The Content 10x podcast and blog is five!
The first episode went live on 19th October 2017, so this is our 5th birthday blog post. We want to, first and foremost, say a massive thank you to our wonderful Content 10x audience.
To those of you who have just discovered us, to those who have been listening, reading and watching since the beginning, and everyone in between. Thank you!
We’ve learnt a lot over the years, and we want to share the top five lessons that we’ve learned from running and hosting a weekly podcast and blog.
Whether you have a podcast or not, this will be useful, because it applies to all forms of episodic content.
Press ‘play’ to listen to the podcast episode or read on to find out more…
As all content creators know, it takes a lot to produce quality content every day, week, or month. Sometimes the inspiration just isn’t there, or time constraints mean the content isn’t what you were hoping it would be, or other business priorities got in the way and there was no content that week at all!
These things will always happen, but if we can tell you anything from the last five years it is to stick at it and remember, it’s worth it in the end. Quality content increases your trust in the marketplace, this in turn results in more people wanting to buy from, invest in, and work with you!
So, here are our top five tips learned from creating five years of episodic content… and counting!
1. Don’t be afraid of consistency. Commit to it
When our founder Amy, launched the Content 10x podcast, she was wondering whether to do it weekly, or as a limited season.
Initially she was worried that if it went weekly, she’d run out of ideas. She was determined that it would be a niche podcast – always about repurposing content and getting the most from content, and not just a general marketing podcast…
But the question was, could we really talk about content repurposing every week?
That has been answered, because we are on episode 260 and still talking!
But back then, the thought of a whole year of weekly podcast episodes was daunting. Would we really be able to come up with 52 ideas?
Clearly, we did, because here we are 5 years later!
So the point is
- If you know your stuff
- If you know your audience, and
- If you know it will add value,
commit to being consistent, however that works for you.
A big benefit to this, is that it forces you to learn. If you’re creating original content every week, and you’ve committed to that, then it keeps you on your toes and forces you to get out there and learn, develop and research.
Find out more about the benefits of episodic content in our blog post, 7 Reasons Why You Should Create Episodic Content.
2. Don’t be afraid to change your format
When you’ve done things exactly the same for a while, it can be daunting to change it up. In fact, it’s brave. However, at times it’s necessary.
We’ve played around with ideas over the years. We’ve done solo episodes and guest episodes, which we alternated weekly before changing it to one guest a month.
We had the It Started With Content series which we ran for a season (perhaps it will be back!). We’ve tried ‘video first’ where it was always videos that were repurposed into podcast episodes, and now we’re more ‘audio first’ for our solo episodes and video for guest interviews….
The point is to keep evolving, but make sure you stay true to your audience.
We like to involve our audience in our decisions around format changes, and we look at data and insights. Check out Updating Your Content Strategy: A Look at Our 2022 Content Plan to hear more on that.
3. Don’t forget to review all your equipment and tools
There are lots of tools, apps, software, and hardware that you require when creating content.
For example, video cameras and microphones, video and audio editing software, design software, project management programs, cloud file hosting...even your writing team don’t just sit down and write, they might use apps like Grammarly and Otter.ai.
The point is, they are the tools of your trade and need to be in top working order, updated and looked after.
Stay in touch with what’s out there. The tools that we used as a team 5 years ago are not the same as what we use today. Some are, they have stood the test of time, but many became outdated while newer, better, possibly more reasonably priced tools entered the market.
Of course you always need to ask yourself is it worth it to make changes or upgrade? Sometimes it’s not worth the headache of changing if something is working just fine. But there could be new things that exist that weren’t there when you started creating your content and they could optimize things, improve your processes and even save you and your team a lot of time.
4. Remember that it’s a long game. But ensure short-term gains too
It’s important to have plans to reap the benefits in the short and long term.
Content marketing is playing the long-game.
It takes time to get traction from podcasts, videos, webinars and blog posts. But it’s worth it, because ultimately you are building trust and creating valuable content. But how can you make the most of it in the short term?
This is where repurposing comes into play!
Your longer-form content generally satisfies your existing audience. Your short-form content attracts a new audience. So repurpose those long-form pieces into shorter, snappy, engaging content to attract new audiences and stay front of mind... while your longer content is playing the long game.
Another question to ask is, how can you repurpose content across different stages of the marketing funnel? Turning middle-of-funnel content into top and bottom funnel content through repurposing.
In our blog post, Content That Converts: How to Repurpose Your Content for Your Marketing Funnel, there are lots of useful tips about repurposing for different stages of your marketing funnel.
5. Invest
It’s important to see content as the investment it is for your business.
You’re creating content, you’re building authority and you’re building trust – which is the most important currency online these days – and through this investment you are more likely to get sales and new clients, plus you’re more attractive to investors and new employees.
But as well as investing time, you may need to invest in help too – depending on how big your in-house marketing/content team is.
It’s really important to understand that when you get help with content, it’s an investment, not a cost. We dug a little bit more into this with our podcast and blog post Why is Creative Work Chronically Undervalued.
Ultimately, you need to find what’s right for you. It might be hiring more people in-house, working with freelancers, or an agency, like us. But get the support you need because being consistent is important and valuable, and maintaining quality standards is key.
If you need support with content repurposing, get in touch.
Our bespoke content repurposing services align with your content marketing strategy to help you maximize and prolong the life of your content. To read more about our services, click here.
For more tips, browse our back catalog of blog posts and podcast episodes. Plus, get your hands on Content 10x: More Content, Less Time, Maximum Results – the ultimate guide to content repurposing.