You've most likely heard people say this:

"There's nothing new. Everyone's said everything. Good artists copy, great artists steal."

We get it. I've said it myself.

The truth is, it can be difficult to find new stuff!

But it isn't impossible.

And since someone has (likely) already said what we're about to, it's our job to locate it, put it in better words, and plow it towards our audience.

The guy who says it best passes the test. Ever hear that saying?

You better say no.

(I just made it up)...

Anyway, here's how you can hunt down ideas that attract the most eyeballs.

I hope you guys enjoy today's issue!

♻️ Reddit Repurposing

This idea was shared in a recent talk given by Sam Parr at the ConvertKit Craft + Commerce Creator Conference.

Wow, that's a moutful.

Sam dropped a ton of wisdom on content creation, but one process he uses stood out to me. Here's the underlying concept behind it:

Inspiration is the first step toward execution.

And the best place he finds it? Reddit. More specifically, subreddits.

Lemme ask you a question.

If you could access a corner of the internet that has a cult-like following, surrounding the exact niche you'd like to discuss, wouldn't you steal everything they're talking about and re-word it with the most interesting points leaving out all the fluff that ruins the entire conversation anyway?

Wouldn't you???

The answer is yes, you would.

Excuse my ridiculous run-on sentence, but cmon! It's a no-brainer...

The fact of the matter is, that there's a subreddit for everything. And I'm willing to bet there's a decent amount of people who are super passionate about it.

That's great for us. Moving on.

👍🏼 Thumbnail Theory

If I correctly recall, I got this strategy from the one and only, Justin Welsh.

It's quite brilliant too.

The same approach applies. Discover content (or conversation) that already stirs the pot and gets people clicking.

How do we know that they click?

Because we can see! That's the beauty of social media.

1. Go find a well-known YouTuber in your specific niche
2. Sort their videos by most views or likes
3. Re-package the idea or concept

Using the actual thumbnail for the hook of our text-based content is super lucrative because we know that the thumbnail already got people to click.

YouTubers obsess over their click-through rate and (as writers) we need ours to be sufficient as well.

When we use this strategy it ensures we're talking about an idea that will resonate, because it did so well on another platform. If it worked with that audience, why not ours?

They're likely similar.

Great artists steal, remember?

📦 The Packaging

Think about this.

When you buy something from Apple, the packaging is elite. When your dog gets a BarkBox, the packaging is adorable. When you buy anything from any reputable company, they put effort into the packaging.

So one thing's clear.

Packaging matters.

And the way we package our idea matters too! I say this all the time:

If they don't click they don't read. So... it's our responsibility to package the idea in a clickable container so the audience (actually) receives the value!

There are several ways to package an idea, but I won't bore you...

I'll let man, the myth, the legend (Dickie Bush), entertain you instead:

These are fantastic ways to present your idea in a way that will resonate with your audience...

Give it a shot!

🧠 Final thoughts

At its core, these are feedback loops.

Only this time, we didn't manufacture the insights ourselves. It's already been done for us by the public!

The visible engagement is a telltale sign that this is a hit, which almost synthetically positions us for virality.

And who doesn't want to go viral?

Next time you run out of content in the ol' pipeline, try out this strategy. Look in the subreddits, check popular YouTube channels, thumb through your favorite newsletter, anything!

Find what resonates and talk about it in a way that you think will resonate even more.

That'll set you up for success.

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