Josh Spector’s Framework For Finding Great Content Ideas

And Attracting Readers With Ease

Hey there, Digital Writers!

The most successful content creators aren't idea machines—they're idea maximizers.

They know how to take one solid concept and spin it into an entire content engine. And last week, I came across a simple technique for maximizing a single idea to attract readers with ease. I liked the framework so much, I decided to turn it into an AI prompt.

Let’s dive in.

How To Find A Great Idea For Your Next Post

This technique comes from Josh Spector.

If you don't know Josh, he runs For The Interested: a curated newsletter that helps creators grow their audience and get more clients from their content. Most issues are just a few sentences. Sometimes, just a link. But, behind each link is big, helpful, and actionable idea.

Recently, Josh was promoting his Skill Sessions product in the newsletter.

As a part of his campaign, he shared a video breaking down what he calls "Horizontal Expansion."

The idea is simple.

Look at your best content and then ask yourself:

“What challenges does my readers face before or after implementing the idea in my original proven post?”

When you answer the question, you immediately increase your odds finding content ideas to attract your audience.

Why? Because you've already proven one idea is valuable. Your reader is either acting on it or they want to. And that means they'll likely face problems both before and after implementing the original idea. This is the opportunity.

For example:

Let’s say you noticed your audience liked your "How To Buy Your First Rental Property" post.

Before buying a rental property, readers might want to know:

1. The basics of real estate investing

2. If they're financially ready

3. How real estate compares to other investments

4. How to research local markets

5. Who they need on their investing team

After buying, they might need help with:

1. Managing the property

2. Making more money from their rental

3. Dealing with tough tenants

4. Growing their real estate portfolio

5. Handling taxes for rental properties

See how that works?

All these ideas connect back to the original post. They form a journey, taking readers from "I'm thinking about real estate" to "I'm growing my property empire." You're addressing pain points before and after your original topic, creating a web of content that guides potential buyers through their journey.

This approach does a few things:

1. It helps you identify high-probability problems to attract your ideal customers.

2. It keeps your content aligned with your reader’s journey.

3. It gives you tons of opportunities to link between posts (and keep readers in your rabbit hole).

Here’s the video (< 2 minutes):

Now, on to the prompt.

The Horizontal Topic Expander Prompt

The prompt works like this:

You give AI on of your proven topics. AI will spit out ideas for content that comes before and after that topic. It even suggests ways to make each piece more tangible along with recommended SEO keywords.

Here’s the prompt: