Content creation tips for busy entrepreneurs
Content creation tips for when you’re short on time and still want to create high-quality content that is both interesting and valuable to your audience.
- by Rachel Barno
- Content Marketing
As an entrepreneur, you know that consistent activity on your social media and website/blog is essential for your business. You have probably learned that engagement with your ideal audience and sharing your valuable knowledge is a great way to build visibility, credibility, and searchability.
However, finding the time to create fresh content between growing your business, meeting deadlines, and juggling your personal life can be challenging.
But don’t worry – I’ve got you covered! In this blog post, I will share some content creation tips for when you’re short on time.
Plan ahead & batch-create your content
To set up a content creation system, have a close look at your calendar. What is most feasible for you to create content fast, setting aside one full day a month? A few hours per week? Give this some thought!
I suggest setting aside some time to brainstorm ideas and plan your upcoming content each week. Then, stick to that time frame until it becomes a habit.
To spend less time creating content, I prefer to separate my planning days from my scheduling and editing days. Separating it allows me to get into efficient, creative flows; one day, I focus on writing my captions, and the next, I love getting creative with visuals.
Focus on ONE platform at a time
Social media can be overwhelming, so it’s important to focus on one platform at a time when you’re busy. First, research your target audience and find out which platforms they use. Then, set goals for what you want to achieve with your content. For example, what kind of content works best on that platform? And what message do you want to bring across to your ideal audience? And what actions do you want them to take after viewing your content?
Focussing primarily on one platform is a great way to optimize your content creation system; you can use cross-posting tools like Flick to post to other platforms simultaneously automatically.
Always take notes
Use a note-taking app on your phone, a Google doc, or a spreadsheet you can access anywhere. For example, if you’re scrolling Instagram and come across content you love and know you can recreate, add it to a collection.
Reading an article? Copy the blog or newsletter link and paste it into your note-taking app. I love using Notion because you can use an extension called Save to Notion (also called Notion Saver) to upload blogs directly into a Notion Database to look at later.
When things come to you on the go, add them to your notes on your phone or wherever you have the list. Often when I am driving, something will come to me, so I’ll say, “hey Siri, create a reminder to add [insert idea] to content calendar.” That way, I don’t forget about it.
Having all your content inspiration in one place is a great way to speed up your content creation process.
Create a content calendar
Planning and organizing your content with a content calendar will make it much easier to manage. I usually always use Google Sheets or Notion. Notion requires you to be a bit more tech-savvy but is way more versatile than Google Sheets. With some new features, the app has significantly improved in the last year, while Google Sheets’ mobile app disappoints (for its clunky note-taking capabilities).
Organizing your content will help you stay on top of your content goals and make the most of your precious time.
Use that allocated time to add all those ideas and notes you pulled into your content calendar. This will help you stay ahead and ensure you’re always creating fresh, relevant content. You want to ensure all of your content pillars are covered.
Take advantage of tools and resources
Several tools and resources are available to help you create content fast. As mentioned above, I love using Notion to take notes and Google Sheets for my content calendar.
Other great online tools are Canva to create graphics, use templates for easy repurposing, or transcription services like Otter.ai to turn your spoken content into written content. Check out a free list of more content and automation tools here.
Collaborate with others
Collaborating with others can be another great way to save time when you create content. You can work with other entrepreneurs, professionals, or even your friends and family to create interesting and valuable content for your audience. You can bounce ideas off each other when you collaborate so that you can use your time more efficiently. Also, the more audiences you reach, the more likely you are to grow faster.
Repurpose your old content
If you’re short on time, repurpose your old content! There are many ways to do this. For example, you can turn a blog post into a video, an infographic, or a carousel. You can turn an old carousel that did well into a reel. Pull a static post and expand on it into a carousel.
Or you can revamp old content and make it better. Pull a post from a year ago, make it more relevant, and repost it. So, when an old piece of content is still relevant as it is, literally just change the design and repost it. No one will know! And if they do, it is a great reminder for them! Due to the algorithms, it is unlikely that followers will see the same content again. Check your analytics to ensure you had some good engagement on a post before you repurpose it.
Use templates
One of the best methods to create content faster is to use templates.
Platforms like Canva offer a variety of free and paid graphic templates that can be customized to fit your brand. You can also buy branded customizable Canva template packs online.
Content templates and caption templates are also amazing time savers, just copy, paste, and go! You can find various content prompts here.
Aim for progress, not perfection
Often perfectionism is the most time-consuming factor of the content creation process. When you feel you have to produce a piece of content that is just absolutely perfect before you hit publish, you will lose lots of precious time. Or, if you are waiting for the perfect time to start creating content, you will likely never get there.
One way to overcome this perfectionism barrier is to aim for smaller goals. Think about how many pieces of content you WANT to create each week and then subtract 25% from that. The quality of your content will improve over time as you get more practice, and then you can start increasing the amount you produce.
Keep it short and sweet
Like I said earlier, not every post has to be a unique masterpiece. If your busy schedule doesn’t allow you to create daily content, stick to 3 or 4 pieces of content per week. It’s best to keep your content short but still maintain quality.
Find trending Reels that don’t require a lot of editing and add your own twist to them. Create short 2-3 slide carousels or static posts. This will make it easier for you to churn out content and easier for your audience to digest.
Use a scheduler
Once the content is created, you can schedule it to auto-post within a scheduling app. This will save you time on a daily basis, as you no longer need to think about it after you scheduled your posts ahead of time.
Ideally, your scheduler will have native analytics, but if not, check your social media accounts and see when your audience is most active. Posting right before your audience’s most active time helps ensure your content gets views.
Use analytics
Always track your results. You need to track how many people engage with your content, how many leads you get, and your follower growth. This will help you determine which types of content work best for your business and which content resonates with your audience. Then, create more of that!
Outsource your content
If you don’t have the time to create your own content, don’t worry! You can outsource your content to a professional writer, social media manager, or content marketing agency. This can be a great way to ensure that your content is high quality and engaging without spending hours creating it yourself. You can learn more about how I can help you by clicking here.
Creating content can be a challenge, especially when you’re busy. However, using these content creation tips, you can create high-quality content that is both interesting and valuable to your audience. Whether you decide to collaborate with others, outsource your content, or repurpose old content, make sure to use analytics to track your results.
Now that you’ve finished the article, I want you to go to your calendar and start blocking off specific weekly times to start creating content!
