How to post consistently (and stay sane doing it!)

?? We all know the number one rule of any social media platform is to post cOnSiStEnTlY.

But what does this really look like?

???? And, more importantly, how the hell do you actually do it?

?? As ever, I'm here with a ramble along with some coaching questions at the end to help you figure out how to apply the theory.

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WHY POST CONSISTENTLY AT ALL?

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?? Let’s start with the most obvious point; if you post consistently on social media, you raise the chances of your stuff being seen.

But notice my careful phrasing there:

“you raise the chances…”

???? That’s basic maths – if you post 10 times, you have 10 chances for a connection to see a post versus posting one.

BUT thanks to our dear friend The Algorithm, frequency is not the only part of the equation.

Frequently posting shite content is not a recipe for success, because it’ll push people away rather than attract them.

A lot of people mistake CONSISTENCY for FREQUENCY and they are not the same thing:

???? FREQUENCY means doing something often.

???? CONSISTENCY means doing something to the same level.

So, a more significant part of CONSISTENCY pertains to the QUALITY of the content you put out.

I’ve spoken about this in a previous edition [Why you should stop posting every day] so I won’t elaborate too much more on that here.

But my point is that posting consistently is more about quality than quantity.

?? The trick, then, is to find your sweet spot where you can post frequently enough to stay on LinkedIn’s good side as an ‘active user’ (immediately getting you into the top 1% of people on the platform) whilst maintaining consistent quality.

?? So, how do you do the latter?

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HOW TO POST CONSISTENTLY WELL

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Quick disclaimer here: everything that follows is completely SUBJECTIVE.

As with any form of creativity, there is no objective, definitive measure of GOOD or BAD content – there are only opinions.

That said, in my experience as both a voracious content creator and exuberant coach of fellow creators, I think creating GOOD CONTENT involves a combination of things:

????? the skill, creativity, and style of the creator

???? the nature, tone, and construction of the piece

???? the people consuming the content

???? the general zeitgeist (or ‘mood-of-the-moment') which provides the broader societal context into which the content is unleashed

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?? That last point is a particularly crucial one, and something that people are quick to overlook; the importance of TIMING.

?Timing is huge in business overall - a lot of us can acknowledge that. But it’s also important in terms of the content we put out there.

?? As an example, consider this: ?if someone were to put out a light-hearted post taking the piss out of the city-next-door, it would probably be taken as a joke...

?? ... but if a natural disaster, terrorist attack or otherwise hideous event had just occurred to said neighbour, suddenly that same piece of content would take on a very different tone.

Because, where content is involved,

context is crucial.

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So, with all of the above in mind, how is it even possible to post consistently well?

The truth is, it's hard. It's not just about you as a human and your ability to churn out creative content on a regular basis (although we can all agree, that's challenging enough!)

Truly great content means meeting people where they're at and creating content which resonates, either because:

???? it solves a problem which they have

???? they recognise themselves in what you've said

???? it gives them some kind of emotional reaction

???? or because they just appreciated the post

THIS is where the really skillful content creators differentiate themselves. To a certain extent, they remove themselves from the equation.

It's less about "What content do I want to put out?" and more about "What content do people want to see?"

?? If you always start with your audience in mind, your content will improve dramatically, because it means you'll always have an audience and they'll be far more likely to engage. ?

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? COACHING QUESTIONS ?

? What would you like to achieve with your content today? Are you trying to make people laugh? Help them get to know you? Or share your expertise so they can learn something useful?

? What anecdote could you tell to help do this? (Telling a story is often more compelling than simply making a point, so paint a picture to help illustrate your point.)

? View your content back and ask yourself objectively ‘does this hit the mark of what I’m trying to achieve?’ You might be surprised how many times this simple sense-check can improve your content. Always worth reviewing before posting.

If you ask any regular content creator what they think of their previous posts, they’ll likely tell you they would make some changes.??

?? In fact, they’d probably go harder than that’ most regular posters will tell you that 90% of their previous posts are red hot garbage and they’d sell their soul to Satan (or equivalent) for half a chance of taking it all back

?? because ‘Artists.’

But as creators, we are constantly learning, adapting, and hopefully improving, so don't pile the pressure on yourself to aim for anything profound, lifechanging or epic here:

Aiming for GOOD content is good enough.?

-- Alice Lyons ?? ??

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???CONTENT COACHING OVER COFFEE?is here to give you weekly ideas to up your posting game on LinkedIn so you can get your good work out there ??

?? If you'd like more detailed support, I offer?1:1 content coaching?starting from ￡180 for a 90-minute breakthrough session.

?? To have a chat about how we could work together, just send me a dm, or?book a 20-minute coffee chat with me here.