Never Run Out of Content Ideas Again: The Power of Reactionary Content
Steal this journalist-inspired content hack, perfected by YouTubers, and unlock endless ideas.
Consistently coming up with fresh content ideas can feel like a relentless slog. Did we become writers just to be taunted by the blank page?
What can you do when a writer can’t write? When the ideas won’t flow, and the pressure builds, so does the anxiety along with it.
I used to hang my head in shame, alone at the keyboard.
But what if there was a way to never run out of content ideas?
There’s a simple, proven method journalists and YouTubers use every day to create engaging content. I call it reactionary content, and it could be the key to unblocking you, and unlocking the content genius you know you have inside you.
Judging from the questions I get, many struggle with writer’s block. But how do you come up with content ideas in the first place?
I already wrote about 10 techniques I use to conquer writer's block but I wanted to dive into this concept I detail below because I think it's so obvious it's hiding in plain sight.
Below I talk about my own struggles with content creation and the one reliable way I found to make sure I always have ideas.
Short on time?
Here’s the quick and dirty TL;DR version, although I obviously recommend you read this entire post.
TL;DR: Never Run Out of Content Ideas
If you’re a content creator of any kind and you don’t know what topics to cover for your newsletter, blog, or social media posts, or you’ve got writer’s block, do this:
Follow popular accounts, blogs, and newsletters: Check their archives for inspiration.
Choose topics relevant to your audience: Look for subjects that spark strong opinions or cover interesting facts your audience would be interested in.
Expand your search: Explore platforms outside your usual go-to sources.
React and respond: Create content that offers your unique perspective, whether agreeing, disagreeing, or adding context.
That’s it. You’ll never be at a loss for content ideas again. Any hint of writer’s block will melt away. YouTubers are totally crushing this method, but it works for any content type.
My Content Creation Problem
When my fingers first began pounding the keys in service of my content creation habit, I had a problem. Actually 3 problems:
Ideas. Coming up with ideas. I’d have a million ideas at any given time. Except when I’d get ready to write.
Once I had an idea...The blank page. Haunting me. Having an idea isn’t enough. Where do I start?
Once I did start writing and sometimes when I was way down the path of content creation, I would get...Second guessing disease. I would question myself and think, nah, I'm going to trash this and start over.
And sometimes, starting over meant taking on a totally new topic. And round and round we went. I’m pretty certain I’m ADHD and that is at least partly at fault. Too many ideas and not enough all at once.
At that point, I’d often take a break and start reading for inspiration, but I noticed something. I would immediately react to what I was reading.
In fact, I often got sucked into creating responses to other people's content, leaving comments on blogs (this was before Facebook).
When I was reacting, the ideas flowed like waterfalls and the keys danced like the crowd jumping up and down at an AC/DC concert. I had to cut my comments short because they were way too long.
As soon as I started reading or watching a video, I wanted to respond. It energized me so much more than sitting there trying to come up with great ideas by myself.
Soon, I’d have an article written on a brand new topic as a response to what I’d read. It turns out, this falls right in line with my "Do things, tell people about" mantra, except it's…
"Read things, write about it.”
This is the basis of what I came to call reactionary content:
Consume content.
Take note of your reaction.
Write a response.
From where I sit, it’s what journalists do all the time. For journalists, finding the story is the key. Just like my reactions and responses to other people’s content, the writing naturally flows from the story. Not the other way around.
And stories, as we know, are everywhere.
Reactionary Content
As long as there are things to talk about in the world, you'll never run out of content ideas, even when your page and your mind are blank (at first).
Rather than struggling to give birth to some “big idea” mental creation, your creation reveals itself in your reaction and subsequent response.
Rather than something that has to be conjured from the bowels of your consciousness, you react and respond to what already exists.
The ideas flow, the blank page fills quickly, and you don’t second guess what you’re writing because you already know there is interest in the topic.
We can add value to the story by:
Adding context and confirmation.
Clarifying and consolidating.
Debunking and disproving.
Elaborating and expanding.
We can help unravel or unwind a complex narrative so that the truth becomes more clear, or bring a different perspective to light. We may add new information, thoughts, and opinions as well.
The YouTube Example
YouTubers know how to take advantage of reactionary content. They’ve embraced, adopted, and adapted it for their YT audiences 100%. There’s even an app for that.
