Creators are expected to constantly come up with new content. But what do you do when your fountain of ideas dries up?
This was the topic of the Vidcon 2026 panel “Never Run Out of Ideas: How to Build a Content Strategy That Engages Your Audience.”
Moderated by TV personality Sheila Lazar, the panel brought together professional creators Ansupo and Sio Wei to discuss how they generate ideas, choose what to work on next, and whether what they create is good enough to post online. (Mr. Alex Ojeda was billed but ultimately did not attend.)
Anthpo: Ideas come from practice
Anthpo’s VidCon 2026 panel, “Never Run Out of Ideas: How to Build a Content Strategy that Keeps Your Audience Engaged.”
Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable
The American influencer is best known for creating the controversial Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest and creating characters like Cheeseball Man and The Kid for Crocs.
During the panel discussion, he shared that he has a Google Doc full of ideas and that he uses the Notes app on his phone to jot down inspiration that comes to him while he’s out and about. “I think it’s the muscle that generates ideas,” he mused. “The more I do it, the more my heart keeps beating.”
To that end, Mr. Anspo said he uses airplanes as a place for creativity and trains his ability to generate ideas. “I’ll do it [it] “Every time I get on a plane,” he explained, “I don’t do anything except write in my notes app.”
How do creators choose which ideas are worth implementing?
Siow Wei is a Malaysian content creator who was featured in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” last year due to her huge success under the handle im_siowei. By creating various characters for family comedy videos, she has become one of Asia’s biggest content creators.
However, she said during a VidCon panel that she never intended to make a comedy for children. Assessing the data showing the popularity of her videos, it was in that demographic that she was most successful. Data drives her decisions as she builds her library and brand.
Anthpo noted that he and Siow Wei come from different schools of thought on what should be prioritized. For him, it’s more of a matter of intuition. “When you have an idea, it’s like there are two litmus tests,” he said. “There’s also a data side that’s very strong. And there’s an emotional side as well.” For him, it’s exciting when he comes up with something that is “very experimental” or “something that feels good.” [magical] It’s also doable. ”
He emphasized the importance of following your passion for an idea. Mr. Anspo is the author of Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative “If you have a really great idea and you don’t do it, someone else in the zeitgeist will do it. And I’ve found that to be 100% true. If I think, “That’s a great idea,” and I don’t do it within the first six months, someone else will do it.”
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How do content creators know that their work is high quality before posting?
Never run out of ideas: How to build a content strategy that hooks your audience Anthpo, Siow Wei, and Shira Lazar appear on the Vidcon 2026 panel
Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable
Siow Wei uses WhatsApp to communicate with his team and try out jokes. To protect his feelings, Anspo uses a group of friends he knows won’t lie.
“The meanest people in my life are definitely my most valuable assets,” he explained, “the ones who are like, ‘Hey, this video sucks, bro.’ Those people are so precious to me. I probably have like seven of them. If I send them a video or an idea and all seven of them say, ‘That’s good,’ it always falls apart.”
What do content creators do when they run out of ideas?
Siow Wei has a collection of comedy characters such as Swaggy, Randy, Bestie, Richie, and Billy. However, she is always happy to expand her zoo. “Okay, we’re out of content,” she said, considering the scenario. “Okay, what’s next? Let’s create another character. We’ll have even more possibilities to incorporate it into our content.”
For Anthpo, he finds new ideas by trying something new.
“I’ve reinvented myself many times on the internet,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for about 12 years now. I used to do sketch comedy. Then I was in the TikTok house. Then I did skits. Then I did college content, and then I… [worked for Mr. Beast]. Then, for the past two years, I’ve been doing it like an anonymous stunt,” he said, adding that while his recent work has been called performance art, he has also been called “stupid Internet Banksy,” which he accepts in stride.
Anthpo champions not only take risks, they also learn from their mistakes.
“I failed over and over and over and over again,” he said, noting that failure can be a great teacher, providing “data” for improvement.
What every creator should know — by Anthpo and Siow Wei
We both agreed that we should know about the purple horse (or cow). Anthpo explained this marketing concept to the audience. Basically, if you see a horse on the side of the road, you might notice it. But you can’t stop traveling to see it. But if you spot a purple horse, stop and take a closer look.
Translated into the creator economy, you want to be the purple horse, the special thing in the landscape that makes people stop and take notice.
In Anthpo’s case, he does that by pursuing what excites him. ”[What] “I like to make people happy, to put it simply: give them something they’ve never seen before, or give them a feeling they’ve always wanted to feel,” he said.
Mr. Sioway added: “Put that purple horse in the first three seconds.” [of your video]. ”
She explained that boba tea’s unique way of drinking captivates viewers and “captures their attention” rather than getting lost in the endless online scroll.
Last but not least, both creators emphasized the importance of building a trusted team. Anspo put it succinctly: “Surround yourself with people who are fun, don’t drag you down, are kind, but aren’t afraid to be like, ‘Hey, this video is trash.'”
Mashable is reporting live from VidCon 2026 in Anaheim. Follow our coverage of creator interviews, panel highlights, the biggest moments from the convention floor, and more.
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