Create content by not creating content.

It's all too hard, so you don't start doing it at all.

That's the trouble with content creation. The fact that you have to create content in the first place.

You're already too busy.

You don't have the skills.

You have no idea what to talk about.

You'd rather not do it.

So you don't.

And nothing changes.

I've given up telling people to create content online because I know that they won't do it.

I can create all the simple frameworks and tiny processes I want for them, and they still won't do it, because they just don't want to.

They know that should be doing it. There's a part of them that even accepts that it's good for them.

But they still don't do it.

And that's the problem with bringing any change into your life or business or job. It's the change itself.?

And no amount of motivation or inspiration is going to change that.

But then, there's some people who do get inspired, do change and do create content - and some of it is excellent.

The first problem is the act of creating content. So don't do it.

Content creation is a process.

1. Come up with a topic.
2. Write something about that topic.
3. Find, create or record something do go with that writing.
4. Work out when to post it.
5. Post it and wait to see if anyone likes it.?

And so you will sit down at a desk and start brainstorming with yourself about what to choose total about, give in about ten minutes and walk away with nothing.

It's a really negative process to undergo for a lot of people. And when people like me start describing it as "simple" and "you'll pick it up in no time" it feels like you're either being gaslighted by us, or there's something that you're simply not getting about it that's stopping you from doing it.?

So here's the first thing you should do if this is you.

Stop creating content.

Just stop.

Don't sit down and think of a topic. Don't write anything out. Don't try to talk to a video camera. Just stop.

That's it?

Well, of course not.

After all, you still need something to put online if you're ever going to participate in the one market that you can access without a sales rep selling you space on a television or radio station that almost no one is listening to or watching anymore.?

So you've got to create content. But you've also got to not create content.

Huh?

Let me explain.

Creating content means that you're taking time out of your work to create content. And we already know that you aren't going to do that.?

So what do you do instead?

You pair your content creation with what you're already doing.

For example, right now, I am writing a newsletter. And at the same time I'm recording a bunch of videos of me creating this newsletter.

As I am writing the newsletter, I am occasionally turning my camera phone around and recording me doing different parts of the newsletter.

I'm not talking or performing. I'm just hitting record and then doing what I would normally be doing.

I'm not setting up a scene or cleaning my desk and doing anything differently than I'd normally do. I'm just writing a newsletter.

And it took me five minutes to edit it for Instagram Reels and again for TikTok and it's out there.

I didn't create content - I wrote a newsletter.

I just happened to have my phone handy to record a little of it.

Isn't that a little boring?

Well, of course, it is.

I mean - watch it below...

It took me a few minutes to record, edit and put online, so it's not going to be a work of art. But you know what it is?

It's a piece of content that holds a message, shows what I do, shows a bit of my personality and reminds my followers that there is a human behind the posts.

All for a few minutes of disruption while I was doing something that I already do.

I used my phone and propped it on a box to get the right angle and hit record.?

No staging. No set ups. No talking to the camera.

Just a piece of my Saturday as I was rushing to write my weekly newsletter.

Not creating content, but turning my phone camera on to record something I was already doing.

Does this kind of content work?

I recently started following a content creation coach on YouTube. He's not going to be to everyone's taste - for me there's too much Jesus stuff in his videos, but that's who he is - he's a Jesus guy. But I don't watch him for that.

I watch him because he produces high-quality videos that are pretty effortless. He also just sits down and chats with his friends and team members, and they talk about what they do.

He started by pointing his phone camera at his screen and recording what he did to make things, edit videos, and write scripts.

He now has nearly 79,000 subscribers and the video I just watched has 16,000 views. That's pretty good.

And he would tell you that you just need to start from somewhere. You don't even have to be good at it. I'm certainly not. Yet I recently calculated that I've made around $11,000 as a direct result of YouTube in the last four years.

And all I usually do is put up the webinars that I have already delivered. I just make sure Zoom records them, then I download them, edit the start and end and up they go to YouTube.

That got me used to it. Now I make specific videos for YouTube that have a different style and message to them.

They take time and effort to create because I need to take time out of my work to do them. But the webinars? I'm already doing them anyway, so why not record them and use them somewhere else?

So it gets you to thinking, what are you doing each day that you could just record on your phone and put online in a few minutes?

Something you're doing at your desk.

Something you're doing at the job site.

A conversation you're having.

Something you're creating on a computer.

Something you're painting.

Something you're drawing.

Something you're singing.

It could be anything.

Don't talk. Don't prepare. Just record.

That's all for this weekend. Just one short read about how content creation doesn't have to be something you make time for.

If you're not getting value out of these tips, please consider unsubscribing.

I won't mind and there are no hard feelings.

And if you are enjoying this newsletter, the best compliment you could pay me would be to share it with one person who you think would benefit from it.

See you again next week.

Cheers,

Dante

P.S. Here's a few free ways I can lend a hand if you need some help.

One skill that you can start learning today is how to write better online content. My free mini course will get you started. Start learning here.

For some years now, influencer marketing has been the way that leading brands have kept their edge. I look into it more in a free webinar on Monday August 12. Book your place at it here.

For those in Darwin, I'm holding my first low-stim, low-light Low-Kay Networking event on August 21. It's the perfect low-pressure networking event for our more introverted community members. Find out more here.

And here's some of the tools I'm using to get my work done.

I use Brevo to send over 14,000 emails to my subscribers each week. Mailchimp is rubbish, so I use this. Try it out here.

I am a member of only two paid groups. Kate Toon's is one of them. It's not just Kate though - it's her community. Find out more here.

Notion is my second brain. I organise my notes, thoughts and writing there. I even write my newsletter using it. Try it out for free here.

I've been using Neuron Writer for over a year. I now have over 100 articles ranking on Google because of it. Get it here.

Very few books will cause me to make a massive u-turn on what I'm doing in life and business. The Art of Focus by Dan Koe it one. Get it here.

Motion is the calendar I use to bring all my calendars together. It's also how people book time with me. Check it out here.