Do you sometimes have headaches about what topic to write about next?
Image you never need to worry about that.
How relax it is!
This article will tell you how.
Like many serious writers, I have my own idea/topic list.
But I was facing two problems with the list:
1. The list is not comprehensive enough to cover a specific niche;
2. Sometimes, following the existing list made me feel bored or compulsory.
One day, I started a challenge to find the once-for-all solution.
The challenge had two results:
1. My Infinite Content Ideation System;
2. The article you are reading.
Taiji philosophy
The solution is based on Taiji philosophy.
This philosophy is often associated with Yin and Yang, symbolizing opposites’ harmonious balance and interplay.
How does this philosophy relate to the ideation system?
An ideal system is not too rigid or flexible but a sweet spot between.
The Infinite Content Ideation System
It comprises two parts: Topical map and Improvisation.
Topical map
A topical map is a map that organizes your content into a hierarchy of central topics, subtopics, and keywords.
It structures your content to make it easy for you to see the whole picture and navigate.
To create a topical map is to establish topical authority.
I borrow the concept of topical authority from SEO.
It focuses on the level of relevance and expertise on a specific topic or set of topics on a website.
Once you have decided on your niche, you can use research tools to identify all relevant central topics and subtopics.
Sometimes the hierarchy can go as deep as 4 – 5 levels.
For example:
Cooking>Cuisine Type>Asian Cuisin>Hongkong Cuisine>Barbecued pork
You’d better use research tools to ensure you get all the topics.
Here are the tools I recommend:
lowfruits.io
askthepublic.com
keywordchef.com
searchresponse.io
Amazon
Some tools have both free and paid versions.
Free versions are good enough.
We don’t need to use their SERP or keyword clustering functions.
lowfruits.io is one of my favorites. It allows users to filter irrelevant topics manually.
Two tips for lowfruits.io:
1. Click “KWfinder”> Click “advanced”> Find “max authority” (delete the default number 20)
2. Every free account user has 3 free searches every week. But you can use another account to get 3 more free searches.
Improvisation
This part of the system is about getting inspiration from your daily life and just winging it.
Read a quote that strikes you like lightning? Turn it into an article.
Hear a big idea from a podcast? Turn it into an article.
Learn a lesson from your experience? Turn it into an article.
If the topical map is the stable framework of the system, improvisation makes it alive by filling it with surprises.
Here are my seven inspiration sources:
Books
Digital courses
Internet articles, videos, and newsletters
Social media platforms
Book summary platforms
Idea generation platforms
Podcasts
When I say videos, what I mean is long-form video.
I don’t watch shorts and have never downloaded shorts apps.
Read this article, and you will understand why:
How to transform ADHD into your unfair advantages?
The major issue with improvisation is that those inspirations are so scattered that they could be challenging to organize, much less turn into content.
That’s where Readwise comes in.
This cutting-edge tool can gather all information from the seven sources I mentioned in one place: Readwise Reader.
(Podcasts’ highlights can only be exported to Readwise or Logseq, not Readwise Reader. ）
You can also export information from Readwise to Notion and read there.
But Readwise Reader’s reading and listening experiences are much better than Notion’s.
The next step is integrating Readwise Reader with your go-to note-taking app, such as Logseq, Roam, or Obsidian.
I use Logseq. It’s free, beginner-friendly, and privacy-first.
Now, when you find something interesting or important on Readwise Reader, you can highlight it, and then it will automatically export to your note-taking app.
Note-taking apps’ powerful search functions can help you instantly fish out the information you need.
For instance, when I find an amazing YouTube video, I can import it into Readwise Reader with one click.
Readwise Reader will not only import it but also autotranscript it!
Now I can read through the transcript and highlight some of the content.
All highlights will be exported to Logseq automatically.
I will also add those big ideas to my topical map.
Do you see how insane this workflow is?
It will save you a ton of time!
The Infinite Content Ideation System needs some upfront work and investment, but once it is done, you will feel relaxed with a clear content creation roadmap.
The key is to balance the two parts, have a system, and follow your intuition.
Happy writing!