How to get a good content idea

Are your devs STUCK with ideas for their content creation?

Creating content is harder if you feel the idea you are working with is less than good. Creating content is harder if you the idea you are working on is “somebody elses idea”. Especially if you are a dev.

Imagine your devs having great ideas for their content creation?

Imagine This – Imagine your devs working away on great content ideas they’ve come up with themselves. Imagine Imagine Imagine

How does a dev get a great idea for useful content?

Getting a good content idea is a numbers game. Get many ideas. For each new idea you add to your pile of ideas, the probability goes up that one of your ideas is good.

Here is a straight forward way of getting a new content idea: write down a content idea. For each idea you write down, you create space inside your head for a new idea. For this purpose I carry around a piece of paper and a pen everywhere. If I get an idea I write it down right away. Yeach paper is old school, but I’ll get back to why it works for me.

Here is a straight forward technique to add new content ideas to your pile:

Step 1

• Place yourself somewhere nobody can find you, or notify people to not disturb you
• Set a timer to 22 minutes
• Start writing down anything that pops into your head. Each word you write down creates space inside your head

Step 2

• Set a timer to 5 minutes
• Make a list of top 3 ideas
• Put a line through the worst idea
• Put a line through the second worst idea
• You know have an idea to work with

Step 3

• Set a timer to 33 minutes
• Write your idea at the top of your page
• Start writing down anything that pops into your head about your idea. Each word you write down creates space inside your head.
• At the end of your 33 minutes you will have a feeling if this idea is worth working with
• Make a decision “yes” or “no” to keep working on it

Step 4

• If “yes”
• Set a timer to 33 minutes
• Start writing out your blog-post or video or documentation text.
• Even if your text is still shit, publish it. Nobody will find it before you get to Step 5.

Step 5

• Go back to your published shit text and re-write it
• A lot of writers will tell you, the first draft is always shit
• But your act of publishing your text is the real magic, this is the single act that creates the most space inside your head.
• Re-publish your still kinda shitty text, you might suspect what Step 6 is

Step 6

• Go back to your published still kinda shitty text and re-write it a second time
• Now your text is getting somewhere, even if you cannot see it
• Re-publish your text
• Add a time in your calendar 2-3 weeks into the future for re-writing it a third time

Step 7

• Go back to your published text and re-write it a third time
• Re-publish your text
• Add a time in your calendar 2-3 weeks into the future for re-writing it a third time

Step 8

• Go back to your published text and re-write it a fourth time
• Re-publish your text
• Add a time in your calendar 2-3 weeks into the future for re-writing it a fifth time