Where To Find Content Ideas So You’re Always Ready To Post

Let’s dive into one of my favorite topics: where to find content ideas so you never run out of inspiration. I’m sharing all my favorite strategies for uncovering endless ideas, starting with questions I receive directly from you! I share how listening to your audience, keeping an eye on news updates and industry changes, and using tools like Google Alerts help you stay ahead and create content that keeps your audience engaged.

This means leveraging places like Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok comments, as well as tapping into magazines, books, and even TV segments, which is perfect for you if scrolling social media gets overwhelming. We’ll look at real examples so you know exactly how to apply this to your own content with viral hook strategies and repurposing winning content structures from other niches. I’m sharing plenty of actionable tactics you can implement right away on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, or whatever platform you choose, and don’t forget your homework this week!

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• My number one place for finding content ideas and where you can find inspiration when you’re just starting out. 
• Staying in the know for your industry so you become the trusted go-to for new and updated information.
• How to use a hook or trend thats completely unrelated to your niche and make it work perfectly for your audience.
• Other placed to find content inspiration, especially when social media becomes too overwhelming.
• My quick hack for what to do if you’re stuck and too nervous to be on camera.

Your homework this week: Find something that is brand new happening and turn it into content.

Make sure you’ve joined the Hook Hotline! You’ll find my broadcast channel in my Instagram bio.

Featured content in this episode:

• Dermguru: Unsexy Drugstore HairCare
• Thriftyblondeblog: Becoming “That Girl”
• Euge.park: Heavyweight T-Shirts
• Shannonmckinstrie: I fixed these hooks

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 60: Nail Your Short Form Videos with This Simple Formula
• Episode 83: Use the REP Hook Formula and Start Filling in the Missing Pieces
• Episode 85: Start Thinking Like a Marketer So People See Themselves in Your Content
• Episode 101: Double Your Views on Instagram with the RISE Formula

