Show notes
Now, as a person that might also be able to class themselves as a content creator, maybe I’m there now…there is always this worry that I might run out of things to say.
I have actually listened to podcasts that have gone on a break at least for this very reason…although one that comes to mind has been going every single week for 7 years.
But I like to think that in this industry, even with a session each week we can come up with something for a lifetime and not run out of things to say.
But, even though I’m only 21 sessions into this podcasting journey, I still sit here with my mind completely blank.
I know there is something in there. Some topic stashed away between my big old ears, but my mind is frozen and I just can’t access it!
So, what do I do?
I go and research a little for some inspiration. Something that will fire up my brain and create a spark about something that I also WANT to create content around.
A couple of years ago I discovered a couple of ways of doing this which I’ll get into which from here on out we will refer to as the old school way of doing things.
This is because recently, there are a few tools I have come across that are starting to and will change how things are done forever.
I’ve been trying them out and loving them so far as I find it a bit quicker and easier to get started.
Now, although these new tools are cool to use, I am not saying in any way that they work better than the old school ways. Especially if you have other goals with your content like SEO, which is search engine optimisation. This is what gets higher up the page of results when someone types a search into Google.
But, they are fun to use, and also, so far I have found them a bit quicker.
Now, in this session I refer to a bunch of websites which I will give links to. Beautiful you also check out the show notes, there will also be images that you can take a look at that show you how cool these platforms are.
If you can listen and look at these as I talk, that's perfect, just go to www.epicpersonaltrainer.com/sessions/session022 and take a look.
If you are driving or something right now, check it out when you’re at home or work or something.
So let’s get cracking on the old school, because, to be honest, they might also be brand new to you. This might be the first time you are hearing about them, so in that case you are just going to learn a ton of new stuff!
Now, when I start to learn about SEO, and I only know the basics, I was shown a method that included researching current content on SEO and keyword research platforms. There are loads out there, some really expensive. But my favourite was called Ubersuggest, owned by a digital marketing legend called Neil Patel.
Basically what you do is go onto the site, type a keyword, such as ‘fat loss’ and it will spit out all sorts of information that is there to help you rank on Google. On the left side toolbar, click ‘content ideas’.
One of the things that you can find from tools like Ubersuggest are the top ranking articles that are related to your keyword. So, in this case, you would have a list that Google sees as the most relevant articles. These articles will all be around the topic of fat loss, but they will have different titles, a different focus or slightly different aim from one to the next.
What you can do, now that you have these articles is go and read them for inspiration and ideas as Ubersuggest will also give a link to each one.
You can take those titles and write your version of it, in your voice and share your ideas and opinions.
The fact that they are ranking high on Google, shows that a lot of people are searching for that type of content, so it makes sense that you create your own based on those topics and titles.
Now, if you are also after content that will give you great SEO, there is a bit more to it, but since we are just looking for content ideas, we will leave it there for this session.
Another old school method of getting content ideas is to use Google itself.
Google Trends is a free service that can show you what searches are happening and trending when you also feed it some keywords.
By going to Google Trends you can also type in the keyword ‘fat loss’ and get search volume information based on time and location. But scroll down a little and you will see sections labelled ‘related topics’ and ‘related queries’
From each of these sections, you can click on each item in the list to dig a little deeper. As I type it in I see one line about calorie deficits which I can click on to go deeper and more specific.
Anyone of these entries can spark an idea for some good relevant content that people are already looking for.
So there are 2 old school ways of getting some content ideas that you can use for free.
Google Trends has always been a free service, and Ubersuggest has a really good free plan that limits you to about 3 searches per day. But even if you want a paid plan it’s really cheap. Like $10 a month. Keep in mind that similar platforms charge $250 a month or more for basically the same thing.
Both of these are really good ways, but for me I just find that I take longer to go through the process if I'm just looking for an idea.
But, they are super detailed and can help you in many more ways that just ideas. They are super powerful platforms if you use them in the right way, which is why most digital marketers, if not all, will be using this or something similar.
Now then, onto the new ways. And, one that is really new, like hardly a month. And that is by using a tool called Chat GPT.
This is an AI, or rather machine learning tool that you can just ask ideas for. The better you ask, the better your response will be.
In the chat I asked, “Imagine you are a personal fitness trainer. Give me some topic ideas around the area of fat loss.”
This is what it wrote in about 3 seconds…
The important of a calorie deficit for fat loss
Strategies for creating a calorie deficit
The role of resistance training in fat loss
The importance of protein intake for preserving muscle mass while losing fat
The impact of stress on fat loss
The role of sleep in regulating hormones related to fat loss
The benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for fat loss
The impact of nutrient timing on fat loss
The importance of proper hydration for fat loss
The benefits of tracking progress and setting goals for fat loss.
That was the response…word for word! Check out the image if you don’t believe me. It’s so fast!
And if none of those sparks an idea, just hit the ‘generate response’ button and get 10 more. This time I got a fresh one you can see below.
Now, with these AI’s, you can take one of these topics and run it through another AI called copy.ai and it will even write long form content for you. Amazing!
Just beware that any content written this way won’t have your spin on things. It won't be in your voice, with your ideas, views or opinions. And that is the one thing that will set you apart from everyone else. And that is you. Your take on things, your style, your way of doing things.
There is a lot more power in platforms like Chat GPT so have a play, research and experiment. Right now it is totally free!
Moving on, and another website I have really liked is called Answer the Public. It is another site that is owned by Neil Patel and is similar to Ubersuggest, but it makes things easier to discover topics of what people are interested in.
So go to the site and type your keyword. Then watch the magic happen…
You get so many ideas, structured in so many different ways. It’s almost impossible not to get an idea about something. Just the first section alone shows 67 questions people ask related to fat loss that you can then create content to answer.
The more you do this process and answer questions with quality content the more likely you are to start getting ranked on Google which will show your expertise and give you a massive amount of credibility.
Keep scrolling on that same results page for more information like 'alphabeticals'. This is a massive list of things people are searching for.
This has got to get something going in that brain of yours.
Now there is one method I wanted to mention as well that requires no tech. No AI, no keywords, trends or research. And, it is 100% organic and 100% relevant to your audience. And that is….
Using your audience!
As a trainer, you get asked questions all the time. I’m sure a lot of the same questions come up over and over again.
This is your best resource and lets you know exactly what your audience wants and needs. And if they are not coming to you asking, you need to reach out to them and ask. You can use a simple survey like a Google Form, which is also totally free to get the ideas you need that are going to help your people in the best way possible.
Do not underestimate the power of asking the people already in your world!
Now, one more quick thing to add, is that if you hate typing you can always talk your content, even if you want text.
There are now a lot of tools you can use that are speech to text, and they will transcribe your voice and type out what you say, as you say it.
One famous tool that I use for my subtitles on YouTube and my Instagram posts and stories is called Descript.
They are not 100% accurate, but they will do most of the heavy lifting. You just need to double check and make tweaks to what they write for something a bit more accurate. Keep in mind that these types of tools will get a lot better and more accurate in time.
Links