blog-idea-generator

Blog Idea Generator

Overview

Use this skill to generate a strong blog-topic pipeline grounded in the client's business, audience, and existing content. It is the ideation layer for website content programmes, not the article-writing layer.

Use When

Use when the user wants blog topic ideas, editorial angles, or a content pipeline.
Use when populating or refreshing a topic backlog such as topic-ideas.md.
Use when existing website content should inform what gets written next.

Do Not Use When

Do not use for writing the full article; hand off to the blog-writing workflow.
Do not generate topics without checking for duplication against existing content.
Do not produce generic SEO clichés unrelated to the client's expertise.

Route to content-writing instead for general copy, or blog-writer for a complete article.

Required Inputs

Input	Source / provider	Required?	If absent
Blog Idea Generator brief and decision audience	Client, plan owner, or approved project files	Yes	Stop before making a recommendation; state the missing decision context.
Claims, assumptions, and supporting evidence	Source register, model, research notes, interviews, or operating records	Yes	Separate known facts from assumptions and return a qualified gap list.
Authority and delivery constraints	Requesting owner and repository instructions	Yes	Remain read-only and produce a draft or review only.

Client website, services, audience, and positioning context
Existing blog or content inventory
Any language, SEO, or campaign priorities
Constraints on tone, geography, or commercial focus

Workflow

Read the available site and content context before ideating.
Identify the most relevant audience problems, search intents, and expertise angles.
Generate topic ideas using the most appropriate ideation methods.
Filter out duplicates, weak angles, and topics the client cannot credibly own.
Package the ideas with enough structure to support article drafting.
Flag gaps in source context that limit topic quality.

Decision, stop, and recovery controls

Decision point: confirm that the requested output is the ranked article idea register and that the decision concerns which ideas deserve a brief rather than duplicate current content.
Stop condition: halt the affected conclusion if required evidence is missing (site audience, commercial goals, existing coverage, and credible source areas) or if the work could lead to this identified risk: producing search-shaped titles with no reader or evidence value.
Recovery: obtain the missing record or reviewer, repeat the affected check, and update the exception record before release.

Quality Bar

Topics are specific, relevant, and commercially useful.
Ideas align with the client's expertise and audience needs.
The list balances search demand, brand authority, and variety.
Each idea is developed enough to brief a writer.

Anti-Patterns

Generic “top 10 tips” ideas with no differentiation.
Repeating existing articles under slightly different titles.
Generating topics disconnected from the client's services or credibility.
Prioritising volume over quality and relevance.
Treating a generic blog idea generator template as a conclusion. Correction: tie each choice to the named audience, evidence, and operating constraint.
Applying the wrong neighbouring route to blog idea generator. Correction: confirm the decision and route to the named neighbour before analysis.
Treating an assumption as verified evidence. Correction: label it, cite its source or owner, and assign a verification action.
Recommending action without a decision threshold. Correction: state the measurable acceptance condition and review trigger.
Recording an unavailable check as passed. Correction: mark it not assessed and state the consequence for the decision.
Mutating or publishing during an analysis-only task. Correction: remain read-only until the owner gives explicit authority.

Outputs

Artefact	Consumer	Observable acceptance condition
Blog Idea Generator deliverable	Named decision-maker or plan author	The recommended choice, assumptions, countercase, and next action are explicit.
Evidence and exception register	Reviewer, funder, board, or implementation owner	Every load-bearing claim is sourced or labelled as an assumption; missing checks are not shown as passes.

A ranked or grouped list of blog ideas with usable briefs
Notes on content gaps, duplicates, or strategic opportunities
Any assumptions needing confirmation before writing begins

Generate 15-25 targeted blog post ideas, each presented as a 200-word hybrid summary with narrative brief + structured specs. The system adapts its ideation methods to the specific client and available information.

Read references/ideation-frameworks.md for the full 20-method library and selection logic. Read references/content-formats.md for 20 content formats with structural templates. Read sales-copywriting/references/headline-mastery.md for headline formulas and 4 U's scoring.

