6 resources to inspire content
Inspiration doesn't come from staring at a blank page.
Communicators and marketers are under immense pressure to come up with new
and interesting content on a regular basis, often about old and dull
topics. Where can a content creator to turn for inspiration?
When a walk around the block doesn't get the gears turning, here are a few
online places where storytellers, content producers and communicators can
find a creative spark:
1.
Mashable's infographics Pinterest board
This is a curated page of excellent infographics. What do most people
wear in their Tinder profile? What is the
type of content
that millennials love the most? The concepts alone are excellent
inspiration for creative infographics that you can replicate yourself.
See what other people in your shoes are posting about a certain hashtag,
word or phrase. See what you were talking about a year ago, or five.
Throwback Thursday, anyone? Here's an example of how Hootsuite creatively
used old content by
highlighting popular brands' first tweets
(Of special note is Nike.com's shoutout to their agency).
[RELATED:
Distracted audiences? Mind-numbing topics? Cut through the clutter with creative corporate writing.]
3.
YTRoulette
YouTube roulette is exactly what it sounds like: a tool that selects a
random YouTube video and plays it for you.
It isn't curated, though you can enter a general topic like “public
relations” if you'd like something slightly less random, so you get more of
a variety than the mix tailored to your profile—and could potentially
inspire an idea for your next video or post.
A word of caution, however: Use it at your own risk. You know how people
are on the internet.
4.
The Wayback Machine
This internet archive is like a time machine for websites. What was your
corporate website like in the early 2000s? What is the
first recorded instance of nytimes.com
(along with the laughably naïve headline “Europe Betting on Self-Regulation
to Control the Internet”)? A glimpse of the past can be your ticket to a
well-received piece of content.
Provide insight on how the world has changed or point to lessons from the
early internet and include examples from this handy tool.
5.
Random Wikipedia article
We got Litchwark on
our first try, which led to a deep-dive into Alfred Litchwark's career
directing and managing public relations for the Hamburg art museum.
Sometimes a click hole is just a click hole, but sometimes it can inspire a
great post.
6.
Spurious correlation
A writing teacher once told me that a good way to start a new poem is to
find two disparate topics and find a way to connect them.
Spurious correlation identifies trends that seem to be correlated, but are,
in fact, not. What does the divorce rate in Maine have to do with per
capita margarine consumption? A bad interpretation of statistics would
suggest a correlation. What story can you tell from trends in your own
organization?
Where do you go for inspiration, PR Daily readers?
(Image via)