5 fantastic content marketing idea generators

As a content marketer, you'll be all too aware of the daily struggle to generate fresh, shareable content. You might be an expert in every aspect of the products or services you provide, but if you can't come up with content that will be read and shared by the right people, you're going to struggle to remain relevant.

Fortunately, you don't just have to go it alone. In this article, we discuss all there is to know about how to generate content ideas, explain what content idea generators are, and we share 5 content marketing idea generators to help you produce content that will prove a hit with your target audience.

Table of contents

1. How to generate content ideas
   1. Analyse your audience
   2. Look at your competitors
   3. Use keyword research
   4. Repurpose old content
   5. Brainstorm with a team
   6. Use a content idea generator tool
2. What is a content idea generator?
   i. What is a content generator?
3. 5 content marketing idea generators
   1. Alltop
   2. BuzzSumo
   3. Quora
   4. Soovle
   5. Answer The Public

How to generate content ideas

Generating content ideas is a crucial part of content creation. Here are some methods to generate content ideas:

1. Analyse your audience

Do your research on your target audience and think about what topics they might be interested in and values they're passionate about. Consider their demographics, interests, problems and needs. This can help you come up with content ideas that are more likely to resonate with your audience.

2. Look at your competitors

Look at your competitors' content on their blog and social media channels to see what topics they are covering. This can give you ideas for topics that are popular and relevant to your industry or niche. It might also give you some ideas about where you differ or have a unique insight on a topic.

3. Use keyword research

Conduct keyword research to identify relevant topics that people are searching for. You can use SEO tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner to find popular keywords and topics. If you have access to your own data about how users find your site, you can create targeted content around these search terms. 

Read More: How to do a comprehensive keyword audit

4. Repurpose old content

Look at your old content and find ways to repurpose it. You can turn a blog post into a video or a podcast, or update an old post with new information. This doesn't just give you content to use on your various content marketing channels but can ensure your content stays relevant and accurate.

5. Brainstorm with a team

If you have a marketing team or other colleagues, gather them together to brainstorm content ideas. This can help you come up with more ideas and get different perspectives. Perhaps you can get their feedback on different updates and challenges in their departments that customers might find interesting were you to discuss them in a blog post. They can also help you come up with ideas for competitions, promotions and partnerships.

6. Use a content idea generator tool

There are many content idea generator tools available online that can help you generate new content ideas. They allow you to input your subject area and provide useful suggestions based on the kinds of things internet users are searching for. Carry on reading for a more detailed explanation and a list of 5 content marketing idea generators.

What is a content idea generator?

A content idea generator is a tool or software that suggests ideas for various types of content, such as blog posts, videos, social media posts and more. These tools are designed to help content creators and marketers overcome writer's block or a lack of inspiration by providing them with fresh ideas that they can use to create engaging and informative content.

Content idea generators often work by prompting users to enter a keyword or topic, and then generating a list of related ideas based on that input. Some content idea generators may also provide additional information about each idea, such as the level of competition or the estimated search volume, to help users determine which ideas are most likely to be successful. As such, they can be a helpful tool for anyone looking to create engaging and relevant content for their audience.

What is a content generator?

Different from an idea generator, a content generator is a software tool that automatically creates content, typically using artificial intelligence and natural language processing algorithms. These tools are designed to help content creators and marketers create large amounts of content quickly and easily, without the need for extensive manual work. However, they do need to be used with caution on several counts.

Firstly, generating ideas with content generators is generally fine, though you should note that they are very rarely search optimised so other tools may be better if you're keen on climbing through the rankings. Secondly, using a content generator to produce your content can mean (at best) your content simply lacks your brand voice but (at worst) could even be inaccurate. Nothing trumps writing original, insightful content based on your own research. 

5 content marketing idea generators

If you're a content creator looking for a copywriting ideas generator, take a look at the list of tools below:

1. Alltop

Use this for: Jumping on the newsjacking bandwagon

‘Newsjacking’ should be a word you’re familiar with by now. It involves taking a current news story and then putting your own twist on it, so it resonates with your audience. If you’re struggling for ideas for your content, this is a great way to tap into people’s interests, establish your brand as an authoritative voice and get your personality across. A good site to use for newsjacking is Alltop, which ranks the most popular stories and sites from across the web.

You can also get a rundown of what’s being talked about in your industry, as Alltop lists posts from the most influential brands and bloggers. A quick search for ‘content marketing’, for example, throws up blogs from the likes of Joe Polizzi at Content Marketing Institute and Copyblogger, as well as insight from more niche corners of the internet. If you scroll through the variety of titles on show, you’re bound to find an article or two from which you can take inspiration.

2. BuzzSumo

Use this for: Informing and inspiring shareworthy content

BuzzSumo's primary purpose is to inform you how content is performing online, giving you an insight into how to tailor your future output. As the Content Marketing Conference succinctly puts it, BuzzSumo ensures 'your content is getting the attention it deserves'. Although you’ll have to pay to use the full version of the tool, it’s indispensable if you want to stay on-trend with current topics and viral content.

The BuzzSumo Content tab is particularly bountiful if you want to discover what the most shared items of content are for particular keywords. Simply enter your search term, and BuzzSumo will scan the major social media platforms and, for Mike Kaput of PR2020, "the result is a priceless trove of data that tells you exactly what content resonates with audiences searching for a particular topic or keyword."

BuzzSumo can also let you know who the top influencers are in your particular field, allowing you to identify guest posting opportunities and keep your finger on the pulse in regards to the topics being discussed by thought leaders.

3. Quora

Use this for: Adding colour and character to long-form blog posts

Quora is a discussion platform that isn't just great for finding copywriting and blogging topics, but to find the experts in the subject matter and get access to a range of different perspectives. 

Quora allows you to track topics, search by relevant keywords and also add your own input, giving you an idea of what questions people are asking about the particular subject area you’re based in. You can extrapolate these questions, and their answers, to form a crowd-sourced blog post, or you could simply use trending topics as inspiration for your content marketing titles. This Buffer post offers further insight into how Quora can be utilised as part of your marketing strategy.

4. Soovle

Use this for: Researching keywords and optimising content

Soovle is a search engine combining the top results from the likes of Google, Bing, Yahoo and Wikipedia. It comes in useful if you want to research how people are currently searching for your target keywords, so you can optimise your content accordingly. Just search for two or three of your main keywords, and the search engine will return with the most common entries across all the main sites.

You can save your results for future reference, and if you’re still at the content planning stage, we’d suggest diversifying your entries, making a note of these keywords in a spreadsheet, and running them through one of the title generators covered above, so you can come up with multiple pieces of content that target as wide an audience as possible.

5. Answer The Public

Use this for: Finding the topics most searched for online

Answer The Public is a powerful online tool for discovering the topics that people are most searching for online. It uses an algorithm to analyse the online search data from search engines and provides results in an easy-to-understand visual format. With Answer The Public, you can easily identify the topics that people are most interested in, enabling you to tailor your content to best fit their interests. It also provides insight into what type of questions people are asking so you can provide answers accordingly.

Additional functions within Answer The Public allow you to filter by country and language, plus the ability to export results to Excel. With its powerful features, Answer The Public is an invaluable tool for understanding what your target audience is searching for and creating content that fulfils those needs.

✏️ Use these tools to find content for your own blog, or leave the hassle to our team of content writers at Copify.

Image credit: AbsolutVision