If you’re like so many business owners, content creation may cause you to break out into a sweat!
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by all the moving pieces that need to happen to get the content done and published. But, with some smart tips for content creation, you set yourself up for success and get the content done.
Let’s look at three simple tips for content creation that will help you get down to business so you can create what you want — on time and with ease!
An Editorial Calendar Is a Must Have
Once you’ve been creating content for a little while, you’ll end up with a huge amount of content in various stages that you have to keep track of. An editorial calendar allows you to plan out future content, track existing content and provides an easy reference for repurposing and improving content.
My editorial calendar is a simple Google spreadsheet with two tabs: Blog and Newsletter. Every two weeks, my VA adds the most recent posts to each tab so it is always relatively up-to-date. If you publish content several times a week, you may want to update it once a week.
For the blog, the calendar includes the headline, the topic, and the link for blog posts. This allows me to quickly click through to the live post if I need to and also see at a glance what I’ve recently covered.
The newsletter includes the subject line and topic of each newsletter and I also include numbers on open rates and list size. And again, we have links to the newsletter Google docs, so I can quickly review the content if I need to.
Managing future content in the editorial calendar is one of my favorite tips for content creation if you’re creating ongoing content on a schedule. Consider adding the topics for regular content, promotional content, and even guest posts or interviews to your editorial calendar to keep it all contained in one place.
This simple system saves me so much time! It also helps me efficiently repurpose content because it is easy to see it all in one place. It’s one of my must-have tips for content creation!
Creation Prep Sets the Stage
Another simple system I use involves preparing my documents in advance. That way, when I see the assignment in my calendar or in Basecamp, it’s very easy for me to sit down and start drafting.
To create this system, I started with a blog folder in my Google Drive. Inside that main folder are monthly folders, and inside each of those folders, there are documents for each week. Each document is initially named “Date. Post. Title” so they are all uniform. Then, once the post is drafted, the document name is updated to include the headline.
Once the quarter is complete, I move all the monthly folders into a Q1/Q2, etc. folder since we won’t be accessing them as frequently. Eventually, all of the year’s content will be housed in a subfolder for that year.
I have the same exact system for newsletters. The only difference is that I add a subject line and signature reminder to the standard doc because those are two things I always forget to add when I’m drafting.
These simple strategies save so much time and ensure that I have the tools I need to get the content done as efficiently as possible. Tips for content creation don’t have to be complicated to implement or follow — but they do help you lay the groundwork for a sustainable system that supports you getting shit done.
Document Your Process
The third simple tip I recommend to help create content is to have a documented process that your team can follow to support you in getting the content done.
Start simple and make sure you have all your major steps documented to get the content done. Then, work on documenting your do’s and don’ts for content so that someone else can take over more and more of the process.
Once you have a documented system, it will be feasible for you to only be involved in the writing or recording of the content while outsourcing the majority of the process to other members of your team.
Combining this with other tips for content creation will save you so much time in the long run!
How to Execute These Tips for Content Creation in Your Business
The goal of these tips for content creation is not to overwhelm you or stress you out. So, consider the one that would make the most sense to add to your content process now. Set a goal for getting the core pieces started and ready to use before your next round of content creation.
Then, stick with using that tip for a few weeks or months. Once it feels like a regular part of your process, see how you can add another tip to the mix to help you become even more efficient.
And don’t forget to keep in mind that the end goal is to get your content read by as many people as possible! This post from CopyBlogger has some great tips on content creation to help get your content seen and read.
