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How I created 47 angles in less than 2hrs (12)

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Alright, fellows... I really love this forum and the community feeling here therefore I think it's payback time *lol*

Although I'm a newbie to AM (joined STM in April) I struggled right from the start with the process of creating angles. I read a lot in this specific subforum of STM (some of them listed here: http://stmforum.com/forum/showthread...ve-Angle-Index ) but somehow couldn't find anything that fitted my mode of operation.

So I came up with something at least a little bit "on my own". I called it ... (tadaa ... drum rolls...)

I'd like to say upfront that this is not meant to replace any of the gazillion other angle creation approaches (e. g. deadly sins, what's happening around you, seasonal angles...) but instead should - in the best case - work while complementing them.

So before I start explaining the exact process, let me share a little bit of the background and how this approach came to be for me...



Besides my greed for stacked money (not yet fulfilled, but hey, that's why I'm here) I also consider myself a somewhat creative person. As a child I could not imagine not becoming famous and successful and alway, Always, ALWAYS wanted to become a well-known writer and novelist.

In my early adult days I saw myself on one level with Tom Wolfe and other modern-age writers and yes, I also wanted to run around in suits wherever possible... but I digress...

However, the wish to become a writer never dried out and over the years I dived deeper into the world of creative writing (let's call this a passion). I really read a lot of books in this area and one of the latter ones I read dealt with "story creation" following a predetermined process.

It's a German "creative writing" ebook from an author named Richard Norden and it's called "Creative with the matrix".


For all you German speaking peeps, here's the non-affiliated link to it*: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00BRKWDF2

*Unfortunately it's only available in German but you will get the concept (at least for AM) if you read on...


In this book, the author follows a very systematic approach not only for fiction books (which is already good) but also for non-fiction books and that is exactly where it hit me.

He gives you 6 categories, in which you brainstorm terms / keywords. Those categories are:

• WHO?
• WHAT?
• WHEN?
• WHERE?
• WHY?
• HOW?

He really advices you to brainstorm without any limitation for the classic (pomodoro) 25 minutes. I did it and came up with 54 different elements.

In the book itself the idea is to write down each term on an index card. Afterwards mix those index cards and create a 5 x 4 index card matrix like so:


Then combine the cards in predefined way to get "association pairs" - from these pairs you will have ideas what to write about.

I really like this approach and as I am now oh so deeply involved into the wonderful world of AM, I just got the idea, that this can be applied to angle creation as well.

So I took this approach and adapted it to "OUR" needs (thus making it more "virtual" - but you can still use index cards if you're an old fashioned person *lol* )

In the next sections of this thread I will focus on

• What prerequisites are required (no worries, it really is easy to gain those)
• The Brainstorming Process
• How to mix the "terms" virtually
• Creating Associative Pairs
• ... of course Angle creation

I will also provide you with an example so you can see the thing in real life. I will also share with you the files / tools I have created that support this process, so you can start right from the getgo.

Let's rock that angle thing

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Alright, so let's start with the initial phase...



To come up with an angle, I would suggest to first do an in depth offer research.

For example purposes I will go with an app install offer for this specific app (Android) here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....android&hl=en

What I usually do is the following:

• Read the landing page thoroughly
• Try to get an in depth understanding not only of the features but how they benefit the user
• Read through a few reviews (where available)
• Have a look at similar offers / apps

I write down a lot of things. Also, when researching offers, I have a look in the network and have a look eventually at the geos I promote this in. Just an idea but you may promote stuff differently in Thailand than you do in Sweden (just as an idea).

For the Skout offer I came up with these "hooks":

• be entertained by some funny games
• don't be alone anymore (meet new friends / find a new partner)
• no long searching - find people right around you

Alright, so now that we have at least a decent picture of what the offer we're trying to promote is all about, let's start brainstorming the the "raw volume" of terms that we will use for our angle creation approach.



First and foremost, I love MS Excel!

Why is that important, you may ask...? Because the template I'm working with and will be using in this example (and make available to you of course) is made with MS Excel.

You can download it here:

http://kshelperapps.com/tuts/aim/fil...ionToolEN.xlsx (Filled AIM-AngleCreation-Tool)

So let's start showing step by step, how to work with this file:

Step 1

Expand the example and suggestion section in the sheet 'Step 1 - Brainstorming' to get an idea what this is all about:



This will expand this explanation and example section of the file



Step 2

Read through the examples and explanations to get a clear picture what the 6 sections are all about (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW)

Step 3

Set up a web pomodoro timer (I use this one: http://e.ggtimer.com/ ) and brainstorm entries for all six sections (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW) - You need to have at least 20 items in total -

DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF - BRAINSTORM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Step 4

If you have more than 20 items (which you usually have), try to select 20 items out of the terms you have collected. To do this you can click the little "2" (see screenshot) which will expand the hidden columns.

