How to choose an interesting topic for media content? (Before working on it)

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wgrigg

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Hi everyone, I would like to know your opinions or personal experience in selecting topics for media content.

The main direction I want to launch is Twitch streams with an educational component. We'd discuss a single topic during each broadcast. Having spent seven years studying and working in the field of psychology, I believe this will be mutually beneficial: it offers me valuable practice in public speaking and audience engagement, while helping the audience gain a better understanding of the theoretical and practical perspectives behind various phenomena.

However, I’ve hit a wall when it comes to planning topics for these weekly streams. I’ve come up with the first one – the phenomenon of escapism – but beyond that, I’ve reached a point where I’m no longer sure what might actually be considered "interesting" anymore.

I would be very grateful for any topic suggestions you might have, or for advice on how you go about selecting such topics in your fild of work )
 
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I'd start with questions people already ask about themselves, like procrastination, social anxiety, burnout or why we repeat certain habits. You can test each topic with a poll before the stream and use the results to plan future episodes.
 
Reddit is your answer, go to popular subreddits in your niche and see top questions/discussions.
 
Try to start with questions people actually ask themselves, like procrastination, loneliness, overthinking, burnout, or why we seek validation.

You can use Reddit discussions or trending topics for inspiration, then connect them to psychology.
 
Thanks a lot for all the answers )

I really liked the idea of Reddit branches, but I will try to take into account every opinion.
 
If anyone else would like to share their thoughts, I’d also be interested to know which topics are of particular interest to you.
I'll try to collect some for statistics.
 
maybe start with everyday situations people struggle to understand about themselves like why they procrastinate or why certain relationships affect them so much. those topic are easier for viewers to connect with and you can explain the psychology behind them without making the stream too academic. questions people ask in online discussions can also give you plenty of ideas for future episodes.
 
Thanks)
It seems this kind of strategy is indeed relevant, given that it’s mentioned quite often)
 
escapism is actually a good starting point, especially if you connect it to things people deal with every day like gaming, social media or binge watching. for future streams, i'd look at topics like procrastination, overthinking, decision fatigue and why people get attached to certain habits. instead of picking broad psychology subjects, i'd turn each one into a question people are already curious about. something like "why do we keep avoiding things we know we need to do?" would probably spark a better discussion than just calling it procrastination.
 
pick topics from problems people deal with in normal life rather than trying guess what sounds academic.things like people pleasing jealousy or fear of failure can make good streams because viewers already have questions about them and you can explain the psychology behind those feelings.
 
You souldn't worry too much about finding a completely unique topic. Sometimes, familiar subjects become interesting when you approach them from a different angle.
 
wgrigg said:
Hi everyone, I would like to know your opinions or personal experience in selecting topics for media content.

The main direction I want to launch is Twitch streams with an educational component. We'd discuss a single topic during each broadcast. Having spent seven years studying and working in the field of psychology, I believe this will be mutually beneficial: it offers me valuable practice in public speaking and audience engagement, while helping the audience gain a better understanding of the theoretical and practical perspectives behind various phenomena.

However, I’ve hit a wall when it comes to planning topics for these weekly streams. I’ve come up with the first one – the phenomenon of escapism – but beyond that, I’ve reached a point where I’m no longer sure what might actually be considered "interesting" anymore.

I would be very grateful for any topic suggestions you might have, or for advice on how you go about selecting such topics in your fild of work )
Click to expand...
You can check google trends on what is trending now and generally. Also since you've mentioned psychology, mental health is an extremely important subject because if you tackle it well, you will can create a very big audience.
 
william002x_12 said:
pick topics from problems people deal with in normal life rather than trying guess what sounds academic.things like people pleasing jealousy or fear of failure can make good streams because viewers already have questions about them and you can explain the psychology behind those feelings.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, broad topics like these often give rise to a multitude of interpretations from various authors and schools of thought and the underlying reasons can be highly specific to the individual.

It is extremely inconvenient to work with such a broad topic without the person’s request and situation. That's why, for educational purposes, I choose the most narrow topics where I can avoid confusing the audience.
 
Ganiyu said:
You souldn't worry too much about finding a completely unique topic. Sometimes, familiar subjects become interesting when you approach them from a different angle.
Click to expand...
Taking action is the key to success. Thanks, I sometimes forget that)
 
So, it turns out Reddit and Google Trends have already been suggested for analyzing trends. Here you can find hyped topics (for newcomer)
 
wgrigg said:
Hi everyone, I would like to know your opinions or personal experience in selecting topics for media content.

The main direction I want to launch is Twitch streams with an educational component. We'd discuss a single topic during each broadcast. Having spent seven years studying and working in the field of psychology, I believe this will be mutually beneficial: it offers me valuable practice in public speaking and audience engagement, while helping the audience gain a better understanding of the theoretical and practical perspectives behind various phenomena.

However, I’ve hit a wall when it comes to planning topics for these weekly streams. I’ve come up with the first one – the phenomenon of escapism – but beyond that, I’ve reached a point where I’m no longer sure what might actually be considered "interesting" anymore.

I would be very grateful for any topic suggestions you might have, or for advice on how you go about selecting such topics in your fild of work )
Click to expand...
Great idea! Psychology topics work very well on Twitch. for your streams, you can try topics like why people procrastinate, or how social media affects self-esteem. These are very relatable. You can also check what questions people ask on Reddit r/ psychology to get more ideas.
 
wgrigg said:
The main direction I want to launch is Twitch streams with an educational component.
Click to expand...

Are you sure twitch streams are the optimal media? Personally I've never visited twitch hoping to get anything but fast (as in cheap) and instant entertainment.

Have you considered instagram or tiktok? For example, combining a topic from psychology with cartoonish animation of it + interesting voiceover (im thinking anime girl or whoever your personal would be on the platform).

Something like that I'd bookmark and watch whenever it pops up on the FYP. Twitch streams on the other hand... max 1-2min before i switch to something else.
 
method33 said:
Are you sure twitch streams are the optimal media? Personally I've never visited twitch hoping to get anything but fast (as in cheap) and instant entertainment.

Have you considered instagram or tiktok? For example, combining a topic from psychology with cartoonish animation of it + interesting voiceover (im thinking anime girl or whoever your personal would be on the platform).

Something like that I'd bookmark and watch whenever it pops up on the FYP. Twitch streams on the other hand... max 1-2min before i switch to something else.
Click to expand...
Good point! I agree with you. Twitch is more for instant entertainment. TikTok/ IG with short animated clips + voiceover would have better retention for psychology topics. I was thinking of Twitch for long-form but your idea of short-form is much better for FYP. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
One way to combine the two directions in this thread: treat short-form as a discovery layer to test, and the stream as the depth layer. TikTok, IG Reels and FB Reels are built around recommendation feeds, so a new channel's clips have a route to non-followers there; whether that turns into actual discovery for your content is exactly what a small test would show. Twitch discovery is organized around live categories, which is a different starting point for a channel with no audience yet. That is why I'd pair method33's shorts idea with your stream plan instead of choosing between them: the shorts can be how future viewers find the stream.

It also gives you a cheap way to explore your actual topic question. Before committing to a stream format, cut 3-5 short clips on different candidate topics from your list and watch which one holds attention and pulls real questions in the comments. A week of that gives you signals worth investigating - retention and real questions per topic - from people reacting to the content itself rather than discussing topics in the abstract. It will not prove who would show up to a stream, but the topics that earn real questions are reasonable candidates for your first ones.
 
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