Here’s how I come up with content creation ideas after posting daily videos for 1,317 days, publishing a podcast for 1,071 days, and sending a weekly newsletter for 3 years.
A good idea, even with terrible execution, is the most important thing for making content succeed.
Not the hook.
Not the packaging.
The idea.
You could put the same time and effort into two pieces of content and a good idea will easily outperform a bad one by 100x to 1,000x.
This is where those good ideas actually come from.
Repurposing viral content using a different medium
If something is going viral, that means it’s validated. People are interested.
I’ll take a viral 𝕏 post and make a video about it (giving credit of course).
Example:
𝕏 For You - Today’s News
Occasionally I’ll open 𝕏 and see trending posts related to my niche.
This is exactly what happened with Google’s biggest leak of all time in 2024.
I saw this in the 𝕏 For You – Today’s News tab and went hard making content about it:
Related subreddits
I pay attention to a few subreddits in my niche. Every so often I’ll visit them and sort by most popular for the month.
Then I’ll get bangers like this:
Or this:
Microsoft To Do app
I have tabs for my newsletter, my podcast, and social media videos.
I put links to interesting articles, posts, or ideas I have.
I literally have hundreds of entries saved in these tabs to return to.
Content Inspiration folder
For posts I’m seeing or photos of things that have potential, but I don’t yet know the content I can make with them, I save/screenshot whatever it is and add it to a Content Inspiration folder on my laptop.
Businesses I’m involved with
There’s nothing like hands-on work to give you new epiphanies that you can share.
Similarly, when you work with a lot of companies, you see common mistakes or things people often don’t fully grasp. Make content on this!
Hands-on work and consulting is an endless source of ideas.
What commenters write
Sometimes I’ll get comments on my podcast or social videos that are worth answering with a video.
I try to pick comments that will resonate with other viewers.
That’s what happened with Oleg’s comment here:
The reason I’m even writing this article is because “How do you come up with content ideas?” is one of the most common questions I get.
My evergreen subject matter spreadsheet
I go deep on this here: https://edwardsturm.com/articles/viral-social-content-system/
In a spreadsheet, for anybody’s content in my niche (not just mine), I track:
Column 1: The hook
Column 2: The topic
Column 3: The URL
Column 4: The benefits named
Column 5: The topic category
I get ideas for hooks that stop people, interesting subject matter, and how to describe that subject matter in a way people care about.
I specifically look for content that will continue to go viral – content that’s evergreen.
ChatGPT Agent Mode
I take a lot of my content that has done well before and give it to ChatGPT. Then I write, “Give me a ChatGPT Agent Mode prompt to find more content like this. Emphasize finding things that mention a clear payoff/result because that’s what people care about.”
ChatGPT writes a thorough prompt for Agent Mode. Agent Mode spends 25 minutes doing the research. It comes back with a ton of interesting reports, studies, and posts to make content on.
Other news sources like Search Engine Roundtable
Industry publications that share good stuff.
Shout out Search Engine Roundtable.
You get fresh industry news and insights, then make content on it. Like this:
People send me stuff
Now that people know me and watch my stuff – they DM/email recommending or asking me to cover different topics.
Thank you to everybody who sends me cool things to make content on!!
Remaking content with a new angle or hook
Sometimes you can get a lot more views just by changing the angle you present the idea with.
I took a video of mine with under 500 views and edited it a year later with fresh eyes – I spent only a couple minutes editing.
The improved video got 2.4 million views. I share this story here: https://edwardsturm.com/articles/everything-in-marketing-is-a-block-of-stone-with-a-beautiful-sculpture-inside/
Remaking my own content in short form / long form / newsletter
I’ll make a 10 minute podcast then turn an interesting part of that podcast into a 30 second social video.
Or I’ll take a high-performing podcast and make a more thought-out newsletter on the topic. Like this newsletter from a few weeks ago: https://edwardsturm.com/articles/google-io-biggest-search-changes-get-more-business/
Stream of consciousness journaling
That’s how I came up with last week’s newsletter: https://edwardsturm.com/articles/landing-page-conversion-checklist/
I just start writing about anything that comes into my head. Not proofread. Sloppy.
Stream of consciousness. You allow your brain to be more creative this way. After writing for a couple minutes, I usually get something worth making content on.
Going on walks, talking out loud
Similar to stream of consciousness journaling.
I come up with a lot of great ideas just going on walks, tossing things on my mind around, talking out loud like a crazy person.
Momentum
Once you get the creative juices flowing, it becomes easier to think of more ideas.
There’s really no shortage of interesting ideas, but it’s easier when you prime your brain to look at things in a more excited light.
The more you create, the easier it is to keep creating.
Pressure
I’ve put up at least one social media video a day for 1,317 days in a row without missing a single day, a podcast for 1,071 days in a row without missing a single day, and my newsletter each week for 3 years in a row without missing a single week.
The most important thing for me each day is to make a social video and podcast. And my newsletter each week.
Your brain can do incredible things under a deadline.
It’s the same with content. I’m constantly putting out viral bangers because it’s midnight and I haven’t made a social video yet. This happened here:
What I don’t do: keyword data, SEO tools
Content made for SEO should be highly targeted for specific searchers. That’s the best way to succeed with SEO.
For social, podcasts, and newsletters, it’s better to make content that is more broadly interesting. This is what allows audience to compound – people keep returning to you because you keep putting out interesting stuff.
And I make so much content, a lot of my videos rank anyway – for very competitive terms. Here’s how I optimize my existing videos for SEO: https://edwardsturm.com/articles/video-seo-content-discoverability-system/
When I do put out SEO specific content with my channels, I only do it for high-intent keywords.
Target high-intent
If you want to do SEO, I recommend targeting searchers who are already looking for what you sell.
Right now there are thousands of people literally going to search engines or AIs asking for what you offer – they just don’t know your brand exists.
I spent a full year making a course on how to find these high-intent searchers, make content that ranks #1 for them for years (a lot of my early high-intent SEO content is still ranking #1 six years after making it), structure your website for this content, do an SEO site audit, build links, and a lot more.
There are videos, written portions, visual templates, Google Docs, Google Sheets, weekly examples in every niche, and so much more.
And the course is updated constantly – I literally add updates to it several times a month.
If you haven’t gotten Compact Keywords yet, you’re going to love it. Get it at: https://edwardsturm.com/compact-keywords/
If you want to get customers, users, and warm leads from SEO, Compact Keywords is how you do it.
2 thoughts on “Content Creation Ideas: How I Never Run Out of Things to Post”
You know I actually had wondered before how you come up with so many ideas. It seemed like mostly news based but now that you break it down I can see how you’re putting it all together. Very helpful!
Any chance you’ll do another one of these posts but about books instead? I’ve got one from you saved in my own references about eBay from ages ago, haha.
that’d be a great one! my top marketing books. have you read trust me im lying?