The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas

by Melanie Deziel

"Marketers struggling to create engaging content will have a savior in The Content Fuel Framework. The Focus + Format approach is a simple yet highly effective way to inspire numerous rich ideas to rescue any content marketing program."
—Lee Odden, CEO and Co-Founder of TopRank Marketing

In The Content Fuel Framework, trained journalist and award-winning content marketer Melanie Deziel shows you how to maximize your creativity by systematizing it. This simple framework catalyzes the brainstorming process, making idea generation effortless and nearly automatic. No more writer's block. No more asking "what should I post?" No more waiting for that "big idea" to show up in its own time. This system allows storytellers from any industry to produce fresh story ideas on demand, any time.

Never before have we consumed as much content, in as many forms, and in as many places as we do now. This means marketers, creators, and anyone who communicates with an audience is under more pressure than ever to deliver unique content, consistently. How can you fill all those web pages, social feeds, blogs, and newsletters, every single day?

The Content Fuel Framework will challenge you—and enable you—to tell stories in entirely new ways. It's an adaptable and evergreen guide you'll come back to again and again.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Writing, Journalism, Professional Development

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Keynote Speaker.
Founder of StoryFuel.
Brand Storyteller Educator.
Award-Winning Content Creator.

. . .

Melanie Deziel is a keynote speaker, author, award-winning branded content creator, and lifelong storyteller, on a mission to share the power of compelling and credible content with others. Melanie is the author of "The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas", and the founder of StoryFuel, which teaches marketers, publishers, creators and companies of all sizes how to tell better brand stories.

As the first editor of branded content at The New York Times's T Brand Studio, Melanie wrote the sponsored content pieces that won the 2014 and 2015 Best Native Advertising Execution OMMA Awards, including the acclaimed "Women Inmates" piece for Netflix. She was a founding member of HuffPost Partner Studio, the digital publisher's brand storytelling team. She also served as the Director of Creative Strategy at Time Inc., building branded content strategy across 35+ US media properties, including Time, Fortune, People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly and more.

Melanie has spoken at conferences and events around the world, teaching tens of thousands how to think like journalists and tell better stories. Her international keynotes have been live-translated into five languages and she's graced the stage of industry leading events including Content Marketing World, Native Ad Days, SXSW, Social Media Marketing World, Inbound, and more. She's done corporate workshops and trainings for companies of all types, from media companies and regional retailers to national insurance companies and tech giants.

Melanie studied journalism at the University of Connecticut, and earned her M.A. in Arts Journalism from Syracuse University. She serves on the board of the Native Advertising Institute and is a member of the NYC Chapter of the National Speakers Association. She lives in New Jersey with her husband.

Social media, email, mailing address and more: https://www.storyfuel.co/contact

Reviews

[Helen Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where we’ve been swamped by Information, The Content Fuel Framework comes as a breath of fresh air, the reason? Pretty simple, this book gives us structure to create the kind of content we want to create; it helps us approach a subject the right way and then publish it in the best format.

Melanie Deziel’s book guides you through the content creation process. Here she presents a formula: focus+format, with it, we can choose the combination that best fits the story we want to tell, with questions to respond every time you pick a focus or a format and links to additional resources that make even more dynamic the whole reading experience.

[Andrea Metzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting, easy to understand and a quick read. I have been in marketing for over 15 years and still enjoy learning and finding tools to help me continue to be creative. This book lays the groundwork to help marketers focus on generating multiple ideas per topic in a simple and fun way. I believe this book will stay in my toolkit for years to come. It will be relevant in any field of work and will stand the test of time. I am so glad I found it! Get one now, you will not be disappointed.

[Holly Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're well beyond the conversation about how important content creation is for businesses and brands. That's an established fact. Now, we need practical tools and solutions for how to feed the content machine. "The Content Fuel Framework" is an excellent resource for business owners, content creators, marketers and anyone who needs to develop content. Use this book to generate ideas and then think about how those ideas can generate even more ideas. Very quickly you'll have a long list of content ideas and ways to use that content across a variety of platforms and media. I read a lot of business and marketing books and I always appreciate the ones that give me solid tools and tips -- things I can implement as soon as I put the book down. "The Content Fuel Framework" by Melanie Deziel does that in spades! The Content Fuel Framework

[Stephanie Torre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to finish this book so quickly! Although it’s super short, I think Melanie managed to organize and explain her content-framework technique well. As a fellow Syracuse alum, I first attended a presentation of hers that was about her framework method and how to use it. I was really impressed with how fun and easy it was to use this technique to come up with hundreds of content ideas on the spot! I do feel like this technique is better explained and demonstrated in person versus written about in a book. With that being said, I wish this book incorporated more general content tips or tricks. I felt like defining and explaining how to use each content format was a little unnecessary/common knowledge everyone already has or should have. I would LOVE to hear more of Melanie’s thoughts on navigating new platforms. By the end of this book, I really was thinking of different types of content by category, though — just as she intended! I highly recommend following Melanie on all her socials, too. She’s a brilliant content marketer, and I’m constantly learning new things from her!