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Transcript

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:00]:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good content. So I got this question the other day in the dm, so I'm super excited to cover this because I usually figure if someone's asking this question, many others out there are wondering and she just said, where do we look for content ideas? Now, before we jump into this, because this is literally one of my favorite questions, because that's my job is to come up with content ideas not just for myself, but for dozens of different industries, right? So the best place to come up with content ideas, in my opinion, especially when you're first getting started, is the questions you get, right? So this question came in and now it's going to be a podcast, right? So an easy way is just obviously make a list of questions that you get from clients, customers. If you're brand new to this, Reddit is a great place. Look at the comment section, questions on YouTube videos in your niche, questions in the comments sections in Instagram, TikTok, et cetera. Look at the comments, look at the questions people are asking.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:15]:
Another place to get content ideas is obviously Google Alerts and having some sort of thing where once a week you, you search tools, you use stores, you go to anything in the news. So anything that's updated, right? I, we are obsessed with being in the know. Obsessed. We want to know everything, right? That's why when someone goes make the viral blah, blah, blah with me, it goes crazy because people are like, wait, what's viral? I missed it. How did I miss it? Right? So another thing to do is look at news updates or not even news update, but like updates in like for us in the marketing world, we've got the Verge. That's where I can kind of find out things that are happening in the, in the meta universe. Any updates with obviously Instagram, YouTube, things like that, like they report on all that stuff. So it's another place to get content ideas when you were the first to report on something brand new that just launched or we want to be in the know.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:05]:
And I'll get into that in just a second with a great hook for you. But I just wanted to say the reason we're doing this podcast episode and the reason I'll have more reels coming up about this, especially when this podcast comes out, is because one of the best things is to listen to Your people, everything when it comes to marketing comes from, number one, know your audience, you gotta know em, right? And that comes from lots of market research. Things also change over the years. So it's something I'm constantly looking at. Every DM I get with a question, I take that into consideration. Obviously, questions I get from my Reels Lab community, questions I get when people email me, when they reply to the emails that go out and I answer those questions and I just make a list of those. So that's a great way is just listening to your people, listening, looking at the questions you get in the DMs, looking at questions your competitors, quote, unquote, are getting as well. But what I wanted to say, one of the huge wins I just got in the past week was someone DM me who's a follower.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:59]:
And I've actually been following her too. And she said, oh my gosh, Shannon, I just got 12,000 followers from one single reel. And as soon as I looked at it, and she goes, it's from one of the ones you gave us. Now, I was doing this on threads. I was asking threads about a month ago, I said, hey, guys, what's a hook you recently used that you thought would do well? And it didn't. And people would send screenshots of their hooks that didn't do well and then I fixed them for them. So from threads where that conversation happened. Then the next day on Instagram, I created a carousel and it will be in the show Notes where I go, hey, in tomorrow's carousel on Instagram, I will be fixing your hook and giving you another idea for it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:41]:
So that's where this started. And let me just read it to you. Okay? So the person had sent me this hook and it said, you're a woman with hormone issues who wants to know exactly what will work for your body. Instead of listening to all the noise and you find my account, I said what I would put if I was her social media manager, content strategist, whatever you want to say. My hook for her would have been POV, you are a woman over 40 wondering why your grandma had more energy without ice baths and green powders. And you find my account right now. What this creator did, because she's not in the hormone health space, she is in decluttering and home organization, et cetera. So she took that idea and I love it because she got a content idea from me, right? This is where all the content ideas, they're out there in the world for you.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:29]:
Hers said, POV, you're a woman over 40 wondering why your grandma's house never felt overwhelming, even though she didn't have storage bins, planners and organizing systems. And you find my page, 12,000 followers right now. That's a huge viral spike. We talk, I love to talk viral spikes, because you'll have a viral spike sometimes, and then things kind of settle down and engagement gets back to normal. So when you have these viral spikes, it's very important that you follow it up with content that again, is going to get that engagement going so all these new community members can get to know you more. And she said, what's been so cool about this is all the DMs she's getting in stories, because people are heading to her stories to get to know her personally. And she's like, all these new followers are my people. And I was like, well, that's like the best thing that could ever happen, right? So I was really excited for her.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:17]:
So obviously she got that content idea from me. So another place to find content is in hooks that you like. And that's what she did. She saw that one, she goes, ooh, I like that hook. While I'm not a hormone specialist or doctor, health practitioner, I can use this. So that's another way to find content ideas. Again, all it says was, you're a woman in your 40s, so if she. Anyone who speaks to women in their 40s, that's a great beginning line of a hook.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:43]:
Let's say you're a tennis instructor, but you're hyperlocal, right? Maybe you see a reel or a TikTok or a carousel, et cetera, from a dentist and says pov, you live in blah, blah, blah, and you want xyz, you can use that content idea, quote, unquote, that hook, that formula for your own content. You're like, I can use those first five words and then you tailor it to your niche. So another way place to find content is in the hooks and the content you're seeing and can attach to. Now, with that said, content ideas in general come from typically topics, tips, stories, right? Stories that you like to share with people. I always like to say those stories that you love to tell at a dinner party or you can't wait to tell your besties and things like that. So another place to find content ideas is obviously listening to what you're listening to right now. A podcast, podcasts, YouTube, all these places you can watch within your niche to get content ideas. But what I like to do personally, guys, when I start looking at people in my niche I get imposter syndrome.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:47]:
So I do not look at other people in my niche to come up with my content ideas. So my content ideas come from questions from you guys and things I know that you're struggling with. And then I use, I do exactly what that creator did. I use the hooks I see going viral, doing well, getting comments and I tailor the that. So the idea comes from the questions. The hook comes from what's working right now. Other fun places to find content ideas. If you are like Shannon, I need to unplug.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:12]:
I am like, I get anxious scrolling same. Magazines, books, right? Like literally, let's say you are in the nutrition health space when you're in the grocery store line next time. Or this is for everyone, go to the magazine aisle, go to Barnes and Noble, find a magazine within your niche and look at the articles, podcasts, articles, new, right, all of that. Or let's say you are a, you're in money finance when the Today show, you know they do all sorts of Today show, all those other morning shows, they do all sorts of segments on money, how to save money, consumer, da da da da. What are they saying? Go to their websites. You get the idea of the topic. From that topic you jot down what you want to say and from there you use the hooks that I share on Instagram or hooks that you are actively saving and sharing. So let me tell you, and this is exactly what I do.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:05]:
Oh, and obviously in other places is like Pinterest. But I love using magazines and books and stuff as a way because sometimes we can get into that scroll and we know, we get going and then we find ourselves on that random dude from high school, you knew ex girlfriend's page. You're like, how did I get here? It happens. You're like, what? What just happened? I was trying to scroll for content ideas. So if you find yourself that in comparison or just like you lock in Instagram and next thing you know you're like on some random page. Magazines, books, old fashioned media. Okay? So with that said, I wanted to share some hooks on this podcast. So I saved some for you guys.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:42]:
So let's go over them. All right, let's say you're a personal trainer, okay. And you see this viral hook, ready? I love this. And actually this is funny. I remember this creator's content, this post because I shared it as a suggestion for people once and her hook. So again, don't be afraid to repurpose. Let's see, she's posting this on. This was six days ago.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:01]:
And I when I posted this and. And explained why this did so well. It was back in December. I remember the post specifically. So unsexy drugstore hair care. I swear by as a dermatologist. So actually, they are sexy. Okay, so what I would say, if you're a personal trainer, man or woman, unsexy.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:19]:
You could also say boring. You could. So again, even if there's a word in there that you're like, oh, I wouldn't say that. Boring, weird, basic, mundane, random. Use a word like that. Drugstore. You could say protein shakes. So she says drugstore hair care.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:35]:
I swear by. So again, you just dissect the words. You can even take out, not even mention, like a product. Core moves. I swear by as a personal trainer who works with former D1 athletes. And then in parentheses. So actually they're not boring at all. So actually, they're really good.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:54]:
Whatever. Whatever, Right? And I know you guys are probably thinking, but, Shannon, my brain doesn't work like that. Cause I get a lot of you going. But I get stumped. Throw it into chat. GPT now. It will never nail it completely. Let me tell you that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:05]:
Because I feel like, well, here's what Chad said. I'm like, that's not great. But again, this is how you start thinking like a marketer. Now, the reason this does so well for this creator is because she used fun jargon. Unsexy drugstore, right? We talk about the rep hook. I have a whole episode on that. We also talk about the rise formula that I have come up with. R is recognizable, I is identity, S is specific, E is effect, meaning the outcome.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:32]:
What's the payoff? And she nailed it. The recognizable word was drugstore hair care. We know that, right? We also know the identity dermatologist. So we're like, oh, we trust her. But again, remember, identity could also be your identity. If you are calling out millennials, military spouse, Washingtonian, that it could be that identity too, right? So for her, in her case, she's saying her own identity. And then for specific, even drugstore hair care is specific. It's not just hair care.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:59]:
And then effect. We already know what we're getting out of this. We're getting a whole list that we can take and run with to the store. And then you swipe and there's all these products, right? Let's do a talking one. So it says, just a warning, the more you make homemade snacks, the more you crave them. Let's go back to the personal trainer. Let's go back to the fitness coach. Just a warning the more you go to the gym, the more you'll be obsessed with going to the gym.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:20]:
And then you go through whatever the rest of the. This is a recipe. So you could say, and here are the three things that get my clients wanting to come back every single day. I want to know that because as someone who does. Wasn't really a fan of the gym until kind of recently. I would love to hear that. All right, let's go to another industry. So let's say for my marketing, my service providers, my virtual assistants, my OBMs, et cetera, I love this one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:45]:
