One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from clients and other small business owners is, “So how long does it take you to write your newsletter, blog posts, social media updates, e-books etc etc?”
As they ask this question a look of pain and anguish spreads across their face.
I get it. Creating content can be time consuming and often frustrating.
It used to take me days to write one blog post and I would continually write and re-write my weekly newsletter.
But the good news is that the more you write the easier it becomes and in this post I’m going to share with you my secret writing tips that help me to quickly create quality content for all different platforms.
You sit down at your computer and a blank document stares back at you.
Your internal dialogue then kicks into gear and you hear yourself saying “Oh god…here we go again. I’m not a writer. It takes me so long and I don’t know what to say.”
Sound familiar?
It’s vital to pay attention to what your internal dialogue or ‘mean girl’ is saying, and re-write your script.
When I’m feeling like this I write out my intention, which usually goes like this, “The words will flow effortlessly through my fingertips. I will enjoy writing my xyz and it will be done in a flash!”
See how I re-wrote my script?
The next time you sit down to write content for your business, focus on creating a positive intention before you commence writing. It really works!
I’m a strategy nut and everything I write has some type of purpose…and this should be the case for you too.
So when you sit down to write something, your starting point should be strategy.
Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of this piece of content?”
Do you want to educate your audience by sharing a recipe? Do you want to get a new website visitor to sign up to your newsletter? Do you want your readers to engage and leave a comment on your blog post?
When you’re clear on the ‘why’ behind your writing, you will find content creation a whole lot easier!
If you’re a perfectionist like me you may like to edit your words as you go.
But PLEASE DON’T!
Continually editing as you write has two major pitfalls:
Try and curb the temptation to write a sentence or a paragraph and then edit the eyes out of it.
Instead, write what’s coming through you and then if a better sentence or idea comes up, continue writing that.
Just don’t stop, delete you work and re-write the new killer idea that’s popped into your head!
It wastes time and hijacks your creativity!
Just let it all flow out of you, as ugly and messy as it may seem…then edit at the END!
One of the biggest complaints I hear from clients and other entrepreneurs is that they simply don’t know what to write.
Oh I hear you!
Coming up with new, relevant and useful content on a continual basis can be tricky!
That’s where a ‘swipe file’ comes into play!
When ever you have a great idea for a piece of content (and I’m sure you have them often), write it down and save it somewhere.
You could have all your ideas in a simple notebook, in a word document or use the awesome Evernote app.
I come up with ideas as I’m walking to and from places or on the train, so I enter all my ideas into the notes app on my iPhone.
Also, if you see other inspiring articles, interviews, blog posts, newsletters that resonate with you and could be adapted to your own business, save them!
Another great tip is to think of the questions you receive from your customers or clients on a regular basis and write about those.
Having content ideas on hand definitely helps you to create valuable content fast!
This sounds confusing, right? But stick with me for a minute!
I’m one of those people who needs to dedicate time to writing content. I look at my week and allocate specific periods of certain days to writing (Sunday’s it’s social media posts, Monday/Tuesday I work on blog posts and newsletter content and I always work on client copywriting projects in the morning when I’m feeling fresh!).
I need time and space to fully absorb myself in my writing so I can focus, avoid getting stressed and create valuable content.
But on the other hand, I’ve realised that I also have to give myself a deadline.
If I have all day to write something, I will fill that time and it will take me all day to write!
To keep me on track I give myself a time limit to complete a specific writing project.
A great tool I use is an online countdown timer. Or if you’re keen on the Pomodoro Technique the free Tomato Timertool is excellent and helps you create content fast!
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So there’s 5 secrets to quickly writing high quality for your business! If you implement even just one of these tips into your content creation practice I’m sure you’ll find the process more productive and enjoyable.
Do you have any content writing secrets you’d like to share? I’d love to read them in the comments below!
Also, if you found my content creation tips helpful, make sure you sign up to my in-person ‘Copy That Connects’ Workshop that I’m running in Hong Kong on 25th June!
In addition to learning even more writing secrets I’ll also teach you how to write online copy that converts leads into sales! So make sure you sign up ASAP!
You can find all the workshop details and purchase your ticket here!
Love,
