7 Ways to Speed Up Your Content Creation Process
A time-saving content creation process is a lifeline for small business owners striving to sustain the health of their brand — and their own sanity. For many entrepreneurs, becoming a content creator has been a journey of necessity, not choice, as the evolving demands of running a business today often include wearing the hat of a writer, a videographer, or a social media guru.
During my journalism days, where the norm was to churn out between two to twelve stories daily, I've lived the reality of high-volume content creation. Writing an average of 2,000 words a day – a feat that would impress even seasoned authors like Stephen King – was part and parcel of the job. Yet, the truth remains: writing, or content creation in general, doesn't always come naturally. And even for those to whom it does, time is a finite resource. Balancing work, family obligations, and the myriad responsibilities of life, all within the confines of a 24-hour day, is a juggling act familiar to many.
This post is your concise guide to maximizing content output without stretching your time thin. It's about working smarter, not harder, and finding those golden nuggets of efficiency that transform content creation from a daunting task to a manageable – and even enjoyable – part of your business routine. Let's dive into these strategies that promise to save your time in your process and embolden your creative spark.
Bank Your Ideas
An Idea Bank is essentially a collection of thoughts, concepts, and potential content pieces. It serves as a reservoir from which you can draw ideas when you're planning your content calendar. This eliminates the time-consuming process of brainstorming from scratch every time you need to create something new.
What to Include in Your Idea Bank?
Pain Points and Solutions: Identify common challenges or questions your target audience faces. For each pain point, note down how your expertise or product provides a solution. This ensures your content is always relevant and problem-solving.
Areas of Expertise: List down topics you're knowledgeable about or areas where your business excels. These are subjects you can comfortably talk about, providing value to your audience while establishing your authority. Look to your frequently asked questions if you’re stumped on where to start.
Inspiration: Gather ideas* from various sources like podcasts, books, real-life conversations, and other mediums. This could include:
Insights or quotes from a podcast episode relevant to your industry.
Lessons or concepts from recent books that resonate with your business philosophy.
Interesting viewpoints or stories from everyday conversations.
*Don’t Steal, Source — And Credit
Examples of Idea Bank Entries:
Pain Point: Difficulty in balancing work and personal life.
Solution: Share strategies using your product or service for better work-life balance.
Expertise: Digital marketing trends.
Content Idea: Write a blog post on the latest digital marketing strategies.
Inspiration: A podcast on innovative startups.
Content Idea: Create a post discussing key takeaways and how they apply to your audience.
Why an Idea Bank Works
Your Idea Bank is more than just a list; it's a strategic tool that aligns with your audience's interests and your business goals. It's about making content creation more intuitive, less time-consuming, and always relevant. Regularly update your Idea Bank with new ideas and inspirations. This practice ensures your content remains fresh, engaging, and perfectly attuned to both your evolving business objectives and your audience's changing needs.
2. Embrace the Power of Templates and Outlines
Templates and outlines are not just tools for organization; they fast track efficiency and consistency in the content creation process. With templates and outlines, you can significantly reduce the time spent on each piece of content, allowing for a smoother and more streamlined creative process.
Bonus: With a clear framework, it's easier to delegate content creation tasks to team members or external collaborators while maintaining a uniform tone and style across your content, reinforcing your brand's voice.
Creating Effective Templates and Outlines
Newsletter Template: Design a template with sections for a header, main story, secondary articles, and a call-to-action. This structure ensures that each newsletter is cohesive and covers all necessary elements.
Blog Post Outline: Create an outline format that includes an introduction, key points or headers, and a conclusion. This will guide the flow of your writing and ensure comprehensive coverage of the topic.
Social Media Graphics Template: Develop a set of templates for different types of social media posts, like quotes, announcements, or tips. Use your brand colors and fonts to maintain visual consistency.
By integrating templates and outlines into your content creation process, you're setting up a system that not only saves time but also elevates the quality and consistency of your output. It's about working smarter, not harder, and laying a foundation for a sustainable and efficient content strategy.
