Content ideas when you don't have a niche: make yourself the niche
If you don't fit a niche, make yourself the niche. Instead of picking one topic, build ideas from the things that are already yours: what you believe, what you're doing, what's getting in your way, what you know from work, and what happened this week. Viewers follow a recognisable person with a point of view, and that holds together across many topics.
Why "pick a niche" isn't the only way
The usual advice is to choose one subject so the algorithm knows who to show you to. But the platforms describe their recommendations in terms of what each viewer does, not a fixed topic per account. TikTok says the For You feed is driven by viewers' interactions, like what they watch, like, share and comment on, and that "neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors" (TikTok newsroom). Instagram says its most important Reels predictions include how likely a viewer is to watch all the way through, reshare and like (Instagram ranking explained).
In other words, each video is judged by whether people who see it want it. A consistent topic helps some creators, but a consistent person works too: the same voice, the same values and the same kind of honesty, applied to whatever is going on.
Five places to mine ideas from your own life
1. What you believe
Opinions you would argue for at the pub. Where you think the usual advice is wrong. What you'd tell your younger self.
Example: "I think 'follow your passion' is terrible career advice, and here's what I'd say instead."
2. What you're doing
Anything you are working towards right now: training for a run, learning to cook, paying off a card, renovating a room. People follow journeys because they want to see how it ends.
Example: "Week 3 of learning to drive at 34. Today I stalled at the same roundabout four times."
3. What you're up against
The problems, frustrations and small injustices in your week. These are the most relatable videos you will make, because your viewers have them too.
Example: "Every self-checkout in the country when you put a bag down."
4. What you know
Your job, your trade, your hobby, or a skill people ask you about. You don't need to be an expert; you need to be one step ahead of the person watching.
Example: "I've been a delivery driver for six years. Here's what the 'we tried to deliver' card really means."
5. What happened
A win, a moan, a funny moment or an ordinary day. Most good stories are small: what makes them work is how you tell them, not how big they are.
Example: "My nan has started using voice notes and nothing has been the same."
30 prompts to get you started
| Mine | Prompts |
|---|---|
| Beliefs | A popular opinion you disagree with · Advice you ignored and were right to · Something you've changed your mind about · A rule you live by · What people get wrong about your job · The hill you'd die on |
| Doing | Day 1 of something new · A progress update with real numbers · What you'd do differently starting again · The bit nobody shows · A before and after · The routine that made it work |
| Up against | The most annoying part of your week · A small injustice everyone puts up with · What you wish someone had told you · A mistake you keep making · The worst advice you've had · Something that's harder than it looks |
| Know | Three things a beginner should know · The tool you'd buy first · A myth in your line of work · How long something really takes · What it costs, honestly · A question you get asked all the time |
| Happened | The funniest thing someone said this week · A small win · Something that went wrong · An overheard conversation (no names) · A tiny moment of kindness · What you'd have done if you were braver |
Turn a prompt into a video
- Write the one-line idea in plain words. "I stalled at the same roundabout four times."
- Pick a hook formula. That one suits "start mid-story". Our guide to hook formulas has eight to choose from.
- Find the payoff. What does the viewer get by the end: a laugh, a lesson, a result? If you can't name it, the idea isn't ready.
- Plan the shots. Our free shot list generator turns the idea into a timed list with framing for each shot.
A quick test: is this idea worth filming?
Run each idea past four questions. If it fails two, keep it in the note for later.
- Could only you make it? If a hundred other accounts could post the same video word for word, it's vanilla. Add your detail: your job, your town, your number, your story.
- Would the right person stop? Can you say who it's for in one line?
- Is there a payoff? Does the end deliver what the start promised?
- Can you film it this week? With the kit, the place and the time you actually have.
Keep it sustainable
The ideas that last come from a running note, not a blank page. Write one line whenever something annoys you, surprises you or goes wrong. At the end of the week, pick three to five, plan them together, and film the ones that share a location on the same day. A plan you can keep up beats a perfect one you drop in a fortnight. YouTube gives the same advice for Shorts: once your first one is out, stick to a schedule you can maintain (YouTube Help).
Questions
Do I need a niche to grow on TikTok or Instagram?
Not in the sense of one topic. TikTok says neither follower count nor past hits are direct factors in For You recommendations; what people watch, like and share is. Viewers follow a person they recognise, so a consistent point of view matters more than a single subject.
How do I find content ideas every day?
Keep a running note on your phone. Every time something annoys you, surprises you, goes wrong or goes well, write one line. That list becomes your ideas. Pair each one with a hook formula and you have a video.
What if my life is boring?
Ordinary is relatable. The commute, the food shop and the group chat are things most viewers share. The video doesn't need an unusual event; it needs your honest reaction to a usual one.
How many ideas should I plan at once?
Plan a week's worth, about three to five videos, and film the ones that share a location or set-up on the same day. Planning further ahead tends to go stale.
Related
- Short-form video hook formulas that work on TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Eight hook formulas with examples, the three layers every hook has, and how to check yours is working.
- Hook and shot list generator for TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Type your topic and get eight hook options and a timed shot list with framing, word budgets and a CSV download.
- How to film yourself alone with just your phone
Where to put the phone, the light and yourself, plus a shooting order that saves you running back and forth to the tripod.