After years of creating content and helping other professionals build their brands on LinkedIn, there’s one question that comes up again and again. Where do your content ideas come from?

People often assume I have a massive spreadsheet filled with content ideas. They picture me spending hours brainstorming topics, building content calendars and mapping out what I’m going to post weeks or months in advance. Most of my content ideas come from the work I’m already doing.

They come from conversations, meetings, presentations, articles I’m reading, questions people ask during webinars and trends I’m seeing across the legal and professional services industries. Some ideas become LinkedIn posts. Others become articles, presentations, newsletter content, videos or podcast discussions.

What I think surprises people is that most professionals aren’t lacking content ideas. They’re surrounded by them every day. The challenge is recognizing which ideas are worth developing and having a way to capture them before they disappear.

That’s why I don’t view content creation as something that begins when you open a blank document. By that point, the hard part should already be done. The idea should already exist. The writing is simply the process of developing it and sharing it with others.

Over the years, I’ve developed an approach that helps me identify, capture and develop content ideas. It’s the same approach I use for my own content and the same approach I share with professionals who want to create content consistently without feeling like they have to come up with something new every time they sit down to write.

The First Step Has Nothing to Do With Writing

Whenever I work with someone on their LinkedIn strategy, we don’t start by talking about content. We start by talking about what they want to become known for because that answer influences everything else. Before we decide what they’re going to write about, I want to understand how they’d like clients, referral sources, colleagues and recruiters to describe them if their name came up in a conversation.

Most professionals have never thought about it that way. They can easily tell me their title, practice area or industry, but that’s different from defining the reputation they’re trying to build. Those two things often overlap, but they aren’t always the same.

For example, I might be working with a private equity lawyer who wants to become known for middle-market transactions, portfolio company work and a particular industry. A recruiter may want people to associate them with law firm growth, compensation trends and talent strategy. A consultant may want to focus on leadership, business development or organizational growth. Once we’ve identified those themes, creating content becomes much easier because every idea has a place.

I use the same process for my own content. I don’t sit down and ask myself what I feel like posting that day. I already know the topics I want people to associate with my name, so when I come across an interesting idea, a client question or a conversation that would make a good post, I already know whether it fits. If it supports the reputation I’m building, I save it. If it doesn’t, I usually let it go.

I think this is where many people get stuck. They treat every post as a separate decision instead of part of a much bigger picture. They write about whatever happens to be on their mind that day, which often leads to content that feels disconnected. One week they’re talking about leadership, the next week they’re sharing productivity tips and a few days later they’re commenting on artificial intelligence. None of those topics are necessarily wrong, but if they don’t connect back to the reputation you’re trying to build, they don’t reinforce one another over time.

Before you spend time creating content, spend some time thinking about your positioning. Ask yourself what you want people to think of when they hear your name, then look at your recent posts. Do they support that goal? If they don’t, it’s much harder to build a recognizable personal brand because you’re sending mixed messages about what you want to be known for.

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • If someone read my last ten LinkedIn posts, what would they think I’m known for?
  • What do I want people to associate with my name?
  • What topics come up consistently in my work?
  • Which subjects do I genuinely enjoy talking about?
  • Does my recent content reinforce those themes?

Most Content Ideas Are Hiding in Plain Sight

One of the biggest challenges people tell me they have with LinkedIn is coming up with things to post. I don’t think the problem is a lack of ideas.

Most professionals generate content ideas every single day. They answer questions from clients, solve problems, attend meetings, read articles, have conversations with colleagues and notice trends in their industry. The challenge is that they don’t recognize those moments as content.

The best LinkedIn posts usually aren’t the result of sitting down and trying to think of something clever to say. They’re the result of paying attention to what’s already happening around you.

  • Client questions are content.
  • Industry trends are content.
  • Conference discussions are content.
  • Questions people ask during presentations are content.
  • Conversations with colleagues are content.
  • Misconceptions people continue to believe are content.
  • Mistakes you see repeatedly are content.

The professionals who create content consistently aren’t necessarily more creative than everyone else. They’re often just better at recognizing opportunities.

One of the easiest ways to improve your content strategy is to start keeping track of the questions people ask you most often. If one person is asking a question, there’s a good chance others are wondering the same thing.

