Confession: I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the content creation process just feels so overwhelming. And I know if I’m feeling it, then you must be, too!

So, I dove deeper to figure out why things just feel so hard right now and if there’s anything we can do about it to make the process scalable, enjoyable, and still on-brand. I put some of my discoveries in today’s newsletter.

– jen 🧡

Why Content Creation Feels So Hard Right Now & How You Can Get Around That Feeling

The world in general just feels very heavy right now, giving us all a general sense of WTF, especially with the stuff we see online. And I know know about your feed, but mine’s littered with content from two extremes:

1. People who are peddling PDF farms, claiming their making $20K a month.

2. Aaron Parnas and his Breaking News reports

Yeah, things just don’t feel great right now, and it’s making the content creation process extremely difficult! BUT, it’s not just the fact that society feels like it’s collapsing around us that’s leading to this content creation tension inside your mind. There are some other things factored into it. Allow me to explain…

1. You’re Afraid of Looking Stale & Boring

One of the core principles to successful social media marketing is repetition…saying the same message 1,000 different ways. But to some, that feels boring. It’s not exciting, and it doesn’t keep things fresh…or so they seem to think.

If that sounds like a worry you’ve been battling, let me put your mind at ease:

REPEATING YOUR MESSAGE BUILDS BRAND AWARENESS.

You might get sick of hearing it, but on social media, someone could be hearing it for the first time. One thing you have to remember is that not every follower sees every post. So, while you feel like you just said the same thing yesterday or used the same graphic last week, I promise you, no one is going to notice because they A). didn’t see it last week & B). probably don’t even remember it if they did.

Sticking to the same messaging with the same tone, the same voice, and the same vibe is HOW you build brand recognition and become memorable. If you’re all over the place for the sake of “keeping it fresh & flashy,” then you’re leaving your audience confused and disengaged.

2. You’re Forgetting the Basics

People come to social media to be entertained, educated, and inspired. If your content isn’t hitting one of those three pillars, you’re missing the mark.

But you’re also missing something else, entirely. You’re also ignoring how your audience feels! If you don’t know their wants, desires, deepest pain points, then this makes the content creation process excruciating.

So, if you want to really make content that feels easy, you need to put your thinking cap on and answer the following questions:

1. What’s keeping my ideal customer up at night?

2. What does their day-to-day look like?

3. How are they feeling about the world around them right now?

4. What kind of escape are they looking for?

5. How do I want them to feel when they consume my content?

Answer those questions, and you’ve got a clear(er) path to making content that feels enjoyable again.

3. You’re Not Repurposing at Scale

This is something I see business owners and brands overcomplicate regularly! And I often have to remind them (and myself), that repurposing content is a FANTASTIC strategy. Not only does it help you reinforce your messaging, but it guarantees that what you post, no matter the channel, is consistent, on brand, and tailored specifically for your audience.

Again, this process doesn’t (and SHOULDN’T) be complicated. And when you get into the habit of it, this is the one strategy that can make everything a thousand times easier. Here’s what this looks like:

• You make one piece of long-form content. For a lot of brands and businesses, this looks like a newsletter or blog. For others, this is a YouTube video or podcast. But no matter what it is, this single piece of content will feed all your other distribution channels.

• You then take that one piece of long-form and you break it up into multiple other pieces that you can then stretch out for the entire month:

  • 10-12 Threads or Tweets that drive traffic back to the main piece.

  • 3-4 Reels or TikToks that expand on a single idea from the main piece.

  • 1-2 Carousel posts that nurture your current followers

  • 4-5 Image or graphic posts that hammer your points home.

  • 3-4 Stories that provide them with the link to the main piece.

SEE! Right there, you’ve got nearly a month’s worth of content just from one long-form piece.

Now, image how much content you’d have if you wrote two newsletters or blogs or made two YouTube videos? This strategy alone can save you so much time and effort and truly help you scale your creation process, which adds more fun and enjoyment back into it.