If you’ve listened to older episodes of my podcast or even read an older blog post, you know I’ve struggled with getting overwhelmed. Trying to balance the “meat” of writing new stories with the “potatoes” of new online content is hard. And around summer of 2018, I was completely burned out. I had been doing so much social media content that I neglected writing. And, without new stories to talk about, I was doing a whole lot that felt as though it didn’t amount to anything. So I took a long break from content creation – period, pooh. (Don’t judge me, that phrase cracks me up.) It gave me time to get my anxiety back down from being on the go all the time and allowed me the space to write.
Well, I’ve completed writing a short story, a novella, and I’m now outlining a new story. But, if you’ve noticed, I’m back on the sauce. However, things are different now. Hopefully. Here are my content creation tactics; a little bit about what I’m doing and how I’m pacing myself so I don’t completely lose it. My hope is that it will help you if you’re trying to do all the things.
Content Creation for Authors and More
Since I’m a writer first, I make sure I take time to write either when I get up in the morning or come home from work. It’s absolutely paramount that I mind the business of being an author first and most frequently. But where does all of the new content fit in? Easy. It all starts with this blog.
Every Saturday, I sit down to write a new post that will be a focal point for my content throughout the week. So, this post, all about pacing yourself and not getting overwhelmed, will get rehashed for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and my podcast. That way, I don’t have to create anything new. If you follow me, you’ll see the following:
- a quote from this post on Twitter with the link back to this page
- a new video on YouTube going over similar information
- a new podcast with the audio from the YouTube video
- YouTube video posted on IGTV (Instagram)
- video re-posted on Facebook and a separate Facebook post
- promotion for that content and more all over
It all gets spread out over the week so I don’t bombard my followers with a whole bunch of information. Plus, I intersperse it with my normal social media interactions so it doesn’t seem so mechanical.
Now, it may seem like I’m repeating the same information over and over again, but you have to remember, not everyone who follows you on one network follows you on the other. Plus, the more you do this, the more you will have to pull from as you go. I can re-post a video from two weeks ago while also promoting my latest post, keeping it all fresh.
Saving Time
This method is a real time saver. No longer am I creating original content for each platform. If you have a team and the money to do that, go for it! But I don’t, and I suspect many reading this don’t either. So stick with what works to get things going.
Two more things
- Use a calendar to plan out your content. Either create one on your own in Excel like I did, or use a calendar app. Brainstorm topics ahead of time and stay on schedule.
- You don’t need to engage on every platform. I’m just hard-headed. I like the challenge of cracking the code on good engagement on all the platforms and stretching the bounds of my creativity. That doesn’t need to be you. If you feel strongest on Instagram, or YouTube, or Medium, just stick to whatever works for you. The biggest thing is to remain consistent. It’s a lesson I’ve learned over and over again, but it’s difficult. I’m still trying to put it into practice. So, we’re in the same boat. Let’s keep trying this content creation thing together until we reach our goals!
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