Some of my most successful content has come directly from conversations I’ve had with clients, members of my masterminds, conference attendees and people who send me questions through LinkedIn. Those conversations provide a steady stream of ideas because they’re rooted in real-world challenges rather than hypothetical topics.

Choosing the Right Format Before You Start Creating

After I have the idea, I start thinking about the format. A lot of people leave this until the very end. They write the post first and then decide whether it should be a graphic, carousel, video or text post. I’ve found that approach can make content creation harder because the format often influences how the information should be presented in the first place.

For example, if I’m sharing a framework, checklist or process, I’m probably going to turn it into a carousel. People can move through the information step by step, which makes it easier to follow. If I’m sharing a quick observation, lesson or tip, a single graphic may be enough. If the topic requires more explanation, examples or nuance, it may be better suited for a text post or article.

Making that decision early helps me think through how I want people to consume the information. Instead of focusing only on what I want to say, I’m also thinking about what will make the content easiest to understand. In many cases, the format ends up shaping the content just as much as the content shapes the format.

Choosing the Right Visual Is Part of Your Content Strategy

One of the questions I get asked all the time is, “What kind of visual should I use?” My answer is almost always, “It depends on what you’re trying to communicate.”

I think people spend too much time asking whether they need a graphic and not enough time thinking about which format will communicate their idea most effectively. I’ve reviewed thousands of LinkedIn posts over the years, and one pattern comes up again and again. People use the same type of visual for every post, whether it’s the best choice or not. Every announcement becomes a graphic. Every list becomes a graphic. Every story becomes a graphic. After a while, it all starts to look the same.

Before I create a visual, I think about the content first. Am I telling a personal story? Am I teaching something? Am I walking people through a process? Am I sharing a resource? The answer usually helps me decide what format to use.

If I’m sharing a personal story, I’ll often use a photo because it makes the post feel more authentic and gives people a glimpse into my life. If I’m explaining a process, sharing several tips or breaking down a framework, a carousel usually works much better because I can develop one idea at a time instead of trying to fit everything onto a single image. If I’m promoting an event, webinar or article, a branded graphic often makes the most sense because it reinforces the key information someone needs to know.

I also think there’s a misconception that every LinkedIn post needs a visual. I don’t agree. Some of my best-performing posts have been text only because the writing was strong enough to stand on its own. If the story is compelling, people will read it. I don’t add a graphic simply because I feel like every post is supposed to have one.

Another mistake I see quite often is people trying to make one graphic do too much. They include multiple headlines, long paragraphs, several different fonts, logos, icons and so many design elements that readers don’t know where to look first. The graphic becomes difficult to read, especially on a mobile phone, and the main message gets lost.

When I’m creating a graphic, I keep coming back to one question: What’s the one thing I want someone to notice? Once I know the answer, it’s much easier to decide what belongs on the graphic and what belongs in the caption. The visual should give people a clear sense of what they’re about to read, while the caption provides the detail, context and explanation.

I also want the visual and the caption to feel like they belong together. Sometimes I see graphics introducing one idea while the caption goes in a completely different direction. Other times, the graphic repeats every word that’s already in the post. Neither approach works particularly well. The strongest content feels cohesive because each piece supports the other.

Tips for Choosing the Right Visual

  • Decide on the format before you start designing.
  • Choose a photo when it adds personality or helps tell the story.
  • Keep graphics focused on one main idea instead of trying to summarize the entire post.
  • Make sure text is easy to read on a mobile phone.
  • Leave enough white space so the design doesn’t feel crowded.
  • Use consistent fonts, colors and branding so people begin to recognize your content.
  • Before you publish, look at the visual by itself. If someone only saw the image in their feed, would they understand what the post is about?

The format you choose should make your content easier to understand and more enjoyable to read. Sometimes that’s a graphic. Sometimes it’s a photo. Sometimes it’s a carousel. And sometimes it’s no visual at all.

Your Opening Is the Difference Between Someone Reading Your Post or Scrolling Past It

I spend a lot of time rewriting the first few lines of a LinkedIn post because I know how much they influence whether someone keeps reading. If the opening isn’t interesting, it doesn’t really matter how strong the rest of the post is. Most people won’t make it to the second paragraph.

What I see quite often is people spending the beginning of their post setting up the topic instead of talking about it. They’ll start with several sentences of background before they get to the point they actually want to make. On LinkedIn, people are moving quickly through their feeds. You don’t have much time to capture their attention, so get to the point sooner than you think you need to.

When I’m writing my own posts or posts for others, I almost always start with the part of the story that’s the most interesting. If a client asked me a question that made me think differently, I lead with the question. If I noticed a mistake I see professionals making over and over again, I start there. If something happened at a conference that changed my perspective, that’s where the story begins.

A simple exercise I recommend is reading only the first three lines of your post before you publish it. Those are usually the only lines someone sees before deciding whether to click “See more.” If those lines don’t make you want to keep reading, they’re probably not going to have that effect on anyone else either.

Tips for Writing Stronger Openings

  • Don’t be afraid to rewrite your opening several times. I often do.
  • Start with the most interesting part of the story instead of building up to it.
  • Lead with a question you’ve been asked, a mistake you’ve noticed or an observation you’ve made.
  • Remove background information that isn’t necessary.
  • Read the first three lines by themselves before you publish.
  • Try writing three different openings before deciding which one is strongest.
  • If the beginning feels slow, move your third or fourth paragraph to the top and see if the post reads better.
  • Ask yourself whether someone who doesn’t know you would keep reading after the first few lines.

What Your Own Content Can Teach You

Whenever I’m helping someone develop a LinkedIn content strategy, I spend a lot of time looking at what they’ve already published. Their existing content usually tells us a great deal. We can see which topics generated conversations, which posts encouraged people to reach out, which ideas people kept coming back to and which subjects consistently resonated with their audience. People are often surprised by what we find.

The posts they assumed were their biggest successes aren’t always the ones that created the most opportunities. Sometimes the post that led to a referral, a speaking engagement or a new client didn’t receive hundreds of likes. It just reached the right people. On the other hand, a post with impressive engagement may not have generated a single meaningful conversation.

That’s why I encourage people to measure success in more than one way. Engagement matters, but it isn’t the only thing worth paying attention to. When you review your own content, ask yourself:

  • Which posts led to client conversations?
  • Which posts generated direct messages?
  • Which topics prompted people to ask follow-up questions?
  • Which posts led to referrals, speaking opportunities or media inquiries?
  • Which subjects have I written about more than once because people continue responding to them?
  • Are there topics I should revisit or expand into a series?

Those answers are often much more useful than trying to recreate someone else’s strategy. Your own content gives you a roadmap for what your audience finds valuable. The more you review it, the easier it becomes to recognize patterns and create content that supports your professional goals.

How I Capture Content Ideas Before I Forget Them

One of the questions people ask me all the time is how I come up with so many ideas for LinkedIn posts, articles, presentations and newsletters. They assume I sit down when it’s time to create content and start brainstorming. That’s almost never what happens.

Most of my ideas come to me when I’m doing something completely unrelated to writing. I’ll be walking Lucy and Scarlett, driving to a meeting, listening to a podcast, sitting in a conference session or in the shower. Sometimes it’s something someone says that makes me think differently about a topic. Other times it’s a question I get asked for the third time that week, and I realize it’s something a lot of people are probably wondering about. It might even be a comment someone leaves on one of my LinkedIn posts that sends me in a completely different direction. I’ve learned not to trust myself to remember those ideas.

For years I’d think, “That’s a great idea. I’ll remember it when I get back to my desk.” I almost never did. By the time I had a chance to sit down, the idea was gone or I could only remember pieces of it. After that happened enough times, I realized I needed a better system. Now I capture everything.

Most of the time I use the Notes app on my phone because it’s always with me. I don’t try to write a complete LinkedIn post. I don’t worry about grammar or whether it’s organized. I’m simply trying to capture the thought before it disappears. Sometimes it’s one sentence. Sometimes it’s a headline. Sometimes it’s a list of examples or a question I want to answer later. I only need enough information to remember why I thought it was worth saving.

I also dictate ideas into my phone quite a bit, especially if I’m driving or out walking the dogs. More recently, I’ve started using ChatGPT as part of that process. If I have an idea that’s still taking shape, I’ll ask it to organize my thoughts or help me capture different angles while everything is still fresh in my mind. I don’t use it to generate the idea. The idea is already mine. I use it to make sure I don’t lose it.