3. Brainstorming: Transforming Ideas into Sharable Content
Brainstorming is the engine room of creativity in content creation. As a content strategist working closely with entrepreneurs and founders, I've noticed a common theme: often, they are too close to their own magic to distill it into clear, impactful messages. This is where brainstorming, whether solo or with a partner, becomes invaluable, helping to translate brilliant ideas into concrete, engaging content. Brainstorming is more than just thinking up ideas; it's about strategically organizing and refining those ideas into viable content.
The Importance of Brainstorming Content
Idea Generation: Brainstorming helps in generating a diverse range of ideas, ensuring a rich content reservoir.
Clarity and Focus: It provides the distance and perspective needed to refine vague notions into focused, actionable content ideas.
Collaborative Creativity: When done with a partner or team, brainstorming can lead to more innovative and diverse content, breaking through the blind spots that often come with being too immersed in one's own business.
Practical Application of Content Brainstorming
Solo Brainstorming: Spend 30 minutes mind mapping around the topic of "sustainable living." This could lead to content ideas like "Eco-Friendly Home Hacks" or "Interview with a Sustainability Expert." Set a timer and write non-stop about a topic. Don’t worry about coherence or structure; the goal is to get ideas flowing and capture them as they come.
Partnered Brainstorming: Think of content prompts as your personal idea spark plugs – they kick your brain into gear when it's stuck in neutral. When used with a partner or team, brainstorming can lead to more innovative and diverse content, breaking through the blind spots that often come with being too immersed in one's own business. Team up for a content brainstorming session using content prompts like:
“What are the biggest misconceptions in our industry?” This could generate content ideas addressing these misconceptions or educating your audience.
Using AI for Brainstorming: Employ AI tools to generate prompts or expand on initial ideas. For example, input a basic idea like “email marketing tips,” and use the AI's suggestions to develop specific content angles. See my AI Brainstorming Process here.
Pro Tip: Record all ideas, even those that seem offbeat at first. The best content often comes from unexpected sparks of creativity. Save them all in your content idea bank from tip one.
4. Batch Content Creation: Maximizing Efficiency in Content Production
Batch creation is a time-saving powerhouse in the world of content marketing. By dedicating specific blocks of time to create multiple pieces of content at once, you can significantly increase efficiency, maintain a consistent content flow, and reduce the daily pressure of content creation. The reason why I love batching content is because it frees up headspace to focus on other things in my business without the nagging questions, “what I am gonna post today?” hanging over my head.
Content Batching Quick Start Guide
Why Batch Creation Works
Focus and Flow: Dedicating specific time for content creation minimizes distractions, allowing for deeper focus and a more productive workflow.
Consistency: Batching helps maintain a consistent posting schedule, which is key to building and retaining your audience.
Reduced Stress: Knowing you have several pieces of content ready to go can greatly alleviate the pressure of daily content demands.
Implementing Batch Creation
Planning: Start by reviewing your Idea Bank and selecting a set of topics or themes you want to cover.
Scheduling: Block out time in your calendar dedicated solely to content creation. This could be a full day or several half-days each month, depending on your schedule and content needs.
Execution: During your scheduled time, focus on creating multiple pieces of content. This could include writing several blog posts, recording multiple videos, or designing a series of social media graphics.
Tips for Effective Batch Creation
Set Realistic Goals: Don’t overcommit. Plan to create a manageable number of content pieces in each batch session.
Use Templates and Outlines: Leverage the templates and outlines you've created to streamline the creation process.
Stay Organized: Keep your resources, such as research materials, images, and tools, well-organized and easily accessible.
Examples of Batch Creation in Action
Blog Posts: Choose a day to write three blog posts. With your outlines ready, you can efficiently create each post, focusing solely on writing without the interruption of other tasks.
Social Media Content: Dedicate a few hours to design a week's worth of social media posts. Using your graphic templates, you can create consistent and visually appealing content in one sitting.
