How to Create Content for a Blog & Social Media – Your Ultimate Content Creation Checklist
Tired of wasting time creating tons of different content for your website or social media accounts that doesn’t get traction and doesn’t really flow together? Wouldn’t it be great if you could create 1 piece of content and use it across multiple platforms? It’s possible, here’s how to create content for a blog & social media that drives traffic in a strategic way for your website and saves you time over creating multiple pieces of content for different platforms.
You can also get our handy Content Creation Checklist for a quick handy guide to help you leverage your content creation efforts. Read on to learn how and get the checklist below.
Tips to create higher quality content for your blog & social media
1. Create Your Core Content Using Video
To really leverage your time and create content that you can use across your blog, social media and more you have to start with a core piece of content. We recommend using video. You can create one video and from that video, take it, split it apart, and create on average over 10+ pieces of content so that you’ll be utilizing your time the best way possible and not be wasting efforts in your marketing.
So the first thing that you’re going to want to do if you want to REALLY leverage your content is create one core video. So with that core video, it’s important that you pick a topic that people are actually interested in. Don’t just create something random, really be strategic about what you do, have it be related to your business, something you do to help people.
Create a video that’s 10 to 20 minutes long. Yes, you read that right – not 1 minute, not 5 minutes – 10-20.
And why should you have it 10 to 20 minutes long is because that is the ideal length for people on YouTube and Podcasts. They will sit and watch or listen to something for 10 to 20 minutes before they’re kind of done and they move on. Think commute times here especially if you want to do podcasting – no one is going to sit and listen to hour+ podcasts all the time.
You can use your phone with a good microphone, your laptop, or a full blown digital camera.
Once you’ve created this core video, then you can take that and create so much other content from it.
Let’s go step by step how you can do this.
2. Then, Edit The Video
The next thing that you’re going to do after you create that core video is to edit the video. You’re going to take out the “ums”, the dead space, the, ”I forgot what I was saying”, those types of things you’re going to edit out. This isn’t an on the fly Facebook Live, this is thought out content that sets you up as a professional in your industry.
If you have never used video editing software, there are some great ones out there that I recommend.
Screencastify is a great one. It’s super simple and easy to use. It’s an easy and simple way to record a video and then edit out sections.
You could use editing software such as Wondershare Filmora or if you’re recording on your phone there is IMovie or others for android.
You are going to get the video edited, add your logo overlay or add intro if you want and then save it in 2 different formats. You want an MP4 file (creates the video file) and you want to save it as an MP3 file (which gives you the audio content should you want to use it as a podcast).
3. Next Step, Transcribe the Video
We are going to have the video transcribed next so we can use the content as a blog.
If you’ve never done transcription service, there’s some great one’s out there. I always use Temi.com, it’s a really simple system to use.
You upload your video or your audio file and usually within 5 minutes you’ll have a transcription back in. It’s like a Dragon software where it’s just going to turn it into a document for you and you can export it as a pdf or Word doc. Then you’ll be able to edit that down the line.
It gives you the whole transcription all at one time and it’s really great because to transcribe a video yourself, generally it will take hours to do a 20-minute video because you are having to stop it all the time to write and make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Using Temi.com is super affordable. It’s less than 10 cents a minute and it makes the process go so much faster as we get to the next steps. So that’s what I do next.
4. Then Create Mini Clips of Your Video
The next step in the process for me is to go back and break up that edited video into two to three minutes segments if possible. Sometimes up to four to six minutes, depending on the topic and depending on if I can really pull things together.
So when you’re creating content if you don’t create with a plan or at least an outline for where it’s going to go and what the point of the video is, you’re just kind of wasting your time in my opinion.
But if you’ll plan and have a process of what you want watchers and visitors to do, then you can come back and really pull that video apart and create all kinds of content from it.
So at this point, I go through and I edit small video clips to be able to post onto Facebook, to be able to post in other areas and make it really simple to do my content rather than recreating something for each platform.
Understand that if you want to spend less time doing your social media, you need to have a better system in place.
Content Pieces #1-3 Done!
5. Next Create Graphics
After I’ve broken that 20 minute video up into smaller sections, then my next step is to go back and I create graphics in Canva or in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, whatever you have or whatever you want to use.
You’re going to create a YouTube thumbnail because we want to upload our video to YouTube. Eventually we’re going to create a Twitter picture. We’re going to create a few Instagram pictures. We’re going to create a few LinkedIn pictures. We’re going to create a few Facebook pictures as well, and also a Pinterest graphic or two.
We want to do this so that we are making the most of our time and we’re publishing to everywhere without it being overwhelming. You can get overwhelmed when you’re doing social media and creating all this content and there is a lot to do.
But the problem is so often that we create content for one platform and then we get overwhelmed. Now I have to go figure something out over here and now I have to go figure something out over there! But if you plan strategically, you can create one piece of content that could go everywhere!
