Creators are expected to constantly be coming up with new content. But what to do when your well of ideas runs dry?

That was the topic at the Vidcon 2026 panel, Never Running Out of Ideas: How to Build a Content Strategy That Keeps Your Audience Hooked.

Moderated by television personality Shira Lazar, this panel brought together professional creators Anthpo and Siow Wei to discuss how they ideate, pick what to work on next, and whether what they’ve made is good enough to post online. (Alex Ojeda was billed, but did not ultimately attend.)

Anthpo: Ideation comes from practice

Anthpo on the VidCon 2026 panel Never Running Out of Ideas: How to Build a Content Strategy That Keeps Your Audience Hooked. Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable

The American influencer is best known for concocting the viral Timothee Chalamet look-a-like contest and creating characters like Cheeseball Man and Kid with Crocs.

During the panel, he shared that he has a Google Doc filled with ideas, and also uses his phone’s Notes app to scribble down any inspirations that come to mind while on the go. “I’d say ideation is a muscle,” he mused. “The more you do it, the more your mind is constantly racing.”

To that end, Anthpo said he uses flights as a space to create, working the ideation muscle. “I’ll do [it] every plane ride I take,” he explained. “I don’t do anything other than write in my Notes app.”

How do creators pick which idea is worth doing?

Siow Wei is a Malaysian content creator who was featured on Forbes 30 under 30 last year for the massive success she’s had under the handle im_siowei. By creating an array of characters for family-friendly comedy videos, she’s become one of Asia’s biggest content creators.

However, she told the panel at VidCon she didn’t set out to make kid-friendly comedy. When evaluating the data of how her videos were doing, it was that demographic where she was most thriving. Data is what drives her decisions as she builds her library and brand.

Anthpo noted he and Siow Wei come from different schools of thought on what to prioritize. For him, it’s more about a gut feeling. “Once you have an idea, there’s like two litmus tests,” he said. “There’s, like, the data side, which is super powerful. And then there’s also, like, the emotional side.” For him, he’s excited when he comes up with something “very experimental,” or that “feels [magical] and also executable.”

He emphasized the importance of following your passion for an idea. Referencing the Rick Rubin book, The Creative Act, Anthpo paraphrased a piece of the author’s advice, saying, “If you have a really great idea and you don’t execute it, somebody else in the zeitgeist will do it. And I found that to be 100% true. If I’m like, ‘That’s a great idea,’ and I don’t do within the first six months, someone does it.”

How do content creators know their work is good quality before they post?

Never Running Out of Ideas: How to Build a Content Strategy That Keeps Your Audience Hooked panel at Vidcon 2026, featuring Anthpo, Siow Wei, and Shira Lazar Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable

Siow Wei uses WhatsApp to communicate with her team and test out jokes. Anthpo uses a group of friends whom he knows won’t lie to spare his feelings.

“The meanest people in my life are by far my most valuable assets,” he explained, “like the people that are just like, ‘Yo, this video sucks, bro.’ Those people are so valuable to me. I’ve got probably seven of them. If I send a video or an idea to them, and all seven of them are like ‘that’s good,’ it always rips.”

What do content creators do when they’re running out of ideas?

Siow Wei has a collection of comedy characters, like Swaggy, Randy, Besty, Richy, and Billy. But she’s always happy to expand her menagerie. “Okay, we have run out of content,” she said, considering the scenario. “Okay, what’s next? Let’s create another character, there’s more possibility that we can bring 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 like 12 years now. I used to do sketch comedy. Then I was in a TikTok house. And then I made skits. And then I made college content, and then I [worked for Mr. Beast]. Then the past two years I’ve been doing these like anonymous stunts.” He noted what he’s doing recently is being called performance art, while he’s been dubbed “dumb internet Banksy,” and he’s cool with that.

Anthpo champions not only taking risks, but also learning from your failures.

“I failed many, many, many, many, many times,” he said, noting that failure can be a great teacher, providing “data” for how to improve.

What every creator should know — according to Anthpo and Siow Wei

Both agreed you should know about the purple horse (or cow). Anthpo explained this marketing concept to the audience. Essentially, if you see a horse along the side of the road, you might notice it. But you won’t stop your trip to see it. However, if you see a purple horse, you’ll stop your car to take a closer look.

Translated to the creator economy, you want to be the purple horse, the something special in the landscape that makes people stop and pay attention.

For Anthpo, he does that by chasing what excites him. “[What] I like to chop it down to is I like to delight people,” he said. “Give them something they haven’t seen before, or give them a feeling they want to consistently feel.”

Siow Wei added: “Put that purple horse in the first three seconds [of your video].”

She explained how the unique way she drinks boba tea has hooked viewers, “so you’re catching the attention,” rather than getting lost in an endless scroll online.

Last but not least, both creators emphasized the importance of building a team you can trust. Anthpo put it succinctly, saying, “Be surrounded by people who are joyous and don’t drag you down and are going to be kind, but also aren’t afraid to be like, ‘Yo, this video is trash.'”

Mashable is reporting live from VidCon 2026 in Anaheim. Follow our coverage for creator interviews, panel highlights, and the biggest moments from the convention floor.