Brainstorming Content Ideas with AI: 3 Techniques That Actually Work

If you’re anything like me, you know that one of the most consistent challenges in the digital space, whether you’re a marketer, a writer, or a business owner, it is the relentless need for fresh, engaging content ideas. Some days, the ideas flow like a river. Other days? It feels like staring at a blank page endlessly . That’s where I’ve found an unlikely but incredibly helpful partner: AI.

Now, when I say AI, I’m not just talking about tools that spit out generic blog posts. I’m talking about using AI as a strategic brainstorming assistant, a digital sounding board that can help unlock new angles and perspectives. Over my years in digital marketing and now diving deeper into AI applications, I’ve experimented with various approaches. Today, I want to share three techniques that I actually use, ones that have proven effective in my workflow for sparking creativity and generating content ideas that resonate.

Technique 1: The “Problem/Solution/Benefit” Angle with AI

One of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience is to address their pain points directly. This technique uses AI to help you systematically uncover these problems, explore potential solutions, and then frame your content around the compelling benefits.

Here’s how I approach it:

1. Identify Audience Problems: I start by prompting an AI with questions about the common challenges my target audience faces. For instance, when I was working in a B2B industrial e-commerce company, a key audience was procurement managers. A prompt could be: “What are the common daily challenges procurement managers in Indonesia face when sourcing industrial parts online?” Note: doing a deepresearch setting on your AI would be best.
2. Brainstorm AI-Powered Solutions: Once I have a list of problems, I ask the AI to brainstorm ways these challenges could be addressed, potentially with AI itself or other relevant solutions. Continuing the example: “Brainstorm 5 solutions or tools, including potential AI applications, that can help procurement managers overcome [specific challenge from step 1, e.g., ‘difficulty in finding exact part specifications quickly’].”
3. Frame Content Around Benefits: The final step is to generate content ideas that highlight the benefits of these solutions. This is where you turn insights into clickable, valuable content. Example prompt: “Generate 5 blog post titles and brief outlines focusing on the benefits for a procurement manager of using [solution from step 2] to solve [challenge from step 1].”

My Experience: I used a similar approach for a B2B client struggling with blog topic generation. The AI helped identify very specific pain points for their niche audience. We then developed a content series addressing each pain point with clear solutions and benefit-driven titles. This not only filled their content calendar but also led to increased engagement because the topics were so directly relevant. I’ve found tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Gemini to be excellent for this kind of structured brainstorming.

Why it works: This technique forces you to think from your audience’s perspective. Content that solves a genuine problem and clearly articulates a benefit is almost always more engaging and performs better in search.

Technique 2: The “Audience Deep Dive” via AI Personas

You’ve probably heard about audience personas. But have you ever used AI to bring them to life and brainstorm with them? This technique helps you go beyond basic demographics and tap into the specific needs and motivations of your audience segments.

Here’s the process:

1. Flesh Out Your Personas with AI: If you have basic personas, you can ask AI to elaborate on them. Prompt example: “I have a persona named ‘Citra Lestari,’ a 23-28 year old Jr. Marketing Executive in Jakarta. She’s tech-savvy, ambitious, and wants to use AI to impress her superiors. What are her likely biggest anxieties about using AI in her marketing campaigns brainstorming? What kind of content formats and topics would make her feel more confident and capable in using AI?”
2. Brainstorm Persona-Specific Content: Based on the AI’s more detailed persona insights, you can then ask it to generate content ideas specifically tailored to that persona. Example prompt: “Generate 10 content ideas (blog posts, short video scripts, LinkedIn posts) that would directly appeal to Citra, addressing her anxieties and helping her achieve her goals related to AI in marketing.”

My Experience: When planning content for this very blog, “Making AI Make Sense for Everyday Workflow,” I often think about who I’m trying to reach. Let’s take ‘Dewi Anggraini,’ our freelance writer persona. She’s tech-savvy but concerned about AI output quality and originality. So, I might ask an AI: “Dewi wants to use AI to speed up her writing research but she is worried about plagiarism and maintaining her unique voice. What are three blog post ideas that address these concerns and offer practical solutions?” This helps me generate ideas that are not just general but specifically address the nuances of a particular reader type.

