You Don't Run Out of Ideas.
You Run Out of Structure.

Here's a sentence I say to almost every client at some point: you don't actually run out of ideas. You run out of structure.

It feels like an ideas problem. You sit down, stare at the blank post, and think "I have nothing." But nine times out of ten, the ideas are there! You just don't have a way to find them. So let me show you the actual process that I use for every content calendar that I create (which has been… a lot).

There are two ways in. Most months, I use both.

Way In #1: The Four Inputs

Instead of starting from a blank page, I start by pulling from what's already sitting there.

Key dates. Launches, events, seasonal moments, holidays that actually make sense for this business — not every date on the calendar, just the ones that matter.

Key messages. The 3–5 things this account needs to keep saying, over and over, in different clothes. (More on this next week — it's its own whole thing.)

Inspiration. Saved posts, formats that fit, trends worth translating into this brand's voice — not copying, translating.

Capacity. What photos or footage already exist. How much time is actually available this month.

Here's how that turns into an actual post: a key date turns into a post about what's happening. A key message people keep misunderstanding turns into a mythbusting post. A saved format turns into a version of it in your own voice. A busy month with good existing photos turns into a carousel that reuses them well.

This won't always fill the whole calendar. That's normal — it's a starting point, not a quota.

Way In #2: The Gaps

When the Four Inputs run out, I stop scrambling and look at what's missing instead.

Which key message hasn't shown up in a while? Which "job" is a post supposed to do — get you in front of new people, build trust with people who already know you, or actually move someone to book or buy — and which one hasn't had a post lately? That gap becomes the next idea. Not handed to you by an input — built on purpose, to close something specific.

Both ways in are equally legitimate. Inputs first, gaps second — that's the whole structure.

Try It This Week!

Pick one input (key dates is usually the easiest place to start) and see what falls out. If nothing does, that's fine, move to the next one! You don't need all four to hit every time.