How can you find inspiration for digital publishing?

Digital Publishing Technology has a set of approved formats across retailers, so developing concepts for user features which are connected to previous and your own product vision sets up a wider channel set, a wider range for sales opportunities to connect to your customer informed direction to deliver compatible focused tech that is still niche, and meets wider platform expectations.

I write a lot of content for clients in a wide variety of industries. Some is very expected and tracks trends and then comes up with our own version. Some seek to enhance their own products or brands by comparing to others. Still other clients try to create content that offers something free yet valuable to readers. That's my favorite kind. And let's face it, the savvy consumer understands that as a CPG or other brand you ultimately want to sell your own product. By positioning your brand as knowledgeable and generous, you also create another relationship with your offerings, and thereby create better more relatable and shareable content on your digital publishing platform as well.

I often look at industry trends, customer feedback, and social media to understand what topics are currently engaging their audience. Analysing competitors' content and performance also provides me with valuable insights. I often spread my connections and try to engage with the community and attend events related to my field often sparks new ideas. Additionally, I use SEO tools to identify popular search queries to address in their content. Creativity often comes from a mix of staying informed, understanding the audience, and experimenting with different formats and approaches. That’s my two cents worth FWIW, Cheers

Create media about whatever sparks something you wonder about, want to comment on, would like to say or communicate. The approach is up to you: information, wisdom, humor, emotion, etc. Of course, having a perspective helps, and that comes with experience and gathering of knowledge. TBH, I find the question a bit baffling. There's so much more to say, to create than any person could. Any creative individual has more ideas than they will execute in anything that interests them. No?

Digital publishing is trailblazing, but we need to pose and reflect on - The trends - The interests - Analyse the data and work on media and make sure you understand the appetizing content that would interest your audience.

I mean ideas for digital content can come from anywhere. In our daily lives, in conversations, and even the challenges we face. Just make sure you document them, and then produce the digital content that is relevant and useful.

Challenging yourself with new topics or tools is a good thing. You get to learn more and in the process possibly educate your current audience and get a new audience. Using Medium the first time was a unique experience and a good challenge. However, I did like my comfort zone within WordPress. However, I did take up new challenges writing about new topics - food, watches, tech, film and production (B2B) and it did keep me on my toes and learnt soo much more.

Absolutely. Both the reading and writing communities be it online or face to face are incredibly inspirational and informative. If you can become part of a creative community it will definitely be useful. Look for local writers groups or in digital group spaces and find a place you are comfortable sharing.

When the well runs dry, and it occasionally will, look outside of your own head. Reach out to different folks on your team or in your company and kick up a brainstorm session. Give them a good reason to join, ask them to bring a couple ideas each, and set aside an hour to run through them. Have fun with it. Encourage even the wildest ideas and pull those threads. Coming from a publishing background, I can say with confidence that collaborative brainstorm sessions almost always resulted in the best, most creative outcomes.

AI tools can help create content quickly which helps when you need to iterate approaches from various angles. We use AI summarisation based on NLP to create contextualised summaries of research studies, and help people make up their mind on whether to spend time reading the source documents in full.

I personally love experimenting with digital publishing. It is very simple and there are many tools that can make it much easier to publish good competitive content. My personal favourite tools for testing are Google Analytics and Answer the Public they are definitely good tools to make your content unique and competitive. For creativity go crazy, there are so many tools. It is great to use them, Canva is good for visualising, as is WordPress. Biggest recommendation - Go ahead with what you like and what works, you will enjoy it much more and will be more enthusiastic to get feedback and improve your content.

Seeking feedback is one of the main things to get when publishing online. it is a good way to know what works, what does not work and what might just work. Ending articles with open ended questions if you have space for comments is a great way to get feedback. I do discount controversial topics as they will get the word out, but could lose some of your audience as well. Hence, open-ended questions on the topics are a great way to see which content works and which do not and continue with which content work, so that you can build your content on what people like and want.

Engaging in a continuous dialogue and seeking input and feedback on digital publishing initiatives is fundamental to the iterative process of improvement and innovation. By actively involving stakeholders, whether they be authors, readers, or platform users, in the feedback loop, a digital publishing strategy can evolve to meet evolving needs and preferences.

Embracing your passion and curiosity is the key to creating compelling digital content. I've seen how stepping outside the box and sharing personal insights can truly resonate with audiences, sparking conversations and inspiring action. It's about more than just following trends; it's about creating them by being authentically you. Dive into what fascinates you, use it to craft unique narratives, and watch as others are encouraged to explore and engage. Remember, your enthusiasm is contagious - let it spread through your digital publications.

A private side project is always a good opportunity to try out new tools and formats. In contrast to customer projects, where there are often limiting factors such as restrictive guidelines, technical limitations or similar, such projects are ideal for trying out new productions and approaches. You can then incorporate the knowledge gained into your customer projects and take them to the next level.

This year my focus has been on producing content that's personality-driven with a more rounded edge. This has meant taking the risk to do things differently – experimenting with new ideas, reviving old ideas, varying formats and testing cross-channel pollination. The most important thing is to stay across what's happening in the world of media, from long form think pieces and Podcasts to TikTok and Snap, to get a sense of how you - and therefore other people - consume information. Keeping your finger on the pulse of this constantly evolving and dynamic world will provide all the inspiration you need.

Researching and reading are an essential part of content production, but when you have personal interest/experience in a given topic, it really bolsters the final product. I was getting into plant-based eating around the same time I claimed the Health & Fitness beat of a magazine I was writing for. I was excited to learn and educate others about holistic wellness during my personal and professional time. As a result, I was more passionate writing those stories and they are some of the pieces I’m most proud of.

Following your passions is a good way to start digital publishing, with your passions, you already know a lot and voice your opinions in the way you like and allow for people to see your own views. Additionally, working on your passions does not seem like an exercise in futility, one continues to go ahead with it for years on end as one can share their curiosities and experiment with content.

Digital publishing can have many advantages over traditional print publishing, such as reaching a wider audience, reducing costs, enhancing interactivity, and providing analytics. You can also find inspiration for digital publishing as it's more sustainable. Less paper waste, less energy consumption, more recycling and reuse and more innovation and creativity.

Get out of your comfort zone. Travel if you can. Put yourself in new places and experience new things from different points of view. Find a note-taking tool that works for you. Something that you can quickly capture an idea for further investigation or exploration. I use several tools - from creating a WhatsApp group of 1 where I can send links and ideas to sharing URLS as cards in Trello and creating voice memos in Google Keep notes. Also leverage new technologies like speech to text. Conduct interviews on platforms that support automatic transcription and translation. This saves time having to rewrite notes.

Never be afraid to imagine. Our imagination takes us where the physical realm cannot. That is where all you've learnt and all you've experienced culminate to seek solutions and form new ideas.