Good morning, pals.
Call me lazy or call me creative: my 2-year-old is going to be a Home Depot worker for Halloween.
Some backstory: We live a half mile from the ‘big orange box store,’ and we inevitably pass it daily on our route to the grocery store, daycare, or literally anywhere.
So when we asked our toddler what he wanted his costume to be this year, he didn’t bat an eye. Orange apron or bust.
His mom (exhausted from being on newborn duty) is excited by the ease of it.
His dad (me 🙋🏻♂️) is excited by the potential of monetizing it. 😉
You can bet that there will be an Instagram post from the Martin family tagging that blue check-marked Home Depot account. And if the Earth bends to my will, some orange gift cards will be hitting my mailbox soon…
I’ll report back.
Today’s estimated read time: 4.1 minutes
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One Idea: Consistency beats intensity… even in content.
In last month’s newsletter, I featured a tip from Future of Ag podcaster Tim Hammerich that kept resonating with me as it pertains to content creation:
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You might think this whole ‘consistency is key’ thing would be evident to me, having helped produce over 200 editions of Magnetic Ag.
But, sometimes, I miss the forest for the trees, and I’ve definitely taken for granted the consistency muscle we’ve built behind the scenes of the newsletter.
And there’s something to be said about how consistency can be such a powerful component of your content creation engine. I see it often with the ag brands we work with at Imagine Content.
It’s a theme I saw echoed in an article I read last week…
Brought to me by one of my more random newsletter subscriptions (shoutout to Twosday✌️- check ’em out here), the article was titled “Two insights from losing a pickleball tournament.”
They had me at pickleball.
Luke, the author, shared an experience where he and a friend lost in the first round of a tourney to two teenagers.
Is that better or worse than losing to your parents and their friends at their Fort Myers retirement community? Asking for a friend.
Luke chalked up his team’s loss to the idea that they didn’t execute consistently, and it was clear that the guys boys on the other team practiced more regularly.
Here’s an excerpt:
Here’s the thing: I don’t think many folks are talking about ‘intensity’ related to content creation, but it’s a phantom road block for some organizations. They believe they have to be producing blockbuster pieces of content or shelling out new insights on the daily.
And there are usually two reactions I see when companies are discussing their content plans:
- Reaction A: “We’re so behind the 8-ball, our blog is practically empty,…” and they get so dejected that they can’t get the momentum to start.
- Reaction B: “Let’s plan a 12-episode podcast series where we interview industry stakeholders combined with an AMA segment for our product designers…” and suddenly you are committed to a content plan that is suffocatingly tough to execute and is built around little evidence that it will even be of interest to listeners. Or worse yet, you’re doubling down on a content form that prospects might not typically consume. 😑
The point is that you need to start somewhere, and you need to plan to be consistent. You don’t have to tie yourself down with a concrete 12-month content plan, but at least get an outline in place to get the ball rolling.
Then, once you take off the content training wheels, it’s time to ramp up. At that point, you’ll start forming habits around a content production process, repurposing, SEO best practices, and a distribution strategy that lets you work smarter, not harder.
But in the meantime…
Start small. Stay consistent. And just get that content flywheel starting to spin.
Three Interesting Finds
1. Everybody Writes
There is a lot of ‘meh’ writing advice in the world. But Anne Handley ain’t having it.
Her updated edition of ‘Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content’ is now out. You better believe I was on that pre-order list. 🙌🏼
2. Be nimble
September 17th 2022
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Shane Parrish is on the money again with this knowledge drop.
As it relates to content, this is a valuable pillar of any strategy. Simply start and be willing to recognize that you’ll learn over time what content resonates and what contest is a waste of time. Metrics, feedback, and customer or prospect insights will guide you.
3. Start ’em young…
In honor of National FFA Convention Week here in Indy and the flood of blue corduroy in my city, I couldn’t help but highlight this neat content nugget:
October 19th 2022
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The practical content experience these students and FFA members are getting from planning, producing, and promoting a podcast is just plain cool. Cheers to the Wilbaux FFA Chapter!
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