Why it works: Tailoring content to specific audience segments makes it far more relevant and impactful. AI can help you uncover those nuanced needs and preferences you might not have considered, leading to more targeted and effective content.

Technique 3: The “Seed Idea Expansion” with AI

Sometimes you have a broad topic in mind, or even just a keyword, but you need to break it down into manageable, engaging content pieces. This is where AI can act as a powerful expansion tool.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start with a Seed Idea/Keyword: This could be a broad theme from your content strategy or a keyword you’re targeting. For example, a seed idea for me is often “AI in SEO.”
2. Use AI to Branch Out: Now, use prompts to get the AI to generate various related ideas.
   • Subtopics: “Break down the topic ‘AI in SEO’ into 10 distinct subtopics suitable for a blog series for digital marketers.”
   • Questions: “What are 5 common questions marketing professionals in Indonesia have about AI’s impact on keyword research?” (Tools like Perplexity are also great for this).
   • Different Angles: “Explore the topic ‘AI in SEO’ from three different angles: one for beginners, one for technical SEO specialists, and one for marketing managers.”
   • Content Formats: “Suggest 3 different content formats (e.g., in-depth guide, case study, quick tips video) for explaining how AI is changing technical SEO tasks.”

My Experience: When I first started outlining content for the “AI in Marketing & SEO” pillar of this blog, “AI in SEO” felt massive. I used a process very similar to this to break it down. For example, asking an AI to list common concerns about AI and SEO helped inspire articles like “SEO Relevancy in the Age of AI” and “Understanding User Intent: Cornerstone of Effective SEO in the AI Era.” It helped me to create a more structured approach rather than just writing about random aspects of the topic.

Why it works: This technique is fantastic for building topic clusters, which are essential for good SEO. It ensures you cover a subject comprehensively and provides a steady stream of related content ideas, preventing you from running dry.

Tips for Getting the Best Results from AI Brainstorming

While these techniques are powerful, remember that AI is a tool. Its output is heavily influenced by your input. Here are a few quick tips:

• Be Specific with Your Prompts: The more context and detail you give the AI, the better and more relevant the suggestions will be. My article on “Practical AI Prompting: My Prompts for Daily Use (Writing & Social Media Content)” has some good starting points for this.
• Iterate and Refine: Don’t expect the perfect list of ideas from the first prompt. Treat it as a conversation. Ask follow-up questions, request alternatives, and guide the AI.
• Combine AI with Your Expertise: You are the expert in your niche and your audience. Use AI to generate possibilities, then use your knowledge to filter, refine, and select the best ideas.
• Always Review and Edit: AI can sometimes generate ideas that are off-topic, impractical, or even factually incorrect. Always apply your critical thinking and edit accordingly.

AI: Your Brainstorming Co-Pilot

Coming up with a steady stream of valuable content ideas is a significant part of any digital professional’s or creative’s work. It used to be a purely manual, sometimes frustrating, process. But as I’ve found, AI can be an incredibly valuable co-pilot in this journey.

By using techniques like the “Problem/Solution/Benefit” angle, diving deep into audience personas, and expanding seed ideas, you can leverage AI to not just find more ideas, but better, more targeted ones. It’s about making the creative process more efficient and, ultimately, more effective. As I often say, it’s about “Making AI Make Sense for Everyday Workflow.”

Quick Reference: AI Brainstorming Prompts & Techniques

To give you even more concrete examples of how you can interact with AI for brainstorming, I (with a little help from AI-powered research!) compiled this handy table. It illustrates different types of prompts and the kinds of outcomes you can expect. Think of it as a cheat sheet to get your AI brainstorming sessions started:

Table 1: Examples of AI Brainstorming Prompts and Techniques

Hopefully, seeing these examples gives you a clearer picture of how versatile AI can be as a brainstorming partner!