Video Recording: Set up a day for recording multiple videos or podcast episodes. With your equipment set up and your topics planned, you can smoothly transition from one recording to the next.
5. Scroll Smarter
Ever found yourself lost in the scroll, seeking inspiration but ending up feeling more overwhelmed? Here’s a trick: set a timer for 3 minutes. That’s all you need to spot 3-5 pieces of content that grab your attention. Analyze what made you stop – was it a catchy hook, an intriguing visual, or a bold statement? Learn from these triggers and think about how you can incorporate similar elements into your own content. It’s like training your brain to think like a content creator.
Turning Inspiration into Actionable Content
Many of us have fallen into the trap of scrolling for "inspiration" only to end up comparing ourselves to others, leading to a decrease in motivation and creativity. The key is to scroll with purpose and a clear strategy.
How to Scroll Smarter
Set a Timer: Limit your inspiration hunting to a short, focused burst. A 3-minute timer, for instance, is enough to gather a handful of ideas without getting lost in the digital rabbit hole.
Analyze What Catches Your Attention: Pay attention to what makes you stop scrolling. Is it a compelling opening line, an eye-catching visual, or a thought-provoking statement? Understanding these triggers can inform your content strategy.
Take Notes: Jot down why certain posts capture your interest and consider how you can apply similar techniques to your content.
Implementing Smart Scrolling in Your Routine
Dedicated Sessions: Have specific times for scrolling with the sole purpose of gathering inspiration, separate from leisure browsing. Pro tip: Pair inspiration scrolling with your Instagram engagement routine to maximize your time even more.
Curate Your Feed: Follow accounts that consistently provide value and ideas relevant to your industry or content style.
Reflect and Adapt: Regularly review the insights gained from your smart scrolling sessions and incorporate them into your content planning.
Examples of Smart Scrolling
Captivating Hooks: Notice a post with a strong opening line that made you stop and read further? Think about how you can craft similarly engaging hooks in your content.
Visual Impact: If a particular image or video style grabs your attention, explore how you can integrate similar visual elements into your social media posts or blog imagery.
Engagement Strategies: Observe the types of posts that generate high engagement, like polls or questions, and consider how you can use similar tactics to boost interaction with your audience.
Smart scrolling is about being a proactive and discerning consumer of content. By approaching social media with intention and a critical eye, you can turn scrolling time into a valuable session of content ideation and inspiration. It’s not just about finding ideas; it's about training your brain to think like a content creator.
6. Talk to Yourself
Finding time to sit down and write is the single most difficult part of creating content, at least for me. You’re busy. I’m busy. That’s why I sneak it in, like how my sister-in-law purees broccoli in tomatoes sauce to get my 5-year-old nephew to eat his veggies without a fight. My solution: Use those moments when you're doing the dishes or folding laundry to kickstart your content creation process. This is where the magic of talk-to-text comes into play, turning spoken ideas into a treasure trove of content.
The Art of Talk-to-Text
Talk-to-text isn't about crafting polished, ready-to-publish content. It's about capturing your raw ideas and thoughts in their most authentic form. It's a way to ensure that you never have to face the daunting blank screen again.
How to Use Talk-to-Text Effectively
Choose Your Tool: There are several talk-to-text apps available. I personally use the talk-to-text feature built into my iPhone, but you might find another that suits you better. If you're using Google Docs, their 'Voice Typing' feature under the “Tools” dropdown is also a great option.
Record Whenever, Wherever: Whether you're doing household chores or on a leisurely walk, start recording your thoughts. You'd be surprised how much content you can generate just by speaking your mind.
Transcribe and Refine Later: The goal is to get your ideas recorded, not to create a masterpiece on the first go. You can always transcribe or rewrite your spoken words later to refine them into structured content.
Making the Most of Your Voice Notes
Be Prepared to Record: Before you start talking, ensure you’re actually recording. It sounds obvious, but it’s a common mistake.
