Planning content isn’t linear.
What I mean by that is, just because you plan your content doesn’t mean it will do anything for you.
You could plan your content out on a napkin, stick that napkin in a drawer and never look at it again. Or, you could create a very intricate spreadsheet, plug your content into it and forget it exists.
All of this to say, having a plan isn’t enough. You need to take the steps to implement the plan. It’s a lot like working a muscle. The more you do, the easier it gets and the more effective it will become.
And to get to that point, you need to form some habits. Here are three.
Habit 1: Capture ideas daily.
I always say content ideas are everywhere. And they are.
You can find them in conversations with clients, partners, friends and family.
You can also find them in the news, social media, questions from others, podcasts and webinars you listen to and watch.
And yes, you can find content when you least expect it, like in the shower (why is that the case?!).
Anyway, rather than tell yourself, “Oooh, this is a great idea for an article or LinkedIn post. I’ll totally remember it,” create a system to write it down.
Yesterday, while walking with my husband, Andy, he pulled out his phone and started taking notes. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, “I’m writing down an idea for a blog post so I don’t forget it.”
You could be like Andy and capture ideas in the Notes app on your phone, or you could create a Google doc, something in Notion or write in a notebook; whatever works for you is what it should be.
Whatever the method, the goal is the same: don’t let your ideas get away.
Before you know it, you will have created an entire library of potential content ideas, which is super helpful when planning your content because you won’t be starting from scracth. You’ll be starting from a curated list you’ve created.
Habit 2: Plan in batches
There are few things more anxiety-inducing than staring at a blank screen, wondering what to publish TODAY. I mean, when you plan your content day by day, are you really planning, anyway? Not really.
Doing it this way leads to fatigue and burnout, both of which you want to avoid.
Instead, strive to plan your content in batches. It could be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Schedule time in your calendar to do this and figure out the topcis, the timing and the distribution. That way, you know exactly what you’re creating, why and for whom.
And when you sit down to create that content, there’s no angst, no anxiety. This allows you to make better decisions and ensure you’re create the content your audience wants (and needs).
Habit 3: Build on one idea
One reason why it can seem so daunting to plan content is that you feel you need to come up with different topics so that you don’t bore and lose your audience.
But that’s not necessarily the case.
You can very easily take one idea and create a month’s-worth of content around it.
Let’s say your client asks a question you haven’t heard before and you want to share it in your content.
You can take that question and answer it in a blog post.
You can also talk about why it’s an important question in another blog post.
Then, you can address it in an email newsletter and include a poll for your readers. And finally, you can break it into small segments for social media.
Take this email, for example. This topic came from a LinkedIn post from earlier in the month. And, I’ll take the content from this email and create even more LinkedIn posts.
The idea is to squeeze as much juice as you can from one topic. Then, rinse and repeat.
So again, the three content planning habits you want to form if you want to make everything easier are:
Capture your ideas as they come to you
Plan in batches (weekly or monthly)
Build on 1 idea (aka, repurpose)
I promise, if you do these, your content plan will become one of your best assets.
This was written by Wendy Jacobson of Incredible Content. Please visit her website to sign up for her very informative emails!