4 Tools I Use To Generate Awesome Content Ideas
Generating
unique content idea’s is what will separate you from others when
blogging. However, being involved in a competitive niche, you can
sometimes lack the inspiration for unique content creation. Personally,
I’ve always believed in working harder and smarter, which means putting a
twist on the way I generate my content. For example, my strategy
involves taking something that I know has created a buzz online and
putting a twist on it. It requires me to dissect the original content
and create something more special. What I don’t do is copy and paste
text or images, but write everything in my own words, adding my
knowledge into the topic. The only thing left to do now is find what’s
trending within my niche. Over the years, I’ve learned how to streamline
this research process…
I have “3” content generation tools I use
to find what’s a HOT topic. I base my research on relevance and user
engagement. If I can find a topic that has generated enormous social
shares, it must be of value. If I can create similar but more in-depth
content, then I’ll have something special to publish online. I should
get the same response from readers and Google will love it also.
Here are the “3” tools I use to generate awesome content ideas…
-
Search Engines
I’ve decided to start with search
engines because they are the tool of choice for 90% of people searching
online for content. The other 10% typically know where to go to find
content, which involves regularly visiting blogs they read daily.
However, for those who don’t follow specific, niche targeted blogs,
search engines like Google can be your best friend. With search engines,
it’s all about knowing how to correctly search for information. For
example, I’ll use the keyword “web design”.
Search terms like “top”, “web design”,
“top web design blogs”, etc., will provide you with a solid list of
blogs within your niche. However, it’s what you do when you find these
blogs that matters. You need to know how to find content that you can
generate into content of your own. First, always start by looking for
content freshness so you know the blog is up to date. Check when the
last post was published and skim through the next 5-10 previous to view
publish date. A blog that is frequently publishing content will have
fresh content. Next, check for daily readers, which can be easily found
by viewing social profiles like Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Typically, when content is published, the blogger will post an update to
their social profile, which generates engagement back to the blog
content.
Check if the blog has a widget in the
sidebar that shows “Most Popular Content” or “Most Shared Content”
because it’s a great way to quickly find the content you are looking
for. If both those widgets are not available, then it’s time to start
doing some manual work. I’ll start with doing a search on the blog,
typing in my keyword within the search bar so I can find content
relevant to my niche. In this case, I’ll type in “web design” and see
what pops up in the search results. You can also use a trick to locate
all the information quickly within Google. Type the blogs name + keyword
in the search bar and Google will generate a list of content on the
blog that has the keyword in it.
Simply search through the content looking
for social shares and comments. The more social shares, the better
chance of having the same user engagement once you publish content.
Comments are a great way to find questions people have about the
content. You can create a list of the questions and answer them within
your content while writing it out. It’ll add more depth to your content.
2. QuickSprout.com
Neil Patel is another pioneer within
the industry and I visit his blog daily, skimming through content. He
publishes frequently, however, I really enjoy some of the tools he’s
developed over the years. When you first arrive on his blog, you’ll
notice a place to type a URL. Go ahead and give it a try at
QuickSprout.com…anyway,
The tool will generate vast amount of
information pertaining to the URL you just typed in. It displays three
tabs: Web Analyzer, Social Media Analysis, and Competitor Analysis.
- SEO Score & Analysis
- Speed Score
- Keyword
- Recommendations
- And much more…
You should be interested in the
Social Media Analysis because you’ll get a list of pages organized from
most to least shared. These pages are obviously content pages and can be
highly useful when coming up with your next content idea. Your
objective should be to generate a list of the top blogs within your
niche and use this tool to find the most shared content. Next,
Once you created a list of most shared
content, it’s time to do some research and visit each one, looking for
ways to create something better. Remember, content writing and starting a
new business have one important thing in common. You’re going to have
competition and you need to find ways to put a twist on it, doing it
better than your competitors. The ones who can create a buzz are the
ones who will succeed by attracting customers or in your case more
readers.
Imagine being able to type in a
keyword and being able to find the most relevant shared content on the
web. Introducing Topsy.com and Buzzsumo.com, which gathers data across
different social platforms and brings it to one place. You can simply
type in a keyword and find the most shared content within several social
platforms. They are both customizable so you can select a custom date,
choose a social network, or even the type of content you are looking
for: content, video, presentations, and images. It’s important to
mention that both Topsy.com and Buzzsumo.com have common features, but
include added bonuses separate from each other.
Here’s how they work….I’ll use Buzzumo.com and “link building” as my keyword.
First, head over to Buzzsumo.com and
enter “link building” within the search bar. For more added use, please
sign up for a FREE account.
Next,
When the results appear, on the left, you
can customize what you are looking for. In this case, I’ve filtered
using the following:
- Date = Past Year
- Type = Article and Guest Post
Next,
I’m looking for the most shared content
on all social platforms so on the right, I’ll look at the number under
“TOTAL SHARES”. Buzzsumo.com will automatically have this organized from
highest to lowest. However, there is one more step that is very
important…
It’s time to visit the top 3-4 websites
on the list, looking for ways to improve each content and write down
some pointers. You’re looking for things not included within the
content. If they don’t include images then add them when you write your
content. If they are missing videos and depth, then look for ways to
create something longer.
Topsy.com is the same tool, which
performs the same function so use both and stick with the one you feel
comfortable using. In the end, your objective is to find the most shared
content and create something even better. This will increase your
chance of getting the same response and engagement with your content
once published.
Above, you’ve just learned “3” cool ways
to quickly generate content ideas that have a track record creating a
buzz online. However, as mentioned, you need to ensure you create your
own voice, which means writing everything out in your own voice. You
need to add your own knowledge and put a twist on otherwise stagnant
content. If you can add fuel to the content fire, you can generate
enormous social buzz, which is great for both blog growth and
engagement.
In closing, remember a few rules…
- Write content in your own words
- Look for ways to improve existing content (images, video, infographics, etc.)
- Make sure content is relevant and based on your keyword
- Streamline the process by using the tools above
- Search blog social profiles for potential
- Check for blog freshness
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