Over time, those notes have become my content library. When it’s time to create a LinkedIn post, write an article or prepare a presentation, I’m usually choosing from ideas I’ve already collected instead of staring at a blank page wondering what to write about. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons creating content has become so much easier for me over the years.

One of the biggest misconceptions about content creation is that people who post consistently are constantly coming up with new ideas. I don’t think that’s true. Most of us have more ideas than we realize. The difference is that some people have developed a habit of capturing them before they disappear.

You’re Probably Overlooking Your Best Content Ideas

Whenever someone tells me they don’t know what to post on LinkedIn, I usually ask them to tell me about their week. Within a few minutes they’ve mentioned a client question, a conversation with a colleague, something they read, a challenge they helped solve, a conference they attended or a trend they’ve been noticing in their industry. Those are all potential LinkedIn posts.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about content creation is that people who post consistently are constantly searching for ideas. In my experience, that’s usually not what’s happening. Most professionals are surrounded by content ideas every day. They just don’t recognize them because they’re looking for something bigger, more original or more polished.

Some of the best content comes from ordinary moments.

  • A question that keeps coming up in client meetings.
  • A conversation that made you think differently about something.
  • A mistake you see over and over again.
  • A piece of advice you’ve given three times in the same week.
  • An article you disagreed with.
  • A conference session that challenged your perspective.

Those moments happen all the time, but they’re easy to forget if you’re not paying attention. That’s why I encourage people to stop trying to brainstorm content only when it’s time to post. Instead, start paying attention to the conversations you’re already having. When something makes you stop and think, write it down. When someone asks a great question, make a note of it. When you find yourself explaining the same concept for the third time in a week, there’s a good chance other people would benefit from hearing it too.

I have hundreds of ideas saved in the Notes app on my phone. Some are only a sentence long. Others are voice notes I recorded while walking my dogs or driving home from a meeting because I knew I’d forget them otherwise. Most never become posts immediately, but when it’s time to create content, I’m never starting with a blank page because I’ve been collecting ideas all along.

Places to Look for Content Ideas

If you’re not sure where to start looking for content ideas, pay attention to:

  • Questions clients ask repeatedly.
  • Conversations with colleagues.
  • Conference sessions and webinars.
  • Books, podcasts and articles.
  • Mistakes you see people make.
  • Lessons you’ve learned throughout your career.
  • Challenges you’ve helped someone solve.
  • Questions people ask you on LinkedIn.
  • Comments on your posts.

The next time you think, “I don’t know what to post,” don’t ask yourself what you should write about. Ask yourself what you’ve been talking about all week. The answer is usually sitting right in front of you.

Creating Content Starts Before You Start Writing

One of the reasons so many people struggle with LinkedIn is that they treat content creation as something that begins when it’s time to publish a post. They sit down in front of a blank screen and try to figure out what to say. A few days later, they do the same thing again. That’s a difficult way to create content because you’re constantly starting from scratch.

The people who seem to create content consistently usually have a different approach. They aren’t waiting until it’s time to post before thinking about content. They’re paying attention to conversations they’re having, questions they’re being asked, trends they’re noticing and experiences they’re having throughout the course of their work. When an idea comes to them, they capture it. When they see a pattern emerge, they make a note of it. Over time, they build a collection of ideas they can draw from when they’re ready to create something.

That’s one reason I don’t spend much time worrying about algorithms, posting schedules or engagement tactics. Those things can be helpful, but they aren’t usually what prevents someone from creating content consistently. More often, the challenge is that they don’t have a process for identifying and capturing ideas before they’re forgotten.

When people tell me they don’t know what to post on LinkedIn, I usually encourage them to look more closely at what’s already happening around them. The conversations they’re having with clients and colleagues. The questions people ask repeatedly. The trends they’re seeing in their industry. The challenges they’re helping people solve. The lessons they’re learning through their work. Those moments often contain the foundation for their best content.

Creating content becomes much easier when you stop relying on inspiration and start paying attention. The ideas are often already there. The key is recognizing them, capturing them and giving yourself a way to return to them later.

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