Endless Ideas: AI-Powered Ideation

The Ideation Mindset Shift

Most people think ideation is about waiting for inspiration. It isn’t.

Ideation is a skill. With the right system, you can generate 50 content ideas in 30 minutes. Not random ideas—good ones, tailored to your audience.

The goal isn’t to find “the one perfect idea.” It’s to create such abundance that you can cherry-pick the best.

The Content Idea Framework

Every piece of content answers a question or solves a problem. Start there.

Your audience has:

• Questions they’re asking
• Problems they’re facing
• Goals they’re pursuing
• Mistakes they’re making
• Decisions they’re weighing

Each of these is a content idea waiting to happen.

Technique 1: The Question Cascade

Ask AI to generate questions your audience has:

My audience is [AUDIENCE]. They're trying to [GOAL].

Generate 20 questions they might ask at different stages:
- Just starting out (5 questions)
- Making progress (5 questions)
- Stuck or frustrated (5 questions)
- Advanced/optimizing (5 questions)

Each question becomes a potential article, video, or post.

Example output for “freelance designers”:

Just starting out:

• How do I find my first client?
• What should I charge as a beginner?
• Do I need a portfolio website?

Making progress:

• How do I raise my rates without losing clients?
• Should I specialize or stay general?

These are real questions people search for. Answer them.

Technique 2: The Content Angle Matrix

One topic can generate many pieces by approaching it from different angles.

Topic: [YOUR TOPIC]

Generate content ideas from each angle:
1. Beginner's guide angle
2. Common mistakes angle
3. Expert tips angle
4. Contrarian take angle
5. Case study angle
6. Comparison angle
7. Future trends angle
8. Personal story angle

Example for “email marketing”:

Eight ideas from one topic.

Technique 3: Audience Problem Mining

Your content should solve real problems. Let AI help identify them:

List 15 specific frustrations that [AUDIENCE] experiences when [ACTIVITY].

For each frustration:
- Describe the problem specifically
- Explain why it's frustrating
- Suggest a content angle that addresses it

Quick check: Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.

Example output:

“Freelancers get ghosted after sending proposals. It’s frustrating because they invested time and have no closure. Content angle: ‘How to Follow Up on Proposals Without Being Annoying’”

Technique 4: Trend Jacking

Connect your expertise to current events and trends:

I write about [TOPIC] for [AUDIENCE].

What current trends, news events, or cultural moments could I connect to my expertise? Generate 10 ideas that tie timely topics to my niche.

Timely content gets more engagement because it’s relevant right now.

Technique 5: The Swipe File Method

Learn from what’s already working:

Analyze these headlines from top-performing content in [NICHE]:
[Paste 5-10 headlines you've collected]

What patterns do you notice? Generate 10 new headlines using similar patterns but for my topic of [YOUR TOPIC].

You’re not copying—you’re learning from proven patterns.

Building Your Idea Bank

Don’t generate ideas when you need them. Generate them in batches and store them.

Weekly ideation session (30 minutes):

1. Run 2-3 ideation techniques
2. Generate 30-50 raw ideas
3. Rate each: Hot (publish soon), Warm (good, not urgent), Cold (maybe later)
4. Add Hot ideas to your content calendar

Idea bank template:

Filtering Ideas

Not every idea is worth pursuing. Filter using these criteria:

Does it pass the “So what?” test? Would your audience actually care? Is there a clear benefit to them?

Can you add unique value? Do you have expertise, experience, or perspective that makes your take worthwhile?

Does it fit your goals? Is this aligned with what you’re trying to achieve (traffic, leads, authority)?

Can you execute it well? Do you have the knowledge and resources to create quality content on this?

Exercise: Generate 20 Ideas in 10 Minutes

Right now, pick one technique and generate ideas:

1. Choose your topic and audience
2. Copy one of the prompts above
3. Run it through AI
4. Review the output—star your favorites
5. Add the best ones to your idea bank

Don’t overthink. Speed matters in ideation. You can refine later.

Key Takeaways

• Ideation is a skill, not waiting for inspiration
• Generate ideas in abundance so you can select the best
• Use multiple techniques: question cascade, angle matrix, problem mining, trend jacking, swipe files
• Build an idea bank with weekly ideation sessions
• Filter ideas using “so what?”, unique value, goal alignment, and execution ability

Next: turning ideas into headlines that capture attention.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Headlines That Capture Attention.