If only people understood the amount of time content creators pour into creating high-quality content. We’re talking content that then gets published on various channels, for various purposes, and for various audiences. It takes a ton of time to not only create but generate those ideas and bring them to life.
So how do they do it all??
Some of the top content creators out there are constantly dishing out new content and ideas and you may think, how are they constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to keep their content fresh and up to date? Many of the top creators out there are doing this as their full-time job, so they have the time and energy to be able to continue to produce new content.
If you think these top content creators just landed into this position, think again. It takes a ton patience and practice to understand what methods work best for you and the way you like to create.
Whether you are trying to go full-time as a content creator, create content as a passion, or are trying to level-up your side hustle- you can batch create content to help you stay on track with timelines, posts, etc.
What is batch creating content?
It’s pretty much just what it sounds like. It’s a time you dedicate to just creating content. It can be highly successful for some people and I would much rather spend an entire day in a creative mindset rather than revisiting the same ideas time and time again.
- Find a space that helps you spark creativity
- Set aside time
- Plan ahead
Evergreen topics & timely content
In order to get the creative juices going, there’s a lot of planning that goes into batch creating content before you can even get started. I always keep a running list of ideas of topics, photos, and blog posts that I know I want to cover at some point, I call this my evergreen list of ideas. It’s topics that can essentially be posted at any time, can be used as fill-in content when I don’t know what to share, etc.
Around mid-month, I like to start planning the next month by thinking of what topics would be timely for that month.
For example, May was Mother’s Day so I knew that would fill-up the majority of my content and that I should be tailoring my content towards gift guides, family posts, etc. With the weather changing, I already know my audience is planning summer travels and I stary planning and generating travel content around this time too.
One way to stay on track with timely content is by keeping a running yearly calendar going with all of the topics, observances and tie-in’s that may be of interest your audience. That way when you start looking at planning your content on a monthly basis, you can pick and pull from this list rather than having to go back and do research to see what’s on the calendar.
The topics you choose based on a calendar will really depend on what your audience wants to see from you. You know your audience best so if you’re feeling stuck on what to create, take a look at your analytics and what seems to perform well, or you can even survey your followers!
Example: Maybe you’re in the beauty/skincare space- you’ll likely want to focus the summer months on healthy skin during the heat, make-up trends, etc. Pay attention to dates like July 4th where people may forget to put sunblock on and use that as a peg to talk about the dangers of not protecting your skin.
What works for me is keeping that running yearly calendar organized and then skimming it every month to see if I want to pull any of those topics I researched into my content,
How to start creating?
Note that even though the idea of batch creating content typically means you’ll get everything done in one shot (or two-or three- depending how much content you put out in a month), I still take the time to revisit all of my content for edits and updates before I go live.
It really is never just a one-shot type of thing but getting the bulk of the work done will push you way ahead of the game!
To be completely transparent- some of these ideas and content just never end up published anywhere and that’s okay too. It’s all part of the process and that’s not to say I won’t dig them out of the archives one day.
Okay, onto the process…
I like to batch create content mid to end of month. I start by jotting down my ideas for the month and begin to visualize how I will bring this content to life.
Step 1: Get your list ready
What type of content do you need to plan for? You’ll want to plan for any written content, photo shoots, props, projects, etc. that are needed to bring each piece of content to life.
Example: If I have a campaign for a grilling company that I need to post content for, I am first going to see if I have all of the props that I need for the content and if not, I will go to the store ahead of time to buy it. I’ll schedule a date to get photos taken and a date to get the content written up.
Think about this:
- Are there blog posts I need to write?
- Props I need to buy?
- Reels I need to plan for?
- Photoshoots I need to schedule my photographer for?
Step 2: Create, create, create
I’ve been working with an AMAZING photographer for a few years now and she has been such a huge help in this process for me. She knows my style, the shots I like to use in my branding, and it’s a really great relationship for the both of us.
For my three photo sessions a month, I plan ahead all of the content I need to shoot and schedule dates on the calendar. This tells me I need to get organized by getting together any props or products I need by these days for an effective shooting day to batch create content.
When it comes to writing, I usually set aside an afternoon of about 3-4 hours (my brain can’t take much more of that) to knock out blog posts, create/schedule pins, tweets, etc.
Depending on the type of content you create and your niche, you can batch create content for various channels.
I batch create content for:
- Instagram captions
- Blog posts
- FB
What’s most important here is finding a process that works for you.
If on the spot content creating every morning is what you thrive on and gets you going, then by all means to stick to it. Between kids, jobs, and everyday life I like to plan ahead to keep myself organized and on top of my game!
