Content Machine

Table of contents

1. So, I kinda built a “Content Machine”.
2. Why would I build that?
3. Inspirations
4. Does it work?
5. Who might find it useful?
6. What does it look like?
7. Link to the Notion

1?? So, I kinda built a “Content Machine”.

A system. A method. An approach.?

To put content out there, especially when it seems you never have time to write.

This is not a spam machine. It’s not about mass-producing content.

It’s about being efficient, organized, agile, pragmatic.

• Knowing what you should work on (and why).
• Removing friction: hesitations, downtime, procrastination, etc.
• Reaching and staying in a state of flow. Working in small doses often (instead of a lot sometimes).

2?? But why?

I love that kind of side-projects.?In the past two years, I’ve been more and more into them.

My three favorites?

• Write 100 000 words in 90 days
• 60 days to learn to make how-to videos
• 21 days without sugar, alcohol, or coffee

After a few years, I’ve started to realize that a lot of good things in my life (job opportunities, new perspective, personal growth, etc.) are actually by-products of this kind of weird side-projects or experiments.

3?? Inspirations behind the content machine

?? The Gamification project from @ConradLin

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, stop reading this and go check it out.

Short version: amazing ideas to gamify one’s life, using Notion.

?? My experience working in Content Ops.

I’ve been working in content marketing in France since 2008. In the last few years, I’ve been more and more focusing on what we call “Content Ops”.

Meaning: “I help people working on content-related projects be more efficient”, whether their job revolves around content or it’s more of a side project.

?? Agile Marketing

I’m a huge advocate of agile mindset & tactics. Kanban, sprints, continuous amelioration, multiple iterations, relative estimations, retrospectives, trusting the ground truth (rather than a 5 years plan), etc.

I know “agile” may sound counterintuitive when it comes to creating content.

We’re more used to the “Big Bang” approach.

• Take one piece of content at a time
• Throw oneself at it
• Make it a big production
• Survive the waterfall of validations & decisions by committee
• Go for a high profile launch
• Take a breath
• Then jump to the next project

That’s how most people imagine content should be created. And it may make sense when you are talking about writing a book or shooting a big production film. For a start, you can’t do iterations: you can’t publish a first version of your content then rapidly iterate on it.

But in content marketing, you can. And you can also use a lot of (if not all) agile tactics to be more efficient and pragmatic.

4?? Does the machine work?

I put 48 hours of work into it, and I got out:

• 17 articles
• 26 LinkedIn posts
• 13 diagrams / “illustrations”
• 3 videos

Full list available at the end of this article, but (sorry in advance) all content was written in french.

No matter.

The point is not “how much content I made”, but “what I made compared to what I usually do in the same amount of time”.

And on that front, I’m really pleased with the result.

• I managed to write down a lot of things I usually never have time to.
• I got great feedback from colleagues and confreres.
• It allowed me to be discovered by people who share my interest and to meet them.

5?? Who might find this content machine useful?

Everyone working on content-related projects.

This content machine is probably useless if you are working on more “artistic” projects (e.g. you are working on a book, a script, etc.).

But if you have a specific goal in mind and you want to use content to achieve it (generate leads, smooth conversions, develop your personal branding, etc.), I think this Notion can bring you a lot.

Even if you are not using the Notion and just cherry-picking amongst the principles behind it.

6?? So, what does it look like?

The end result is a Notion, composed of three parts.

1. Blueprint. Figuring out what content you should create and why.
2. Motor. Building whatever you may need to create and publish content.
3. Energy. Finding your rhythm and setting you up so that you can stay motivated and in a state of flow.

?? Phase 1: Blueprint

?? What?

Nine sets of questions you should ask yourself if you intend to use content to get results.

You’ll need a bit of introspection, some analysis, and at least 3-5 conversations with real people.

?? Why?

In the last 12 years working in content marketing, I’ve met lots of people who were “stuck” on content-related projects (professional or personal).

