Have you noticed the uptick in posts about content planning workshops in your feed roughly every three months?
Sure, there are more of them at the end of the year with people wanting to help you plan your content for the following twelve months, but lots of us run them quarterly. If you need help planning your content, how do you know which one’s right for you?
These are the questions I would consider.
Do you prefer group workshops, 121 coaching, or a combination?
I used to run the planning workshop in small group settings, but I had to stop. Why? Because I was always exhausted at the end. I don’t like using or helping to create one-size-fits-most plans, and trying to give individual support to even just a handful of people in a workshop is tiring.
Also, I found that participants weren’t learning as much from my discussions with others as I’d have hoped. Instead, it sometimes felt like they’d mentally checked out while I was supporting the others.
Now, I only do this work in 121 settings so I can offer each client the support they need. In my Content Club (£50/month), members get a quarterly 121 session with me and group accountability through our cowriting sessions.
What kind of content does the plan focus on?
Content planning means different things for different people. For some coaches, it means a list or calendar full of fairly generic prompts – I now unapologetically roll my eyes when I see someone try to resurrect the great tea or coffee debate. For others, like me, it means planning three longer pieces (usually blog posts) that can be broken up into shorter pieces, alongside some less generic prompts.
The small business world is a big place. There’s room for both kinds of content and both kinds of content creators.
I prefer the focus on three blog posts that can be easily repurposed because those pieces are usually evergreen, or at least perennial. Also, I know my audience prefer content with more substance than you get from a one-size-fits-all content calendar.
Those calendars tend to reproduce what you get on sites that list the ‘national days’ – like this one, which is based in the US and tells me things like 24 February is national tortilla chip day. I like tortilla chips, but I don’t think concocting a tortured connection between them and writing is going to help my writing, my business, or, most importantly, my readers.
So, when you’re choosing a content planning workshop, think about what kind of content you like to read and write, and pick one that will support you to write that.
What I meant by ‘less generic prompts’?
Let me explain. I give my clients a document that contains twelve prompts for behind-the-scenes/get-to-know-you style prompts with examples (my response to the prompt, which I post on my socials). Here’s one of the prompts (and example):
Prompt 5: Take your work on the road
If you work in cafes, take a picture of your coffee and laptop next time and post about it – make sure you tag the café, especially if it’s an independent shop!
To stay safe, don’t say how close it is to your house and post about it after you leave the café!
Example:
It’s been so dark and rainy this year, I needed to get out of the house, so I headed into central Southsea to my favourite café, Southsea Coffee (https://www.instagram.com/southseacoffee).
The coffee and food are both delicious, but I really love it because the first time I went there was after my husband and I met our cats for the first time. The kittens were in foster care with their mum, Poppy, at the time – they turned 2 last Friday!
Since it brings back happy memories, it always raises my mood. Once the caffeine and café worked their magic, I was able to focus and drafted my article for Scandalous Books for this week (link in the comments).
Where do you work when your usual space just isn’t working for you?
As you can see, the prompts are designed to invite the writer to reveal a bit about their life and personality, without sharing too much. Here, you learn I like coffee and cats, and I sometimes work in cafés.
Next step
If you're ready to stop planning to be more visible and actually be more visible, check out my Content Club (£50/month or £500/year). In the Content Club. It gives you the knowledge, support, and accountability you need:
- All new members will start with an initial planning session where we'll discuss how you want to be visible over the following quarter.
- Monthly workshops where I teach you my easy step-by-step processes and help you think strategically about how to use your content to work smarter, not harder.
- 1 30-minute 121 coaching session per month.
- Up to 5 hours of cowriting on Zoom each week to help you stay motivated – the clients who attend these regularly (not all of them, but regularly) are consistently visible; the ones who don't rarely break out of the planning stage.
- Access to all of my past workshops and other resources for content creators.