🧙♂️ How to conjure up new content ideas?
The Fellowship - Week 8
Welcome to the eighth edition of The Fellowship Newsletter.
Last week I wrote about changing the hosting platform for the Newsletter to
. The transition is now complete. It has been a seamless move and super easy. If you received this as an email, you are now a free subscriber to The Fellowship on SubStack. If you don’t want to be here, please unsubscribe. No hard feelings. I do hope that you stay though as I have big plans, and I think you’ll find value in being a subscriber📈.This week, I answer a reader’s question. If you’d like to submit a question or topic for a future edition of the newsletter, please email info@policywizard.io or contact me on LinkedIn. The question this week was asked by Lupe Peterman.
How to conjure up new content ideas?
I love this question! It’s a subject that has real depth to it. Conjuring up new ideas sounds a little bit magical. Sometimes it does feel that way, especially when I write something that goes on to get over 40,000 views in a couple of days.
In truth, sometimes I have a spur-of-the-moment idea that I put out on LinkedIn a couple of minutes later; other times, I need more thought. Here are a few important things to consider before you put out new content:
Why?
Why are you wanting to put out new content? It’s the most important thing to consider. What is your reasoning?
Are you just posting for fun?
Are you trying to get a new job?
Are you trying to get promoted?
Are you trying to get new followers?
Are you trying to get new business leads?
Or are you trying to become a Subject Matter Expert (SME)?
The reason you choose will dictate the subject area that you need to focus on. There is no point in posting about building your personal brand if you are trying to get a new job as a GRC Analyst.
If you’re trying to get a new job, you need to be posting content about the skills and knowledge that make you a suitable candidate for the job you’re applying for. If you want to be a GRC Analyst, post content related to the job you want and the skills and knowledge that make you perfect for the role.
You need to focus the content to address people that need those skills. You need to be showing your work. Talk about your experiences, the training you have done, and the transferrable skills that make you amazing. You can teach the skills to others. It’s a great way to cement knowledge and show that you know it.
Who?
This section is relevant for all new content, but I will use business leads as an example. If you’re trying to get leads, you need to be talking to the people who are going to be your potential clients.
If you’re a security consultant trying to get new clients for your ISO 27001 Implementation service, why would you post content about “Breaking into Cyber”? Yes, helping people get into the industry will get you more followers. It will get more eyes on your posts, but it’s not speaking to your perfect client. Most of the people reading your posts will not be buying from you. One new customer is better than 100 followers who react with a thumbs-up emoji 👍.
Platform
The platform will also dictate the content you post. Certain types of posts work better in different places. Twitter is great for short snippets. Instagram is the place for Images. You might post some light-hearted things on Facebook, but other posts on LinkedIn as it is the place for occupation-related content.
You should try to build an audience on multiple platforms, but make sure you know why you’re posting on that specific platform. Remember, your audience on those platforms is rented. If you want to build something you own, you need a method of speaking to your followers that does not depend on social media. You need a website, a blog, and a mailing list.
Inspiration
inspiration - noun
someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something
a sudden good idea
The definition of inspiration tells us that ideas can come from anywhere. Someone, something, or a sudden good idea. When you want to create content, for whatever reason, you’ll need good ideas.
You’ll need topics you are either proficient in or can quickly gain proficiency by researching and discussing what you’ve discovered. Here are some places where I find inspiration for content:
Comments
Inspiration can come at any time. You could be procrastinating on LinkedIn, reading about what other people find interesting, and something you’ve commented on sparks an idea.
I have often turned my comments on other people’s posts into full posts on my profile by digging into the subject more or explaining why I think the way I do.
Reading
I thought about reading books here as the second place for inspiration, but it’s much more than that for me. It’s not just in books that I find inspiration; it’s reading anything.
If I’m enjoying a read, it can be on any subject or medium, but often it will spark an idea. Something that I can relate to my experience and can see how my thoughts on that idea could help someone else.
