How to Write Disruptive Ideas

Writing online can lead to incredible opportunities. Building a business, landing your dream job, and crafting your dream lifestyle (it's done all of those things for me).

But getting there can be tricky because the barrier to entry is so low. All you need is a laptop and internet connection and you’re away. But that leads to one thing that stops many folks making their mark: the same ideas rolled out over and over again.

Today I want to talk to you about the simple ideation framework you can use, that I use, to build a standout brand with standout content, while working a day job.

Step 1: Pick an ideation method

If you’ve never heard of the word ‘ideation’ let me fill you in, it means ‘to come up with ideas’. And you might not think this is a thing but in my day job, I teach businesses to develop new ideas.

I started applying the ideation techniques from my day job to my writing when I realized the level of repetition out there.

It’s in large part why I’ve managed to hit 50,000 followers (and over 15,000 newsletter subscribers) whilst working a day job.

There are tonnes of ideation methods out there, for this article though, I’ll stick close to one of my favorites, it’s called inversion thinking.

Here’s how it works:

• Pick a problem.
• List all the ways to make it worse.
• Flip each idea 180 to come up with a new concept.

Step 2: Apply the method to your problem

One of the biggest mistakes I see new creators make (especially those with a day job) is not spending enough time in the ideation phase.

In my early days, I’d crank out content into the void.

I was writing ALOT but the response was underwhelming, to say the least. I was writing from a place of fear, I didn’t think I had much time and I thought it was a game of volume.

The result? Endless low-quality, repeated content.

So instead, I took up a new approach, spending more time on the idea. Here’s how it works in practice with a real-life example (you can swap your problem in here):

Problem: People get sold the dream without the small print.

How to make it worse:

• Tell them that they’ll make millions in a few months.
• Tell them that doing this creator thing will solve all their problems.
• Tell them to just regurgitate all the ideas they’ve seen on the internet.

Flip 180:

• Set a realistic expectation of how it actually works.
• Be honest, being an entrepreneur has its downsides.
• Make ideation the priority, great ideas put you on the map.

Step 3: Write with that solution in mind

At the top of each article I write ‘I am solving ____ for ____’. It helps me keep in mind, why I’m writing said article.

So often I find that great articles go completely off track and I half think it wouldn’t happen if writers wrote that statement at the top of their page.

When I’m writing I’m constantly thinking:

• How can I solve this problem logically
• How can I solve this problem emotionally
• How can I add more stories into my writing

Most problems aren’t just logical problems, they are laced with emotion too.

All those points I made in step 2, I used to write this article below. A key here though is to use the ideation tool on the headline too.

Step 4: Constantly learn new ideation methods

Every time I learn a new way to ideate, I capture it.

The beauty of this process is that if one ideation method isn’t hitting, you can consult your trusty list and boom, new ways to think about your problem at the drop of a hat.

In a world full of a million and one people trying to ‘make it’ on socials, you can stand out from the crowd with fresh, disruptive ideas that hit differently.

If you're on the lookout for new ways to ideate, I’m running a rapid-ideation masterclass where I talk through 20 ways to ideate, with examples so you never get stuck for ideas again.

Conclusion

In a world full of AI-heavy, regurgitated content, one way to stand out (and actually enjoy what you write) is to unlock the ideas deep within you.

You can do that by:

• Picking an ideation method
• Solving your problem with it
• Applying it to your content (closely)
• Building a never-ending list of ways to ideate

And not every ideation method will work but if you have a big list to choose from, you’ll end up with more ideas to play with.