• “I can’t finish writing this post.”
• “I have too many ideas, and they don’t mesh together.”
• “I’m not sure what I should be writing about.”
• “We’ve put a lot of content out there, but nobody seems to care.”
• “I can see that this content ‘is not working’, but I can’t figure why.”

The problem is always the same. It’s never because of a lack of experience, writing skills, budget, time, or resources…

You are stuck because you don’t know where you are going. Not really. Not truly.

You don’t know what you want (in terms of results). You don’t know what your audience wants (what they care about, how they consume content, where they hang out...).

The thing is, you cannot be stuck in content marketing. Ever. You cannot hesitate about what you should write. You cannot have writer’s block.

That’s just impossible.

These things can only happen when the content is an end by itself. When you are writing your memoirs for example or poetry, or when you are making art.

Writing a novel or a story or a script for a film is helluva hard. Where do you start? You are in front of a blank canvas. You need to make choices. And you are all alone.

By comparison, content marketing is so much simpler.?

If the content is a mean (not an end), then it’s more like mathematics. All the variables are already there. You don’t have to “create” things from scratch: you are just going to connect points.

There is the organization you are working for.

There is the audience you want to have a conversation with.

And that’s it.

Content Marketing is just a form of marketing. And marketing is...

1. Understanding a business.
2. Understanding an audience.
3. Build something that creates a genuine connection between both of them.

The Blueprint part of the machine is a simple framework to get you through that.

?? Phase 2: Motor

?? What?

A checklist of things you might need to build to create or publish content.

• Where are you going to publish?
• Do you need to write down some quick guidelines?
• What exactly will you need to build to make sure your content will end in your audience’s hands?
• Do you have what you need to measure results?
• Etc.

?? Why?

The idea is to kill as many of these tasks as possible in one go so that you can really focus on content. Make sure they don’t become later a distraction or an excuse to procrastinate.

Still, you need to be careful and not overdo it. This is an 80/20 situation. What’s the bare minimum you need to set in place if you want to be efficient later?

?? Phase 3: Energy

?? What?

My favorite part. Now that the machine is set up, let’s run it.

This one uses several tricks and best practices I've found helpful when working on content.

They roughly fall into three categories.

• Finding your rhythm
• Maintaining the flow when you are working
• Using gamification principles to keep motivation high

?? Rhythm

When should you work, on what, and for how long?

One key aspect that makes the machine so efficient is to know your rhythm and work accordingly.

There are 4 core principles.

1?? “One task at a time” and “Group similar tasks”.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m at peak efficiency when working on similar tasks in batches.

• Do research
• Create outlines
• Write first drafts
• Edit drafts
• Etc.

I’ve found out I’m far more efficient when I work with an “assembly line” mindset.?

I mean, when I do a batch of tasks (e.g., “Outlines”) for multiples articles. Rather than trying to do each step for one piece (Research > Outlines > Draft > Edit > Etc.) in sequential order, then jumping to the next one.

First, because they are always downtime in my line of work.

Second, because my mind seems to work slower when I have to switch a lot between tasks.

Third, because there are moments of the day when I’m more apt to certain tasks. And that’s the next principle.

2?? “Know your biorhythm”.

On a typical day, I tend to have...

• my best ideas early in the morning
• energy and confidence to write from scratch between 09h00 and 13h00
• the right mindset for editing, meetings or pure execution between 14h00 and 17h00
• open-mindness to learn at the end of the day.

That’s just mine. I think we all have different biorhythms. I know figuring mine helped me a lot.?

Sure, you often have to make concessions (start the day with a meeting, for example), but knowing yourself is half the battle.

3?? “Do a little / often, instead of a lot / sometimes”

I feel Austin Kleon explains it best.

Austin Kleon, Steal like an Artist

I’ve tried both methods.

I’ve tried “doing a little every day”.

