Content themes

In this activity, I’m going to ask you to mine all the work you’ve been doing up to this point for possible sources of content themes.

For now, don’t try to edit yourself or worry about how those ideas will be turned into content. That will come later. Treat this activity like a brainstorming session, just getting as much down as you can. Use the instructions below to help you answer the questions in Workbook 2 on pages 23 and 24.

When I’m talking about content “themes” here, I’m really talking about “categories” (if that helps you understand them a little better). They are the over-arching subjects on which you will create content. In the next activity, we’ll brainstorm just how many ideas you can come up with that fit inside each theme/category/subject, for your content.

You’ll be able flesh those ideas out into content for your social media, blogs, newsletters, and even come up with ideas that you can pitch to bloggers, podcasters and traditional media.

(So for example if one of your themes is “sustainable gardening,” you’ll be able to come up with a host of content ideas around that subject).

But to ensure that your content actually reaches and engages with your audience, and, ultimately, to encourage the members of your audience to do whatever it is you want them to do, this content needs to be created with your audience in mind. So that’s where we’ll start today.

NOTE: Our goal in this exercise is that you will end up with at least three themes, categories or subjects noted down somewhere on page 24 of Workbook 2. If you’ve gone through the exercises in your workbook and you don’t have at least three themes, please reach out to me via email or come to this week’s Workshop so we can go through this for you, as you’ll be relying on these notes to continue.

Workbook Instructions

  • 1. Business needs

    Re-open Workbook 1, all the way to the the bonus lesson (on setting goals) that we did in Lesson 1. Read over those goals (and add to your notes if anything has changed or become more illuminated since then).

    Now open Workbook 2, and turn to page 23. In the box at the top of the page, note down the following:

    * What are all the things you want your audience to do, in relation to you? (This might be to buy your products, subscribe to your newsletter, like your Instagram posts, show up at your gigs… jot down everything you can think of, big and small)

    * What are all the goals, big and small, that you need to achieve in order to reach your ultimate goal. There will be some hints for you on this in the Goals section you just re-read from Workbook 1. See if you can then flesh these out. The question is really asking, “What do you need in order to get where you want to be?”

    These are your personal “business needs” or “brand needs”. They might be “increase sales,” or “reach new markets” or “educate people on the benefits of xyz” or “help more people access my information”… anything that you're hoping to achieve from your work or business, now and in the future, should go onto that list.

  • 2. Skills & expertise

    Next, still in Workbook 2 on page 23, write down everything you can think of that you have in the way of skills, talents, and areas of expertise. Brainstorm a full list of all the things you're good at or knowledgeable at. What skills and expertise do you have to share with the world, how can you help people, how can you entertain people, what talents, and know-how do you have at your disposal? 

    Don't be overly concerned if all of your skills don't quite match your business. Editing can come later but right now, we don't want to interrupt the flow of your brainstorming (even if keeping five hula-hoops on the go at once doesn't immediately present itself as useful to your bookkeeping business). 

  • 3. Audience needs

    Finally, in the third box on page 23, note down all the things that your audience wants and needs, in relation to you and what you do. What are the questions you are answering for them, the challenges you are helping them overcome, the needs you are helping them meet?

    For example, let's say you make and sell scented candles. You'll have “scented candles” on your list, but what else? Attractive home decor? Handmade products? Ethical/sustainable products? Aromatherapy for moods? Lovely gifts for friends? Access to local items (not having to shop online or drive to the city)? Unusual scents? Non toxic candles? To set the Christmas mood? 

    Think about all the reasons, obvious and obscure, why someone would engage with and buy from you. And once you've listed those, dig deeper and ask yourself why you? and think about the specific reasons why they might buy from you and not the candlemaker next door on Etsy.

    You’ve actually already done all the hard work to answer this question. Here’s where you can go back and look:

    * Mine your social listening notes
    * Re-read the audience persona work you did in Workbook 1 (Lesson 2)
    * Revisit your values and personal goals (Lesson 1) as these will help answer “why you” compared to other similar brands or businesses
    * Likewise revisit your mood words and visual content themes (Lesson 3) as they will provide insights into your audience’s needs and the things you want to do and share
    * And finally, re-read the Language Principles you created in Lesson 5

  • 4 Look for overlaps

    Turning to page 24 of Workbook 2, note down any ideas or concepts that appear in all three of the boxes on page 23. That is, your goal aligns with you skill which aligns with your audience’s needs. Anything that appears in this box is your gold-star content theme - you’ll be returning to it again and again for ideas (it might even become the basis of an e-book or course later down the track).

    In the second box on page 24, note down anything that appears in your “audience wants & needs” box plus one other. The one other could be your goals OR your skills: it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s in the audience needs box. What you not down here still represents an excellent source of content ideas.