Step 1: Gather Context

Read client docs (mandatory)

Read every available file to build a complete picture:

docs/en/company-profile.md (and all enabled language versions)
docs/en/services.md service offerings, target customers
docs/en/pages.md existing website pages and content
docs/sector-brief.md industry context (if present)
docs/style-brief.md brand voice and tone
blog-writer/references/topic-ideas.md existing topics (avoid duplicates)
src/pages/en/blog/ existing articles (avoid overlap)
All other docs/en/ files testimonials, FAQ, portfolio, about-story

Extract and note:

What the business does (core services, products)
Who they serve (audience segments, industries, company sizes)
Where they operate (geographic focus, markets)
What makes them different (competitive advantage, methodology)
What expertise the author has (experience, credentials, stories)
What problems customers face (pain points, challenges)
What content already exists (published articles, covered topics)

Guided interview (3-5 questions)

After reading docs, ask targeted questions to fill gaps. Ask one at a time. Skip questions already answered by docs.

Core questions (ask what's missing):

Audience specifics "Who is your ideal reader? (Job title, company size, industry, location)"
Top pain points "What are the top 3 problems your customers face that your business solves?"
Content goals "What should readers DO after reading? (Contact you, book a demo, understand a concept?)"
Competitor landscape "Name 2-3 competitors. What topics do they cover?"
Unique knowledge "What do you know that competitors don't? What's your unfair advantage?"
Customer questions "What questions do customers ask most before buying?"
Content gaps "Topics you've wanted to write about but haven't?"
Context/audience any additional context the user provides (specific themes, campaigns, seasonal needs)

If the user provides additional context (audience details, campaign goals, seasonal focus), incorporate it into the assessment.

Step 2: Assess Available Information

Score each dimension to determine which ideation methods will work best:

Dimension	Rich (3)	Moderate (2)	Sparse (1)
Client docs	Detailed company-profile, services, testimonials, stories	Basic company-profile and services	Minimal just a business name and description
Competitor visibility	Named competitors with active blogs	Competitors named but blogs unknown	No competitor info
Audience specificity	Named segments with pain points	General audience description	Vague ("businesses")
Industry dynamism	Active news cycle, regulations, trends	Moderate change rate	Stable/static industry
Existing content	5+ published articles to spin off	1-4 articles	No existing content
Customer interaction	Direct customer questions available	Some FAQ data	No customer feedback

Step 3: Select Ideation Methods

Based on the assessment, select 5-7 methods from the 20-method library. Always include Methods 1 and 2 as foundation.

Selection Matrix

Method	Best When	Min Score
1. Category Drilldown	Always	(always include)
2. Buyer Awareness Stages	Always	(always include)
3. Pain Point Mining	Client docs 2 or customer interaction 2
4. Competitor Gap Analysis	Competitor visibility 2	Competitor 2+
5. Customer Question Mapping	Customer interaction 2	Customer 2+
6. They Ask, You Answer	Customer interaction = 3	Customer 3
7. Amazon/Review Mining	Product-based business	Client docs 2+
8. Spin-Off Posts	Existing content 2	Content 2+
9. Media Mashup	Brand voice is informal/creative	Client docs 2+
10. Highlight Good/Bad	Industry has notable examples	Industry 2+
11. How-To/Tutorial Mining	Product/service has teachable processes	Client docs 2+
12. Success/Failure Stories	Client has real project stories	Client docs 3
13. Holiday/Event Mapping	Content calendar needs seasonal hooks	Any
14. Newsjacking/Trends	Industry dynamism = 3	Industry 3
15. Use Any Object	Need creative/lateral ideas	Any (creative fallback)
16. Curated Roundups	Industry has notable resources	Industry 2+
17. Prediction Posts	Industry dynamism 2	Industry 2+
18. Jargon/Glossary	Technical niche with newcomer audience	Audience 2+
19. Contrarian/Negative	Audience is sophisticated	Audience 3
20. Topic-Category Matrix	Need high volume quickly	Any (volume fallback)

Announce: "Based on available information, I'm using methods: [list]. Here's why: [brief rationale]."

Step 4: Generate Ideas

Run selected methods sequentially. Aim for 25-35 raw ideas, then filter to the best 15-25.

For each method, consult references/ideation-frameworks.md for detailed instructions and examples.

Quality Filters

Remove any idea that fails:

Filter	Test
High-value goal	Does this help the reader make/save money, reduce risk, save time, or gain advantage?
Unique angle	Does this require knowledge that isn't commonly available?
So-what test	Would the target reader care enough to click?
Longevity	Will this still be relevant in 12 months?
No overlap	Not already published or in existing topic-ideas.md?
Searchable	Would someone type this into a search engine?

