050: HOW TO SHOW UP AND STICK TO A HIGH CONVERTING CONTENT PLAN [PART 1]

 

Today’s talking point:

I'm always after really detailed breakdowns on how people organise their time to be able to create a lot of content without getting stuck on a couple of posts & not created as much as they wanted.

To celebrate episode 50 of Blog It Boss It Radio, this is the first of a two part series all about how to show up and stick to a high converting content plan!

In this episode, we're going to cover the first four tips all about how to create and stick to a content plan while reducing procrastination, along with tips on how to stay motivated and really maintain focus and consistency with your content. 


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#1 | Reframe Procrastination

We tend to think about procrastination and our lack of consistency as a label. We call ourselves procrastinators. We say: “I'm a terrible procrastinator.”

As I was doing a bit of research for this, I came across something from Mel Robbins. She says that procrastination is a habit. It's a habit, not a quality. It's not a trait. It's not a personality type, it's just a habit. And actually more than that, it responds to stress. 

We need to look at this from the angle of the fact that procrastination is actually a response - a coping mechanism that we experience when we feel stressed in our lives. And we use it as a way of diffusing that level of stress, then we feel overwhelmed and that whole spiral starts all over again.

But if procrastination really is a habit, that means that we can scientifically break that habit and replace it with something that is way more productive. That way, we can actually manipulate our coping mechanisms with our own stress and how we respond to that. 

This is a game changer: we can break habits. We can reframe procrastination with a positive habit. Studies have shown that 80% of people who commit to getting a task done for five minutes are way more likely to actually get it done. So just say to yourself, “okay, I'm going to work on my content for five minutes.” I promise you, you'll be much more likely to get that task done. 

How to reframe procrastination:

  • Manipulate our old thought patterns in the way that we think about content creation 

We want to position ourselves as the go-to expert in our field, but we really can't do that if we are constantly putting things off.

  •  Create a game plan to help keep you on track

Half the battle is to show up and just start. 

  • Recognise your thoughts and have discipline

Discipline is a muscle that you strengthen over time. But I don't think we can always rely on discipline because sometimes life happens and you’re scared about a new project so you keep putting it all off. Instead, be really practical and anytime you feel those thought patterns creeping, recognise what’s happening.

  • Give yourself a break

When you feel negative thoughts creeping in, sometimes you need a moment. Don't be afraid to give yourself five minutes. After those five minutes are over, if you’re still not feeling it, shift gears and do something else. 

Motivation leads to momentum and momentum leads to motivation. It's almost a cause and effect duo where you're always in that circle. If you lose your motivation, you're going to lose momentum and if you lose momentum you'll lose your motivation.

If we apply this to our content creation, we are much more likely to stay on course, to actually publish our content consistently, to show up, to do all the things and be the things we know we have the potential of being. 

Psst…want my “3-Month Content Calendar” Template? It’s a free download you can get by clicking the button below.  It’s a great asset to add to your organisational system and keep handy whenever you’re planning out new content.

free 3-month content calendar template


#2 | Find Your Pace

Sometimes you just have this surge of energy and you think…

Yes! I'm going to create amazing Instagram posts seven days a week. I'm going to show up every single day. I'm going to do two IGTVs a week and have a podcast and a blog post…

The list goes on.

In the beginning, it feels like it's all going to be so amazing and you feel so pumped for a few months. Then, things start slowing down and basically you end up ditching everything altogether. How many times do you think that happens to a lot of different people? (All the time!)

I want to prevent that and when it happens, it's something I like to call content burnout. We even saw this with some of the biggest content creators at the end of 2019; they were tired, they were unhappy, and they felt this insane amount of pressure around creating content.

It can be as simple as someone might wake up one day and think, you know what I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore. It's not fun. It's stressful. I'm having to force it and that's not the goal. 

Pacing yourself is so important because again, we're running this marathon. If we’re not enjoying the process of content creation and it feels like a chore, then it's not going to be something that you're going to show up as your best self for.

Ways to pace yourself:

  • Repurpose content

  • Give yourself a break

  • Balance your content (You don't have to be everywhere all at once.)

  • Create a minimum goal

  • Don’t beat yourself up if you don't meet a goal

You don't have to put out three pieces of long form pillar content every single week, especially when you don't have any help yet. I think if you can stick to putting out one piece of new content every single week, that is a great start. 

Don’t overthink your content. If you want to start a YouTube channel and share videos on YouTube, you don't need a fancy studio. You just need to share value and use your phone or a basic camera. 

How can you simplify so that you can amplify? How can you simplify your content creation process so that you can amplify your results? 


#3 | Plan Ahead

If you've been following me for any length of time, you'll know this is something that I love and that I preach. I don't know about you, but I cannot function when I don't have a plan, especially when it comes to content creation. 

I've really made it a point to plan things within a 90 day period. Every quarter I have my entire plan of content mapped out and I try and batch as much of that content in advance as I can. 

But most importantly with this tip is: I want you to start small. I want you to just start off by outlining your macro content. This is your long form pillar content. 

  1. Create an idea for a blog, podcast, or a video, pick which one you thrive in the most and plan it out for the next month. If you're doing one piece of pillar content a week, then that's four ideas you need to come up with. 

  2. Pick a day that we are going to be publishing content. Tuesdays through Thursdays are usually the best days for posting content because people are a little bit more attentive than they are on a Monday or a Friday.

  3. Set aside time to brainstorm ideas. 

This doesn't have to be difficult. They don't have to be complicated, they don't have to be final, this isn't set in stone. But the point is that you are working towards something. You have some sort of plan so that going forward you can stay consistent. If you miss a week, you’ll be ok; the most important thing is that you are planning ahead and you're doing it strategically. 


#4 | Start a Series

Create content in different series. This will boost your consistency and reduce the amount of time and energy you're putting into your content.

Content creation is all about optimisation. It's all about being strategic with it, figuring out how to do it more efficiently, how to spend less time putting out content of a higher quality and make a bigger impact. 

One of the ways you can really nail this is by using the model that mainstream media uses. We see this in movies when they put out sequels - they're not trying to tell a story in a single 90 minute or two hour sitting. They are telling the story progressively through different movies and TV shows. It's the exact same process.

You also see this in breaking news. When there's something that's really important, you'll notice that they will address it from multiple areas. They'll bring in experts, they'll have people debate over the topic and then they'll cover it live and then they'll cover the aftermath and the followup.

So really just talking about the same topic, but breaking it down into smaller bite sized pieces or looking at it from different perspectives and with a different lens can make a huge difference for your consistency.

Your audience will probably really appreciate it as well, because then they get to consume it in smaller bite size pieces. They don't have to consume it all in one go all in one long chunk. Plus, as the creator, you get to spend way less time brainstorming and coming up with new ideas and topics. It's a lot easier to break things down into smaller chunks. 

Ask yourself:

  • Can you break this topic down in seven to 10 steps? Would you be able to tell me what those steps were? 

  • Can you dive deeper into a topic? 

  • Could you create a video on this first step? 

  • How can you be more detailed about the second step?


Yeah, this is a lot to remember. Which is why I created a 3-Month Content Calendar Template. Click the image below to download it so that you always stay on track with your content creation:

free 3-month content calendar template

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

 
Advanced Blogging TipsHolly SuttonComment