This blog was originally published in July of 2020 and updated in September of 2021.
Is the process of learning how to create content for your business without burnout… defeating?
Do you feel like you’re working hard but spinning your tires and going nowhere with your content?
You’re putting in a ton of hours and working your you-know-what off without seeing the leads and ROI that you were expecting.
Been there, done that, and I know – it’s frustrating.
Luckily, that’s in the past for me. And I want to help you move forward, too.
That’s why I’m here to share my secrets and walk you through the life-changing process that eliminated my content burnout and turned my struggling business into a success.
Think of me as a marriage counselor, and I’m here to save your relationship with content.
Learn how to create content for your business using smart, simple processes that can change everything.
New around here? Want to learn my secrets on how build a 7-figure business on the power of content marketing? Sign up for my FREE training and watch now.
How to Create Content for Your Business: YouTube Video
Just How Important is Content for Your Business?
Short answer: VERY!
Google is the top dog of the search engines with a near monopoly over online search queries (more than 90%), and they tell us outright in their SEO starter guide that creating good content will likely influence your website more than any other factor.
See for yourself:
The numbers back up Google’s statement. Check out these insane content statistics:
- Every month, around 409 million people view over 20 billion web pages. (OptinMonster)
- 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. (BrightEdge)
- SEO traffic is 5x greater than PPC and 10x greater than social media. (Google)
- Websites that have a blog have on average 434% more indexed pages. (OptinMonster)
- There are about 6 billion searches per day on Google. Compared to the pre-pandemic daily average of 3.6 billion, that’s a 1.67% increase! There have never been more people turning to Google for answers and content. (Worldometers)
- Companies that have an active blog get 97% more links to their website. (OptinMonster)
- 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. (HubSpot)
The takeaway from all of this? Content creation is an absolute MUST to build your business. But the question isn’t just how to do it – it’s how to do it successfully.
I’m living proof that content marketing works. For almost a full decade, I’ve been using blogs to build my business from the ground up.
I’ve never missed publishing at least one blog post per week since 2011. I started with less than nothing, but at one point I managed, oversaw and ran the content production for three businesses – Express Writers (which I sold in 2021), The Content Strategy Blog, and Content Hacker™, not to mention I’ve produced content for more than a dozen other websites as well.
I’m much more efficient now than I was when I first started. Gone are the 12-hour work days downing coffee while developing and producing my content!
I work smarter, not harder, to produce high-quality content on a consistent basis without burning out.
As a full-time business owner, I have the freedom to leave after lunch on a Monday and know that my brands are still reaching over 100,000 visitors – and that number grows weekly thanks to the content my team and I produce.
Keep reading, and I’ll share how I do it.
The 3 Stages of Content Creation
My first content creation business, Express Writers, just turned 10 years old, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way.
Content creation is not a blind shot in the dark and praying to hit the target. It’s a strategic, coordinated approach that happens in three main stages:
- Content Creation
- Content Publishing
- Content Promotion
Each phase has important sub-stages, which we’ll examine in greater detail.
1. Content Creation
A lot of people assume the first stage of content creation is writing.
In reality, the first stage should predominantly be research.
Before you write a single word, you need to know your target audience and what topics will attract them. This phase also includes keyword research, search intent, and topic ideation.
The real secret to successful content creation without risking burnout – knowing what and when to delegate.
The willingness to invest in your content marketing is what separates a successful, enthusiastic content marketer from an overworked, frustrated one.
However, it’s important that you, as the business owner, make the important distinction to delegate the right tasks.
DO delegate:
- Keyword and search intent research (post-ideation)
- Most of the writing
- Image design and creation
- Formatting, optimizing, and scheduling the post
- Social media promotion
DON’T delegate:
- The ideation process
- Content goals
- Key research points
- Proofreading and editing
- Adding personal stories into the content
Key takeaway: you should never, EVER delegate the ideas.