I have called these "index" columns and you set an "x" for each item that you'd like to have in your "final list of 20". In addition this will color the cell with the term "green" and will also increase the counter for the number of "total selected items".



Here's an image of the counter:



Step 5

If you have a total number of 20 items / terms / keywords reduce the columns again by clicking the small "1" if you want a better readability.

Here's the final number brainstorming result I came up with for our example, the SKOUT app.



Now let's head over to the next step, which is "Mixing it up"...

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Ok, so now it comes to a step that is quite important:



"Why is that so important...?" you may ask?

I think that the random factor that we use in this specific step of the process is quite important and will influence the "uniqueness" of your result. It ensures "unusual" combinations, but more on that later (how's that for a cliffhanger, huh? )

Step 6

We're still working in the Excel "tool" I have created for this.

You can download it here (again ) : http://kshelperapps.com/tuts/aim/fil...ionToolEN.xlsx

Copy and Paste Time, my friends (you knew, this would come, right? ):

Now switch over to the second tab 'Step 2 - Mix'em up' and copy each item that has been selected by you in step 4 (the "green ones"…) in to the list so that you finally have 20 terms / keywords in there.

Here's my list:



Step 7

Fire up your preferred browser and head over to random.org to create a list of randomized numbers from 1 to 20.

Lazy?

Try this link: https://www.random.org/sequences/?mi...t=html&rnd=new

Step 8

Copy the randomized numbers from the website into column F (labeled Randomizr) of the sheet 'Step 2 - Mix'em up'. So here's my version



Step 9

To randomize the terms (which is the intention of this part of the process) you now sort the table ascending by column F (labeled Randomizr):


sorry, Screenshot only available in German but as a savvy marketer, you get the idea ...

My randomized list looks like this:



Step 10

This very step is optional because it's - in the end - a visuallization of the randomized list. Benefit of this step - if you decide to take it (hey that sounds like Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible... *lol* ) - is that you have an easy reference for the next step. For some of you it may be to much effort but for me, being somehow a visual person, this helps a lot.

Here it goes:

I take this slidedeck (Powerpoint) here and into each of the 20 boxes I write down one term, going from left to right and top to bottom: http://kshelperapps.com/tuts/aim/img...onToolViz.pptx

Here's what I came up with:



Done with the "mix up" section and over to pairing...

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Alright, now comes the "work part" ...



Step 11

In this section we follow the approach laid out in the book I mentioned above and pair terms.

When we pair, we DO NOT pair each terms with each other term (that would be overkill from my POV) but we follow a certain methodology:

1. Pair the current card with the one right to it
2. Pair the current card with the one right and one line below it
3. Pair the current card with the one directly below it
4. Pair the current card with the one left and one line below it

So the sequence is DIRECTLY RIGHT, BELOW AND RIGHT, BELOW, BELOW AND LEFT

Sounds complicated? Got you covered, here's an image



While pairing, have a look at the visualization (if you took that option in step 10 above) to guide you in the pairing process.

Also, sometimes you do not have a column to the right or a column to the left or a line below... It really is your choice what you do then.

For example, if you take a look at the very first card ...



... you only have these pairs:

• Singles // Your friends
• Singles // Meet new people
• Singles // Connected to 100,000,000 people worldwide

You can leave it with these three pairs, or you could also connect the right-most box (Friends) in the line below which would lead to the pair "Singles // Friends" or you could leave it out totally because you cannot create four pairs...

It's really up to you...

In addition - as this is a creative process - don't limit yourself to much by the process. If some pairs directly catch your eye pair them although they might not be connected.

For example I think that the following two are a good pair:



The pair "Connected to 100,000,000 people" and "Chat" lead me to the following angle:

"... Bored? Chat with interesting people (we have 100M available)..."

As me intention altogether is to come up with angles, I simply will not force my creativity into a process that ignores this and therefore thankfully accept, what it hands to me on a silver plate...

Step 12

This is simple groundwork: Write down all the pairs in the column "keyword combination" (column E) of the sheet 'Step 3 - The Angle Matrix' in the Excel file.


Please note: this screenshot came from a previous run so the pairs do not match the examples we had in the other sections...

In the final part we will look at the angle creation itself...

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Alright, alright... here it is - the final part



Let's just recap what we did

• researched the offer and found (hopefully) some benefits
• brainstormed terms / keywords / ideas around it
• mixed those terms
• created association pairs

Now we're going to work with our association pairs

Step 13

Now we create the angles themselves. Look at all the pairs you have in the Keyword combination column. What comes into your mind? Do these pairs spark an idea in your head?

