How to Create Content Faster
Each website offers content to its audiences in order for them to continuously engaged in your website. In this blog post, I will discuss how to create content. Read on and find out the tips and tricks that you will need.
Fact: Small Business Owners are busy.
Fact: Google and more importantly, your website visitors, subscribers, customers, like you to create new content for them. Would you go back to the same store time and time again if they didn’t regularly refresh their stock?
Problem: Coming up with content ideas, creating the content and sharing it takes time. Time most small business owners don’t have!
Solution: Marie Forleo put out a great video this week with 8 tips to help you create content faster.
Here’s are the tips with my spin added.
1. Flip the internal switch
Stop listening to your negative voice. You know the one that tells you that you are not good at writing. The one that tells you that you don’t have anything interesting to write about. Stick a sock in that voice’s mouth and listen to your positive voice.
2. Begin with the end in mind
Think about what you want your audience to know or do as a result of reading your story or watching your video, then reverse engineer your content to deliver that.
3. Keep a topic list
When you read an article in a magazine or online or when a great idea pops into your head at 3am. Write it down. I use Evernote for this. I have a folder set up called “Content Ideas” and I clip URL’s, write myself a note and even take photos of magazine articles and them to the list. If you’re not into digital media, just keep a paper list in your diary – really you still use a paper diary?
4. Make it short & sweet
We’re all busy!
5. Plan it out
Spend an hour to create a 3-6 month plan of topics (which you’ll have on hand from Tip 3!) think about upcoming events and dates to tie into and then use an editorial calendar to slot in when you are going to write about what.
6. Don’t write & edit at same time
Just write – spelling mistakes and all, get it out of your brain. Then edit later. I heard this from Ed Dale & it works!
7. Remember Parkinson’s Law
Work expands to fill the time allotted. So give yourself a time limit & stick to it. Put yourself under pressure for 30 minutes, get it done. Much better than procrastinating about it and putting yourself under pressure for a weeks!
8. Be the vessel not the source
This one was a bit woo, woo for me – something about believing you are destined to deliver a message. Here’s my spin on it. You have customers who want to hear from you. As a business owner – give them what they want.
Bonus Tips
A few extras I thought I’d add – because I like to go the extra step.
9. If you can’t create, curate.
Just like I’m doing here. Add your views about a topic of interest to your audience. Collate your best reads (in Evernote) and then share them with your audience with a comment from you about why you think they will benefit from reading/viewing.
10. Find your medium
If you don’t like to write, then find another way to share your message. Create a video, record a podcast, draw a picture or take a photograph.
11. Get someone else to produce the content for you
You could invite someone to write a guest post for your blog. You could pay a writer to write a series of articles for you. You could interview someone about a topic and record it.
Of course, producing the content is just the starting point. The next step is to share it with your audience and for them to share it with their friends and community. If you liked this article, please use one of the share buttons to the left to share it with someone else. If you have your own tips to add, then leave a comment below.
If you need to do more to grow your business online through Content Management or Online Marketing, we can help. Visit our website or book a discovery call with us.
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*Editor’s Note: This post has been updated on August 2020 for accuracy.