Content Ideation Secret: Questions
The best frame of mind for brainstorming content ideas is one that is focused on solving problems. You are trying to solve the problems and answer the questions that your target readers have about your industry.
In other words, you are looking for questions. People ask questions aloud, search for things, or ponder things in their minds.
One of the most frequently asked questions among golfers is how to grip a golf club correctly.
An amateur golfer is likely to click on a title like How the Best Golf Pros Grip the Club. This statement means that it is not important where you find something on the internet, whether it be through a search engine, social media, or email. The title answers a question and solicits a click.
You should start with the mindset that you will answer questions with your content and your content titles.
Best resources for coming up with new content ideas for blogs
1. Surveys
If you’re unsure about what your customers need to know, consider conducting a survey to get their opinion. Ask them what they’re struggling with. Find out what three issues your industry acquaintances are facing. You could ask your friends what topics they would like to know more about. Don’t overdo it with surveys. Asking even a few customers questions can result in content that is both inspiring and full of great ideas.
2. Industry-Specific Forums (Your Readers’ Forums)
While forums may seem outdated, they are still popular and can be a great way to come up with content ideas. One of the simplest ways for people to communicate with others online is through messaging apps, which function in a similar way to real-life conversation. People share news, ask questions, answer questions, and more.
Quora is a general forum, but there are also forums for specific industries and interests.
To find an industry forum on Google, search for your industry and you should find at least one, if not multiple options.
3. Industry Publications: Popular Titles and Topics
look for websites in your industry that regularly publish the latest news, trends, tips, and other content that your readers will enjoy The articles with the most engagement are the ones you should be looking for.
You’ll be able to tell what is popular and what the current trends are. Try to create content on topics that have already been discussed, but from a different viewpoint. Alternatively, try to expand on what has already been said about the topic.
4. Industry Publications: Comment Sections
On industry publication sites, you’ll see comments. Your target readers are leaving comments, so take note of what they say to get ideas for content. Sometimes readers will have questions about a topic that a writer has not addressed in their article. Look for those questions, and provide answers with your own content.
5. Google Trends
While Google search can show you related inquiries and suggestions, this data isn’t always up-to-date with current trends. Google Trends is a great way to find out what sub-topics are trending related to any topic you search. The example above shows that the popularity of the related queries “Notion project management” and “project management courses online free” is increasing.
6. Pinterest Trends
Pinterest can be used to see what content is being pinned most frequently. The company tells you what is popular right now and every year releases its predictions for the 100 most popular trends for the next year. If you’re a B2B company looking for content inspiration, don’t discount Pinterest – even though the platform is mostly used by businesses aimed at consumers, it can still give you some great ideas for your blog.
The “cold-weather drinks” trend could inspire the creation of “cold-weather office gear.”
7. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a great way to find search queries that have brought traffic to your website but that you are not actively targeting. We don’t have a very high ranking for “Webflow website examples” even though we have a post about Webflow blogging. This data can be used to write an article that is specifically designed to rank higher in search for the corresponding key phrase, which will in turn generate more traffic.
8. Industry publications
Skift provides plenty of ideas and insights for those in the consumer and business travel industries. Get educated on the latest research and surveys, find new material for blog posts, and see what topics are trending among industry experts. You can find publications in your desired industry by searching online or inquiring with colleagues who have been in the field longer than you.
9. Instagram Feeds and Comments
I’ve found that following influencers in the online industry can lead to some great content ideas. Reading through the comments they get can give you a lot of insights into what people are interested in. Again, influencers don’t have time to answer every question. That’s where you can come in. Somehow, influencers on Instagram get a lot of comments.
10. HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator
HubSpot’s blog ideas generator is an easy way to come up with a few new ideas. If you want to generate 250 different headlines, you can add your main topic and a few subtopics, then unlock them by giving up your contact information in their lead form.
11. Customer Reviews
Do customers leave reviews for you? If you get reviews via email or on your website, it’s a great source of ideas for content. You can also tap into customer service for ideas.
The questions your customers ask can provide inspiration for content, but it’s also important to take note of the language they use. It might differ from the terms you use. Use the terms that your customers use when discussing your industry and product.
12. YouTubers in your industry
Ben Nader is a YouTuber who talks about staffing, interviewing, and running a staffing agency. He has over 20 years of experience in the staffing industry, and he knows what it takes to find the right employees for a company. He releases several videos a month, and each one can be used by other businesses in the staffing industry for content ideas. You can find content creators in your industry by searching for your core content topics on YouTube. Once you’ve found some content creators, take a look at their other videos for more ideas.
13. Webinars
The popularity of webinars has increased in recent years, though they have been around for some time. You can find content ideas for your industry by attending popular webinars. Also, look at the influencers; they usually hold webinars. See which of the following are most popular. The topics discussed can provide content for all topics.
