your subsequent posts. It’s similar to taking surveys and feedback from consumers of your content. A simple survey or social media poll can give you ideas on what you can vlog, write or make ad copies about.

Trends

Are you suddenly out of ideas or in need of fresh and catchy content ideas? If yes, the latest trends on social media can do the trick for you. The latest trends attract a larger audience. However, before you go for trendy topics, remember to stick to quality content. 

Let’s take a look at YouTube, for example. At different periods, there are some trends among creators on the platform. It could be a food challenge, Question and Answer session, a shopping experience, and many more. Why not jump on the wagon? For uniqueness, you can do something different or tweak existing ideas. 

Using trends to generate content ideas is not limited to creators on YouTube. Content, copywriters, and scriptwriters can use this to develop novel content.

Re-work previous and existing content 

Do you have blog posts that have done numbers in the past, or videos with thousands of viewers? If yes, do you know you can tweak them to create new stuff on your platform? You don’t have to post the exact idea, you can take another angle and focus on that. Consider your previous work as an inspiration. If you also feel you haven’t exhausted all the aspects of the theme you’ve worked on, you can make a continuation. See it as a ‘remix’.

Just ensure that you make it more engaging than the previous post. 

So what are you waiting for? Don’t stop creating!