5 Powerful Ways You Can Find Ideas as a Content Creator

Using free resources that you already use

Have you ever spent minutes or even hours not knowing what to say, write or create?

Whether you are a freelance writer, podcaster, course creator, etc. having a steady stream of content ideas is your foundation for success.

When you know where to look for ideas and keep your eyes open, you will soon discover that there are content ideas all around you.

As a content creator for the past 10 years, here are 4 resources that I currently use every single week for coming up with some of my best content ideas.

You will never be short on content ideas again!

Reddit threads

Whether you love it or hate it, Reddit has been one of the best resources I’ve found for article ideas.

If you don’t know about Reddit, it’s basically a big online forum where people can join groups that they are interested in and discuss topics anonymously.

While the anonymity of Reddit of course can bring about some rants and crazy ideas, overall, this allows people to be very open and vulnerable, which will help you get to the core of where and why people are struggling.

For example, a few years ago when I was primarily writing about Remote Work, I’d often go into Reddit threads about remote work or working from home to see what areas people were struggling with.

I found that some of the biggest problems were:

• Figuring out work/life balance
• Creating a productive “home office” setup
• Not knowing how/when to socialize
• Communication issues

As someone who has worked from home for almost a decade, I could then use my experience to write articles or create content specifically tailored to these problems.

Where to start:

1. Start browsing around on Reddit and look for thread topics where your customers or demographic would be hanging out.
2. For example, some potential groups might include entrepreneur, hiring, stress, content marketing, freelance, side hustle, health, productivity, etc.
3. Read through the questions that people are asking and the responses. As you’re reading, make a list of common themes or problems that you know you could help people with.

Medium highlighted phrases

A great tip that I follow myself and have also heard Amardeep Parmar discuss is to go through Medium articles and look at the phrases or quotes that people highlight.

You’ll often find that a single highlighted phrase could easily become the topic of an entire article.

After publishing one of my first Medium articles, I found that this quote was highlighted more than any other,

If you want to create something of your own, or learn a new hobby, skill, etc. then you need to make time to do it on a regular or daily basis.

Based on this quote, I could then write an article on how to develop and follow a schedule for “creator time.”

Where to start:

1. Read through your 5–10 most popular Medium articles and see what people have highlighted.
2. Also, take note of the “most highlighted” phrase from each article.
3. Go through your list of highlighted phrases and jot down a few bullet points of how you might outline the post.
4. For most people, starting is the most difficult part. When you’re ready to create, if you already have a phrase and a few bullet points to work from, you’re never starting from scratch.

Facebook groups

I don’t use Facebook for personal use, and yet, I’ve found that some of my best business and content ideas have come from FB groups.

Let me explain, a few years ago I was in a mastermind group with other “side hustlers” and the group leader suggested that I use FB for market research.

I created a simple survey in Survey Monkey, researched what FB groups my potential clients might belong to, and posted the survey link in a few groups.

Surprisingly, I still get survey responses a few years later. If you want an example of what this might look like, you can check out a time management survey I created here.

Plus, since I also included an option to sign up for my email list in the survey, I sometimes get email subscribers as well.

Where to start:

1. Find 5–10 Facebook groups where your customers or clients hang out or even groups that you’re personally interested in. This could be anything, business, freelancing, healthy eating, parenting, productivity, etc.
2. Either ask a question in the group or post a link that will help you to get to know how you could better help people. You might even offer to sweeten the deal with an entry to a gift card or a free e-book for anyone that participates.
3. Also, be mindful that each FB group will have different rules, so always make sure that what you are posting is in accordance with what the group allows.
4. You can also see what other people are posting and read through the comments for additional content ideas.

YouTube videos

Finally, we have to talk about the king of video content, YouTube.

There are a few ways that I use YouTube to brainstorm content ideas.

First, I look at the number of views and thumbs up that videos get. This is especially key if the video is posted by a smaller YouTuber.

Another tip is to find YouTubers that create content you love, and see what their 5 most popular videos are about.

And of course, don’t forget to check out the comments.

Where to start:

1. Search for videos and YouTubers that create content on topics similar to what you create. Or, even those that are completely different. You never know how you could put your own spin on an idea.
2. See what videos get the most views, comments, or overall engagement, and make note of what you’re watching.
3. Read through the comments and see what people are resonating with or struggling with. Could you help them with the problems they are facing?

One more piece of advice. Brainstorming and coming up with content ideas is a valuable use of your time.

However, going down a 2-hour rabbit hole of browsing on YouTube is probably not useful.

I suggest using the Pomodoro method or some other timer and giving yourself a specific amount of time for brainstorming, like 30 minutes.

Remember, you are a creative content creator, coming up with ideas should be fun but also productive!

Try at least one of these methods this week and see how it goes.

Believe me, doing this for even 30 minutes a week will help you build up your volume of ideas, and create content that will truly make a positive impact in your client's or customer's life.