14. Trending topics in subreddits
Look for a subreddit that is dedicated to a topic that your target audience is interested in. This will help you determine what they are talking about right now. For example, the subreddit r/SaaS is a popular forum for discussion among SaaS founders and executives. The members of the group discuss a variety of topics relating to SaaS products, including strategy, development, and sales. There are several active subreddits for every industry that you could join to get content ideas.
15. Popular discussions in relevant Facebook groups
Find Facebook groups that your target audience is involved in to see what kinds of things they need help with. There are bound to be Facebook groups where your target customers are active, no matter who they are. Use the questions that people are asking as topics for your blog posts. This will give you ideas for things to write about that are relevant to your audience.
16. “You May Also Like…” Article Suggestions
Do you prefer reading online publications such as CNN and TIME to offline ones? These sites usually have suggestions for similar content that you may like. Check these out to see what publishers are promoting. Companies will often share their most popular content in order to give insight into what people in the industry are currently interested in.
17. Social Media: Topics Industry Influencers Discuss
Look at the things influencers are sharing. Create similar content. The things that are popular with influencers in your industry are important.
18. Communities your audience loves
The Sales Hacker community is full of B2B sales professionals. It provides high-quality blog content, podcast episodes, free training, videos, job listings, sales templates, and a forum. If your audience is a group of B2B sales professionals, it is full of new ideas. You should try to find a popular community in your industry that you can go to for new content ideas for your blog.
19. Interviews
Talk to interesting people. I believe that everyone has a unique perspective to offer on something. Even if somebody is merely recounting personal stories about experiences, it could be inadvertently inspiring for a blog post. So interview someone. You can communicate with them either in person, over the phone, or through email. Ask them a few questions.
Use the discussion as inspiration. You could also use the interview as a piece of content, but always get the person’s permission before you do that.
20. Your own social media data
Your own social media sharing data can also offer new ideas for blog content. In order to find out what content is doing best on social media, analytics provided by the platforms or your scheduling software can be very helpful. For example, if you see that one of your pins on Pinterest is doing very well, you can create a similar blog post.
21. Customer Service Representatives
One of my favorite ways to generate content ideas is by using a mind map. I used to work for a large shoe catalog company. I would occasionally get an email from customer service saying they were getting questions about the shoes.
I will report back after I have found the answer. I had never considered customer service as a career option, but then I realized that customer service representatives speak with the customers all the time. They receive a lot of inquiries about business matters, but they also get a lot of questions that are not specific to business. Asking general questions can give you some great ideas for content to write about.
22. Competitor rankings
Type your competitor’s domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer. Then, create a list of key phrases that your competitor is ranking for. You can still use this information to get longtail keyphrase ideas or blog posts that will perform well on social media, even if the chance of ranking in the search is low.
23. Infographic searches
If you’re looking for inspiration for new content for your blog, searching for infographics is a quick and visual way to find lots of new ideas. Just type “topic + infographics” into Google Images. If you’re looking for some customer success inspiration, a quick search for “customer success infographics” will give you a ton of options. You’ll find everything from explanations of why companies should invest in customer success to lists of important customer success metrics, to diagrams mapping out the customer success cycle.
24. Podcast episode titles
What are the top podcasts in your industry? Then check out their recent episodes. Amy Porterfield is a podcaster who recently talked about landing page conversion rates, Instagram Reels, and content calendar management. Podcasts are a great way to get timely information on trending topics.
25. Business Executives and Leaders
The vast majority of business leaders get to where they are by knowing how to run a company and understanding what customers are looking for in their industry. Network with executives and leaders in your industry to gain insights, for example, the CEO of your company. Suggest having lunch with them and talking about what’s going on in the industry. The ideas will flow.
Frequently Asked Questions About Content Ideas
How do you come up with ideas for content?
There are many ways to generate content ideas. There are a number of things you can do to stay informed about your industry, such as using tools, watching industry news, and finding and answering questions commonly asked in your industry.
What are some tools with features for genearting content ideas?
There are a few popular tools that can help you generate content ideas, like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Frase.io. Each one has specific features that can be useful for coming up with new content ideas.
How can I find questions asked in my industry for content ideas?
To find popular questions being asked in your industry, you can do a manual search for keywords in your industry and see the “people also ask” questions that populate. You can also consult question-asking forums like Quora. Answer the Public is a great tool to find out what questions people are asking about your industry
How often should you come up with content ideas?
How much time you spend brainstorming content ideas varies depending on how often you publish content, the size of your industry, and other factors.
THE PROBLEM: YOUR BUSINESS ISN’T GROWING AS FAST AS IT SHOULD!
Your sales have stagnated or decreased, and you can’t figure out why. Discover what’s holding you back from achieving predictable sales growth in your business.
If you want to grow your business, you need a proven plan and framework. That’s what you get with the 2X Your Sales Discovery Session.
Want to learn about a formula for Predictable Growth that will put your business on a 90-day path to 2X Your Sales?