5 Tactics to Make Sure You Never Run Out of Content Ideas. People come together in subreddits, which are small communities created to discuss specific topics in detail. Let’s say, for example, I’m running a niche blog all about yoga. Sometimes you may know exactly why an idea worked or didn’t; sometimes your audience may have to point it out for you. Use GetCrate.co to Find Inspiration for Content Ideas Rather than scouring the internet for content ideas, let Crate do the work for you. I’ve relied on Crate many times to help me come up with new ideas for blog posts and SlideShare decks. This is why Crate is great for gaining insight into what type of content a specific audience might be interested in. Content is no different. It’s the idea of updating old blog posts with new content to make them as fresh and relevant today as they were three or four years ago: Remember that SlideShare you created? Use Google Keyword Planner to Find Commonly Searched Topics Wouldn’t it be great if you knew what other people were thinking?
Google claims that by the end of 2017, 100 percent of their data centers will be running off renewable energy. This is both great for the environment and great for Google, reducing their enormous energy consumption, which in 2016 matched that of the entire city of San Francisco.
By using solar, wind, and other renewable energy resources, Google is ensuring it will never run out of energy or be reliant on external power again. If only this could be done for all resources: becoming self-sufficient, decreasing energy output and saving both time and money.
In many ways, content is similar to energy. Google and many other companies rely on both to fuel their business. Like energy, content is being generated constantly—just think of the articles written before, during, and after a single NFL Sunday.
The key is creating content that’s relevant without spending tons of money and time in the process. You want your content to be both great and plentiful, and you want it to be generated sustainably—like Google’s energy will soon be. (highlight to tweet)
To help you become self-reliant and stress-free when it comes to content, here are five ways you can turn your content into a renewable resource, ensuring that you never run out of ideas or waste precious time and energy again.
1. Use “Sort by Top” on Reddit (and Other Forums) to Find Interesting Topics
Reddit declares itself to be the “Front page of the Internet,” and for good reason. As of June 2015, Reddit had over 36 million registered users and millions of posts and comments. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to be on the front page of Reddit, you know the thrill of the accomplishment—and the agony of knowing how short the stay at the top can be.
With a very large and active user community, Reddit sees millions of posts and comments daily. People come together in subreddits, which are small communities created to discuss specific topics in detail. There are subreddits all about the latest TV shows, video games, pop culture, politics, and more. Some of the most informed people on any given topic spend hours sharing their expertise with community members on Reddit.
This is why it’s a great place for content ideas. Let’s say, for example, I’m running a niche blog all about yoga. If I happened to hit a roadblock, I could use Reddit for inspiration. I would start by finding a relevant subreddit like reddit.com/r/yoga and checking to see if it’s active. On the right side of every Subreddit you’ll see subscriber and activity levels:
With 10,000 active Subreddits (and more than 800,000 others) to choose from, you can get as general or specific as you’d like. When searching for content ideas, I like to find Subreddits with at least 10,000 subscribers, as they tend to have the most gold. Once you’ve found a promising community, sort the content by what’s most popular—this is typically the “top” button in the navigation bar:
Using this feature lets you know exactly what people are reading and talking about and can give you a leg up on finding what to write about. Here’s a sample of top content from the yoga community:
From this, I can find a handful of ideas:
- Five Lessons from Russell Simmons That Will Help Your Yoga Practice
- Everything You Need to Know About a Maksikanagasana
- Why Yoga Can Offer You a Wonderful Perspective on Discomfort
- Six Ways to Improve Your Yoga Handstand (with Visuals)
- What Every Guy Needs to Know Before Trying Yoga
And trust me—I could go on and on!
2. Track Your Own Successes and Failures, Then Write About Them
Are you doing better than last year or worse? Are you plateauing when you projected growth? Did you gain 10 pounds from working too hard or lose the 20 you’ve been meaning to lose? Are you fired up about a world-changing idea, or have you finally decided to stop working on a not-so-world-changing idea?
Any of these things are teachable moments, and not just for you. If something works for you, let others know. If you took a swing and missed, don’t just keep that to yourself—it’s what your audience is looking for. Stories of trying and failing and trying again can make some of the best content out there. Take, for example, the brilliance…
COMMENTS