Create content that doesn’t make you hate everything
Plot Twist | You’re not alone if you stare at your phone wondering if posting another random Canva graphic is worth it. It’s not you. It’s the existential horror of making content no one engages with.
The good news is: content creation doesn’t have to feel like self-inflicted torture. With a bit of strategic-ish planning, you can push out content that sounds like you, connects with your audience and doesn’t make you want to throw your laptop in a lake.
Why bother with content creation (aka another necessary evil
(you’ll start to notice that there’s a lot of necessary evils…)
Congrats, burnt out business owner, you’re a publisher now. Didn’t you know? Whether you like it or not, if you exist online, you’re already doing PR and Marketing just by breathing near a Wi-Fi signal. Content is how people find you, trust you, and eventually pay you. Maybe. It’s the backbone of [warning: jargon alert] “Inbound Marketing”, which is just a fancy way of saying: making people come to you because you’re not annoying.
How to start content creation without spiraling
You need three things:
- Who you’re actually talking to.
Your ‘ideal’ audience, not the imaginary one that lives in LinkedIn case studies. - What everyone else is doing.
Your industry and the cooler kids from other industries. - What actually makes you like someone else’s brand.
Spoiler: it’s not another “Monday Motivation” post.
Pro Tip | Know your people. Spy on your competitors. Steal inspiration responsibly. It’s not rocket science, it’s just mildly exhausting.
Content without purpose is just noise
Because you hit publish because you’re “supposed to”, ask yourself: Why am I even doing this?
Your post needs a job. Are you trying to:
- Make someone laugh?
- Teach them something?
- Prove you know what you’re doing?
- Subtly herd them toward buying without sounding like a desperate MLM recruiter?
If you want to do it right. (More jargon is heading your way. Sorry not sorry.) Set SMART objectives. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based. You know, the stuff your corporate overlords yelled about in 2016. Give your content a deadline and something to track it by. Even if it’s: make 5 people click this before I give up and go live in a cabin, off-grid.
Picking the right content (so you don’t burn out by Tuesday)
You don’t need to be everywhere.
Pick a few types of content you can stand making on repeat and get really good at those. That’s it. That’s the whole hack.
Decide what you want your content to do:
- Educate
- Entertain
- Inspire
- Convert
Spoiler | Not every post needs to sell something. Building brand awareness means not treating your audience like walking wallets 24/7. Wild concept, we know.
Formats people actually consume
People either:
- Read it
- Listen to it
- Watch it
Cover at least two. Bonus points if you can do it without needing 17 editing apps, a ring light and the willpower of a Royal Marine.
Where to find content ideas when your brain’s burnt out
Ask yourself:
- What’s my audience already freaking out about?
- What am I not totally unqualified to talk about?
- What’s happening in the world that I can (strategic-ishly) piggyback off?
You don’t need to reinvent the internet. You just need to make stuff that:
- Solves problems
- Sounds like a real human wrote it
- Is marginally more interesting than scrolling TikTok for 45 minutes
Bottom Line | Content creation isn’t impossible. It’s just annoying. Break it down, lower your expectations slightly, and you’ll accidentally stumble into something strategic. Maybe even profitable. Probably tolerable. And, honestly? That’s a win.
