How to Generate Content Ideas & Use an AI Content Generator

Coming up with fresh, engaging content creation ideas is one of the biggest challenges for creators, marketers, and business owners alike.

For new business owners, content ideation can be especially overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start, what topics will resonate, or how to organize a content strategy effectively. Even if you’re a seasoned professional, creative ruts are inevitable.

Reviewing content ideation best practices—like the ones outlined below—can help you reset your thinking, spark new ideas, and enhance your content strategy with a fresh perspective.

And if you’re short on time or need an extra boost, QuillBot’s free AI content idea generator is a powerful tool to jumpstart your brainstorming, validate your concepts, and uncover angles you might not have considered.

How to generate content ideas

Here are four proven methods for brainstorming and planning content creation ideas.

1. Tap into your audience’s pain points

One of the most effective ways to generate meaningful content ideas is by identifying your target audience’s real-world challenges, questions, and goals. When your content addresses these pain points, it instantly becomes more relevant, helpful, and engaging. Here are a few practical ways to get inside your target audience’s mindset.

• Read through customer comments, reviews, and support tickets. These sources are a goldmine of unfiltered feedback. What aspects of your product, service, or line of business are people struggling with? Each complaint or question could inspire a blog post, tutorial, or explainer video.
• Browse forums like Reddit, Quora, or Facebook groups. Online communities are full of people asking questions and sharing experiences. Search for topics in your niche, and pay attention to recurring themes that signal a demand for content that clarifies, solves, or supports.
• Conduct short surveys or polls. If you already have an audience, ask them directly what they’re interested in. Use Instagram polls, email surveys, or LinkedIn posts to gather input.

2. Repurpose top-performing content

Review your website or social media analytics to find content that previously performed well. Once you identify top-performing content, you can:

• Turn a high-traffic blog post into a video
• Update an older piece with new data or a fresh perspective
• Expand a popular tweet into a longer article

Repurposing gives new life to proven content with minimal effort.

3. Follow industry trends

If you want your content ideas to attract attention, it’s important to keep up with what’s happening in your industry. Creating content around trending topics can help you join larger conversations, boost visibility, and position yourself as someone who’s in the know. Here are just a few ways to track trends:

• Read industry newsletters. Sign up for well-known publications in your space to learn about current events, emerging tools, or shifts in audience behavior, all of which can spark timely content ideas.
• Monitor competitor blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels. Look at what others in your niche are publishing. Are there topics they’re covering repeatedly? Are certain formats (like “how-to” posts or vlogs) gaining traction? These observations can help you identify gaps or angles that you could explore in your own unique way.
• Use free tools to learn about online trends. For example, ask QuillBot’s free AI Chat to tell you what’s trending in your industry (e.g., “What are the top sourdough baking trends right now?”)

4. Research keywords with high search volume

Keyword research is one of the most data-driven methods of content ideation. Content ideas that include keywords with high search volume will result in higher traffic to your online content. Leverage keyword research tools to find out what keywords in your industry are most common in Google searches.

Once you discover what people are actively searching for, prioritize topics with high search volume and low competition. Then, use those keywords to spark ideas for blog posts, YouTube tutorials, Instagram captions, and more.

Using an AI content idea generator

It’s increasingly common to use AI tools like QuillBot’s AI content idea generator for content ideation. The QuillBot tool is completely free, and these are just a few ways that it can speed up content ideation.

• Prompt the tool for content ideas that address your target audience’s pain points (e.g., “Show me 10 ideas for Facebook posts about how to prepare low-cost, plant-based meals”)
• Ask the tool for content ideas related to current trends in your niche (e.g., “Give me 5 blog post ideas about current trends in online tutoring”)
• Prompt the content idea generator for article topics that target the keywords your target audience is using most often.

QuillBot AI content idea generator example

Frequently asked questions about how to generate content ideas

How can I get the best results from an AI content idea generator?

To get the best results from an AI content idea generator, provide clear and specific details in your prompt about your target audience, your niche, and the types of content ideas you’re seeking. An example of a specific prompt is:

• Show me 5 blog post topic ideas for high school teachers who want to know how to use AI tools to speed up administrative work, such as parent emails.

The next time you’re working on content ideation for your business or online platform, try QuillBot’s content idea generator.

Can I use an AI content idea generator for long-term content planning?

Yes, you can use an AI content idea generator for long-term content planning, such as developing article topics for a blog series or clusters of related content (e.g., FAQs, how-to articles, a vlog series, and case studies).

QuillBot’s free AI content idea generator is a quick and painless way to get long-term content creation ideas.