Tier Classification

Tier	Purpose	Target Count
Tier 1: SEO drivers	Attract organic traffic via long-tail keywords	6-8 ideas
Tier 2: Authority builders	Establish expertise with deep guides and analysis	5-7 ideas
Tier 3: Thought leadership	Build brand with opinions, predictions, stories	4-5 ideas

Step 5: Create 200-Word Hybrid Summaries

For each approved idea, produce a summary in this exact format:

### [Number]. [Working Title]

[3-4 sentence narrative brief: What this article is about, who it serves,
why it matters now, and the unique angle that makes it worth reading. This
paragraph should make someone want to write  and read  this article. It
captures the creative direction and emotional tone.]

- **Audience:** [specific reader segment  job title, industry, company size]
- **Buyer Stage:** [Awareness / Consideration / Decision]
- **Format:** [How-to / Case study / List / Opinion / Guide / Story / Comparison / Interview / Roundup / FAQ]
- **Angle:** [the specific twist that differentiates from competitors  1 sentence]
- **Key Points:**
  1. [what the article must cover  specific enough to outline from]
  2. [second key point]
  3. [third key point]
  4. [fourth key point  optional]
  5. [fifth key point  optional]
- **CTA Goal:** [what action the reader should take after reading]
- **SEO Keywords:** [primary keyword], [secondary keyword]
- **Tier:** [1: SEO driver / 2: Authority builder / 3: Thought leadership]
- **Est. Words:** [1,500-2,500]

Summary Quality Rules

The narrative must read like a creative brief not a dry description
Key points must be specific enough to outline section headings from
Keywords must be realistic long-tail phrases someone would search
The angle must be genuinely different from what a Google search would surface
Every title must pass the 4 U's test (see sales-copywriting/references/headline-mastery.md): Useful, Unique, Urgent, Ultra-specific score 3+ on at least 3 dimensions

Step 6: Present and Refine

Present to the User

Show ideas grouped by tier with full summaries. After presenting, ask:

Which ideas excite you most?
Any ideas to remove or modify?
Any topics you expected but don't see?
Any specific campaigns or seasonal needs to address?

Refine based on feedback. The user's input overrides the assessment.

Step 7: Save Output

Save the final approved list to blog-writer/references/topic-ideas.md:

# Blog Topic Ideas  [Client Name]

Generated: YYYY-MM-DD
Methods used: [list of methods applied]
Target audience: [summary]
Content categories: [list]

## Tier 1: SEO Drivers

### 1. [Title]
[Full 200-word hybrid summary as above]

## Tier 2: Authority Builders
...

## Tier 3: Thought Leadership
...

## Content Calendar Suggestion

| Month | Article 1 (Tier) | Article 2 (Tier) |
|-------|-------------------|-------------------|
| Month 1 | [title] (T1) | [title] (T2) |
...

If the file already exists, merge new ideas don't overwrite existing topics. Mark previously written topics as [PUBLISHED].

Quality Checklist

Before finalising:

At least 15 ideas across all 3 tiers
Each idea has a complete 200-word hybrid summary
No duplicate angles (each idea is distinct)
At least 2 ideas per buyer awareness stage
Ideas span at least 3 content categories
Every title passes the 4 U's test (3+ dimensions at 3+)
No overlap with existing published articles
Mix of content formats (not all lists, not all how-tos)
At least 3 ideas that showcase the author's unique expertise
At least 2 ideas based on real customer questions (if data available)
Content calendar covers at least 6 months at 2 articles/month
All SEO keywords are realistic long-tail phrases
Narrative briefs are compelling they make you want to write the article

After writing, verify line count is under 500: wc -l blog-idea-generator/SKILL.md

Business Plan Blog Ideas (Pre-Built Bank)

