Build a Live Stream Content Bank
Never run out of ideas again
You're ready to go live, but what are you going to talk about?
Picture this: You've had a busy week, but you promised your audience you'd go live today. You sit down at your computer, open your streaming platform, and you realize that you have absolutely no idea what you're going to say. Your mind goes completely blank, and a slight panic starts to creep in.
How can you prevent this from happening to you? By building a simple, repeatable content bank. A reliable source of show format ideas to turn to whenever you need a quick show concept.
Your Content Bank: A Creative Confidence Vault
Think of a content bank as your creative confidence vault. A place where you store easy-to-create show formats paired with your unique personal elements.
Your content bank combines:
Show formats: Ready-to-use structures for different types of streams
Your unique voice: How you naturally explain things
Your experience: What you've learned by actually doing it
Your stories: The moments that shaped your thinking
Your perspective: How you see things differently
When you have both the structure and the personal content ready, you'll never stare at a blank screen wondering what to say.
19 Show Structure Formats To Try
Instead of scrambling for show structure ideas and topics, try these formats that you can use anytime. They are great jump-start ideas for shows. Pick the ones that feel the easiest and most natural to you:
Share Your Real Experience
1. Teach Something You Actually Use. Share a tip, tool, or method that makes your workflows and life easier. Not theoretical knowledge.
2. Answer Questions That People Keep Asking You. Turn repeated conversations and questions into teachable moments.
3. Tell Your Story (The Messy Parts Too). Your mistakes, plot twists, and hard-won lessons are often more valuable (and relatable) than your successes.
Example: Why I waited so long to start my YouTube channel, and what I wish I'd known.
Share Your Honest Take
4. React to Something Everyone's Talking About. Share your lived experience and opinions in trending conversations in your space. It’s a chance to add your perspective on a hot topic.
Example: Everyone's talking about work-life balance. Does it really exist? Let's talk about work-life integration instead.
5. Challenge Bad Advice You Keep Seeing. Call out outdated or unhelpful guidance with your real-world perspective. It's an opportunity to share an alternative opinion.
Example: Why 'just batch everything' can be bad advice. Try this instead.
6. This vs That Decision-Making. Help your community navigate choices you've already worked through so they can make better decisions for themselves.
Example: Newsletter platform confusion? Let's walk through what I learned trying three different options.
Let People Into Your Process
7. Build Something in Real Time. Go live and show your actual creative process. Create a project live or demonstrate a process. Anything can happen when you're live. Show it all, the good, the bad, and the screwups. People enjoy seeing problem-solving in real time.
8. Show Behind-the-Scenes Reality. Share the unglamorous, honest truth of how you actually work. If you have a messy workspace, show it. People love seeing actual setups beyond what the camera lens shows. Sometimes it’s fun to share the chaos behind the polished content.
Example: How I really prep for a live show (spoiler: it's messier than you think).
9. Walk Through a Live Tutorial. Demonstrate something you do regularly or a tool or app you use. A slow step-by-step demonstration is always valuable content to create and share with your audience.
Share Your Vulnerable Truth
10. Creator Confession. Talk openly about what you're currently struggling with. Content creation isn't always easy. Share the ups and downs with your audience. It could help someone who's going through the same thing.
11. Wish I Knew This Sooner. Reflect on turning points that changed how you approach your work or life. We're constantly evolving, and sometimes our old methods stop working and we have to find new approaches.
12. What I'm Learning Right Now. Share your current interests and what you're learning to become a better creator. You don't have to be an expert on everything. Learn something new together with your audience. You'll help each other.
Connect and Collaborate
13. Spotlight Someone Who Inspired You. Share what you've learned from another creator's approach or mindset. If possible, have that person join you live as a guest to learn more.
14. Live Q&A That Goes Deeper. Instead of quick answers, explore questions together with your audience. This is another opportunity for everyone to learn from each other.
Example: Let's talk through the real challenges of consistent content creation.
15. Co-Work Together. Create gentle accountability and connection through shared work time. This is a great community-building activity that helps people commit to getting work done and making progress.
Share Your Systems
16. Show How You Repurpose Ideas. Demonstrate your process for turning one idea into multiple pieces. Get granular and focus on one particular platform or type of content.
Example: Let's turn this newsletter into a video, social post, and podcast topic.
17. Explain a Framework You Live By. Break down a system that genuinely guides your creative decisions. These are processes and workflows that help you work more efficiently.
18. Content Makeover Session. Improve something old with fresh eyes and current wisdom. Show how you can repurpose an older piece of content and give it new life.
Example: Let's take this post I wrote last year and make it better. I’ll share the new tools I’m using for this update.
19. Tools You Use (And Why). Talk about recommendations from your creative toolkit. Share the pros and cons of the tool, along with its best use cases. Also, explain who would benefit from using it and who won't.
Example: The three tools I couldn't create content without (and one I just discovered).
Start Building Today
The best way to beat the "what do I talk about" panic is to build your content bank before you need it. This takes about 15-20 minutes and gives you a reliable source of show format ideas.
Step 1: Create a Live Content Bank document in Google Docs, Sheets, Notion, or whatever you like to use.
Step 2: Select 3-5 show formats from the list above that align with your knowledge, experience, and personality.
Step 3: Write down one specific show topic idea for each format. Don't worry about perfecting them. You're just capturing the ideas for later use.
When You Still Feel Stuck
Even with a full content bank, you may still struggle to come up with a solid show idea. Here are a few easy ideas to use as your backup plan:
The Update Format: Share what you're working on or thinking about this week.
The Question Flip: Ask your audience about their experiences on a topic instead of providing all of the answers.
The 15-Minute Rule: Commit to going live for just 15 minutes with a casual "let's chat" format. Ideas often flow once you start talking and having conversations with your audience.
Ready to Go Live?
Now you have a list of show format ideas that turn your experience into content you can feel confident sharing. This week, pick one format and one show idea, then schedule your first live stream. Let me know how it goes.
Need help refining your content strategy or have questions about going live? We’d love to connect! Join our community every Monday at 12 pm PT for live discussions with Neil, Mark, and me on elevating your live-streaming game and content creation skills.