Whether it's pitching an editor or thinking of a new blog post idea, I'm always trying to craft the right angle for an article. In fact, I need all the help I can get lately. Recently, I had the chance to try out Brainstorm Buddy.
How it works is this app will walk you through your idea to see if your idea is ready for the masses. The self-test asks you questions about your headline, your audience, relevancy, length of the piece, usefulness, and its surprising qualities. All of these questions come down to you being honest with yourself.
It would be easy to run through the test and answer positively for each question, but how helpful is that? So, running through the quiz on one idea of mine, ended up with this answer:
The great thing is after the score it offers tips on how to make my idea better. Some suggestions include:
- Find ways you can pitch your idea elsewhere
- Dissect ideas that have been done to death and find out how you can fill in what's missing
- How to narrow down your ideas
And more! I loved those tips and that helped me a lot. Most importantly, and like I've already said, it comes down to being honest with yourself.
What's also great about this app is the workshop available to repurpose your content ideas. The creator of Brainstorm Buddy gives you tips on how to make your one idea into 25. For example, repurposing a lengthy article by taking one of the points mentioned in your piece and turning it into a short blog post.
As I pursue more freelancing this year, apps like this help me tremendously. Since it's always a challenge to ensure an idea is ready for pitching or for my audience, extra help like this makes a huge difference. Best of all, it isn't that much money per month! It's only $3.99 per month to get the help you might need for your writing.
Interesting app. It sounds like it is especially good at making you consider the things we can easily gloss over. Of course my idea is original! Of course this is what the audience needs right this very minute. Any tool that can help with that is one to consider.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! I've seen the creator of the app discuss it on LinkedIn, so thanks for trying it out and letting us know your experience! I'm assuming this works mostly for non-fiction content. I'll have to check it out as I'm always looking for ideas on how to get more mileage out of my article/blog post ideas.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Nicole! I tried out the app and found it super helpful in reaching your target audience. It makes you think about your article idea from all angles. I also love the re-purposing workshop! It was created by Linda Formichelli, author of The Renegade Writer.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reviewing Brainstorm Buddy! @Renee, correct, the tool is meant for nonfiction journalism and content (blog posts, guides, ebooks, even social media posts). Fiction (and essays) have different sets of criteria, and Brainstorm Buddy doesn't cover those.
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