When generating blog posts about business planning, entrepreneurship, management, or plan-writing, first consult the pre-built idea bank before running the full ideation process:

references/book-derived-blog-ideas.md 106 original, book-sourced post ideas. Each idea includes: angle, target reader, hook sentence, source reference file, and recommended format. Derived from: Minto (Pyramid Principle), Rasiel (McKinsey Way), Damodaran (Valuation), Feld & Mendelson (Venture Deals), Agrawal et al. (Prediction Machines), Sinek (Start with Why), Miller (Building a StoryBrand), Gerber (Awakening the Entrepreneur Within Fatal Assumption, impersonal dream, Four Dimensions, Golden Pyramid), Horowitz (Hard Thing About Hard Things The Struggle, Peacetime/Wartime CEO, layoffs, people first, Ones and Twos), Hahn & Mangun (DIY Advertising AIDA+Conviction hierarchy, direct mail, radio scripts, testing framework), Edwards & Douglas (Getting Business to Come to You Marketing Pyramid, Referral Machine, Article Marketing Loop, niche positioning), Pinskey (101 Ways to Promote Yourself picture business cards, radio guesting, press releases, self-promotion system), Ashley (Oxford Handbook of Commercial Correspondence bank covering letters, Incoterms, complaints, payment methods, letters of credit, job offer letters), Fleisher & Bensoussan (Business and Competitive Analysis Nine Forces, competitor profiling, win/loss analysis, benchmarking, war gaming, linchpin analysis), Cadle, Paul & Turner (Business Analysis Techniques PESTLE vs Porter's Five Forces, SWOT/TOWS correctly used, McKinsey 7-S implementation check, swimlane process modelling, 72-tool analytical toolkit, CBA/NPV/payback compared), Hood (Words at Work plain English, reversed triangle, report structure), Shiach (How to Write Essays argument structure, paragraph formula, transitions), Geffner (Business English Four Cs, parallelism, positive framing, expressions to avoid), and Rubie & Provost (How to Tell a Story Provost Paragraph, high-concept hook, show vs tell, protagonist principle).

When to use this bank:

Client is a business consultant, coach, accountant, or financial adviser
Website covers entrepreneurship, business planning, funding, or strategy
Content calendar needs authority-builder or thought-leadership pieces
Audience is entrepreneurs, SME owners, or plan writers

Each idea in the bank maps directly to a reference file so the blog writer can draw on deep, sourced content rather than generic advice. Reference the specific file listed in the "Draw from" field of each idea when writing the article.

Evidence Produced

Evidence	Format	Acceptance condition
Ranked article idea register decision trace	Sources, calculations, assumptions, countercase, and selected action	A reviewer can trace the selected action and rejected alternatives to the cited inputs.
Exception record	Failed and not-assessed checks with owner and due action	The register exposes every unresolved exception that could lead to producing search-shaped titles with no reader or evidence value.

Capability and Permission Boundaries

Read supplied records and use non-mutating checks to produce the ranked article idea register; writing idea briefs without publishing or scraping restricted sources is permitted when requested. Do not publish, contact third parties, alter live systems, commit funds, or claim legal, tax, audit, valuation, ESG, or investment assurance without the owner's explicit authorisation and the appropriate reviewer.

Degraded Mode

If site audience, commercial goals, existing coverage, and credible source areas cannot be obtained, return a qualified ranked article idea register covering only the checks that remain supportable. Leave this decision unresolved: which ideas deserve a brief rather than duplicate current content. Record the evidence owner and next check; an inaccessible source, tool, or reviewer is never a pass.

Decision Rules

Decision condition	Action	Failure or risk avoided
Evidence is sufficient to decide: which ideas deserve a brief rather than duplicate current content	Record the conclusion, source trail, owner, and review trigger in the ranked article idea register.	Risk of producing search-shaped titles with no reader or evidence value
Material evidence conflicts or remains uncertain	Check the tied ideas against existing coverage, reader questions, credible source depth, and commercial relevance before commissioning a brief.	Selecting an option without resolving the decision-relevant uncertainty
Required evidence is missing: site audience, commercial goals, existing coverage, and credible source areas	Mark the decision on which ideas deserve a brief rather than duplicate current content `not assessed` in the ranked article idea register, and send it to the content strategist and site owner.	Otherwise, the work risks producing search-shaped titles with no reader or evidence value

Quality Standards

Accept the ranked article idea register only when evidence is sufficient for this decision: which ideas deserve a brief rather than duplicate current content. Assumptions and countercases remain visible, calculations and cross-references reconcile, and the reviewer can see how the recommendation addresses the risk of producing search-shaped titles with no reader or evidence value.

Worked Example

A site already has three generic pricing articles. The idea register rejects near-duplicates and prioritises a sourced comparison that answers the target buyer's unresolved implementation question.

References

AGENTS.md - repository routing, evidence, finance, and release rules.