Why I stopped being snooty about social media templates

I’m not proud of this…

But I used to feel frustrated with people who complained my content planner didn’t include pre-written social media posts.?

Didn’t they understand that this wasn't a content strategy? That they couldn’t just post the same stuff?as every other business owner - and expect it to 'work' for their business.

Of course they did… but that didn’t mean they had the time to create endless social media posts.

The problem was…they didn’t seem to have the time to learn how to create engaging content either.

Providing content 'prompts' helped (i.e. post ideas/topics).

But some of my clients were still spending hours staring at a blank screen wondering how to get started. And/or second guessing/doubting themselves.

So I set about finding a way to provide content templates that could be adapted for different types of businesses.?And were not just a 'cookie cutter' solution - like those packs of Canva templates you can buy and adapt to your own brand colours.

I wanted to create content templates that would also show people how to structure their social media posts, blogs, newsletters and videos i.e. how to start, finish…and what to put in the middle.?And also 'train' them how to create stylish, succinct copy...while they were doing it.

The surprising solution

The answer came from a surprising place: my former careers.

As a secondary school teacher, I created ‘writing frames’ to help students write essays, letters and speeches etc

Later, as a journalist & editor, I created frameworks to help journalists structure?their articles (even the best reporters can struggle to structure their thoughts)?

And when you give someone a framework/template i.e. show them how to start, finish & what?to put in the middle they find it SO much easier to get off the blank page?

And that’s what gave me the idea for my fill-in-the gaps content templates….

I’ve now created (& tested) thousands of templates - for social media posts, blogs, newsletters,?sales pages, email lead magnets, videos and other essential business content...you name it, I’ve got a template for it.?

Why content templates aren't cheating (the 'right' ones anyway)

I'm still not fan of those 'cookie cutter' content template kits - because they don't teach you anything about content.

I like to think of my content templates as being like ‘stabilisers’ on a bike. Typically clients stick to them quite closely to start with. But as they gain confidence in their content creation, they need them less (and even start to create their own) - and that's when you hear their 'voice' start to emerge.

I’m SO glad I stopped being snooty about content templates. Because my 2023 Courageous Content Planner & Content Kit contains 1000+ templates for social media posts, blogs, email newsletters and other essential business content.

If you’d like to try them I’ve got 100+ fill-in-the-gaps?December?social media post templates for you. I don’t normally sell them separately but you can nab them for just ￡9.97 for just 48 hours (i.e. until 5pm on Friday 2 December (GMT). Click here to grab them (and yes the link IS supposed to open in messenger).

Janet Murray is a content strategist, author &?podcaster ?who helps coaches, consultants & entrepreneurs build authority in their industry through engaging thought leadership content. Her?2023 Courageous Content Planner & Content Kit ?will help you create your content strategy for 2023 and includes 1000+ fill-in-the-gaps content templates (for social media posts, blogs and newsletters) to save you tons of time on content creation). You can save 10% with the code LI10.