Invest in a Good Microphone: While not essential, a good phone microphone can improve the clarity of your recordings, making transcription easier.
Add to Your Content Bank: Incorporate these voice notes into your Idea Bank. They can be invaluable sources of inspiration when you're ready to sit down and flesh out your content.
The Benefits of Talk-to-Text
Efficiency: Capture content ideas as they come, without needing to allocate separate time for writing.
Authenticity: Did you know Mel Robbins “wrote” her books via the talk-to-text method? If you don’t fashion yourself a “writer,” this is a great alternative. Speaking your thoughts can often feel more natural and lead to more genuine content.
Never Lose an Idea: With talk-to-text, every great idea is stored and ready for when you have the time to expand on it. Throw it into the content bank to keep it handy.
7. Content Repurposing: Repetition is a Creative Advantage
"I'll bore my audience if I keep repeating the same message, right?" It's a common worry, but here's a little secret: repetition is actually a good thing in marketing. Contrary to feeling bored, your audience needs to hear your message multiple times – at least seven, as the marketing rule of 7 suggests – before they really start to take it in. And here's the exciting part: each repetition is an opportunity to hone your creative skills, to tweak and refine your message until it pierces through the noise. Repurposing content isn't about just rehashing old stuff. It's about taking what you've already created and giving it a new twist, a fresh coat of paint. It's like remixing a classic song – the tune is familiar, but the new beat brings a whole different vibe.
Repurposing Content Isn’t Just A Time-Saver
Benefits of content repurposing include:
Keeps Your Message Strong: Repeating your message in different ways helps it stick in people's minds.
Boosts Your SEO Game: More content on a topic tells search engines you're an expert, which can bump you up in search results.
Flexes Your Creative Muscles: Each time you revisit an idea, you get to play around with it, fine-tuning and experimenting.
Keep It Fresh with the A.C.E Content Repurposing Method
This is how the simple and aptly named A.C.E method will help you ace your repurposing strategy — pun very much intended.
Adjust: Look at your old content. What can you spruce up? Maybe there's a blog post that could use some updated stats or a video that could be edited to add some new insights.
Combine: Got a few smaller pieces on a similar topic? Mash them together to create something bigger and better. Like turning a bunch of tweets into a killer blog post.
Expand: Take a great idea and run with it. Maybe you've got a podcast episode that could spark a whole series, or a how-to guide that could become an online workshop.
A.C.E. Repurposing Examples
Adjust: Take that blog post from last year, jazz it up with the latest trends, and repost.
Combine: Those helpful tips you posted on Instagram? Bundle them into a downloadable PDF guide.
Expand: Got a blog about easy home workouts? Why not turn it into a video series or a live Q&A session?
Smart Strategies To Level Up Your Content Game
As we wrap up these seven strategies to speed up your content creation process, remember that efficiency in content marketing isn't just about cutting corners – it's about being smart and strategic. From establishing a robust idea bank to embracing the power of templates, leveraging brainstorming sessions, batch creating your content, scrolling with intent, talking out your ideas, and creatively repurposing your content, each approach offers a unique way to save time while still producing quality content.
But the journey doesn't end here. If you're looking to dive deeper and truly elevate your content strategy, consider joining our Content Crafters membership. Here, we take these concepts to the next level:
Live Brainstorming Sessions: Collaborate and generate ideas in real-time with experts and fellow content creators.
Exclusive Workshops: Learn new strategies and get insights from experts in the field.
Professional Feedback: Allow me to review your sales pages, social media posts, and email copy for better results.
Customizable Content Calendars: Plan your content with ease using our tailored content calendars, designed to streamline your strategy and maximize your impact.
Whether you're a solo entrepreneur, a small business owner, or part of a larger team, Content Crafters offers the tools, community, and guidance to help you craft content that resonates, engages, and converts. Join us and transform the way you approach content creation, making it not just faster and easier, but also more effective and enjoyable. Sign up to turn your ideas into binge-worthy content.