48 Query Stems for Creating a Tip Inventory

For Content Marketing Research

Combine these tip-stems with your subject matter phrase roots to create an initial body of research queries for use in your favorite search engine or search scraper tool. These queries are meant to be used in conjunction with your tip inventory spreadsheet.

36 Tip Discovery Query Stems

  1. [SMP] “how to”
  2. [SMP] “ways to”
  3. [SMP] “guide to”
  4. [SMP] guide
  5. [SMP] “top * tips”
  6. [SMP] “Top * Ways”
  7. [SMP] “to consider”
  8. [SMP] considerations
  9. [SMP] ideas
  10. [SMP] tricks
  11. [SMP] hints
  12. [SMP] tactics
  13. [SMP] techniques
  14. [SMP] steps
  15. [SMP] “top * list”
  16. [SMP] intitle:list intitle:”ways to”
  17. [SMP] intitle:list intitle:best
  18. [SMP] “top * reasons”
  19. [SMP] “top * best”
  20. [SMP] “top * ideas”
  21. [SMP] “help with”
  22. [SMP] “help for”
  23. [SMP] “approach to”
  24. [SMP] recommendations
  25. [SMP] insights
  26. [SMP] advice
  27. [SMP] “common sense”
  28. [SMP] skills
  29. [SMP] “solutions to”
  30. [SMP] secrets
  31. [SMP] warnings
  32. [SMP] dangers
  33. [SMP] trouble
  34. [SMP] problems
  35. [SMP] “do’s and don’ts”
  36. [SMP] intitle:”need to know”

11 Common Tip Collection and Grouping Queries

  1. [SMP] tutorial
  2. [SMP] checklist OR “check list”
  3. [SMP] worksheet OR “work sheet”
  4. [SMP] process
  5. [SMP] guidelines
  6. [SMP] book
  7. [SMP] “cheat sheet”
  8. [SMP] “quick reference”
  9. [SMP] filetype:.pdf
  10. [SMP] filetype:.ppt
  11. [SMP] filetype:.xls

4 Vertical-Specific Tip Grouping Examples

  1. [SMP] lesson plan
  2. [SMP] drills
  3. [SMP] recipes
  4. [SMP] “check sheet” OR “tally sheet”

Related Resources:

11 Suggested Columns for Your Tip Inventory Spreadsheet
A Brief Introduction to “Subject Matter Phrases” for Content Marketing Research

Garrett French
Garrett French

Garrett French is the founder of Citation Labs, where he helps brands stay visible in AI answers and search through citation optimization and relevance-led link building at scale. His team studies how buyers use AI tools to shortlist purchases and deploy campaigns designed to increase client citations in recommendations.

He also built Xofu, a platform that tracks brand visibility across AI-generated recommendations, benchmarks competitors, and surfaces the pages AI references. And he leads ZipSprout, which builds sponsorship links by connecting businesses with nonprofits, events, and local organizations.

Garrett’s current explorations focus on decision efficiency and AI response behavior: how buyers decide, how AI systems “decide,” and how comparison assets influence what is cited for high-intent selection prompts.