Listening
Let’s put anything we listen to in this category. Radio, music, podcasts, and audiobooks. It could be anything… You’ll find that listening to people talk will spark ideas in subjects where you have experience.
Take, for example, edition four of The Fellowship. It was the one where I wrote about my chosen values. I was inspired to do that after listening to a podcast about values in security. Reading that edition inspired a couple of readers to actually buy my course. I wasn’t talking about my course, but it inspired them to take action.
Watching
I watch a fair amount of video content online. I am relentless. When I want to do something, I will learn how to do it, iterate on my first attempts, and make things better.
I watch YouTube videos every day. I take courses as often as possible. I invest in my personal development on top of any investment made by my company. I want to be a world-class security risk practitioner, business owner, and creator.
When I learn new things, I am filled with new ideas for content. I can take what I’ve learned and help others learn the key things from that new knowledge.
Questions
Ask questions. LinkedIn polls are great for this. Find out what other people think and why, and then you can use that as research for your own content. An absolute master at this is Dr Richard Diston.
He asks a question every Monday and then provides the answer to the question in his free email on a Friday. He’s a person who is not particularly well-liked because of the persona he plays online, but his content and courses are excellent.
Ask your readers what they want to read?
I’m a lover of community and interactions. I want to help others. I don’t want to write in a vacuum. Why would someone want to read my thoughts on subjects that don’t interest them?
They wouldn’t… To keep people interested; I need to speak to them directly. I need to give them content that they want to read. What better way to find that out than to ask them what that is?
That is why in every newsletter in the future, I plan on asking people what they would like to read. My premium subscribers will have priority, and the ones suggested by them will only be available to those who have upgraded.
Content Strategy
If writing content is something that you plan on doing, you should build a content strategy. It’s how you take an idea, stoke the fire, stir the cauldron, and execute your content idea.
A content strategy does not have to be set in stone. It can be fluid like water. It can be moulded like putty. There are no hard and fast rules. Just make it your own. Show people who you are, what you do, and how engaging with you can help them achieve their goals.
Always remember that you are creating content to help others. You’re adding value to society. Don’t just write what you want; think of your audience.
Plagiarism
While we can be inspired by other people's content, following our chosen personal values is imperative. We want people to trust us. We want to be seen as honest. Take what you need and create something new from it. Do not plagiarise other people.
If you’re using someone else’s ideas, give credit to them. If you’re using their words, quote them. One of the fastest ways to ruin your credibility and professional relationships is to take someone else’s work and pretend that it’s your own. This also goes against my values:
To be creative
To be ethical
To self-actualise
Plagiarism is rife within the security industry, among others. We even have certification bodies plagiarising industry practitioners’ work. If you see it, call it out. I implore you, don’t do it yourself. It’s easier to give credit to the original creator than to fight an unwinnable battle with cancel culture.
Updates
CyberGirls
This week has been amazing! On Wednesday, I onboarded 60 young ladies from the “CyberGirls”, an initiative created by Cybersafe Foundation, an organisation helping to train hundreds of young ladies in Africa. All 60 will now learn the foundational knowledge required to develop security policies.
Confidence Staveley, the organisation's founder, set it up to help women achieve their dreams of a career in Tech, particularly in Cyber Security. I’m very proud I can help them achieve that dream, even if it is just a tiny amount.
To be benevolent: The quality of being kind and helpful.
Earth is a tough place to live. We are all trying to do our best to survive and live in comfort. I don’t know your struggles. I don’t want to make your day harder because I have had a tough one. If I can help you, I often will if doing so does not risk my life or values. This value drives my decision to partner with @CyBlack, @Cybersafe Foundation, and @TechVets. “A rising tide lifts all ships”.
If you’d like to learn more about my chosen values and how they influence me, you can do that in the 4th Edition of “The Fellowship.”
Premium
The first person has committed to a Premium subscription this week. I spoke with them after they signed up, and they said…
“Everyone has to start somewhere, my friend - I hope I'm the first of many as you begin to put more content out there.”
If you’d like to support my efforts with The Fellowship, please consider upgrading to a premium membership.