How do you come up with content ideas?
Coming up with fresh ideas in a world of overloaded content can be tough. Not knowing what to write. Who to talk to. How to approach it.
The Waves Connects 2023 content survey unraveled interesting insights into some of the common challenges faced by event planners, suppliers and organizers in creating and delivering meaningful and engaging content for their events or event businesses. So if you've asked yourself the question "how do I come up with new content?" you're not alone.
Knowing where to turn to create ideas to fulfill your content calendar is clearly a common challenge.
It can be challenging for event planners to dedicate enough time and resources towards content creation as we talked about in our 2024 Blog titled Not Enough Time to Create Content, but once you've carved out time in your schedule to create, you may find yourself sat there wondering what next.
So to help, we've compiled a list of six ideas you can turn to when brainstorming and creating content for your event marketing efforts.
Where to go for event content inspiration
Industry News and Trends
Keeping up with industry news and trends is crucial for event planners looking to create relevant and impactful content. This helps stay updated with the latest developments and provides valuable insights into what your target audience is interested in. But don't just look at the headlines. Look at the articles and if they have a view count or little eyeball - see what the numbers say - is it just hot air or are people really interested in that subject? For event planners, agencies and organisers, Event Industry News, TSNN and Skift Meetings are our regularly visited sites for inspiration relating to event or exhibition organiser audiences.
Don't worry if you're not an expert on a given subject. Instead of writing a 1,000 word article, can you offer your opinion and share it on social media Remember, content doesn't have to be "war and peace".
2. Answer the Public
Katie Whatley introduced me to this some years ago. If I'm really stuck on getting inspiration to create content, I'll search a term like "events" into the search box and discover what people are currently searching for. AnswerThePublic shows you what people are currently asking about via search engines, so can give you some great questions to get you out of your content rut.
3. Event Speakers
Looking at the topics and themes of event speakers can give you some great ideas for your content. Speakers are often experts in their field, so seeing what they're talking about can provide valuable insights into popular and relevant topics to cover and if they've been upvoted to speak at an event, you'll know your prospective audience is interested.
For event organisers, use your speakers in your content. Either record their talk, or record a simple online webinar with them to feed out to your online channels. This creates valuable content for your audience and helps promote and elevate the speaker's profile and expertise. Win-win!
4. Exhibitors
Event exhibitors are another incredible, often undervalued, source of content inspiration (or creation!).
They are often experts in their respective industries and have valuable insights to share with your audience. You can collaborate with them on a guest blog post or webinar for example to showcase their expertise and provide valuable content for your audience. This also helps promote your exhibitors and exposes them to your event attendees, making them more likely to return for future events.
Exhibitors are also often the innovators in your industry - the ones creating new products or technologies, so highlighting them in your content can also attract a lot of attention and interest in driving registrations, exhibitors or sponsors.
5. Attendee Feedback
Lastly, don't overlook the most important source of content inspiration - your event attendees!
Their feedback and insights are valuable for future events and for creating relevant content that resonates with your target audience. Use surveys, social media polls, or even just talking to attendees during the event to gather feedback and ideas for future content. This not only helps create engaging content but also shows that you value your attendees' opinions and want to provide them with valuable information.
6. Venture outside of your niche
When it comes to creating impactful event marketing content, don't limit yourself to just industry-specific sources. Look beyond and explore different resources and venture outside of your niche.
It's easy to get stuck in our niche and only consume content related to our specific topic. However, by expanding our horizons and exploring different industries or subjects, we can find new and unique angles for our own content.
For example, if you're a food writer, try attending an art exhibit or reading a book on architecture. You never know what you might discover that could spark inspiration for your next blog post or recipe.
By keeping an open mind and exploring new sources and topics, we can continue to create fresh and exciting content that engages our audience. So go ahead, step out of your comfort zone and see what other sources of inspiration you can find for your event content.