How To Change Your Frustrations Into Content Marketing Gold

“How do you come up with ideas for content, Todd?” I get asked this a lot. A Lot.

It comes easy to me (now) because I create a lot of content. The more you do something, the better you get! That said, there are a few really simple strategies to help you have unlimited inspiration for content creation.

The first one I’m a big fan of.

“Stupid questions are great. Those FAQs are gold dust for content and if you’d like to know why, head over to our blog about stupid questions here and find out.  

But today I wanted to talk about my second source of content. That source is frustrations.  

Frustrations are everywhere in your world, I’m almost certain of it. You must have them (I know I do) and these frustrations about your industry or niche will help you to create great content if you allow them to.  

Let me explain.

How To Change Your Frustrations Into Content Marketing Gold

What frustrates you about your industry or niche? What are those things that people (competitors, customers, or clients) do that really rile you? I find these are superb resources for content creation. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, so this is just ranting? That’s not my style”. Well, that’s not exactly what I’m suggesting…  

You see, if you’re annoyed by some poor practice or terrible use of something in your world then you can harness that emotion to create great content without becoming all “Karen on Facebook” about it.  

Let’s pretend that you’re a marketer and you see other marketing agencies spouting out content about having great social media, even though their own social media is poor. That would rile you, wouldn’t it? It did for me way back in 2012. So much so that I quit my job and started this agency with Jo. An agency that actually walked the walk. How novel.  

Since then, I’ve used this fire in my belly to create more content. The idea that so many agencies don’t walk the walk is odd to me, and it inspires a lot of my content (and brand!).  

Do you have an example like this? I have many.  

Here are some of mine to give you an idea:

• Marketing agencies with poor marketing of their own
• Social media gurus with no following
• The ‘fake it til you make it’ crew
• The sell sell sell marketers who never share value – share your secrets!
• People who think social media will make you rich overnight (and those who promise it will) – it won’t.
• Newsletters and companies who send them (We banned the ‘N’ word) 

I have more, but to be honest those few would keep me going forever. I see them all the time and I’ve created blogs, articles, posts, videos, talks and even workshops from those three basic pillars.

Do you have some? I bet you do. Write them down and then consider how you could create content from them.

Frustration is an emotion. Emotive content is better

A great bonus is that you’ll write with passion. Passionate content is the stuff that flies online and once again I repeat – this doesn’t mean you need to be negative or rant. Sure, I rant – I like ranting sometimes – but it’s not the sole basis of my content and it doesn’t need to be.

Harnessing that passion behind the frustration will create greater content. Think about it: Are you more likely to watch a TED talk from someone who’s lived and breathed the journey or one delivered by someone telling theoretical concepts? What’s more memorable?

As humans, we often focus on what we connect to so if you can add some emotional energy to your content then you’re adding in an important ingredient for the perfect content recipe.

Of course, you’ll put some people off, too. But that’s OK. Some people like us, some don’t. That’s life. I’m sure you’ll have heard the quote, “If you’re not pissing someone off, you’re probably not doing anything important.”

Emotional content creates a reaction

The other bonus here is that content that comes more from the heart and that pokes at a problem many are aware of (or in some cases unaware of) drives reaction. Reaction in the form of comments and shares equals engagement, and that’s what you need to succeed online.

All those algorithms are looking for ‘signals‘ and comments, reactions and shares are right up there with the best of them. Creating content that commands a response should be your aim, nearly always.

Be brave and share your views and opinions

This might not be for everyone, I get that, but being you and truly representing what your brand stands for, and pushing back on content and topics you see online that go against your brand ethos, is to be encouraged.

Not only will you have more ideas for content (as the source of it is never ending) but you’ll also build content that begs for engagement, oozes passion and energy, and will stand out amongst all those bland and quite frankly dull posts online.  

We have a whole series of content coming out based around this – things that annoy me – I’ve created video content to share why they annoy me and what to do differently. It’s of value, it’s educational and yes – it’s very passionate.  

Do I fear that I’ll be disagreed with? Sure, I’m almost planning on it.  

Not to purposefully annoy people, not to be the Piers Morgan of blogging or TikTok, but because I accept that not everyone agrees with me, and that I don’t agree with everyone either. That’s a fact, right?  

You might not agree with this blog. With that in mind, how useful is it to avoid content creation that might not land with everyone? Pointless. You’d never create anything and neither would I. 

So… are you with me? What are the top three frustrations in your world and how can you use those to produce content? 

• Maybe you’re a fashion designer and most fashion is designed for impossibly shaped people.  
• Perhaps you’re a chef who wants plates and proper portions of food to return because… who wants to eat off a cricket bat anyway!? 
• Or maybe you’re an estate agent who thinks that the industry really needs some good old honest advice and that the image of a stuffy estate agent needs drop-kicking outta here?  

Whatever you find, go work out how you could build content around it because it will be great content that people notice and that’s content that drives traffic and leads in time, I promise.  

What do you think? Agree? Disagree?

Let me know in the comments and we’ll thrash it out. It’s what the comments were built for!  

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