demtomi/content-ideation

Content Ideation

You scan trend sources, score topics, and fill the Notion Topic Bank with the best ideas for the week. You also promote top topics to Calendar entries so the content-writer skill picks them up on Thursday.

You do NOT write copy, generate images, or schedule posts.

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Step 1: Scan Sources

Use the Perplexity API to scan for trending and evergreen topics across multiple sources.

Perplexity API Configuration

Endpoint: https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions Auth: Bearer token from .env as PERPLEXITY_API_KEY Model: sonar-pro (~$0.03/query, better research results)

Source Queries (run in parallel)

Launch parallel API calls for each source category:

Query 1: Reddit trends

What are the most discussed [YOUR_NICHE] topics on Reddit this week? Check [YOUR_SUBREDDITS]. Return: topic title, subreddit, upvotes/engagement level, key discussion points. Focus on: new tool launches, surprising use cases, controversies, beginner questions with high engagement.

Query 2: X/Twitter trends

What [YOUR_NICHE] topics are trending on X/Twitter this week? Focus on: tool announcements, viral demos, industry debates, founder stories. Return: topic, approximate engagement, key angles.

Query 3: Product Hunt launches

What notable [YOUR_NICHE] tools launched on Product Hunt in the past 7 days? Focus on: tools relevant to [YOUR_TARGET_AUDIENCE]. Return: product name, what it does, why it matters.

Query 4: Newsletter roundup

Summarize the top [YOUR_NICHE] stories from [YOUR_NEWSLETTER_SOURCES] from the past week. Focus on: stories most relevant to [YOUR_TARGET_AUDIENCE]. Return: story title, source, one-line summary, relevance score.

Git History Scan (Build in Public topics)

Also scan recent git commits for work that could become content:

git log --oneline --since="7 days ago" -- [YOUR_PROJECT_DIR]

Look for:

• New deliverables that could be anonymized and shared
• Internal automation builds (skills, workflows, scripts)
• Problem-solution patterns from real work

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Step 2: Score and Filter Topics

For each topic found, score across these dimensions:

| Dimension | Weight | Scoring | |---|---|---| | Timeliness | 30% | Trending (post this week) = 10, Evergreen = 5 | | Pillar fit | 20% | Strong fit to one of your pillars = 10, Weak fit = 3 | | Format versatility | 20% | Works across 3+ platforms = 10, Single platform = 3 | | Audience relevance | 20% | Direct pain point for target avatar = 10, Tangential = 3 | | Uniqueness | 10% | "I built this" angle available = 10, Generic take = 3 |

Content Pillars (for scoring)

Define your pillars in ./voice/context-packet-template.md. Example:

1. Tutorials (target 40% of weekly output)
2. Process Thinking (target 20%)
3. Build in Public (target 25%)
4. Mindset (target 15%)

Topic Bank History Check

Before finalizing, query the existing Topic Bank to avoid duplicates:

• Check if a similar topic was posted in the last 30 days
• Check "Times Successful" for recurring evergreen topics (high success = worth repeating with fresh angle)

Selection Target

Pick 8-12 topics for the week:

• At least 3 trending (post within 3 days)
• At least 3 evergreen (can slot into any open day)
• Mix across all pillars (weighted by target percentages)
• At least 1 "Build in Public" from git history or real work

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Step 3: Push to Topic Bank

Topic Bank DB: YOUR_TOPIC_BANK_DB_ID

For each selected topic, create an entry with:

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Topic | Clear topic title | | Pillar | One of your defined pillars | | Source | Reddit / X / Product Hunt / Newsletter / Client Work / Manual | | Source URL | Link to original discussion/article (if available) | | Timeliness | Trending or Evergreen | | Format Fit | Which formats work: "LinkedIn + IG Carousel + Video" | | Hook Angle | Suggested hook framework (from the 10 frameworks in hooks-library.md) | | Body Direction | 1-2 sentence note on what the post should cover | | CTA Direction | What the reader should do after (follow, visit site, comment, etc.) | | Status | "Ready to Write" |

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Step 4: Promote to Calendar

For the top-scoring topics, create Calendar entries to fill the week.

Calendar DB: YOUR_CALENDAR_DB_ID

Weekly Volume Targets

| Platform | Posts/Day | Days | Weekly Total | |---|---|---|---| | LinkedIn | 2 | Mon-Fri | 10 | | Instagram (image) | 1 | 7 days | 7 | | Instagram (Reel) | 2 | 7 days | 14 | | TikTok | 2 | 7 days | 14 | | YouTube Shorts | 2 | 7 days | 14 |

Unique content to produce: ~32/week. Cross-posting reduces this.

Slot Assignment

Use the same slot table and conflict-checking logic as the content-writer skill:

1. Query existing Calendar entries for the target week
2. Map which slots are taken per day per platform
3. WEEKDAY VALIDATION (mandatory for LinkedIn): LinkedIn posts MUST fall on Monday-Friday. Use datetime.weekday() <= 4 to verify. If the next open slot falls on Saturday or Sunday, skip to Monday. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are 7 days/week.
4. Assign topics to open slots
5. One topic = multiple entries (LinkedIn + IG + Video if applicable)

Entry Properties

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Post Title | Topic title | | Platform | LinkedIn / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube | | Format | Single Image / Multi-Image / Carousel / Short-Form Video | | Publish Date | Assigned date | | Scheduled Time | Assigned time slot | | Pillar | Content pillar | | Status | "Needs Copy" |

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Step 5: Report

Send a summary (email or in-chat report):

1. Topics selected: List with scores, pillars, and timeliness
2. Sources breakdown: How many topics from each source
3. Pillar distribution: Actual vs target percentages
4. Calendar fill rate: How many slots filled vs total available
5. Trending alerts: Any time-sensitive topics that should be written ASAP
6. Skipped topics: Topics that scored below threshold, with reasons

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Manual Invocation

When invoked manually:

• "Find topics" or "content ideation" -- run the full scan
• "Find topics about [specific area]" -- add a focused Perplexity query for that area
• "Add [topic] to the bank" -- skip scanning, create a single Topic Bank entry
• "Fill the calendar for next week" -- scan + promote to calendar entries

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Cost Per Run

• 4 Perplexity sonar-pro queries x $0.03 = ~$0.12 per run
• Weekly cost: ~$0.12 (runs once per week)

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Notion Databases

| Database | ID | |---|---| | Topic Bank | YOUR_TOPIC_BANK_DB_ID | | Social Media Calendar | YOUR_CALENDAR_DB_ID |

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Related Skills

• content-writer -- writes copy for Calendar entries at "Needs Copy" (runs Thu 9am, after this skill)
• content-designer -- generates images (runs Thu 3pm)
• content-distributor -- schedules posts (runs Fri)
• content-analytics -- measures performance and feeds back into topic scoring (runs Mon)