Now, this one has 12, 000 likes. This creator has 185,000 followers. But you know, some of her content gets 11,000 views, some gets 6,000. So this is definitely higher for her. It says Walmart is low key. Becoming that girl. And then as a subtitle underneath it, or like whatever, however you want to call it, underneath that, a little extra. Why do they care? It says new stuff in stores now.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:07]:
And then it has a pointing finger meaning swipe. Now what could I do with that one? As a social media manager, what could I do with that one? As a email marketer, A oem Flodesk is low key. Becoming that girl. New templates out now. See what I mean? And remember, like I said, we want to be in the know. That's a perfect thing. These are new arrivals, new features. So again, for Canva, you could say brand new templates.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:29]:
Or it could be Flodesk, new templates, Tonic shop, new templates. Right? For my graphic designers, this same goes for everyone, right? New things at Trader Joe's, Walmart, New things in the tool. Claude. Right. What are these updates? We're obsessed with that. So that's another idea. That's one you guys can take it. And actually, let's make that your homework this week.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:50]:
Find something that is brand new, happening. And again, if you're hyperlocal, you're a brick and mortar, a boutique, a shop, a parent blogger. What's a new park that open? What's a new coffee drink on your menu? What? Right? We love it, right? It's a dopamine hit immediately. But again, if we. Walmart is low key. Becoming that girl isn't your language. Let's say again, you're a little more serious. You're a mortgage lender or you're a lawyer or you're.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:15]:
Whatever it is, you could say golf gouts, whatever is low key or is officially the place to go for every blank. And you put their identity. So beginner Veteran, former Marine. I don't know. Write down these things so that people know this is for them. Who's going to know this is for them? Walmart shoppers, who else? People who like home decor because the photo shows little vases and as they scroll, it's makeup and all sorts of things. But that's going to grab people's attention. There you go.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:44]:
And let's do one more. And this one's perfect. I actually shared this and make sure you're in it. And I just updated the name. It's called the Hook Hotline. It's my little broadcast channel on Instagram. If you go to my profile and go to the bio, you can join the channel there. But this one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:57]:
And he says to the camera, somebody recently asked me why I wear heavyweight shirts. Meaning, like not those light really thin white T shirts. And the Hook on screen, which is brilliant, said, why do you only wear heavyweight T shirts? So the Hook is the question that he's asked. So what did we say at the beginning of the podcast? Questions you're ask. So whether you're in style, you make coffee. Like you could be a barista, you could be a boutique owner. People always ask me what goes the fastest in the shop. Or people always ask me some.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:24]:
Someone the other day asked me how our matchas are. Da, da, da, da. Or what's the secret ingredient in our X, Y, Z. So how can you use this this week? Talk to the camera. What was something you were recently asked? And this is a great place to start because even if you aren't comfortable on camera yet, it could be a voiceover or it could be a carousel. That's the first slide. I recently got a DM on Instagram from someone asking, blah, blah, blah. Here's what I told them.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:46]:
I'm nosy. I want to know, right? So the second slide is going to say that you could say, we just got someone saying that they're being sued for blah, blah, blah, from whatever. Here's what we told them to do, right? All that stuff. And then he's just going through and showing you and then demoing as well, which is amazing. Start with the questions you're asked. Start with the questions you see people asking others because there's so many of you that are like, I just got started, or I don't even sell anything yet. What's something you randomly got asked the other day? I'm telling you, people go viral for so many reasons. And again, it's not just about going viral, but I could literally, if someone asked Me, like, what's the best place to go in the Outer Banks? And I have this fun story to share about it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:15:21]:
I'm sharing it whether it's about my business or not. It doesn't have to always be that. Right? So that's a good way to practice. And I do think a lot of you. I will say love. And this is. I mean, I've been told you guys love this tip, so I'll share it when I say to get practicing with creating content. If you're not sure what your niche is yet or you're struggling talking on camera, get the camera out.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:15:40]:
You can put some sunglasses on in your car if that makes it easier. And just tell a story that you're obsessed with telling. The story that people go, oh, we have a icebreaker. What's the fun story? Oh, well, back when I was five, da, da, da. Talk to the camera and share the story. You don't have to share it anywhere. You can delete it, but get practicing that way. That's a great way to do it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:16:02]:
So there you go. Start with the questions you're asked. Look in old school analog media. Listen to podcasts, watch the news, content, ideas, jot them down. Once you have this bank of ideas. Now when you're scrolling Instagram or looking at the hooks I give, you can be like, hmm, how could I plug and play that one? And as always, I got you in the reels lab if you need it. Or I got you here on the podcast. You've got this friend.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:16:25]:
You have content. So many content ideas in that beautiful brain of yours, and I cannot wait to hear what happens after you take these tips and run with them. You've got this. And again, whether it's TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, whatever it is, all of these will work. Okay, human connection. Start with the question you were asked. It's an immediate story right there, and it's immediate. Oh, so someone asks them that, then they must know what they're doing. Start there. You've got this.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:16:46]:
Start there. You got this.