You should always be the mastermind behind your own content marketing strategy. If you’re invited to be a guest blogger, participate in a panel of experts, or do an interview, you’d better know what topics are currently being explored on your website.
Remember not to put the cart in front of the horse. The research HAS to come before the writing. If you’re writing on nothing but a whim and a prayer without solid research beforehand, you won’t see results.
From there, set up your outline with subheadings so you can stay organized and minimize going off on tangents when you actually start writing. Using an outline also helps you keep everything formatted nicely for SEO.
Don’t forget to edit, edit, edit! If possible, have multiple eyes look over the article before it’s published.
2. Content Publishing
If you want to create and publish content on a consistent basis (which you definitely should be doing), the best way to stay on track is to create a content calendar with topics and due dates.
When you publish your content, make sure it’s search engine optimized (SEO).
What exactly does that mean?
Basically, your content should be formatted in a way that makes it easy for both your human readers and search engines like Google to skim and understand.
Your content should:
- Be organized with H2 and H3 subheaders
- Be broken up into short paragraphs
- Have both internal links as well as high-quality external links
- Be set up so links open in a new window
- Include CTAs with hyperlinks
- Feature at least some multimedia content such as infographics, videos, gifs, images, etc. with SEO-friendly alt text
Be sure to proofread and edit the final post one more time before publishing or scheduling. Nothing slashes your credibility quite like content riddled with typos and errors.
Remember that building the actual post and going through all of these SEO checks are tasks that you can be delegating to someone on your team. Don’t make more work for yourself than you have to.
3. Content Promotion
There are tons of channels to promote content. Some are better for long-form content than others (i.e. Pinterest and LinkedIn are suited for VERY different types of content).
You should already know where you audience is most active, and that will be a guiding factor in your content promotion.
My two must-have channels that I recommend for smart content promotion:
1. Promote Your Content Through Email
Schedule an email to go out with each blog post. Make sure you optimize the headline, have the “hook” or CTA before the first H2 header in the post, and double check that your link is correct.
Example of an email for one of my combo Youtube + blog on mindset and avoiding burnout:
Psst… if you need a simple, easy-to-use email marketing solution, I HIGHLY recommend ConvertKit. I’ve been using it for more than four years now. Start your free trial today.
2. Promote Your Content Through Social Media
Brainstorm new and creative ways to highlight your content on social media. Think about tools such as the swipe-up feature in Instagram stories and a scheduling app to make sure your post goes out at the right time.
Don’t forget, the blurb you (or your social media manager) write for the post can have a big impact on performance, not to mention the headline you chose for your content.
Here’s an example of how we promote our blogs through our Instagram channel:
An optional third way to promote your content would be paying to have it featured. However, let me point out that I rarely use this method. When done correctly, your content will be discovered without having to shell out dollars to get it in front of people.
Rinse and Repeat
Consistency is key when it comes to content. Once you’ve got the steps down for each phase and you know which tasks you should be delegating, you can get into the pattern of producing and publishing content.
Want to dive even deeper beyond the basics of these repeatable cycles?
A student of my mine requested a roadmap showing the process from A-Z: how to develop content, what to delegate, who to delegate to, and every sub-step in the content creation, publishing, and promotion phases.
So, I sat down and wrote this 19-page guide, and it’s available to you as well!
My process map goes through every step in how I’ve produced and managed my own successful content for a decade, all without overworking myself and sacrificing family and leisure time.
This guide breaks down the process of content creation step-by-step, but that’s not all you need to build a sustainable, successful online business.
What else do you need?
Business skills. Strategies to grow and scale. Systems to keep it all running like clockwork, so you can step away and enjoy life, too.
The good news is I teach all of these key elements — not just content creation, but hiring, delegating, scaling, promoting, managing, and more — inside my Content Transformation System.
This mentorship program is for you if you’re stuck in the endless hamster wheel of online business building, and need to get out NOW.
Apply today and see if you’re a fit.
