Finding Inspiration for Content
Whether you have writer’s block, you’re running out of time, or you’re simply looking for fresh content ideas for your e-newsletter, website, blog, or Facebook Page post, in this age of abundant information and great technology, there are plenty of sources from which to draw inspiration. However, let’s not forget meditation! Here are some additional avenues for finding inspiration for content.
Keep an idea journal
As you read catalogs, magazines, books, etc. – and simply go about living your life! – keep your eyes and ears open for ideas, then jot them down.
Look to others in your field or industry
See what others in your professional field or business are talking about and then offer a different viewpoint or advice on a topic. You could also interview other experts.
Interview one of your customers or someone in your organization
Feature a loyal customer – or even a new recipient of your service or product -, staff member, or volunteer, and write about a challenge and how they’ve overcome it. Ask the interviewee to share the story with their own contacts in order to increase the breadth of your audience.
Go in-house asking for topic ideas
Create a simple system to gather topic ideas from those who know your business or organization best – your employees, board members, and volunteers. You could even hold a contest for others to vote on a few of the ideas – you’d be engaging your people, creating great content ideas, and having fun too!
Go social!
You can search Facebook for groups or Pages relevant to your business or organization. You can join various groups on LinkedIn, Yahoo, Google, etc. and watch the various conversations going on. You may see someone there you want to connect with and interview, find an interesting article you want to link to, and/or get ideas from questions people are asking. Twitter is also a great place to get ideas.
This article includes some ideas I read written by Shirin Shahin. You can read what she has to say by clicking here.