Let me give you some examples of pairs and angle ideas I had with them:

Pair: Meet new people // Watch profiles
Angle Idea: Scared of psychos? Watch their profiles in Skout before meeting new people



Pair: In the club // Connected to 100,000,000 people worldwide
Angle Idea: 100M members ... and some interesting people also in the club you're currently in



Pair: Watch profibles // Around you
Angle Idea: Interesting people around you? Look at their profiles and decide on your own



IMPORTANT!
My personal experience with following this approach is that you get ideas while you are "pairing" (see steps 11 and 12). DO NOT - I repeat - DO NOT postpone writing down these ideas. Note them down right away! You can record them in the 'Angle Idea' column or on a piece of paper, whatever you prefer. But make sure that you write them down when they appear because that's when you creative mind is working at its high performance level. You will "loose" most of the ideas you aren't writing down immediately.

Step 14

Choose the angles that give you a good gut feeling. Of course you will not work with like 30+ angles but instead choose a few to start with. If you want to do this in the Excel file, simply mark them with a "x" in the column G (labeled Chosen Angles).



Step 15

You can even prioritize the angles (whether overall from step 13 or the chosen ones from step 14) by entering a priority into them.

For our example, the SKOUT app, I have prioritized the following three angles (I assume that you know how to set a filter in Excel - if not, let me know and I'll explain it):



!!! NOTES !!!

Listen to your creative mind

As mentioned above I have experienced, that it's uber-important to not limit yourself. By this I mean that you accept (and write down) the ideas as they come. Do not say "I will write this down, once I'm at step 13..." or something similar. Instead write it down immediately.

In Germany we have a proverb that says "Wer schreibt, der bleibt". It translates to "Who writes it down, stays in the game" (well, at least it roughly translates to that... )

The whole process / idea is about having a repeatable method to ignite your creative sparks. Use them, once the fire is burning (wow, seems like it's proverb time, I guess... )

Don't try to be perfect

This method is NOT to find the final message but to get angle ideas. Having a look at the examples above, this may not be something, that will find its way into my creatives one by one... I may need to strip it down, rephrase it, make it shorter, find pictures to replace or support words etc etc.

It just should give you ideas to start with having a good (critical) mass of angles to work with. If you (like I had in the example) come up with 47 angles, you may only use 15 or so... But I really do prefer to have eliminate from a raw number of ideas down to a few crucial ones instead of having the feeling that I don't have ENOUGH ideas.

Want a video / PDF to download?

I wonder if the method laid out in this thread is reading to complicated...? If so, please let me know in your repsonses.

Two things I could imagine doing:

• Create a video going through every step
• Create a PDF dokument so you have something you can print out

Just tell me, and I see, what I can do...

Here are the files to download again:

The Excel file to work with: http://kshelperapps.com/tuts/aim/fil...ionToolEN.xlsx
The Powerpoint file to visualize: http://kshelperapps.com/tuts/aim/fil...onToolViz.pptx

Until then, thanks for spending the time to read through this and let me know (whether in this thread or otherwise) if this has helped you and - if you want to - what you came up with...

So long,
Phil

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How much money are you dedicating to testing each angle?
Im wondering if your efficiency and effectiviness goes up with every additional angle vs. instead of making +40 angles, starting off with 5

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You need to test until you get statistical significance which means you probably need to spent more money than you think, however this is a brainstorming tool - you dont need to use/test every angle if you've a tight budget, cherry pick the best in your opinion and start from there.

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Wow Kowisoft thanks for writing this! Sounds like it could really spark some creativity in some of us logical thinkers!

(Grabbed a seat and excitedly waiting for the new phases to come out!)


Amy

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This has some interesting parallels to what Perry Marshall explained in his swiss army knife.

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Well, it depends. I'm not saying that I will use all of them. However I prefer the situation to have more than "just a few" to pick the ones I really think can work.

Although it was not published at the time you responded to this thread I have answered this in steps 14 and 15 (picking a few and prioritizing the angles).

I believe that it's good to have a potential mass of angles to get back to once I find out that the first let's say 5 are simply not working at all...

Thanks for your kind words. Hope you like it now that it's all described

Cool... I have read the Perry Marshall post in this very subforum but had no clear picture what the overall method is all about... Would you mind explaining it in a little more detail? THX!

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Nice post!

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Thanks Kowisoft for the share! Any examples of ideas you've generated for fiction using this method?

Here is a youtube video shuffling the 5x4 grid on excel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKawve_HqaI

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