How to Be a Content Generating Monster
Never run out of things to write about.
If you write every day like I do, and want to build a writing career — earn an income — you need to be a content idea-generating machine.
Whether you write for clients, your blog, other blogs, or Medium, you need reliable ways to find ideas to parse out, filter through your perspective, and give your spin for your audience.
Ideas are everywhere if you know how and where to find them.
I won’t talk about the obvious like reading and listening podcasts because I’ve written about that here.
In this post, I’ll talk about the less obvious places to find ideas.
Five places to get great ideas to write about
Quora
Many writers use Quora for research purposes. The questions and answers on Quora are created, edited and organized by the people who use the site. Asking a question on Quora or poking around on the site is an excellent way to find content to write about that people want to read.
Read the comments of other people’s questions on Quora or ask your question in the niche in which you write.
You don’t have to be a regular user.
You can pop in occasionally.
Quora allows its users to vote on content; the amount of votes per question/answer or post is a good indicator of what readers are interested in digesting.
If a question is getting a ton of comments and votes, write about that subject.
You can follow topics that interest you and issues in your niche.
Quora is an excellent idea maker because it tells you via votes what people want to read, making it a sure-fire built-in content generator, not just any content, but content that is tested.
Your Medium posts
Write a post based on a comment you receive.
I wrote an entire post based on negative feedback from one comment.
When a reader writes constructive criticism on something you wrote, parse out the main idea in their grievance, and write about it.
I received an angry comment on one of my posts that was nearly two pages in length. It was my first negative comment after four months on Medium. It thrilled me that I finally received negative feedback — only one sentence was derogatory and mean-spirited.
I printed it out. I may frame it.
In my wildest dreams, I’d have as many trolls as Shannon Ashley. I’ve dealt with my share of trolls on Twitter over politics; I know how draining it can be if you allow their negativity to get to you, which I did at first. It is not fun to read nasty comments aimed at you personally. I ignore anything that is mean; any feedback in which its only goal is to provoke.
However, if you are getting a lot of negative comments on your posts, especially on Medium, it usually means you are doing something right, making waves, touching people, getting people to think, and having an impact. I want my writing to have an impact, like Shannon’s.
The post I wrote in response to that person’s comment is my third highest read post.
Other writer’s Medium comments
This is the same idea as number two.
Know who you want to be in the social media world and your writing career. Meaning, have an idea of what your skills are and where your strengths lie.
You’ll figure this out through engagement, from the posts which receive the most engagement — comments, criticisms, claps, followers.
That is your sweet spot.
To increase your chances of success, follow and emulate the writers who have found success in your niche, and read the comments on their stories, their Facebook pages, and groups.
Being active in Facebook communities where your mentors reside is a great place to get ideas.
Be careful who you follow on Facebook and other social media sites. Value in, value out.
This is the same principle Jim Rohn famously pointed out when he said we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
I have found this to be true. Be careful what you read, it affects your thinking.
“When it comes to relationships, we are greatly influenced — whether we like it or not — by those closest to us. It affects our way of thinking, our self-esteem, and our decisions. Of course, everyone is their own person, but research has shown that we’re more affected by our environment than we think.” Businessinsider.com
Choose your mentors wisely.
Facebook comments
Read Facebook comments in your niche or area of interest.
There are many Facebook groups in your niche to participate in and follow.
Find your area of interest and follow the influencers in that area.
I’ve had the most success when I write about relationships and writing.
I follow everything Esther Perel does, writes, and talks about; she is my relationship guru. I follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, anywhere I can download her knowledge into my psyche.
I have other mentors who are more accessible and have smaller Facebook groups, so I read, comment, and engage in those groups.
When someone posts a comment that generates a lot of emotion, write about it.
If you get the same question over and over
If you get the same question again and again from several people, chances are about 50 other people are wondering the same thing, and not asking the question.
If you get the same question, answer it in a blog post.
You may think you’ve answered it sufficiently already, directly to the person asking the question. If you keep addressing the same problem from different people, I guarantee a lot of other people want to ask, but aren’t.
Answer it in your writing, not just in the comment section.
I hope this helps you be a content-generating machine.
Write on.
Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering type-A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.
