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How do content creators continue to come up with new and interesting content creations?

Sometimes it feels impossible to come up with a new video or blog idea. I’ve gone weeks without a single idea. And then *BAM*. I’ll think of 4 new ideas in 30 minutes. And just like that I’m back on track.

But when you’re going through one of your droughts it can feel looooong and like you’ll never have an idea again! Which is why I wanted to provide my best strategies for coming up with new & fresh content ideas.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a YouTuber, a blogger, podcaster, or whatever – these exercises will work for you.

My Top Strategies for Breaking through Creator Blocks

1. Talk about what you love!

When in doubt, always go back to what you love to talk about. For me, I enjoy talking about remote work, travel and productivity. (Sometimes I even manage to talk about all of them together, like in my Work Productively from Anywhere video). So you’ll notice all my videos and blogs are related to those topics. They are also the main topics related to my current Digital Nomad lifestyle so it’s easy for me to discuss them.

Plus when you talk about what you love it comes across in your energy and your expressions. It feels authentic and people are drawn to authenticity. It should also be a lot easier than talking about something that doesn’t inspire you.

Ask yourself:

  • What at are you good at or already an expert on?
  • What are things that people come to you for advice for?
  • Are there common topics you always fall back to in conversation?
  • Do you obsessively think about or research a particular topic?
  • Or is there something you are learning and you want to share what you are learning to help others?

2. Google Search / YouTube Search

Google searches and YouTube searches are super helpful in coming up with different ideas. And even better they will tell you what people are actually searching for.

Say, for example, you want to create a post on Hootsuite. You’ve been using it for your business. You love it, but you don’t know how to get a full post or video out of that. What would people even want to know?

This is where you head to Google or YouTube and type “Hootsuite” in the search bar. And maybe even variations of it like “How Hootsuite…..” and let the autocomplete do the rest of the work for you. (Think Wired’s Autocomplete Celebrity Interviews)

So when you’re stuck, get online and figure out what people are searching for related to that topic. And if this doesn’t spark any ideas you’re excited about, then maybe it’s a topic worth shelving for the moment.

3. Consider What Type of Content You Are Creating

  • Is it meant to be an informational?
  • Is it going to be a review of a product or tool you’ve used?
  • Is it an interview?
  • Is it a tutorial?
  • Is it meant to inspire?
  • Or is it just for fun/silly?

By creating different types of content, you may even be able to get multiple creations out of one topic. Like when I created a video on the ConvertKit Free Plan and then followed up with a Tutorial on Creating ConvertKit Landing Pages.

The first was purely informational based on a new subscriber free plan option and the second was a tutorial on a major feature of the free plan.

Also, by using varying content types you can go back to things you’ve already created and maybe break them down more. So an early post I wrote was on My Top 6 Tools to Run an Online Business. But I haven’t really created much more content around them. So I decided to highlight one of them by creating 5 Canva Video Tutorials for Beginners.

You can do this with your life.
You can do this with business.
You can do this with travel.
You can do this will all sorts of things.

4. Repurpose Your Content for All Platforms

This one is a huge time saver and closely related to tip #3. But it’s the release of feeling like you have to think of something new or different every. single. time.

And it’s actually not to your benefit (or others’ benefit) to only say something once and then never talk about it again. If you are passionate about it and find it valuable, then you should be talking about it everywhere on a consistent basis.

it’s the reason you see the same commercials, the same ads, over and over and over because exposure matters. Knowing that and knowing that people consume content in different ways, means that you can and should be repurposing your content.

For example, this post right here.

  1. It started as a YouTube Video
  2. Now it’s a blog post
  3. I also got 3 social posts out of it this week
  4. And will next use the content in my next email newsletter ( which you can join here 😉 )

5. Take Inspiration from Others

Have you been on YouTube recently? Do you follow other bloggers in your niche?

I’m not saying to copy other people, it goes without saying that you should not steal other people’s content. But it’s totally okay to take a look at what other people in your niche are writing about and talking about and get inspiration.

When I am completely at a loss for video ideas, I just jump on YouTube and I look at what other YouTubers are creating and what I get inspired by. So maybe I’ll watch a couple of productivity videos and that sparks an idea of like, “Oh yea! I do this and I’ve never talked about it.” Like this context switching video.

I will also sometimes watch travel vlogs and get ideas on how to better film in different locations and what types of shots are effectual to get. How much do they talk vs showing the location, etc. So you can also use it as a tool to improve your content. Currently my Hot Springs National Park video is my most watched destination video but I’m also pretty proud of my most recent Cozumel video.

6. Relevancy

Another place to start is to think about what is relevant, right now. It also means it may have a short shelf life, but it’s okay to have a mix of evergreen and time specific content.

We’ve all been inundated during the pandemic with pandemic and covid related related content. Everything from podcasts, to blogs, to commercials, everyone has come out with their own messaging on the topic. And they did it simply because it was the most relevant thing to discuss.

One successful example I saw from this topic was a lawyer who created a video on the US stimulus check plan and what that meant for individuals. It was relevant, informational and helpful to a lot of people. She also was able to position herself as an expert in understanding laws and so over the course of a month she was able to go from not monetizing to actually monetizing her channel with just on a couple different videos.

My take on this was to create an Insta Glow Tanning Lotion Review video. I was using it more than usual being in quarantine and summer was approaching so I figured others might want to keep their summer glow too! It’s a product I already use and talk about with my friends (tip #1) so it was a no brainer. To date it’s my most popular video 💁‍♀️

7. Physical Activity

There is a lot of science connecting exercising to physical activity. So when you’re stuck, get moving!

My favorite solution is to go on a walk. I also try to workout regularly during the week to get in regular physical activity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ll only be 5-7 minutes into a workout and I’ve already thought of 3 things or worked out an issue in my head!

8. Take a Break

It sounds counter intuitive, but like physical activity, taking a break will give your mind a chance to start processing through ideas. Take the pressure off yourself and relax. Maybe even do some breathing techniques or meditation. Give your mind a rest and it will reward you. Don’t put pressure on yourself and trust that it will come.

We are all creative in our own ways. It’s actually taken me a very long time to refer to myself as a “creative person”. If it’s something that you love to talk about, go talk about it! Because I guarantee you will find someone else out there who wants to talk about it with you.

Those are my best tips for how to come up with new content ideas no matter your platform. I personally create on my blog at travelingtayler.com and my Youtube channel at travelingtayler. I publish new videos every Tuesday!

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