And I’ve tried the other way. Procrastinating until a small part of my mind decides it’s enough. Throwing myself at work and gulping too much in one sitting. Resulting in me crashing into a new period of procrastination until the next outburst.

Again, might be just me, but I know which method worked best.

4?? “Show up every day”

It’s Steven Pressfield’s “War of Art” that helped me understand this one.

“There is a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.” — Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

I’m not a very disciplined person. I’m not the kind of worker who can easily summon their willpower to sit in front of their work, come rain or shine.

But I became one.

Thanks to side projects and new habits.

Turns out, discipline is a muscle. Even if you were born without much of it, you can train.

You just need to show up. Every day. Create a routine and apply it. No excuses.

It’s okay if my writing is subpar. It’s okay if my ideas are lame or feel recycled. It’s okay if people laugh because of my crappy content.

There is only one thing that’s not okay: skipping the work.

?? That’s where the Notion comes in handy

The calendar is one half of it. Every day, do something, no matter how little. Create a card for the day, note how much time you spent on it. And watch cards accumulate.

It might seem counterintuitive, “Doing things for the sake of doing things”, but it works.

You don’t want to break the line. That’s the magic of the Senfield strategy.?

Once you have found your pace, you can start optimizing what you are working on. (And the rest of the machine helps you do just that.)

The backlog is the other half. A simple kanban to prioritize which content you are working on. And what stage you are at.

• As many columns as there are steps you need to complete a piece of content
• 1 card = 1 piece of content.

Just make sure you always have enough to do in each column. Notion alerts you in the dashboard when you are low on things to do.

The equation is very simple.

“Show up every day” + “Always have something worthwhile to work on” = everything flows

Add

• “Do similar tasks in batch”?
• “Know your biorhythm”

And things become really fun.

?? Flow

The state of flow is kind of a magic, suspended time. You are in the zone. Everything clicks. You are doing your best work, and it almost feels effortless, like being carried by a river.

(Look up Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow theory to dig deeper.)

Bottom line: it’s the optimal kind of state when working on content, both because you are your most productive and because it’s the most enjoyable.

The hard part is experimenting until you find what plunges you into this state.

For me, it’s:

• dead silence (noise-canceling headphones),?
• isolation (not a soul in sight),?
• a clear task (I’m writing an article on X for Y person who needs Z) and
• Pomodoro rhythm.?

I suspect everyone’s different.?

In my case, if I have all 4, I can forget the whole universe and just focus on explaining one piece of information.

?? Gamification and Motivation

I’ve just started exploring gamification methods (so the following might need to be taken with a grain of salt), but the first results were really promising, so here we go.

From what I understand so far, there are at least three key aspects of gamification.

• A clear goal
• Ways to visualize progress
• Rewards for achievement

A clear goal

= Some concrete, measurable, practical end-game. Something you can taste or see and anticipate.

For my 1st iteration of the content machine, I simply put together a makeshift motivational poster via Canva. Nothing fancy, but enough to remind me exactly why I wanted to do that project.

I put the visual at the top of the Notion so that it’d be the first thing I saw every time I opened Notion.

And it did work.

Turns out, “Having a clear why” and “Checking it every day” do help motivation. Who knew?

Ways to visualize progress

Notion really helps to keep track of tasks done, content produced, time invested…

Every task marked as “completed” fills in the corresponding gauge, based on the “size” of the task.

Every minute you spend working and mark in the calendar fills in the gauge in the dashboard. And every content you finish gets tallied in the dashboard.

That might not seem much, but it does works. Seeing those gauges fill up brings satisfaction and keeps you motivated to maintain momentum.

Clear rewards for achievement

Icing on the cake: celebrating milestones and key achievements by rewarding yourself.?

I was reluctant to try this one. Felt infantilizing. And I didn’t see how it could work since my brain should realize I was manipulating myself.

But no. It still works.

I’ll not attempt to explain the theory I’ve read so far, just take my word for me: it works (at least on me).

