How Content Planning Saves Me Stress
Every content creator behaves differently. Some go through bursts of inspiration and put out tons of content before retreating, and some follow a consistent schedule. The best method is whatever works best for you, because that's what a personal brand is all about. For me, I prefer pre-planned content that runs on a consistent schedule. It allows me to sleep just a little easier at night, and work hard in the moment so I can free up more time for myself later. Here's how content planning saves me stress.
Scheduling Social Media
I have to admit that a lot of what I put out there on social media is pre-scheduled content. That isn't to say that it isn't authentic, it's just typically not real-time. Sometimes I'll leave random shower thoughts in my Twitter queue to go out at a more optimal time than say, 6:30 in the morning. Using tools to schedule posts ahead of time saves me the stress of having to think up new content on the go, and keep up with the constant demand of social media. My favorite tools for this, both at work and for my personal social media scheduling, include SproutSocial, Tailwind and ViralTag. Each one has its own unique set of social media scheduling qualities that make my life way easier.
Having a Blog Content Calendar
Thinking up a content calendar for blogging ahead of time and working on checking off the boxes, rather than having to come up with new ideas every week regardless of whether I am tired or inspired, saves hours of grief. Some days you may not be up to the task of having to think of a new idea for a business post, or a new playlist. Having these things planned out ahead of time when you're feeling up to it so you can work through them when you might not be saves you the stress of having to constantly be "on".
Understanding Each Platform
Having an understanding of each platform I'm using, whether it's the blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest gives me the freedom to spend the appropriate amount of time working on each platform. You can post 15 pins on Pinterest a day, but if you have 15 posts going out on Facebook, you won't have too many fans hanging around to get to the fifteenth one. Taking the time to do research on how much or little effort, and what kind of effort, is required from each platform allows for stress-free content creation and curation.