How I Plan And Repurpose Content For My Side Hustle
Who else is tired of hearing about “consistency”? Although I am a major offender of using that word, and I’d argue it’s true, and necessary… it’s still so very overused that it’s ridiculous!
So let’s just do something different today… how about focusing on making your content planning process a habit?
As the Atomic Habits author James Clear states, “Ultimately it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.”
Well, mic drop. I guess we can be done here. We can all go do the thing now that we’ve heard that, right?
Yes! But also, practically, how does one actually plan content? There are a million and a half ways it can be done, so I’m speaking from my years of experience doing so – mostly for clients and jobs that I’ve had – and then also for my personal brand.
I’m here to help YOU manage your brand like a PRO. No fancy design software needed, just a bit of education – which is why you’re here! Grab my Brand Budget Builder Bundle, which comes with an exclusive audio pep talk from me, and helps you learn how to get the brand identity package you’ve always dreamed of. Get it here!
How My Content Planning Actually Gets Done
I’ll start by saying each of these steps are “batched out”. I don’t usually complete more than one of these steps in one sitting, it’s all a process! But if I follow the steps and do each one step by step, then I can get a LOT more done, in less time.
If you’re unfamiliar, batching is just a fancy word for saying that you break out a task into mini bite-sized chunks. For instance, I plan out posts for a month or more in one sitting, then I outline those posts in another sitting, then I complete the drafts at yet another time, and so on.
It might sound like a lot to break these steps out so much, but there’s actual science behind it:
Because you’re sticking to one task at a time, you’re not making your brain jump around from one thing to another and making yourself “switch gears” for each task. With batching, you’re able to just stick to planning, and keep that flow going until you’re ready to move on to the next step, which is outlining.
Rather than make a plan for ONE blog post, outlining it, writing it, make the graphics, and then scheduling it (and then repeating the process for the next post), I instead break everything up and follow the following process.
Step #1. Content Categories (or Pillars or Themes)
Your content categories (or pillars or themes) are what helps you decide what types of content you’ll talk about.
Having content categories helps you stick to what you know, and makes for an easier flow when you need content ideas. For example, my content categories are centered around:
- Branding
- Graphic Design
- Strategic Planning
- Social Media (and how it relates to the above)
Since I’ve already decided what my brand is all about, and the type of content I want to post, sticking to these categories keeps me grounded in what I’m doing and helps me work towards my overall business and marketing goals.
Step #2. A “48 Content Ideas” Doc
After you’ve decided on your content categories, you’ll want to make a running list of ideas.
I have a document I call my “48 Content Ideas”, which is what houses ALL content ideas for my long-form content (like these blog posts).
It started as a challenge to myself to write down all of the content ideas I could come up with in one sitting. And at first, it wasn’t much. But as time went on, I kept adding to it, and adding to it, until it was well over 200 ideas.
Some of the ideas are winners, and some not so much.
But the point of the document is to be a brainstorming place and a spot to get all of my ideas out of my head and onto paper.
99.9% of what I write or talk about comes from my 48 Ideas Doc.
Any time I have an idea, I’ve made it a habit to add it to the document. That way, the idea is out of my brain, and I don’t have to worry about storing it or remembering it later. The more we can get out of our brain, the better we’ll be… All you moms out there know exactly what I’m talking about!
This document is what fuels my content, and it’s the startling line of my content-creating process.
Step #3. An All-Content Planner
In order to actually plan out your content, you need somewhere to plan it. And I’m not talking about a social media app like Hootsuite or your WordPress dashboard or within your email marketing platform.
I’m talking about a spot where you can view ALL things content for your business in ONE place.
I have a specific planner that I created, called my All-Content Planner, that does this for me. It holds my long-form content plans, email marketing schedule, and social media post content – ALL in one. I’ve used it for years both for my personal business and for clients and jobs I’ve had. It’s my tried-and-true! (Get it for yourself right here, if you’d like!)
For this batching step, you’ll want to have your 48 Ideas Doc and your All-Content Planner handy (or whatever ideas doc and planner you love to use). These two documents work hand-in-hand, just like your favorite ice cream and toppings.
This is probably my favorite step, because I’m a planner through and through! It helps me see ahead, and get a fuller picture of what I’m talking about for at least the next month.
For example, if I know I want to talk about “branding” for my next few posts, then I’ll look at that content category for those specific ideas in my 48 Ideas Doc:
I’ll pick a few of those headline ideas that you see above, and add them to my All-Content Calendar to later outline.
I’ll repeat this process of sourcing ideas from my 48 Ideas Doc, and adding them to my All-Content Planner, until I have at least 4 weeks done, if not more.
Step #4. Writing Long-Form Content
Once I’m ready to make outlines for my long-form content, all I have to do is open my All-Content Planner and look at those headlines for the next few weeks to get started on the outlines:
I’ll take a headline, pop it into my favorite Pillar Content Template from Ashlyn Writes, and begin fleshing out the long-form outline:
That template is the only reason I know how to make blog posts with purpose – A.K.A. that get me conversions!
As I write long-form content, I tackle it in this order:
- Outline (batch 3 or more outlines at a time)
- Draft (batch 2+ at a time)
- Edit, edit, rewrite, rewrite (one or more, depending on time)
- Finalize (one or more, depending on time)
- Post (one or more, depending on time)
Like I’ve been saying, this process helps me break everything down, stick to one task at a time, and get more done as a result. I dare you to try it out!
Step #5. Repurposing Long-Form Content
After I’ve gotten my long-form content posted, I’ll see what short-form content I can pull from it to post to various platforms.
Sometimes this looks like a quote, or an audio clip, or taking tips I’ve talked about and adding them as text over the top of a photo or video to make a reel. It really varies, depending on my posting strategy, and quite honestly, what kind of time I have to create said posts on any given week.
Right now I’m showing up mainly for my email subscribers, on Instagram, and on Pinterest. I actually love static posts on Instagram, but I’m also trying to do more videos/reels. On Pinterest I’m dabbling a bit into Idea Pins and Video Pins, but for the most part I’ve stuck to static Pins that I create using graphics, photos and text.
I have templates already set up for my static social posts and Pinterest Pins, so it makes it super easy to go into my templates and create whatever new I need to drive traffic to my long-form content (like the Pins you see at the top and bottom of this blog post).
For instance, here’s the post from Steps #3 & #4 above that I showed you screenshots of the process: 5 Brand Design Rules To Never Break
I repurposed this content by created Pins that I then scheduled out to drive to that post. I also created an instagram post for it as well, which you can view here.
I’m all about diversifying your content-sharing strategy and using whatever platforms make the most sense for you and your business. Notice I said for YOU. It doesn’t make sense to be on a platform if your followers aren’t there, but I’d argue even more than that, if YOU’RE not going to show up there either.
You spend SO much time creating your long-form content (believe me, I know!), so repurposing it is definitely worthwhile. But do so with strategy and purpose, with the goal of making it a habit.
Learn More From Me
- I’ve already shared how I plan content for social media, so if you’re interested, head here.
- If you want to learn more about my 48 Ideas Doc, click here.
PIN IT FOR LATERS:
