The first blog I published on this site explained how to create a content calendar and silly me, I never defined what content is! This is the simplest way to put it…

Content is everything, literally and figuratively. 

Any blog post, sales page, social media caption, or piece of writing you create is considered content. Any photo, video, podcast, or product you produce is also considered content.

Essentially, anything you create and bring into the world to educate or serve your audience in one form or another is considered content. 

That being said, you, my friend are a content creator! 

Woohoo! Now that we’ve established that you are in fact a content creator, here are a few tips to help you create better content.

Creating Better Content 101:

Tip Number 1 – Don’t Hit Publish Just To Get SOMETHING Out 

Everything you create and publish for your brand should have an intention and overall strategy behind it.

If you publish something that hasn’t been completely thought through just for the sake of staying consistent on your schedule, I can tell you right now it isn’t worth it. Not only will this confuse your audience, but it will also take time away from you actually creating high-quality content. In the hour that you frantically throw together a blog post that you think your audience might enjoy, you could be strategically planning out an even greater piece of content you know your audience will benefit from for the next week.

Although consistency is key to attracting and retaining your audience, it’s better to miss one scheduled post than to put something on the internet that doesn’t represent the best version of your brand. Quality over quantity! Plus, you’re only human so it’s understandable that sometimes you won’t be able to make a deadline or hit your target date for specific content. To help minimize the number of times you’re stumbling over what to create for your online business, you can utilize my free content creation planning kit. 

This free downloadable guide will help you streamline your content development process and walk you through how to plan an entire month’s worth of content in under an hour so you can stop spinning your wheels and get to work on the good stuff. 

Tip Number 2 – Focus On The Platforms You Love & Forget The Rest

If you’re new to the entrepreneurial world, chances are you’re the only one managing and maintaining your business. You’re doing an amazing job as a one-woman show and I am sincerely so proud of everything you’re doing. Give yourself some grace when it comes to showing up online. 

One person can not possibly master all the social media and content platforms in existence. That being said, pick 1-3 platforms that you find the most enjoyable to work with and that your ideal client is hanging out on, and put all your effort into mastering those. 

In my own business, this blog is my main source of content and Instagram is my favorite place to hang out online. While I do have a Facebook Page, a Twitter account, and a LinkedIn profile; I only post on these platforms when I have time to schedule additional content. My audience has come to learn that I am committed to posting every day on Instagram and once a week on this blog – anything else is simply a bonus. 

Maybe you have a podcast or a Youtube channel that you consistently show up on and that’s your thing. That’s amazing! Keep doing what you’re doing if that’s where you enjoy creating content and your audience is showing up. There are a plethora of platforms that we can utilize to bring content to our audience; pick what works best for you and your followers and rock with it.

Tip Number 3 – Ask Your Audience What They Want To Learn About

When you’re first entering the content creation world, chances are you either don’t have an audience or a very minimal group of people following you so I can feel you rolling your eyes at me. Just keep reading, boo! 

One of the most effective ways to learn what my ideal audience wanted (before I had an audience) was to creep Facebook groups where my ideal client was hanging out. I would see the questions they would ask and the notice which steps they needed additional guidance on. Another great resource is reading Amazon book reviews that cover topics in your niche. See which aspects of the book the readers loved and found super helpful. You can also take into account the bad reviews where a customer was hoping for something different. 

Put your detective hat on, grab a notebook, and a pen, and start analyzing the free information that’s available to you! 

If you already have an audience, it’s never a bad idea to do some more market research but you also have the privilege of literally asking your audience what they want. Add a poll on your Instagram story asking which type of content they prefer, and create a This or That template where your audience can select which topics they want to learn more about versus which information they already know like the back of their hand. 

The beauty of having a small audience is that when someone responds or engages with your content on Instagram, you can personally send them a DM and say something like, “Hey! I saw you wanted to learn more about blogging. Is it the writing process that has you scratching your head or are you having trouble publishing and promoting your content?”. Take those few extra minutes to engage with your audience and I guarantee you will gain tremendous amounts of clarity about what to create content on. 

Bonus Tip – Don’t Write & Publish Your Content On The Same Day

Let that content breathe! Give it some space, close the laptop, walk away, pour yourself a glass of wine, and don’t come back to what you wrote until tomorrow. Fresh eyes will help you edit and a fresh mind will help you revise, adding extra touches along the way. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day and the content you produce shouldn’t be either.

That’s a wrap, my friend! I know these four tips will bring you one step closer to creating insightful, impactful content that converts. Let me know in the comments which strategies you’ll be implementing into your content creation process.

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