What did you need to read one year ago? (Write that.)
Unsure what to create? Create the content you needed... last year. 🔮
First things first: there was no newsletter last week, and I'd be lying if I said that was because I was busy with Valentine's Day. (We ordered food and watched Netflix, so busy is out of the question). So what happened? Well, life happened, and that's what I want to write about today. What happens when life happens... and content does not?
Sometimes, we go through things that eat away at our energy to work on our business. Other times, we’re just really busy with our business and can’t find the time to create content. That’s exactly what happened to me – I had a big article to deliver and it had to take priority over the newsletter. Sad face.
The simple answer is, of course, content batching. I talked about content batching in a previous newsletter and how I try not to rely on content I created five months ago, because it often doesn’t feel relevant or authentic anymore. In fact, anything I wrote five months ago no longer feels good enough.
(This is why going through our old writing sucks. Because every time we do it, we realise that our old writing... sucks! Of course, it doesn’t really, but trying to relate to who we were based on it feels incredibly uncomfortable. We’re constantly changing, and so is our sense of identity. No wonder we don’t really like who we used to be.)
Content batching can, however, be a real lifesaver when we’re busy. While I try not to plan my content too far in advance, having two to three pieces ready to go would have been great last week. But if, like me, you haven’t got any and there’s no time to come up with something good, here’s what you can do:
Ask yourself what kind of content you needed one year ago. What would you have liked to see more of? What would you have read if you could have found it? What were your main concerns? What motivated you? Write a piece about it and tell yourself what no one told you. (And then, of course, share it with the world!)
This way, all you have to do is write. You get to skip the part where you think long and hard about a topic, because you have a topic. It's something along the lines of "things I would tell my younger self". You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t have to be 100% objective either. And you definitely don’t have to know your audience very well!
Because you're writing for one person – and that’s you. And you already know you inside out. The beauty of it isn’t that it saves you time. That’s a bonus. It’s that you’ll attract others easily. Suddenly, content creation becomes a driver for making your business easier. You might even prioritise it, say, next week. *ahem*
Write what you needed to read one year ago and see how people respond to it. My guess is that your content will get them to know you and relate to you, perhaps even to the point where they will want to work with you – because you get it. But that’s just a guess. I can’t be sure of it. You’ll have to go for it and hope for the best.
Sometimes, the best is yet to come. Other times, it comes straight away. Don’t you want to know which one it is? :)
Anca x
P.S. The new website is finally here! Take a look and, if you see anything you like (except my dog – she’s not on sale yet), get in touch. 🤝