Having a set of rewards displayed inside the Notion (plus the “condition” to obtain them) did help me keeping motivation high.

7?? Link

Here’s the link to the Notion : https://www.notion.so/Content-Machine-c8f78edbb7124d0da563e981ca838ba5.

Click on “Duplicate” (top right corner) to add it to your own Notion account and be able to edit it.

Notion (and this one in particular) can be owerwhelming if it’s your first time. ??

I highly recommend you start reading the “Start here” page before doing anything.

Thank you so much for reading till here. I really appreciate it.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this. Could be...

• Ideas
• Remarks
• Suggestions
• Questions
• Material to read
• Etc.

I’m not looking for a job. I’m not trying to generate leads. I’m just looking for people to exchange ideas with.

You find it cool? Let me know. You thought it sucks? Tell me. You’ll help me figure out who that kind of content may or may not interest.

Have a great day.

?? Appendices

Here’s the list of content I produced with the 1st try of the machine.

Again, sorry that they are not available in English. I wanted to share this method and the ideas behind it with as many people as possible. And it was easier to test it in my native tongue.

?? Articles

1. Scaler le Customer Success en SaaS?
2. Méthodo : approcher la création d’un nouveau contenu
3. Ne pas penser en “sujet” : penser en “problème”
4. Créer un .gif propre
5. Monter un brief clair, simple et utilisable
6. Knowledge base interne : par quoi commencer ? (Surtout quand on en a déjà une qui ne marche vraiment pas)
7. Knowledge base ? Ou formation ?
8. Knowledge Base : identifier les contenus dont ont le plus besoin les équipes
9. Identifier les questions fréquentes des clients qui méritent un contenu
10. Manager les contenus d’un rules-based chatbot
11. Utiliser la data pour améliorer une knowledge base
12. Customer nurturing : par quoi commencer ?
13. Quelles tactiques pour distribuer du contenu de formation ?
14. Ranger & réorganiser des contenus
15. Demander une relecture / une validation
16. Pour devenir une machine à contenu, il faut penser “en jauges”
17. (Cet article)

?? LinkedIn Post

1. 5 niveaux de vulgarisation?
2. Inspiration : Zapier?
3. Relecture?
4. Inspiration : Camtasia?
5. Inspiration : 5 levels??
6. Inspiration : LinkedIn?
7. Out-care your competition?
8. Inspiration : Asphalte?
9. A la fin de la journée...?
10. Inspiration : Algolia?
11. “Ce que je sais que je sais” vs “Ce que je ne sais pas que je sais”????
12. Inspiration : Whimsical
13. L’empathie, super pouvoir du rédacteur
14. Inspiration : Epicurieux
15. Tips vulgarisation : visualiser son audience
16. Inspiration tuto : le step by step avec un expert
17. L’écriture libre
18. Prends ton temps, ?a ira plus vite
19. La méthode du canard en plastique
20. Se lancer dans des side-projects sans attendre de résultats
21. Ne pas attendre d’être prêt pour commencer à écrire
22. Inspiration tuto : le avant / après
23. Inspiration : Samsung
24. Ecrire pour soi vs Ecrire pour les autres
25. Le problème des phrases longues
26. (Le billet qui a servi à pousser cet article)

?? Diagramm / “Illustrations”

1. Monter une base de connaissance pour les clients?
2. Créer des contenus de formations pour des clients?
3. Formations ? Ou base de connaissances interne ??
4. Customer Nurturing mode d’emploi?
5. “Penser sujet” vs “Penser problème”
6. L’article “Bouille” / SEO Driven
7. Use case “Knowledge base, par où commencer ?”
8. Travailler en jauges
9. Le problème des phrases longues
10. Prends ton temps, ?a ira plus vite
11. A la fin de la journée...?
12. Out-care your competition?
13. 5 niveaux de vulgarisation?

?? Videos

1. Démo : Blueprint
2. Démo : Motor
3. Démo : Energy