[Kelly Romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read with helpful workbooks and formulas to create hundreds of ideas for content. Must have! It's like my go to marketing framework to get my business story out there in an engaging way. Can not recommend enough.

[Marijana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melanie’s framework is an eye-opener! The 10x10 matrix is easily becoming my go-to way to brainstorm content topics, both for myself and my clients.

It’s based on focuses and formats, and it opened my mind tot the fact that I’m usually only covering 3-4 focuses (details, process, data, example) and there are SO many untapped opportunities (looking forward to try out the people focus next!).

My favorite thing about the book: it’s super easy to read and take action upon. There’s no fluff or filler text—you get the most valuable parts right away. I’m adding the book to my home office bookshelf as I know I’ll be grabbing it for quick reference while working!

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Content Fuel Framework" offers a tremendous set of tools and guidance to anyone who works in content marketing. It's a common problem for content creators to feel like we are always scraping and struggling to figure out how to create the next relevant blog post or topical video that will resonate with our audiences. Not so with the streamlined framework presented here. This book is laid out in an easy-to-understand format and can help content marketers / PR pros / communications teams plan out their content calendars for months and months to come. Inspiring, fresh, and eminently practical.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Content Fuel Framework is a must-read for every content creator! In this easy-to-understand guide, Melanie breaks down the different content focuses and formats in a way that's easy to understand and acts as a springboard for generating ideas. How helpful is this book? I've bookmarked a number of pages and I've already started implementing the concepts presented in this book for client work. This is such a great tool to kickstart your creative brainstorming!

[Brian Honigman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a relief to read a marketing book that teaches you something new and most of all, relevant! It’s particularly actionable and distinct from similar books available due to its streamlined focus on how to generate impactful story ideas, which is a problem many of us have experienced first hand. I envision freelancers, writers, business owners, marketers, PR folks, and communications professionals using the book as an ongoing resource on how to develop a long list of topic ideas to suit their needs. What I found most useful was the framework Melanie presented as the primary focus of the book as it demystifies the process of coming up with a relevant story and makes it easy for anyone to get creative about what themes would likely resonate with their customers. This is a solid addition to your 2020 reading list!

[lady lazarus 𖦹 · Rating 4 out of 5]

the fact that it took me 30 minutes to finish this book but i delayed picking it up for a month…
could’ve been even shorter than it is i believe, but the author makes her point clearly and in an accessible way, definitely would recommend to content creators!

[Morgana Santilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are bombarded by content every single day, and we can only consume so much. As such, content creators need to know their audience and finds ways to engage them effectively. In this book, author Melanie Deziel presents content marketing as storytelling, highlighting the different focuses and formats that creators can use to help find their niche in the noisy market of the internet. Deziel's writing is clear and conversational, and the tools she presents help get the reader's own ideas percolating as they make their way through each chapter. Do not let its brevity fool you -- this is a great guide for organizing creative ideas and finding new ways to present them!

[Cristina Cala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dog ear pages 16 and 163! Adding this book to your marketing toolset will save you time and writer's block with its content grid and content multipliers -- the author's simplified and smart shortcut to more productive editorial planning for businesses, brands or your clients. If you have an editorial staff, or if you don't, the framework is going to make your next edit meeting more productive. I can get more out of my team with the Content Fuel Framework. Anyone producing content or in a marketing leadership role will appreciate the book's efficiencies for managing content--leaving more time for you and for your clients.

[Matt Hutson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Content Fuel Framework was a useful read with very useful framework to make content for any type of situation. I will be updating this review in the next week or two.

[Kate Pipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great manual for content creation types and tools. Easy to follow and full of examples. Lays everything out in a framework so you can easily make a plan content you want to create and share.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great framework for creative content planning. I'll be using the ideas presented in this book immediately.

[Mellissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was awesome! It's very actionable. I loved it! It is the book to literally fuel your content creation! #ContentFuel

[Rajesh CNB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw that this book recommended as one of the must reads on a twitter thread and hence put it on my TBR list and could finish it. I am in the field of content creation and strategy since 20 years (18 as a teacher and 2 as a consultant working with different organizations and brands to strategize their content marketing.)

This book did provide me with a reinforcement of what I have evolved as a strategy to create, repurpose and develop content over the last several years. The framework proposed is practical and allows a beginner to open their minds and think like a pro. One of the most useful feature of this book is the questions at the end of each chapter. They make you think and decide for yourself what kind of content can fit into your scheme of things.

It is definitely a jump starter for a beginner. But, if you are already a content creator, it would perhaps occur to you as a simplistic framework. Nevertheless, it is a well written book. The narrative is succinct and elucidative.

Recommended read for beginners.

[Leon Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The grid and structure this book provides you for the content idea brainstorm process is great and helpful. But Im not sure if a whole book was needed to provide this value. 80% of the book is just her breaking down basics that are usually obvious. we all know what a video or a blog article is. yet im still glad I read it since it did help coming up with content ideas in a more effective & efficient way. the framework helps you create multiple options out of one idea and you are able to choose the best idea.

[Ola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it

I love this book. It was on point and so information. Now I know how not it run out of stories to tell abs the format that are best for specific focus. Thank you for this gem.

[Max Hinkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than anticipated

I wasn't sure what to expect, most books about idea generation fall flat in my experience. Normally you can take away 1 or 2 new tips. The structured approach described in this book is very pragmatic and usable. Well worth the read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The framework presented in the book definitely has potential to spark creativity for content creators, providing the type of structure within which new ideas can grow. I don’t think an entire book was needed to convey this system.

[Summer Ropele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty straight forward and easy to understand. Would suggest if interested in marketing or even content creation. Gives good tools and strategies to use in creating ideas. Some concepts were pretty “common sense” though.

[Phiến Phiến · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mình đang muốn tìm hiểu thêm về công việc viết content và tìm thấy quyển này, cung cấp kiến thức về nội dung và hình thức cho cho nội dung cần truyền tải. Có thể tham khảo cho ai muốn tìm hiểu về công việc này.

[Carolyn Capern · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding and practical model for generating content ideas, even when you feel like you've run out of steam. Brilliant.

[Candy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for my marketing class and don’t really have much to say. Quick easy read. In terms of the actual content, I think it’s useful but nothing mind blowing.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough & succinct.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some useful content suggestions.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recent additional workbook and also additional resources are being locked and commercialized. This is a quite easy framework to use, but maybe rather conceptual.

[Mike Falconer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books that have a simple premise that sounds clever, often push that premise to breaking point and turn into a cluttered mess. Thankfully, The Content Fuel Framework is not one of them.

Its simple premise, that story ideas for marketing purposes can be generated by using a 10 x 10 matrix of focuses and formats, is the kind of thing that marketers tend to do by instinct. Where Ms. Deziel scores is in the simple and obvious idea of writing this all down in a matrix to see what unusual and interesting ideas, that would normally never get thought of, develop.   

By deconstructing the steps which most marketers take when creating story ideas, Ms. Deziel demystifies the whole process and allows it to become accessible for all. This is not a book about the nuts and bolts of marketing, but more about how to stress test your ideas to find out what are the best ways for them to be handled – particularly when working as part of a team.

I hesitate to write down the 10 focuses and formats here in a review, as without the context that the book provides, I suspect that using the matrix will initially problematic. However, the context that is provided in The Content Fuel Framework allows the reader to not only see these ideas applied in the real world, but also to recognize from the marketing that we consume every day, the same applied concepts.

A short book, The Content Fuel Framework is a book that has made me do something that no other marketing book has done before; and this is to copy the 10 Focuses and 10 Formats and pin them to my wall as a reminder. Ultimately, that has to be the main indication of where a book as merit or not – does it make the reader think, or does it change something about the readers behavior?

By solidifying into a formal structure, the internal processes that a lot of marketers go through; The Content Fuel Network gives both validation and new life into marketing storytelling.

It should be on every marketer’s bookshelf.

…or pinned to the wall.

[anðre · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 blog posts streched out to a book length, some of these ideas are okay and worth considering. Second part of the book about the formats it’s quite basic to the point where the author explains what is a video a.k.a moving images :)