I'm in the business of asking the right questions. In fact, in college I actually got kicked out of class for asking too many questions. But that's another story.
Drawing information out of people can be challenging.
Once you do, you'll see that there are endless possibilities for turning those conversations into meaningful content, whether it’s a podcast or blog or social media post. If the conversations spark something in both the one who asks and the one who answers, the chances are high that the insights will be meaningful to a broader audience.
So, I keep the prompts I’ve listed below in a document within arm's reach. They are intentionally open-ended and unusual enough to give my clients pause, and that circumspection is what you want. To illustrate the many possibilities, I've also added answers to them as well as some self-reflection questions.
The most important aspect of this tactic is NOT to judge the answers to the questions or devise a plan for executing them. Simply ask, listen to the answer and memorialize it somewhere. Once you notice that an answer reoccurs, it's time to address it in content.
You can use the answers to these questions anywhere in your business from obvious places like your blog, social media, YouTube, email newsletters and sequences to improving sales processes and customer service.
11 Deceptively Simple Content Prompts
Below I've listed 11 simple questions along with a few examples of answers for each one. Ask yourself and your team these questions to create an endless amount of compelling content.
1. What questions do clients ask you the most?
2. What questions do prospects ask you the most?
3. What questions do you wish prospects would ask you?
4. What do your prospects need to understand/learn/know before becoming a client?
5. What do you do differently than anyone else in your industry?
6. Why did you start doing what you're doing? What got you into it? What keeps you doing it?
7. What are some of the most common objections you get from your target prospects?
8. What's something your prospects assume that's almost always wrong?
9. What barriers do your best prospects often have to converting?
10. What are your best prospects thinking about, worried about, and researching?
11. What are the things you find yourself telling your clients the most?
Capturing these exchanges will pay dividends in meaningful insights, identifying emerging trends and sincere, on-brand content ideas.
Your only job is to become a better listener. Heed the words of Mr. Rogers, who had a piece of paper on his desk that read, "WAIT." Someone asked him what it meant. He answered, "Why Am I Talking?"