Generating topics for your speeches, blogs, social media posts and videos is something you will need to do if you’re going to produce regular content for your audience. Have you thought about asking your audience? Ask them for ideas about the topics they would like you to speak on. Ask them about the types of videos and what subjects they want you to cover. Ask them what they would like you to post about on your page or in your groups. Ask them what they would like to read on your blog.
There are different ways you can ask or find out what your audience wants to read, hear and see.
- Start Interacting – Most audiences are used to the one-way communication that most people provide to them. They get emails, they sit and watch a presentation, and they read blog posts. But they aren’t used to real engagement. You need to start small, warming them up by always ending every blog post, every social media post and every video with a short question. In your speeches and presentations include a call for action and feedback – find out what else they would like to hear.
- Encourage Interaction – Reward people who engage with you by thanking them. Act excited about their contribution. Acknowledge their participation. Perhaps give them a prize or a discount voucher for coming up with a great idea or question.
- Connect via Email – Use your email list to your advantage. When you are trying to come up with ideas, send them an email to ask for their input. Make it fun for them to respond by inviting them to a free Facebook brainstorming group, send them a freebie checklist, report or ebook for good ideas.
- Stalk Discussion Groups – Remember that your audience lives in other places besides only on your lists, your groups, and your discussion boards. Go to other places where they like to hang out and read the discussions. Any question they ask can become the foundation of new content for your blog, social media posts, video and even a new topic for your next presentation or speech.
- Conduct a Survey – A really good way to ask questions of your audience is to send a survey. You can send a survey out to your database, using Survey Monkey for example. With a short survey you can also get a little extra information about your target market, your clients and potential audiences plus input into what content they’d like to see. Acknowledge their time and commitment to completing the survey with something of value at the end of the survey.
- Ask on Social Media – Go straight to your social media groups and your business pages to ask questions of your audience. You can also send a poll via social media, or you can post an infographic with information and a question such as: “What is the next video you’d like me to make?” “What questions would you like me to answer in my blog?” “What topics would you like me to present on?” If you can give them a couple of choices to choose from, you’ll be more likely to get more answers.
- Have a Contest – Let the audience pick the topic by giving five topics you want to talk about or write about. Then let them vote on which one they’d like most. Works especially well with blogs and videos. The winning topic gets made in a video or written in a blog post and the ones who voted on the winning topic get invite to submit more questions and maybe ask a question live on the video or have their questions featured in the blog. Also great for those doing podcasts and radio shows.
- Clarifying Your Thoughts – Maybe you are confused about two different options; post only those two options and get feedback on which resonates most with your group and audience. Or maybe you know the topic, but you want to know what they need to know about the topic; again ask questions to test your thoughts. Be specific in your questions – keep them around the topic you want to know about or the different options.
Asking your audience directly is one of the best ways to choose a topic for your next speech, presentation, blog, social media post, podcast, radio show or video. Don’t be afraid to ask them. It doesn’t mean you don’t know anything. It does mean that you care about what your audience needs. They’ll appreciate being included.
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Trish Springsteen
Get Known Be Seen Specialist, Personal Branding Strategist
Australia’s Leading Expert in Empowering Introverts
Multi International Award Winning Mentor
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I Believe in You until You Believe in Yourself
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