{"id":24012,"date":"2017-02-06T23:34:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T23:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iteratemarketing.com\/?p=24012"},"modified":"2020-07-22T16:13:35","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T23:13:35","slug":"9-exercises-generate-new-content-topics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iteratemarketing.com\/blog\/9-exercises-generate-new-content-topics\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Exercises to Generate New Content Topics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Note: This article is repurposed from our new book, “The Content Marketer’s Guide to Ideation.” This massive 187-page guide is available free as a PDF (get it here<\/a>), and is also available in Kindle<\/a> and paperback<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t produce great content marketing if you don\u2019t have great topics. Topics are the seeds of content ideas. If you\u2019re running low on great ideas, you may simply need to find more topics to write about. We\u2019ve compiled together nine of our favorite exercises for generating new topics based off of the ones you\u2019re already covering in your content marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These exercises give you the opportunity to \u201catomize\u201d your core topics in your own way, and not the way that others have structured their own topics, or the way that keyword tools spit topics back at you. The value is in how you restructure and reorganize. Think of these exercises as a more hands-on, playful form of research. The key word here is playful\u2014a word we rarely use in the business world, and one you\u2019ll have to get comfortable with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the nine exercises we\u2019ll cover:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Top Down Tree<\/li>
  2. Bottom Up Tree<\/li>
  3. Mind Mapping<\/li>
  4. The 4 C’s<\/li>
  5. SCAMPER<\/li>
  6. Fishbone Diagram<\/li>
  7. SQUID<\/li>
  8. Synesthesia<\/li>
  9. Heart, Hand, Mind<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What is \u201cChunking\u201d?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Before we launch into exercises, it\u2019s important to understand that topics are simply \u201cchunks\u201d of information. To make sense of the natural world, our minds automatically chunk items to interpret them. Chunks are bits of information you assign some meaning to. Most of topic expansion comes down to fleshing out chunks and repurposing them in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Developing chunks comes about by Chunking Up<\/strong> and Chunking Down<\/strong>. Chunking Up allows you to see the bigger picture. Chunking Down allows you to see small details. Both can be helpful for content ideation. Chunking will help you zoom in and out, but it will also push you towards lateral topics, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many of the exercises in this chapter focus on developing chunks. The most basic exercises to help you Chunk Up or Chunk Down are known as the Top Down Tree and Bottom Up Tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"chunking\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    What Are Chunks?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Chunks should be small enough to be helpful and large enough to hold meaning and to be written about. Chunks should be no more than one or two words. They should be unambiguous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples of Chunks:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n