A few years ago, reaction videos started gaining a lot of traction on YouTube and other video sites. Some of them are laughably lazy because these videos often consist of someone watching someone else's video or other content and making a face about it.
And yes, people watch this stuff. A lot. Crazy, right? Other reaction videos are more involved with more commentary, but the premise is the same.
By way of example, below is a music reaction video. As you might guess, it’s essentially a guy listening to Midnight Ride by Styx and telling people what he likes about it.
Listen to music and tell people whether you like it or not. That is my dream job right there.
I’m not bashing the video creator at all, especially since that video has gotten over 89,000 views in one week. Obviously, people love this stuff (and he’s got my dream job).
And I’m not suggesting you do videos. This is just to illustrate the reaction concept. Reacting to something makes the content ideation and creation process that much easier and faster.
How to Do the Reactionary Content Dance
As mentioned, reactionary content is a method whereby you create content based on your response to something. This works for fiction, too because, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction.
So what’s the something? What can you react to? Almost anything.
For fiction, the story itself can be inspiration enough, or your reaction to it can tell the tale from that lens. Up to you.
For non-fiction, including blog, newsletter or video content, it’s straight forward.
If you can find a way to tie the story back to your niche and the topics you cover, these sources are rich with stories and events to respond to:
Your own content (or comments on your own content): This is the most obvious, but again, hides in plain sight. Has your opinion on something changed? Is there more to the story?
The quiet part: Go ahead, say the quiet part out loud. What is no one else is talking about? What are people afraid to admit?
Music: Listen to music and comment on the music or the artist (seriously, my dream job).
Movies: Watch movies, create summaries, write reviews, talk about the characters and actors, tie it to your topics.
Television shows: Same. Come to think of it, I was wrong. Reacting to music, movies, and TV shows would actually be my dream job.
Famous people: Life lessons, comedy, drama, ridiculousness, the dark side of excess, it’s all there in the antics of famous people.
News: Rich with stories, opinions, disasters, and WTF moments.
Personal stories: Personal interest stories are always of interest (hence the name).
Blog posts: There are millions of blogs out there, many with inaccuracies and strong opinions, just waiting for you to write a reaction piece.
Events (historical or current): It doesn’t get better than this. You literally have thousands of years of events to choose from.
Life experiences: Yours or someone else’s. Lessons learned, mistakes made, successes achieved, and failures endured.
Other people's reactions or opinions: There’s a goldmine of topics out there in comments, forums, and social media sites.
This method works extremely well where there is built-in conflict and people have strong opinions.
Can’t find a way to tie one of these back to your content? Then skip it and find something else. Below I’ve listed some sources of inspiration.
Any kind of content or person, place, thing, activity, event, or thought can spark a reaction. All you have to do is gather the facts and start creating your content in response.
As content marketer
says, “My main form of knowledge transfer is via video”—if that’s you, then you could start by making a reaction video for your platform of choice. Then break that down into articles, social media posts, newsletter issues, audio podcast, and so on.Curation
Curation goes hand-in-hand with reacting. You see a tool, a resource, or story and you give it a shout out.
Gather together resources or valuable links that you think are useful to your audience and that’s that. This is the basis for the minimalist newsletter concept, such as the
that publishes.Commentary and Opinion
Reactionary content does not necessarily have to be opinionated. There are two paths:
Say it straight: You retell the story as an impartial observer (“Just the facts, ma’am”). Let the reader draw their own conclusions and form their own opinions.
Angle it: Take a stand. Tell an impassioned tale. State your own opinions, reach conclusions, speculate, and/or agree or disagree with the elements in the story or the original story teller.
Don’t like what a guru or popular figure in your industry has posted? Whip up a piece on why the guru is wrong.
Enjoyed a piece by a fellow writer in your niche where you agree with them? Write it up and tell your audience why you feel it’s right.
See some misleading stats posted somewhere? Wrong conclusions? Bad advice? Misconceptions? Call them out.
did this recently with his commentary on a YouTube video with a post entitled, “What Everyone Gets Wrong About Multiple Streams Of Income.”Add a moral to the story, a clarification, a life lesson learned, or simply a WTF?
