11 Ways to Find Inspiration for New Content Ideas

Everyone knows that content is key to a successful online marketing strategy. But it's challenging to develop new content ideas that are both interesting and useful to your target audience.

You can run out of ideas fast. And your content likely becomes repetitive or your audience starts to tune you out.

To make sure that your content stays fresh and engaging, you need to find inspiration from different sources. And that's what this post is all about.

Here are 11 exciting and valuable ways to find inspiration for top-notch content that you can keep producing, no matter what.

11 methods to find inspiration for new content ideas

Use the following tips as a cheat sheet for coming up with new content ideas that your audience will love.

1. Check out what's trending on social media.

Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest are great places to find inspiration for new content topics. Pay attention to trending hashtags and keywords that your target audience is using. This will give you a good idea of the topics they're interested in.

You can do this manually but some great content tools can help, such as:

• Google Trends
• BuzzSumo
• Keyhole

Using these tools will help you pick up on rising content without spending hours trying to find it on your own.

2. Listen to questions people are asking.

A great way to come up with new content ideas is to listen to the questions people in your target audience are asking.

This can be done in several ways, including:

• Searching forums, social media, and Q&A sites like Quora
• Checking out the questions people are asking in relevant Facebook Groups
• Asking your audience directly via surveys or polls
• Checking out FAQs on your competitors' websites and on social media
• Using AnswerThePublic.com to uncover the types of questions people are asking
• Referencing the 'People Also Ask' (PAA) box in Google search results


When searching 'how to code', Google brings up questions people also ask in relation to the search term

These methods will help you identify the types of content that your audience is most interested in so you can create content that meets their needs.

3. Follow thought leaders and influencers.

If you want to stay on top of the latest trends and developments in your industry, following thought leaders and industry influencers is a great way to do it. Not only can you pick up new ideas, but you'll also be exposed to fresh perspectives and unique takes on familiar topics.

To find influencers to follow, try using Twitter's search function and searching for keywords related to your industry. For more in-depth research, you can also use tools such as BuzzSumo and Followerwonk to find top influencers based on various factors.

Finally, subscribe to the newsletters of thought leaders and industry news sites to make sure you're always in the loop.

4. Use Google Alerts.

Google Alerts is a little-known but powerful tool that allows you to track specific topics on the web. You can even set up alerts for your competitors or a specific industry keyword to see what people are writing about.

This can be an excellent source of inspiration for new content ideas because you can see what the competition is doing and how people are responding. If something gets a lot of engagement, it's probably worth writing about yourself.

5. Look for content gaps.

Another great way to find inspiration for new content ideas is by looking for content gaps in your industry. These are topics that people want to know about, but there aren't many resources available to address them.

To identify potential content gaps, start by conducting keyword research and identifying the top keywords related to your industry. I recommend using Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer for this. The tool is handy, and you'll be able to find content that your competition has created, but you haven't.

Use Ahref's Content Gap tool for more content ideas

Learning about content gaps will help you create new content and rank for terms you otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

6. Look through industry-specific news sites and blogs.

Very often, trending news trickles down from serious publications to blogs and news sites, so staying on top of industry publications can give you great content ideas.

Start by subscribing to significant publications in your field, such as TechCrunch, The Huffington Post, and Mashable. Then check out some of the smaller sites that aggregate news in your industry, like VentureBeat, Business Insider, and Techmeme.

You should also check out scientific and academic journals relevant to your industry. You could find interesting research findings that might make for fresh, engaging content.

7. Conduct interviews

Doing interviews with influencers, experts, and thought leaders in your field can help you find topic ideas for future content.

First, identify people who have a lot of knowledge and experience in your industry. Then reach out and see if they're willing to do an interview. Once you've secured an interview, come up with a list of questions that will help you get the information you need.

Doing interviews is a great way to gain insights and perspectives that you can use to develop new ideas for content.

8. Create expert roundups

Like interviews, expert roundups are a great way to get insights and perspectives from experts in your field.

To create an expert roundup, reach out to the experts you identified and ask them many questions about your field.

Once you've received the responses, you'll be able to create a comprehensive guide or resource that will give people all the information they need on a topic. And as a bonus, you'll be able to include the insights and perspectives of experts in your field.

When reaching out to experts to answer your expert roundup question, you want to offer some incentive for them to participate. This might include a backlink to their website, social media promotion, or simply the recognition of being featured in your roundup.

9. Revisit older and outdated ideas

If you're having trouble coming up with new content ideas, it might be time to revisit some of the older ideas. You can also use outdated 'principles' and 'best practices' that have been established in your industry.

For example, if you're a health coach and one of the famous principles in your field is 'A calorie is a calorie,' you could write a blog post that addresses why this principle is outdated and no longer relevant.

This would be engaging and thought-provoking content that would get people talking. And it could potentially attract links as well.

10. Take on a controversial perspective.

One of the best ways to get attention for your content is to take on a controversial perspective. This could be something as simple as disagreeing with a popular piece of advice in your industry or something more complex, like arguing that a commonly-accepted 'truth' is false.

If you're not sure where to start, try looking at some of the most popular blog posts in your field and see if there's anything you disagree with. Then, write a blog post that takes the opposite perspective.

It's important to note that you don't want to be controversial for being controversial. You still want to ensure that your content is well-researched and backed up by evidence.

11. Write about your experiences

Your experiences can be a great source of content ideas. People will find it engaging and relatable whether you're sharing your personal experiences or writing about your professional experiences.

Very often, everyday conversations with others and observations can trigger content ideas. If you're ever in doubt about whether or not your experiences would make for good content, ask yourself if it's something that you would find interesting to read.

Back to you

These are just a few ways to find inspiration for new content ideas. Remember, the key is to keep an open mind and be creative. If you can tap into your own experiences and interests, you'll never run out of ideas.

Do you have a favorite way to come up with new content ideas? Use your tried-and-true method and one of the strategies above to develop even more ideas. Then, start writing!