"When you create social media content, what does your creative process look like?"
This anonymous question came in from a reader to my Q&A form. I'll happily answer because I suspect that others struggle with:
1. Overthinking this.
2. Spending too much time on it.
3. Not doing it enough/at all because of #1.
I've tried a lot of strategies over the years to do this and it's an ever-evolving process for me, so ask me again in six to 12 months, and I'll bet my answer will have changed as tools, platforms, algorithms, and priorities evolve (hint: yours should, too).
My current content creation process goes like this:
Start with the type of content that comes most naturally.
For me, that's long-form writing. Therefore, I write these precise emails first, one month at a time. Meaning: I block time once a month to write next month's content. I keep a running list of ideas and am very clear on my content pillars. Once those are written, I send them to my assistant to have them edited, formatted into our email platform, and sent as tests for me to review and approve.
Repurpose!
I've chosen two social media platforms on which to focus primarily because they align with where my audience is and because I enjoy them. Those are Instagram and LinkedIn. My assistant takes the lead on LinkedIn, asking if there are any themes or topics on which I want to focus. Otherwise, she knows my content and repurposes content from 12-plus months ago and freshens it up (past posts, posts from Instagram, past articles, newsletters, etc). She creates one running document and sends one month's worth of content to me for approval. She then schedules those to go out ahead of the next month.
For Instagram, she takes my long-form writing, turns it into carousel posts using pre-approved brand templates we store in Canva, and makes me one month's worth of those. I write the captions and schedule them in Later (platform for content planning). I intersperse those with pictures and captions that are inspired by things that happen in real-time to keep the content fresh. I also leverage inspiration from client interactions and life in general to make Instagram stories. Those that perform well, in turn, often influence upcoming newsletters I write. And then the cycle begins again.
A few general tips to consider
- - Find a balance that works for you.
- - Start with one platform.
- - Don't be afraid to start, try, and iterate.
Repurposing can also look like:
- - Taking videos and cutting them into smaller ones
- - Splicing the audio out of a video
- - Taking the audio and transcribing it into written form
- - Making long-form short, or short-form long
Utilize tools that help (templates, A.I., outsourcing for the parts you don't like or where your skills are not as strong).
Figure out what balance of structure and pre-planning/scheduling works for you. Very few people are able to stay consistent with making content only when the muse strikes.
Keep in mind that about 6 percent or less of your audience on Instagram see any given post (likely similar on other platforms). And your open rates on emails are likely between 20-50 percent depending on the size of your list. What this means is you shouldn't be afraid to use the same content again when time has passed, and/or to share the same message in a different way.
You don't have to master a content creation system all at once. Take it one step at a time.
Make sure whatever you decide to do is because it supports a bigger strategy in your business, not because you think you 'should' do it.
I encourage you to take a moment to consider how, if at all, these insights might inform your strategy going forward, and then make a digestible action plan to make it happen.
BY DARRAH BRUSTEIN, 4X FOUNDER, AUTHOR, AND COACH@DARRAHB
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