do’s and don’ts of brainstorming content ideas
When you go to create your content for Instagram, do you keep your brainstorming step separate from the rest of the process?
There’s something different about the time and brain capacity it takes to come up with content ideas that feels so different from the rest of the process.
That’s why I always recommend taking separate time to brainstorm. When you allow brainstorming to be it’s own separate step, you’re allowing yourself to be creative without the pressure of having to post right away. Sitting down with the intention of coming up with ideas puts you in a different mindset from the start.
Have some fun with it and get a fun beverage of your choice and sit down and just let yourself write out your ideas. Don’t edit as you go, just let the ideas flow and you can pull from these lists later. And don’t forget to start with a list of what offer you’re going to be directing people towards!
Okay, let’s dive in to the do’s and don’ts of brainstorming your Instagram content:
Do:
write out your ideas outside of your task management system. This gives you the space for creativity and then you can add them to your system later when it’s time to organize and plan.
Make the process fun. Try writing each content pillar on a separate piece of paper. Use a whiteboard. Try the post-it method where each idea gets it’s own post it and then you can move it to where you want it to go on the calendar. Update a Google Sheets template where each pillar gets its own column. Keep your ideas in a notes app or a separate content journal.
Don’t
Scroll for inspiration. We both know it leads to comparing yourself to others, endless scrolling or forgetting why you started in the first place.
Run to chatgpt or Claude. We want these ideas to come from you and your wonderful brain to showcase your own perspective on whatever you’re going to be talking about. Don’t use ideas that the AI is feeding to everyone else. (not to mention all of the other reasons to ditch AI)
What should you brainstorm?
What you write down doesn’t have to be a fully developed idea. Give yourself a starting point that you can expand on later.
Maybe you want to start a series. Start with the theme and then try to come up with multiple ideas that fit the theme so that you can prepare multiple pieces of content for that series before publishing the first one.
Include growth, nurture and sales content into your plan.
Growth content - this is what gets people’s attention and makes them want to follow you. It can be something to make their lives easier, it can be funny or attention grabbing.
Nurture content - this is where you audience gets to know who you are, what you’re about and why you’re the person to help them.
Sales content - this is all about getting your audience familiar with your offers, how you help your clients and also promoting your freebie to get people on your email list.
Check out the “What Do I Post?” blog post or template in the shop for more ideas.
Feeling stuck?
Get outside. Getting away from screens can help you come up with more ideas. Maybe sit with a journal with the intention of brainstorming. I like to run and some of my best ideas have come to my when I’m running. I’ll text the idea to myself to make sure I remember it.
Look at conversations with your clients, followers, business besties and mentors. What questions do you get? How do you talk about what you do?
Look at past content. See what did well and make more of it.
Talk it out. I always love chatting through this. I actually have a content coaching offer where we have a strategy call and then you get 30 days of Slack access for questions and accountability, or if you’re looking for a group setting, you should check out Content & Community, the membership.
You have everything you need to create some amazing content and connect with your dream clients. I’m always here if you need help!
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