How to Come Up With Content Ideas that Connect With Your Audience

Whether you’re sharing blog posts, Facebook updates, email newsletters or Instagram Stories, you’ve probably wondered how to consistently come up with great content ideas—and more of them! And that question makes sense: Content is what connects you to your audience and converts the right people into customers. But, as with most marketing tools, content won’t work well for you unless you work to create great content—that is to say, unless you are consistently creating, publishing and promoting high-value information for your core audience of potential customers.

Content creation can be fun at first, but creating consistent content week after week (or even day after day) may start to feel overwhelming pretty quickly. You may find yourself skipping a weekly blog post or sharing irrelevant memes on Facebook or feeling as if your well of ideas has run dry.

You haven’t run out of ideas—we promise. Whether you need blog post ideas or social media inspiration, in text or in video, we’ll show you how to come up with content ideas that connect with your audience:

1. Make ‘Em Laugh

Who doesn’t love a good sense of humor? No matter your audience, most people love to be entertained—and funny content is often the most entertaining, engaging and shareable. Find the funny that makes the most sense for your business; your sense of humor might be a more understated wit or completely slapstick, depending upon your brand voice. Either way, think about how you might make your audience laugh the next time you sit down to write.

2. Share Articles

While posting original content is key and should be your main focus, sharing articles and blog posts other than your own is helpful when you’re wondering how to come up with more content ideas. Steer clear of sharing your competition’s content, of course, and only share valuable information that your customers will find interesting. You might also use this external content as a catalyst for your own content inspiration. Can you riff off of an article you shared; perhaps add some additional insight? As always, focus on sharing high-quality content with your audience—whether that content is yours or someone else’s—and they’ll continue to come back to you for more.

3. Ask Questions

This tip works on dates, in interviews and in your content: If you want people to engage with you, ask them questions! Ask questions that are easy and quick to answer and aligned with your product or service or industry. Also, questions are not only a great content type to rely on; they’re great for customer research, too! Thinking about developing a new product? Ask your audience what they need. You can quickly get insight into your customers’ brains and make them feel like part of your team. Win-win.

4. Engage With Trivia

Posing trivia questions to your audience is another great way to encourage engagement. You might engage your audience with trivia about your brand, your product or your industry. And unlike any old question, trivia adds the excitement of brain teasing and a sense of fun competitiveness that will appeal to true fans and new fans of your brand alike.

5. Offer Insight

Giving your audience tips related to your product or your service is one surefire way to guarantee you’re delivering value. If you’re wondering how to come up with new content ideas, think about the information you can give away for free. Consider your potential customers carefully: What insight do they need? What are their questions? What information is your company uniquely poised to provide for them? Every single answer to this question could be a piece of content!

6. Add an Announcement

Do you have something new and exciting to share? Don’t forget to give your audience the inside track on big news from your company. If you have a product launch or a well-known new hire or you’ve updated your services (or something else new and exciting altogether!), give your followers a heads up! After all, they’re following you for a reason: They’re curious about and interested in new updates from your company.

7. Invite Guests

We’ll let you in on a little secret about content: You don’t always have to be the one creating it! That’s right—you can ask for help. Invite other leaders in your industry (though not competitors, of course) to contribute or be interviewed on your blog. Put out a call for guest writers and let them share their ideas and expertise with your audience. You might even decide to hire a few freelancers to keep the content coming every month! The options are many and they’re all up to you—even when your content isn’t.

8. Host a Contest

Contests are another great way to increase engagement with your content—and share some of your goods or services for free! You can host contests on your blog, through your email newsletter or on social media. Consider what your target audience would most value as a prize, then determine the best form of engagement—do you want them to tweet about your company, share a video or invite their friends to participate? Get clear on the best value for them and for you, and create a contest that benefits you both.

9. Go Behind-the-Scenes

Everybody loves a good sneak peek! Take your audience behind the curtain of your business and show them what goes into making your product or service. You might run a blog post series introducing key members of your team or shoot a Facebook Live that shows your product being made. Even if your content can be viewed by anyone, there’s a sense of exclusivity and access that comes with getting to see behind-the-scenes.

10. Respond to #TrendingTopics

When you pay attention—and respond—to what is trending in the news or online, your content is automatically relevant. Your commentary on what’s happening in the world—whether you’re commenting on the latest celebrity breakup or news of a natural disaster—also adds a human element to your brand. Your response gives greater insight into your values and opinions as a company, and gives your customers and fans an even deeper reason to align with you.

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As long as your content is valuable, relevant and engaging, you’ll never run out of ways to connect with your audience. Whenever you find yourself wondering how to come up with more content ideas, refer back to this list and let the ideas start flowing.

What type of content will you share next? Will you play with humor, make an announcement, or offer some insight? Share your content inspiration with us in the comments below!