Consistently creating and distributing content for your audience has a huge impact on your bottom line, and yet, doing it consistently can be so. damn. hard.
When you’re juggling one thousand balls in the air on any given day, and everything feels like a “priority,” the last thing you are likely going to do is sit down create some content.
Let’s be honest, creation requires focus and energy and you likely don’t have a lot of either of those after client calls, email triage, team discussions, and countless other duties as a business owner.
Worry not! Batching to the rescue!
Batching your content creation allows you to set aside focused time to create. When done in the right way for you, it results in weeks — if not months — of valuable, shareable content created in a fraction of the time you would expect.
Here’s the important part though: you have to spend some time figuring out what works best for you.
Trust me, there are countless ways to batch, and for maximum success, you have to find the one that works for you so that you’ll stick with it.
Here’s an example of the process I follow with my clients:
Start with the details
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What type of content do you want to create? (Thank video, written, podcast, etc)
- When do you feel most productive?
- Do you like to create one piece from start to finish?
- Or, would you prefer to group tasks together? (Think: Doing all of the brainstorming for your 3 to 5 pieces, then all of the outlining, all of the drafting, etc.)
- How many pieces of content can you reasonably work on in one session?
Make a plan instead of a goal
Once you consider the details, make a plan to get started.
Pull out your calendar and schedule a block of time (preferably in the next week or so) to get started. Decide exactly what you want to accomplish in the session. Be specific and realistic!
You’re not likely to brainstorm, outline, script, and record 12 videos in 2 hours for instance. So don’t set yourself up for failure right at the start.
Complete your first session
When the time comes, treat this exactly like a client deliverable or appointment. Non-negotiable and not rescheduleable!
Turn off all distractions — email, social media, team chats, etc. If necessary, let people know you’ll be unavailable and when they can expect you back. Then, set yourself up in an environment conducive to creation.
Pro-tip: When planning your content calendar, be sure to use your upcoming offers to guide your topics. For more on how to execute this in your business, be sure to download my free Smart Systems Guide here.
Decide on your next steps
Before the end of your session, decide what’s next.
Schedule the next session in your calendar and make notes on what your plans and goals are while everything is still fresh in your mind. This will help you start more effectively in the next session. By completing this little wrap-up, you’ll acclimate much faster the next time around.
Debrief
Spend some time thinking about what worked and what didn’t. Remember, you may not nail your process perfectly the first time, but with a little tweaking you can get there quickly!
And then repeat! Batching your content creation frees you up in so many ways and it makes that all elusive consistency so much easier to achieve.
Once you’ve fine tuned your process, you’ll find you can create more valuable content in a fraction of the time.
