Content creation can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Here’s how to get organized so you can focus more on the creation and less on the stress.
There are many perks to being a content creator: being your own boss, flexible schedules, working those creative muscles, building your own brand…
But it can also feel overwhelming at times.
Social media is never-ending. There is no busy or slow season and the constant turmoil to produce entertaining content that pleases your audience can be exhausting. And as if that weren’t enough, the internet can be ruthless!
In the social media world, there is no sugar coating when it comes to your content’s performance. It either performs or it doesn’t. Also, viewers are much more inclined to share their opinions with you from behind the security of their screens.
With all that on your phone, it can be easy to lose focus and get off track. Samurai to the rescue! We’re here to help reduce the stress of content creation and help you stay focused, and doing what you do best – creating.
Whether you’ve gone full-time or are juggling content creation as a side hustle, here are some full-proof tips to keep you organized.
Six Steps To Being An Organized Creator:
- Plan ahead: From production days to content calendars, this one is the most important.
- Organize your ideas: Because being scatter-brained helps no one.
- Posting and time blocking: That comment will still be there in an hour, we promise. 😉
- Allow yourself time off: Social media never sleeps, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.
- File management: You’ll thank yourself later for this one.
- Create a routine: We’re all creatures of habit, and it’s time to create good ones.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
1. Plan ahead
This one might seem obvious, but consistency is key when it comes to a successful social page, and you won’t stumble upon consistency without planning it first.
Have you ever thought, “today I’m going to create content for all of next week”? That’s a good start, but it’s not a long term plan. Some weeks will be busier than others, and before you know it you’re waking up with nothing to post.
Here are 3 things you should plan each month:
1. Your Ideation Days
Planning a day to plan – how type A can we get? Think of it like setting time aside to study once a week. Your ideation day is a time to get those creative juices flowing and organize content ideas that will help you prepare for your production day. We recommend at least one a week, but this may vary depending on how often your production days are.
2. Your Production Days
Batching content is the most efficient way to create it.
How often are you able and wanting to create content? Is it once a month, once a week, once a day? Your schedule will tell you a lot about how often you should be publishing content. Vice versa, if you have a goal to publish a certain number of posts per week, you will know how much content you need to create during each production day or how many production days you need to schedule every month.
Production days should include as many details as possible so that on the day-of there is nothing left to do but create!
Here are a few things to think of ahead of time: location, outfit, recipes, and an outline of each piece of content (more on this in the next section).
Tip: Do a few outfit changes during your production day so it doesn’t look like you wear the same thing in every video. Unless that’s your ‘thing’.
3. Your Content Calendar
This is exactly what it sounds like – a calendar that outlines your content plan for the entire month. Once you’ve organized your content ideas, place them into your calendar with your finished videos and images, captions, hashtags, and any additional info so you’re all set to go when it comes time to post.
2. Organize your content ideas
Whether it’s a pen and paper, an excel sheet, or the notepad on your phone, create a place where you can add all of your wonderful content ideas.
Whether it’s something trending that needs to be done right away, or you have Christmas content ideas in June, organize your ideas by publishing date and group together content that you can create in batches.
To create batch content, think about what content makes sense to create together.
Let’s say you’re making a recipe for the best meatballs you’ve ever had. You know that to make them, you’ll be chopping onions, slicing garlic, and making your special tomato sauce. You may decide here to fracture your content into four videos: one meatball recipe video, two tip videos on how to best cut onions and garlic, and a second recipe video for your special tomato sauce. And maybe even a few behind-the-scenes shots for your Stories so you can tease your recipes out a few days in advance.
3. Posting and time blocking
Have you ever had another job where you work 24/7 every week of the year?
We didn’t think so.
As itching as it may be to check your post every half an hour for new comments, they will still be there in a few hours from now. Allow yourself room in the day to turn off social, and block specific times for engagements. Maybe it’s half an hour in the morning and one in the afternoon. Decide what works best for your personal and posting schedule and stick to it.
Speaking of posting, if you don’t have to post live, then don’t! Schedule your content using apps like Later and Meta Business Suite. Plus, now you can schedule Reels and static posts directly in Instagram! Thanks Meta.
4. Allow yourself time off
Social media burnout is real and we see it all the time.
Do you deserve that time off? Yes you do! Sometimes it’s even the best way to break through that creative block.
Get real with your followers. If you’re taking a vacation or decompression week let them know you’ll be gone and when you’ll be back! If Selena Gomez can do it, so can you.
5. File management
Whether it’s google docs, your iCloud, or your hard drive, create a space that allows you to organize all of your content in one place. Yes, we mean all of it. From those photos of that incredible meal you had in 2019 to last week’s recipe for Cubanos. Organize your content in descriptive folders that will make it easy to find later.
6. Create a routine
Checking Instagram or TikTok intermittently throughout the day, responding to posts here and there, and creating content when you can but never having consistency with any of it? Your new friend anxiety will be with you every step of the way.
Instead, use the above tips to create a routine so you can block time for daily engagements, give yourself regular time off, organize your ideas, and batch create your content.
Now that you have your building blocks, it’s up to you to decide what to do with them! If you’ve read this far you’ll know what we think you should do next. 😉 And if you’ve just scrolled to the bottom of this blog, back it up and get reading. Happy organizing!
What Platforms To Best Market Yourself On and Your Brand: (Part 2)
Discover how to reach new audiences with your niche on Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn!
What Platforms to Best Market Yourself on And Your Brand: (Part 1)
Let’s explore how you can make the most of your digital presence and reach your goals.
Decoding The Social Media Puzzle: Where To Post Content
You work hard on creating your content, and to get the best results from it, we want to make sure you are posting it to the social media platform that will have the most success. Find out more to receive all the knowledge!
