Ever sat down in front of your computer, ready to make some snazzy dog training content, and you just can’t think of anything to talk about? Like...literally nothing comes to mind at all!
I’m sure we’ve all experienced “writer’s block” at one point or another. And the pressure of having to create content can make it even harder to overcome this writer’s block. Ohhh the pressure!
Whenever I feel like I can’t think of what to talk about in my posts, I always start with a brain dump.
Brain dumping is just like how it sounds. You start with a blank document (or piece of paper) and you write down everything that comes to mind about a particular subject.
For example, I write "Instagram" at the top of a piece of paper and start scribbling anything that comes to mind. It doesn't matter if it doesn't make sense. Or if you have complete sentences. Just whatever comes to mind, dump it all out!
This activity is a good way to get the creative juices flowing. After I get some topics or ideas from this brain dump, I’ll go over to the internet to start looking for more ideas.
Here are 6 ways to generate more content ideas for social media:
Google’s “People Also Ask” section
Reddit
Answer The Public
Poll Your Audience On Instagram Stories
Facebook Groups
Pinterest
#1 Google
When you search a topic on Google, you will find a section near the top or at the bottom that says "People Also Ask" with a list of other questions. These are questions that people are actually typing into Google to look for answers. When you click on one, it shows you even more questions related to that topic!
#2 Reddit
Reddit is one of my favorite social media platforms. The subreddit r/DogTraining is a community dedicated to science-based and force-free training methods! You can visit the subreddit page, type in your topic at the top of the search bar, and it will show you all of the posts related to that topic within the subreddit.
#3 Answer The Public
This website is called a “listening tool” which pulls data from major search engines like Google and others. You can type in 1 or 2 words related to the topic you want to talk about and it will pull up all the questions anyone has asked in the past. When you make an account, you get up to 3 searches per day for free.
#4 Poll your audience on Instagram Stories
One of the smartest ways to get more content ideas is simply by asking your followers what they want to learn about! After all, you are making content FOR THEM. You can ask for ideas through your Instagram stories using the poll sticker or question sticker.
#5 Facebook Groups
Similar to polling on Instagram stories, you can do the same with Facebook Groups! If you haven’t joined any Facebook groups yet, then I recommend requesting to join a few that are related to your niche. Once your request has been approved, then you can make a post asking people what they struggle the most with when it comes to your topic. Here's one I made way before I came up with Pawsistant, ah the good o' days.
#6 Pinterest
Pinterest is my go-to app for all things inspiration. From painting ideas, to template inspiration, and even to generating content ideas! All you have to do is type in a few words in the search bar and it will add in other things that people are mainly searching for.
Are your creative juices flowing yet?
The key to great content marketing is knowing what people are talking about already and using this information to your advantage. And the good old internet has tons of data to inspire us!
After you’ve done your research, I suggest putting everything into one document so you always have a place to turn to whenever you need new ideas!
Try it out and let me know how it goes. If you need more help with creating content specific to your business, hit me up on Instagram or submit an inquiry form here!
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