Systemizing Your Content Structure with Justin Welsh

Summary

This video offers practical advice on content creation, strategy, and social media growth. The speaker discusses effective time management for producing content, focusing on consistency over perfection. Key strategies include mastering one platform before expanding to others, repurposing content across channels, and avoiding gated content to foster genuine relationships with the audience. Tools like Publer are recommended for scheduling, while the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding audience engagement. Ultimately, the speaker stresses the value of creating content that showcases expertise and serves the audience’s needs without transactional barriers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on consistency, not perfection – it's better to publish content regularly than to wait for perfect posts.
• 😀 Streamline your content creation process – Justin has reduced his content production time from two hours to just 45 minutes.
• 😀 Schedule your content based on when you can engage with your audience – Justin posts at 7:15 AM and noon Central Time.
• 😀 Master one platform before expanding to others – gain deep understanding on one platform to effectively scale to additional platforms.
• 😀 Repurpose successful content across different platforms – use your best-performing content from one platform to jump-start presence on others.
• 😀 Avoid gating content – make your content freely available to build an organic, non-transactional relationship with your audience.
• 😀 Use a combination of long-form and short-form content – long-form content can showcase expertise, while short-form content can drive engagement.
• 😀 Tools like Publer help schedule and manage content in advance – automating your posting process can free up time for engagement.
• 😀 Content doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it gets out there – sometimes, iteration after publishing leads to better results.
• 😀 Build a content bank to use for future content creation – creating extra content ahead of time allows you to stay ahead during vacations or busy periods.
• 😀 Meet your audience where they want to be met – let people choose how they engage with your content, whether via social media or your website.

Q & A

How did the speaker reduce the time spent on creating content over time?

The speaker initially spent around two hours on content creation but has since reduced the time to approximately 45 minutes by streamlining the process and focusing on efficiency.

What is the speaker's approach to writing newsletters and content?

The speaker dedicates Mondays to writing newsletters and Tuesdays to creating social media content. They aim to write 12 to 20 pieces of content on Tuesdays, allowing them to have extra content for future use.

What does the speaker suggest about the quality of content?

The speaker emphasizes that not every piece of content needs to be perfect. The focus should be on getting content done and out there, as even if it's not the best work, it's still valuable.

Why does the speaker believe consistency is more important than posting at specific times?

The speaker argues that consistency in posting is more important than focusing on the 'perfect' time. The key is to stay active and keep creating content regularly rather than stressing over specific posting times.

What tools does the speaker use for scheduling posts?

The speaker uses Publer (publer.io) for scheduling content. They schedule posts at 7:15 AM and noon Central Time to align with their availability to engage with their audience.

Should someone focus on multiple social platforms at once, or focus on one first?

The speaker advises focusing on one social platform until you understand its nuances deeply. Once you gain expertise, you can expand to other platforms by repurposing content and adjusting it for each platform's specific audience.

How does the speaker suggest handling growth across platforms?

The speaker suggests using content from one platform to fuel growth on others. They recommend recycling top-performing content and adjusting it for each platform to maximize impact.

What is the importance of mastering one platform before moving to others?

Mastering one platform allows you to understand its algorithm, audience, and content style. Once you’ve gained strong traction, expanding to other platforms becomes easier because you have a content bank to leverage.

What is the speaker's opinion on gating content (requiring opt-ins for access)?

The speaker does not like gating content because it creates a transactional relationship with the audience. Instead, they prefer to make content freely available on their website, allowing people to access it without requiring anything in return.

How can short-form content be effective in a content strategy?

Short-form content, such as newsletters or social media posts, can be effective by directing traffic back to your website. It allows you to showcase your expertise in a concise way, while also encouraging deeper engagement with your longer-form content.