30 Prompts to Jumpstart your Content Plan

Listen, I get it. The vanity metrics, like follows and engagements, are worthy of celebration when you hit a key milestone. After all, they provide a tangible way of knowing your time and effort is moving the needle. 

But stop and think about what needle you’re really trying to move in your business. How many of those followers or subscribers are the genuine, high-quality connections you want to intentionally pull into your orbit? Are they your people? Your community? The ones who you can uniquely connect with, relate to and, eventually, help solve problems for?  

If your objective is to cultivate a community of your ideal audience and future customers, shift your focus to quality over quantity. And more importantly, to creating content that is in alignment with your brand but also in service to and for them.

That’s the thing about vanity metrics—they can cause you to hustle after the masses for the thrill of seeing those numbers go up. In the meantime, you might gradually become noise to your ideal audience members because of a watered down and overly broad message. 

Get hyper-focused on who you want to create genuine connection with. Get to know your ideal customers inside and out, and pinpoint where they overlap with YOU–your story, your unique approach and perspective, your experiences.

Try this exercise

Here’s a quick exercise to help you think differently about connecting with your ideal audience. Don’t worry about answering every question with complete accuracy. Use the prompts to get your brain and heart thinking outside the box. 

Step 1.

First come up with at least 25 things about yourself that are relevant to or influence the way you do business. Use the prompts below to spark some new possibilities.

1. When it comes to [my industry], I firmly believe ______

2. I DON’T believe in _____ because ______. 

3. More than anything, I want people to know that ________.

4. What’s most unique about my approach ______.

5. What’s most unique and original about my [product/service] is________.

6. I love creating content for my brand that showcases ________.

7. I loathe creating content that ____ or when ______.

8. I’m probably not a good fit for someone who’s looking for ______.

9. If a potential customer had only 60 seconds with me, I’d want them to know  _______.

10. If a potential customer could sit down for coffee with me, I’d want them to know _______.

11. My target audience might find it interesting that I _________.

12. They’d definitely want to verify/make sure that I ______.

13. The question people don’t ask but I’m sure they want to know is _______.

14. I could write or talk endlessly about ______.

15. If I should shout something from the rooftops for all to hear, it would be ________.

16. At the end of the day, I want more than anything to _____

    Step 2.

    Now try to come up with at least 25 different ways you would describe the majority of your target customers. Again, use the prompts below to get a jumpstart.

    My ideal audience and customer is:

17. A [Man/Woman], between the ages of [x and y.]

18. He/she:

19. Cares a lot about ______.

20. Worries about  _________.

21. Is frustrated with/by ________.

22. Wants to avoid ________.

23. Is trying to figure out ________.

24. Might be Googling things like ______.

25. Wants to ____ but doesn’t know how.

26. Wants to ______ but can’t find the time.

27. Might be wondering _______ but holding back asking / finding out.

28. When they need a recommendation online, they’re usually going to ________.   

29. The sources of information they trust most are ________.

30. At the end of the day, what’s most important to him/her is ______.

Give it a try!

You’ll be surprised how much you already know and have to offer but aren’t bringing forward in your content. You might also learn something new in the process.