Do you ever find yourself struggling to come up with fresh, original content for your social media?
You’re not alone.
If your posts are starting to feel repetitive, it’s time to break out of the rut with new ways to spark inspiration and connect with your audience more meaningfully.
Let’s explore some different ways to generate original ideas for your social media posts.
Reframe everyday experiences
Look at your daily activities or hobbies and think about how you can spin them into content. I particularly like to take inspiration from my travels – maybe I see something interesting and different, and it provides a new way to look at design. But it could be something as simple as cooking dinner, going for a walk, or watching your pet run around the house. The point is to find a takeaway from it and relate it back to your subject matter.
For example, I spotted a beautifully designed street sign while travelling in Lisbon. It made me think: how can we make everyday messages more visually compelling?
Engage with your audience
If you are not sure what to write, why not ask your audience what they want to hear about. After all, they are the ones who are going to be consuming it. Your audience can be a great source of inspiration. Ask questions or run polls to directly involve your followers. This not only sparks ideas but can help you create content tailored to what your audience wants to see.
For example, I created a poll on Instagram and LinkedIn, asking “what’s harder, selecting your perfect brand colours or identifying the best fonts for your brand?” Then I created more social media content around the most popular topic.
Repurpose and innovate
Do you have a podcast or blog? Creating long form content takes a lot of thought and effort. So why not repurpose it in new ways. You can take content from other formats, like blog posts, podcasts, or videos, and break them into bite-sized, engaging social posts. Pick out an important point or quote that will get people thinking. Use unique visuals or quotes from the original content to keep it fresh.
For example, I have taken snippets or key takeaways from blog posts and have repurposed them into a shorter social media post about the topic.
Follow trends but with a twist
What are people talking about right now? What’s in the news? What’s trending in your industry at the moment? Stay current with trending topics but give your own unique take. Whether it’s pop culture, industry news, or viral challenges, adding your personal spin will make it feel original.
For example, I could create a post addressing how everyone is talking about AI. But focus specifically on how it impacts creatives, which is often overlooked.
Use Creative Prompts
Start with an interesting prompt to get you thinking about your subject matter in a different way. You could challenge yourself with creativity exercises like “What if?” scenarios or “How-to” posts with unusual combinations. Keep pushing to think outside the box!
For example, you could ask yourself, “if your business were a fictional character, who would it be and why?” That should help spark creative ideas.
I also created a quiz “if your brand were an animal, what would it be?” Try the quiz and the insights you discover could inspire your next post.
In conclusion, the key to original content isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s looking at what you already know, but with a new perspective. Try one or two of these techniques this week and see what it sparks.
What are your favourite ways to generate fresh ideas for your social media content? Share it in the comments below.