Are you a content writer or an aspiring blogger? Then there must be times when you think about how great content ideas are like scientific formulae. There is no denying that anybody may find it challenging to formulate a truly good idea. The greatest fear of any writer or content marketer is running out of innovative content ideas – something that you never want your business to go through, right?
That is why you must learn about innovative ways to spark inspiration and generate the best concepts for your content. These ideas will help you even if your mind is blank at some point. So, let us delve deeper and scroll through the five ways to discover innovative concepts for content writing.
- Competitive Intelligence Tools
You will find the latest competitive intelligence tools, like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and SEMRush, invaluable during the content creation process. They can help you quantify why some content ideas are better than others.
Let us take the example of a popular intelligence tool, BuzzSumo. First, you must specify which vertical or keyword which interests you. You can do the same by entering your query into the relevant field. Then you get some results that show you a range of useful information. Later, BuzzSumo will give you certain innovative content that has performed well regarding backlinks, social media shares, and engagement. Such data will help you understand which content resonates with your audience. Hence, you can use this information to refine your content ideas. Simply find the prevailing points associated with the current topic of your industry and generate writing concepts for the same.
An important aspect of such tools is social shares – a reliable indication that the content is pushing the right buttons. However, they do not necessarily mean the content will be positive or well-written. All you must know is that many readers, regardless of the content angle or perspective, felt compelled to share it across different networks.
Content shared widely across social platforms can indicate several different things:
- It is a breaking news story that got the scoop first because of which people share it widely.
- The content is particularly insightful, actionable, or useful.
- The writer has a unique insight into the topic, including a special perspective.
- The opinions in the content defy conventional wisdom.
- The content is so controversial or negative that people share it out of mistrust or anger.
Any of the preceding points are worthy to help you emulate your innovative content.
- Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools are another innovative way to develop excellent concepts for content writing. What you must initially look for are relevant keywords, no matter which keyword research tool you use for creative writing. It can be especially helpful if you work according to a frequent publication schedule. The best part is that you will find several free keyword tools on the internet to indulge in innovative content inspiration.
First, you must choose a broad, nice initial keyword to start your search. This process is sometimes referred to as a seed keyword. For instance, if you search ‘cryptocurrency,’ you will find a list of keywords associated with this particular term. What you need to do is use the keywords that have the highest volume and use them for content creation.
You can primarily look for content ideas from the keywords that appear at least 20 times in the search volume. Such keywords are great for introductory guides, shorter listicles, or in-depth explainers.
You can organise most keywords into questions that begin with the following.
- Where
- Which
- Who
- What
- When
- Why
- How
- Are
There is no denying that every content writer will love answering such question keywords with innovative content. It is an effective way to showcase your expertise and generate leads through content creation. What’s best is that such creative writing can also drive loads of organic traffic. This happens especially if you manage to rank across several questions. Let us take another example where we target a bunch of these keywords – ‘how does the MS planner work?’ Yet, you may also see a lot of questions that no one has tackled yet:
- How Microsoft Planner Works
- How MS Planner works
- How does Microsoft Planner work
- How to use a planner effectively
- How to use a planner for beginners
- How to use a planner for work
On the downside, there may be zero search volume data. However, you can always check it in another tool if you see an interesting keyword. Such kinds of questions can help you create new content without having to rely on your mind to find innovative concepts for creative writing.
- Latest News Articles
Very few people turn towards news articles for ideas. But what if we tell you that you can find the most innovative content in the news? Yes, it can be an excellent source of content ideas. Then, let us talk about how you can begin with this process. Start looking for connections between some unrelated news stories or topics. This is because cross-disciplinary thinking often leads to fresher perspectives. Let’s take two examples here – a story on climate change and another on a technical breakthrough related to medicines. Now, you might explore how these two topics intersect. For instance, try coming up with content ideas like discussing the environmental impact of medical technology or the impact of healthcare on the environment. That’s how you become a pro in content creation processes.
News content is fresh and “new.” It often focuses on emerging or developing events. You may also think this cannot help you if your publication does not publish news content. However, it will always inspire you to produce actionable, insightful content. You should not be trying to publish content that people share. Most of them share such content because they cannot believe how bad it is. What does that leave you with? Publishing innovative content with unique insights into a topic. This offers an unusual and fresh perspective on a well-worn subject.
- Question-and-Answer Sites
You can cast your net wider with some online research apart from looking at customer questions, comments, and feedback. How? Analyse what people are saying about your subject or topic in general. Then, check different question-and-answer sites. Just go to Quora or Reddit and search for the subject you are looking for innovative content. Browse several discussions to see what people are discussing or want to know about such concepts.
Let us give you an even better idea. There are times when you may find a Quora or Reddit thread that has no definitive answer. So, you can write about it, and answer the question with your expert knowledge. Here comes the content inspiration now! Add a link to an article or blog post for more information and watch readers flock to your website quickly.
- Scroll Through Old Content
Reviewing older content can be fun. Here’s How! You can use this older content to see your writing progress over time. Yet, that’s not all. Going back through older content can help you develop new things to write about.
For example, you can do a quick search for some older blog posts you had written to come up with some new content ideas. You can republish and repurpose every new piece of content you create. Moreover, you can mine it for extra ideas outside of the main topic. This will help you create sequels, spinoffs, and related content.
Consider the following when it comes to creating a spinoff of your older content:
- Subheadings of the original content.
- Bulleted lists.
- Impactful stories or examples
- Drawn conclusions
- Pieces of Advice
Remember, a piece of information or idea that is not already the major point of a piece of content can become the primary point of another for content creation.
Final Thoughts
Coming up with innovative concepts for things to write about can be challenging for many of you. It is like smashing your head into the desk repeatedly until you lose your consciousness gradually. It gets even tougher when you try writing concepts for content in a highly competitive industry. You may face the same dilemma during content creation for a particularly demanding client. However, every one of us can come up with new content ideas, as we have seen throughout this post. You can do so even when feeling completely bereft of ideas or running out of writing concepts for various reasons.
Content ideas do not just appear from thin air. Sometimes, good ideas are not sitting in your mind. You cannot resonate them with ripe and ready apples for plucking on a tree. Instead, you have to work to nurture and grow good writing concepts. You can research your content inspiration using the above great steps curated by experts. Start gathering, and soon, you may devise a list of innovative concepts for creative writing and content creation.
Need more help with innovative content ideas? Contact 6smarketers now!