Restacks
If you're using Substack Notes, reactionary content comes pretty naturally. It's as close as the "Restack with Note" feature. Using the Restack feature can be a good way to test whether or not a long form post about the same topic would get traction.
Controversy Draws a Crowd
If you want to grow your platform as a writer, you’ll need some attention. Controversy is one way to get attention and give others a chance to react to your content. Joining the conversation by reacting to controversy can be a growth hack.
Find content pieces in or near your niche that have a little edge to them and then write a reaction piece. Here are some content type suggestions to get you started:
Polarizing topics: Where there are strong opinions, conversations bloom. People love to take sides.
For example, there’s this stigma around self-publishing: “Self-published authors are not real authors.” There’s also one around the use of AI: “Writers who use AI produce only garbage.”
The rich and famous: The celebrity effect is real. People love to both worship and bash well known people, places, and things.
The establishment and society: Ah, the things we love to hate. Attack or defend prevailing wisdom, social norms, conspiracy theories, or public sentiment.
Shatter existing beliefs. The moon landing never happened (or did it?), capitalism can’t coexist with democracy, and the Hulk can beat Superman.
If a topic is too heated, though, you may want to avoid it or stick to the facts and present a more balanced view.
Controversy doesn’t always have to be a major issue, though. In the battle of rice vs. quinoa, there are those who will strongly defend quinoa, even though they’re wrong.
Here are some examples of ideas that have built-in controversy:
Coke vs. Pepsi.
Veganism is a cult.
Should we go to Mars?
Crypto currency is a scam.
Traditional publishing is dead.
Capitalism is modern feudalism.
Will AI replace writers and artists?
Is social media destroying our society?
Do therapists do more harm than good?
Affirmations are a complete waste of time.
Electric cars are dangerous, toxic machines.
But even with a carefully selected topic, your reaction post can still feel like it’s lacking something. Time to level up.
Tips to Level Up Your Content
Add your opinion: As mentioned, you can include commentary or not, but adding your perspective can help establish you as a thought leader who drives conversations.
Add recommendations: Are there people, places, and things you think are worth mentioning that are relevant? Give them a shout out.
Add quotes: Quote others to offer multiple perspectives.
Add stats: Stats, figures, results of research, and visuals, such as charts, graphs, images, and video can help readers understand what it is you’re reacting to.
Add links: To add even more value, include links so people know where to find the story, individual, quote, solution, or data.
Speaking of leveling up content…
Flesh Out Other Posts
A single reaction doesn’t have to take up an entire post. You could, for example, improve an existing post or a work-in-progress by adding reactionary content.
If the writing in your current WIP feels weak or your post feels like it needs a boost, a small section with a reaction might be just what it needs.
You could also do a round-up of multiple reactions in one post.
Where to Find Something to React to
Content and story ideas can be found where you least expect. Sometimes, all it takes is a trip to the grocery store or the gas station.
The magazine rack and tabloids can be a rich source. In most cases, though, look no further than your phone. Google it!
Almost any of the following types of sites will have the acorns you need to grow your reactionary content tree into a mighty oak:
Social media sites
Industry sites
Niche blogs
News sites
Forums
Sites like List25 and TwistedSifter publish obscure news or Reddit stories.
Speaking of Reddit, find several subreddits that are in your niche and a couple of more general ones and join them.
You should be able to regularly find something related to what you want to talk about with your audience.
Here are some more sites to pull from:
Some of this stuff is way off the beaten path or very hyped up, but there’s gold in there, too. You just have to dig for it.
Copy Me
If you have any of the content creation problems I’ve had, I hope this helps.
Whenever I'm stuck in the content creation process and all else fails, I know I can rely on one thing. It's very likely I can write a reaction piece to something that already exists.
Instead of mindlessly staring at a blank page, I turn on the TV, go to a news website, or social media, blogs, and so on. My mental canvas fills with a collage of stories. There they are, story after story just begging for reactions.
I am immediately filled with emotion, opinions, and thoughts about what I’m seeing or reading. The blank page in my head is gone, replaced by hundreds of story ideas.
What do you think?
Let me know in the comments what you're creating and if you've used reactionary content. If you haven’t, it would be awesome if you would try it and report back.
Thanks for the mention :))