4 ways to get instant content ideas (that actually work)

When you’re dedicated to publishing something regularly (social media, newsletter, etc), coming up with fresh ideas can be one of the most daunting tasks. And staring at a blank page is just the absolute worst.

So today I want to show you four simple places you can go to find content ideas, based on questions your ideal customers are actually asking.

Because when you know the most common questions your ideal customers are asking (and the specific problems they’re dealing with), you can create content that addresses those topics. And you might even discover problems to build a product or service around!

This tactic shouldn’t replace talking to prospective customers. Instead, I want you to consider it an additional way to learn more about their wants and needs.

The good news? This is a really easy exercise you can do once a quarter, month, or even week.

Let’s dive in.

What Most Online Entrepreneurs Overlook

Wild but true — many online entrepreneurs don’t actually take the time to know their prospective customers! So they play a guessing game when it comes to creating content, and even when they create products and services to sell.

They’re hoping they know what the customer wants and needs. What a gamble. I don’t want you to do that.

Because understanding what your prospective customers care about (and their biggest challenges) is critical to your success. And without that information, you’ll hear crickets on your content and see $0 in your Stripe account.

But don’t worry. Because I’m going to make this crucial research easy for you to do. And if you ask me, actually enjoyable. (Yes, I think research is fun.)

So here are four places where you can get valuable information straight from your prospective customers, that you can turn into valuable content.

#1: Answer Socrates

Answer Socrates is an excellent tool that shows you what questions people are asking about various topics. This is gold for solopreneurs and creators like us.

Enter a keyword relevant to your niche, and you’ll get a nice list of relevant search terms.

For example, let’s say you’re a travel expert that focuses on helping families book affordable vacations they can take with their kids.

You could punch in keywords like “family travel” and you’ll find results like "family travel blogs", "family travel backpacks", "family travel checklists", "games to play in the car while traveling with your family", "family travel itineraries" and more...

These are all wonderful content ideas!

We’re off to a good start.

#2: YouTube

YouTube is a goldmine for understanding your audience’s interests.

Search for your niche (or related keywords) to find popular videos, and then look at the questions in the comments.

Using our same search words above (family travel discounts), we uncover a whole new set of content ideas that are already working for other people!

"10 insanely cheap destinations for budget travel" or "11 best cheap USA family vacation ideas” would make excellent pieces of content in our example niche.

#3: Google Autocomplete

You know how, when you start typing a question into Google, the search engine tries to guess what you’re going to ask? Well that’s called “Google Autocomplete” and it shows popular searches related to your topic.

Typing your same keywords into Google’s search bar provides autocomplete suggestions based on actual search behavior of millions of people. And voila, those are some new content ideas.

"Best all-inclusive family deals” would be a killer topic for a travel expert to write about.

#4: Competitors

Lastly, keeping an eye on your competitors can reveal what’s already working well in your ecosystem.

Look at the questions competitors address and the topics they cover.

For instance, you might notice that a large creator in the travel space creates content targeting "The Ultimate Guide to Points and Miles"

This should spark some ideas for you. Can you do something similar focused specific on families with children?

This is easy because it’s a product that’s already been validated by someone in your niche.

Conclusion

Understanding your prospective customers’ questions and concerns is crucial for creating relevant and engaging content. And it just might help you find a new product or service to offer.

Use tools like Answer Socrates, YouTube, Google Autocomplete, and competitor analysis to gather valuable insights and turn what you learn into useful content to help your prospective customers.

When you add this simple research exercise to your content routine, you’ll spend a lot less time staring at a blank screen asking yourself “What do I write about today?”

This is 1 of 125+ micro-lessons inside of The Creator MBA masterclass. It's the most complete and comprehensive guide on building and launching successful online businesses available. The curriculum is designed to help you avoid common pitfalls (like creating content that doesn't turn into revenue) and to help you leverage strategies to grow your business.

I hope this is helpful. And I hope you have fun!

Happy searching.