I’ve been blogging on a weekly basis for almost three years now.
Last spring, I also started a YouTube channel and I upload one video per week with tips and tutorials for freelancers and creative entrepreneurs.
Most recently, I launched a podcast called Journeys in Business. To date, I’ve published 21 episodes — so, one episode per week since the middle of October 2016. And I have all of my upcoming episodes recorded through April of this year.
I’m not telling you this to brag about all the content I’m putting out for my business each week. (Plus, that’s a weird thing to brag about.) Instead, I want to show you that it is possible to publish content consistently for your business.
I’ve been asked about this topic a lot lately.
So, I want to start by reassuring you that, yes,
…even if you’re booked out with clients
…even if you’re balancing a busy family schedule,
it is possible to create and publish content consistently.
And when you do commit to publishing consistent content that serves your ideal clients/customers, I can almost guarantee it will grow your business.
Here are my top 10 tips to help you publish consistent content for your business.
1. Pick one format you’ll enjoy creating.
I didn’t start with a blog, a YouTube Channel and a podcast all at the same time. I stuck with blogging for almost two full years before I ever added another format to the mix.
Get really comfortable with one format first. This will help you avoid getting overwhelmed.
I’ve seen overwhelm lead other entrepreneurs to throw in the towel on content altogether. This is easily preventable if you keep things simple in the beginning.
2. Every piece of content should align with your brand mission and core values.
You might know that teaching and empowering people is big focus for me in my business.
That said, creating content that teaches people something really matters to me. I always want my audience to learned a valuable tip or action step they can use to improve their business.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with personal blog/vlogs or other content tends to be more personal (I’ve done them a few times). But all of your content should align with your brand. It should, in some way, be helping you achieve your longer-term vision and current business goals.
3. Set content goals that relate to the vision you have for your business.
If you haven’t already, consider where you want your business to be a year from now. Map out each quarter so you know what you’ll be working on/promoting at certain points during the year,
Then, consider the types of content and topics that would make sense to publish during those times. For example, maybe all of your content will relate to a specific topic before a promotion, or maybe you’ll create a video series that will be used to launch a new offer.
Even think about the times of the year when you’ll have the least amount of time to create content. If you have a blog, you could invite people to guest post. Podcasters might decide to do solo episodes to save time scheduling interviews.
The point here is, plan your content to coordinate with your business so you’re set up for success.
4. Pick 4-5 themes to guide your content.
You’re more likely to be consistent if you don’t have to decide what to write/talk about every single week. It helps to have a direction.
Start by picking a few themes or categories to guide your more specific content topics. For example, a some of mine are Design, General Business Advice, and Website Tutorials.
Pick a few themes that align with your own brand and allow those themes to guide your content week after week.
5. Keep a running list of topic ideas.
For me, coming up with topic ideas is the hardest part of creating content. I’ve hired people on multiple occasions to help me create a list of topics to cover, specifically, on my blog.
Of course, there are tons of ways you can generate topic ideas for free such as looking to see what questions are being asked in Facebook Groups, using FAQs from clients, scrolling on Pinterest, or even reading 1 and 2-star Amazon book reviews. I also do a reader survey 1-2x per year, to let my audience voice their opinion directly to me.
Add your ideas to a Google doc and come back to it for inspiration whenever you need it.
6. Use an editorial calendar.
Knowing exactly what topics to cover, and when to create/publish certain content can make all the difference in the world when it comes to staying consistent.
You can create your editorial calendar quarterly. Or even six months or a full year in advance.
7. Plan a monthly batching day.
Creating content one day per month is one of the ways I’ve stayed consistent with my YouTube videos.
Normally, I’ll record 3-4 in a day. Sometimes I’ll edit them that day. Other times, I’ll schedule one block of time per week to tackle the editing.
If you’re struggling to schedule time every single week to create content, then batch-creating might be the perfect solution.
8. Set up a “CEO Date” or get an accountability partner.
Sometimes we all need a little accountability to work “on” or business, as opposed to keeping our head down and focusing on the day-to-day.
If you could use an extra push from someone who can “hold your feet to the fire”, ask a business friend to hold you accountable. You could even set a “CEO Date” where you both get on Skype for a few hours while you spend time working solely “on” your businesses. (Kudos to Abby Herman for this idea!)
9. Outsource.
If you can’t find any time to create content, or if you dread part of the content creation process, consider outsourcing it. You could hire a ghostwriter, bring on a part-time VA who can edit and publish content, outsource graphics to designer, etc.
And know that this doesn’t have to be a massive investment. You can find great people with affordable rates if you’re willing to look. Or reach out to people, or business friends, who might be willing to barter with you.
10. Commit.
The secret to staying consistent is that there’s no real secret. You just have to do it.
Create, edit, publish, promote, repeat.
That’s that bottom line.
Hopefully, my tips will help you create, edit, publish, promote, repeat — in a way that works for you, so you can serve your audience with consistent content that will grow your business.
