One of the biggest challenges many of my clients (and myself, if I’m being honest) face is staying on top of content creation. It can be hard to find the time and to stay on task. But I also believe it’s possible to create a sustainable plan for growing your author platform and marketing your book and that it should be a joyful experience.
One of the ways you can do this is by making it easier to stay on top of things. By creating a schedule and sticking to it, and using the available tools, you can streamline the process and make it part of your regular routine. I have some tips on how to do this below.
Staying on Top of Content Creation is Easier When You Have Inspiration and Ideas
If you’re anything like me, you have these aha moments that come at you at various points in the day or week. This often happens to me on my evening walks, and not always when I’m sitting at my desk and working. That’s why I use a Notes app to jot them down for later!
I also encounter moments when I need to write but I have no ideas coming to me, but luckily I have back up sources for inspiration. You can do this too! I highly suggest you try some of the below tips if you struggle with staying on top of content creation.
Be Ready When Inspiration Strikes
Some people prefer pen and paper, and carry around those little notebooks everywhere, and some people prefer to use a Notes app on their phones. You could even make voice notes. It doesn’t really matter which one you choose, it’s just important that you have something available to make a record of your thoughts when you have those bursts of inspiration or aha moments. Then you can make use of them when you have the time, or refer to them when you’re out of content ideas. This can also serve to further your author platform building goals in other ways by keeping you motivated to work on these new ideas.
Create Google Alerts
Creating Google alerts for your name, company name, and book titles and developing a running list of four to six keyword phrases that you track via Google alerts will help you stay on top of the branding terms in your industry and ensure that you are in touch with current trends. Lot’s of content ideas will result from these alerts too, which can help in your goal of staying on top of content creation. Just be prepared to track them.
Subscribe to Newsletters and Follow Other Authors and Influencers
A big part of staying inspired and generating ideas is to keep up on industry news and what your fellow authors and influencers are doing. Doing this also helps you hone your book marketing and author platform building strategy. Maybe you have something to add to the conversation? Being informed is a huge help when it comes to staying on top of content creation for your social media and even your blogs or articles because it allows you to chime in on the topics others are talking about.
Create an Image Bank to Save Time and Energy
If you use graphics or photos at all for your blogs, newsletters or even social media posts, creating an image bank can help with staying on top of content creation. When you don’t have to search for, and resize just the right photo to add to your blog post, or social media it saves time and energy. So, save those selfies or book promo photos in a folder for future use. Browse rights free images sites and download images that fit with your brand or topics and organize them. You can even create images and optimize them in Canva and sort and store them there.
Some Other Tips for Staying on Top of Content Creation
Preschedule as Much as Possible!
I find it’s much easier to preschedule the majority of my social media posts, so that I’m not scrambling for something to post everyday. I use those Google alerts, my newsletter subscriptions, and blogs and publications I’ve bookmarked for content sharing inspiration. If you use Google, you can follow topics and content on these topics will appear in your newsfeed.
I also preschedule my blog posts. No one expects you to write an entire blog post, edit it, and send it out one day a week, on a specific day. Do it in pieces, or when you feel inspired and then schedule to send on your chosen day of the week.
Staying on Top of Content Creation Requires Getting Organized
If staying on top of content creation still seems overwhelming, getting organized will help. If you need to make spreadsheets, charts, or organize everything into a neat order, set aside time to do just that. Create those folders for your images. Maybe your thing is lists? Use them to make sure you’re staying on target. There’s something satisfying about checking something off a To-Do list, isn’t there?
Outlines Keep Everything Neat and On Point
Before you write up a blog post or compose a newsletter, create an outline for it. This way you’ll keep track of everything you want to cover and stay focused on your themes and main points. When you actually start writing, it will be so much easier to fill in all that empty space because you’ll know where you’re going.
Backing Up and Tracking is Essential!
I can’t fail to mention how important backing up all of your precious content is. You’ll want to stay on top of this because staying on top of content creation also involves keeping the content you have. So:
- Back up your computer daily.
- Install a backup drive to mirror your onboard hard drive, or invest in a cloud backup system like DropBox.
- Setup automatic backups for your website so that if it ever gets hacked you have a current backup. If you post weekly, then have your backup scheduled to occur weekly (you get the idea).
It’s also important to track your progress and analytics. This allows you to find out what’s working and what isn’t. This way you won’t be wasting time on content output that isn’t getting you anywhere. So check in on social media engagement, check your blog’s analytics and your open and click rates on your blog feed or newsletter regularly and adapt as necessary.
Lastly, Set a Schedule That Works for YOU
Because your strategy needs to be sustainable and building your author platform and marketing your book should be a joyful experience, create a schedule that works for YOU. You don’t have to have to do everything at a specific time of day, or day of the week that others tell you works for them. Find what works for you. Checking in daily can happen at the end of your day, the beginning, or on your lunch break. Weekly, monthly, and yearly check-ins don’t have to be on a Monday, or the first of the month or at the new year. You know when you’re most productive, and focused, and when you have free time, so build your schedule around that.
Remember, it shouldn’t feel like a chore!
Ultimately, staying on top of content creation can be a challenge, but if you make a plan, stay organized, and use the resources and tools at your disposal, it will become a lot easier. Especially as you develop your routine. You can do this!
