It all starts with an idea. But what happens when you hit a writer’s block? You need to find inspiration somehow, and that can be easier said than done. How do you nudge your mind in the right direction when ideas are hard to come by?
Roadblocks are an unfortunate reality of the writing business, but if you know how to approach them, you can ensure that you never stay in neutral for too long. Here are some helpful tips for how to catalyze content ideation and brainstorming when you hit roadblocks.
4 Approaches to Help Kickstart Content Ideation When in Writer’s Block
1) Assess Current Events and Content Demand
A constant silver lining in the sports media industry is this: Current events are always progressing, and there’s always news to craft content around. That natural event progression can serve as a content catalyst in and of itself, so long as you approach it with an open mind.
From within your specific niche, assess current events and the content demands that your audience projects off of that. On social media, you can maintain a two-way feedback channel with your audience, and that channel can give you valuable insight into what people want to consume.
2) Adopt a Problem-and-Solution Mindset
Sometimes, current events and demand analysis alone don’t do it when it comes to idea generation. News-driven content is valuable, but it can be easy to get lost in the noise, and conversely, it can become more difficult to separate yourself. To generate compelling ideas, you can adopt a problem-and-solution mindset.
What is a question that looms for your audience? How can you answer that question with informational analysis? Or, even more simply put: What is something that needs an answer? Speculating about the future of an embattled coach, or the status of a program’s recruiting? By identifying problems and seeking out answers, you can create a consistent content pipeline.
3) Understand That One Idea Can Lead to Five Others
The search for ideas can be very arduous. And when you find one idea to expand on, there’s a sense of finality. But it’s important to remember that with one idea, you can branch off and create many more related to it.
No idea exists on a dead-end path, and for the curious, there are always ways to drive the story forward. Think of a river and its tributaries. One content thread might have a main source, but there are always countless ways for you to branch off of that and enrich the story in different ways. Exhaust those opportunities where you can.
4) Don’t Be Afraid to Use AI to Kickstart Your Mental Process
There’s some general skepticism toward AI (Artificial Intelligence) among writers, journalists, and content creators. But there are ways you can use AI to your advantage, and content ideation is one such category. Struggling to find ideas on what to write? Ask ChatGPT. Posit a topical prompt to AI, let it sift through information and churn out words, and find inspiration where you can.
Let me make one thing clear: You should not copy word-for-word what AI generates for you. That not only risks producing an unpolished product, but also dilutes your creative process. AI is perfect for this specific task: Sorting through information and distilling it quickly and efficiently, so you can take something from it.
You have something AI can’t replicate: The human’s ability to create. Use AI to kickstart your mental process and seed ideas, and then use your unique creativity to bring those ideas to life and expand on the bare concepts unearthed by AI.
Playbook:
- Assess Current Events and Content Demand
- Adopt a Problem-and-Solution Mindset
- Understand One Idea Can Lead to Five More
- Use AI to Kickstart Your Mental Process
