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When you’re looking for more new content ideas, social media can be a goldmine. Social media is all about having conversations and sharing information, brining like-minded people together. If you’re looking for your audience, you can usually find them and by extension the content they’re interested in by combing through your social media platforms.

gather more new content ideas blog header

Here are 8 tips for using social media to gather more new content ideas:

Tip #1: Use Twitter Search 

Twitter is a social media network that enables finding breaking news and timely stories easier. When you use their search function, you can easily find tweets related to any topic or keyword you’re interested in. After you enter your search term into the search bar you should see a list of relevant tweets in real-time. And, you can also filter your results by location, language, and other criteria.

Tip #2: Pay attention to hasthtags

Hashtags are a great way to find relevant content on social media. If you’re unsure which hashtags to follow, start with ones related to your niche. For example, if you’re in the marketing industry, you could follow hashtags like #marketingtips or #contentmarketing. By following relevant hashtags, you’ll be able to come up with new ideas for your own content.

Tip #3: Follow your competition

I’ve mentioned it in other articles in this series, but it bears repeating here… Your competitors are a great source of more new content ideas. Follow them on social media so that you can see what they’re posting and then look for ways to put your own spin on the topics. Using tools like BuzzSumo to see the most popular content in your niche is also a great way to find out about your competitors.

Tip #4: Sign up for Google Alerts

If you’re not using Google Alerts you’re missing a great source of more new content ideas. It is a free tool that allows you to monitor the web for mentions of specific keywords or phrases. Use the keywords you want to track, and Google will send you an email alert anytime there’s a new mention of those keywords online. This lets you stay up to date on current trends and news in your niche easily.

Tip #5: Use poll features to find out what your community wants

Another way to make sure you’re coming up with ideas that are relevant to your audience is to set up a poll on your own social media group page. Asking your people what they want to see from you is a sure way to come up with ideas that they’ll be receptive to.

You can also use this format to get feedback on existing content and see what resonates with your audience.

Tip #6: Check out Reddit

Reddit is another place to search out more new content ideas. The site is huge, so there are thousands of subreddits on just about every topic imaginable. Use their search function to find relevant subreddits and posts and go from there.

My tip for using Reddit… It’s an easy place to get lost in the rabbit hole, so have a target keyword in mind when you get there and set a timer!  

Tip #7: Pay attention to trends on social media

The trick to watching trends on social media is to really pay attention because everything changes quickly no matter which platform you’re on. You can make it easier by following influencers in your niche, engaging with them, and paying attention to the trends they talk about.

Tip #8: Keep an eye on the news sites

Even with all the bad press the news media gets, you can still come up with new content ideas for your niche by looking at new sites and what they’re sharing. This helps you stay up to date on current events and trends, and you can easily share this content on social media. You can also use tools like Google News to customize your newsfeed and see stories that are relevant to your interests.

Final Thoughts

Using social media to gather more new content ideas ensures that you always have fresh and relevant content to share with your audience. You can do deeper dives into the topics you find to add content to your blog and in your newsletters as well. Don’t be afraid to get creative and test the different platforms to find out what works best for you and your community.

This is Part 8 in a 10-part series on Using Content in Your Marketing Strategy. Other posts in this series include:

  1. 7 Reasons to Make Content a Key Marketing Strategy for Your Creative Business
  2. 6 Good Reasons for Using a Content Calendar
  3. Got Creators Block? 5 Common Reasons Why This Might Happen to You
  4. 7 Tips For Getting to Know Your Community
  5. 7 Tips for Generating New Content Ideas
  6. 8 More Tips for Generating New Content Ideas
  7. Four Ideas for Creating a Content Idea List Using Data
  8. 8 Tips for Using Social Media to Gather More New Content Ideas (this article)
  9. Five Reasons to Outsource Content Creation
  10. Coming Soon
About the Author

Ruth is self-styled creative soulpreneur who loves that she gets to play with words and pictures for a living. She started her first email newsletter in 1997 and has never looked back. Between creating printables and courses, she publishes a daily newsletter, loves to golf and walk on the beach and is teaching herself how to do hand-lettering and doodle art.

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