If you use Canva and pay for an account with them there is a magic resize button that can take one graphic and turn it into a graphic for each platform. Totally worth $13/month if you are using it enough. Adobe Illustrator can’t do that!
After I’ve created those graphics, I can then move on to the next step and it makes the process go faster because I’ve already done the pre work that I need for the next steps.
6. Upload Your Video to YouTube
So the next step in the process is to upload your video to YouTube. Why here and not writing the blog first? Because I am all about saving steps! If you upload your video first then you will have the embed link for your blog post already rather than having to come back later and remember to add it in.
When you upload to YouTube you need to make sure that you use keywords in your title and description. In your description, you’re going to have a link to your website (specifically to the blog you will create is even better).
We’re also going to use a custom thumbnail (that we created in the last step) because if you’ve ever used YouTube and you’ve uploaded videos, you know that the weirdest thumbnails are generally the ones that they pick out of your video. Generally, it’s the ones where you’re like, “ah, I’m crazy!”, and you don’t want THAT to be your thumbnail. You want it to look more professional, more branded to your business.
Make sure you use tags, which are basically keywords that people would be searching to find your video.
Content Piece #4 Done!
7. Now, Create Your Blog
The next step in being able to use this one piece of content for several platforms is to then go and create a blog post.
Why would you want to go create a blog post rather than just going to say Facebook or Instagram or Pinterest or whatever and creating content there you might ask?
The point of all businesses is drive traffic back to your website. You want people to come to you, you don’t want to be trying to sell them somewhere else. It’s important to bring them back to you, to your website, to your content to fill in a lead form.
If you don’t have quality content on your site getting people to stay on your site is going to be really hard to do.
At this stage you’re going to use that transcription that we did and use some of the graphics we created in previous steps and create your blog post. You’re going to clean it up because you talk differently than you write! So just posting an exact copy of that transcription isn’t going to be great. It might be okay, but you probably want to actually go in and clean that up a little bit and make it flow.
You’re going to want to give it titles. You’re going to want to use keywords. You’re going to want to add pictures in. You’re going to want to embed the video that you did, talking about that topic as well, into your blog post. Go in and create a blog post next and then you can publish that or schedule it out so that you have content in the pipeline if that’s what you choose to do.
Content Piece #5 Done!
8. Upload Your MP3 File to Your Podcast Platform of Choice
Remember that MP3 file we did in the first step? That’s your audio file and it is great for Podcasts. There are all kinds of different podcasting platforms, I use Anchor and it’s a great beginner platform. It’s not overly complicated, it’s really simple to us.
Anchor can push podcasts out to multiple platforms without you even thinking about it.
Be sure to add a link back to your blog! Exposure is everything!
Content Piece #6 Done!
9. Next, Pin Your Blog Post on Pinterest To Get Extra Exposure
A lot of affluent people use Pinterest and they are looking for specific things when they use Pinterest.
And so it’s a great place for businesses. It is not just for the people that want to save a recipe or do crafts anymore. It is for businesses as well.
Make sure you’re on Pinterest.
Do you have a business page? You want one so you can track analytics and all of that. So be sure you create a specific pin that is unique, not just a random picture or anything like that. Make sure you link it back to your website.
That’s going to give you a back link. And it’s going to help advertise that you have an updated blog. Be sure to use Keywords in the title and description as well as link back to your blog – don’t miss this step!
Content Piece # 7 Done!
10. After Pinterest, Schedule Posts To Facebook
Facebook is where a lot of people are depending on your age range. So it just depends on the audience that you have on whether you should be on Facebook for your business or not. Facebook people tend to want to scroll more and more quickly.
Facebook users want the highlights. You’re not going to put a 20 minute on Facebook, you’re going to want to put a 2-4, maybe even 6-minute video on Facebook.
So what I do when I post a blog, the first day, I am going to go and I’m going to do a post about that blog and I’m going to have a link back to my website to that blog.
Day two, three, four, five – I’m going to do something a little bit different than I did that first day.
There are reasons for this and I’ll talk you through it.
So with Facebook, they don’t like you sending people to other platforms or out of their platform. And so you’re not going to post a YouTube link in Facebook. You’re going to want to upload video natively.
Remember those short video clips we did? This is what they are for. Facebook algorithms like to see video content. You could also do a live with a short snippet of what your blog is about that week.
Or you can add graphics (previously created) and take pieces of your blog posts to use as content in your posts.
You want to mix it up throughout the week, but you’re also going to link back to that first post about your blog with the 1 link out to your blog rather than a daily link out because that way you’re keeping them on Facebook. Which Facebook likes. .
You can also schedule those out all at one time so you’re not spending every day in the social media platforms. You can schedule it out for the week and be done. Super easy. Super simple. Makes it nice.
For Facebook I generally can create 1-3 video’s and use 2-3 snippets of content from my blog – Bringing my content count up by another 2-3 Pieces.
Already at 10 Pieces of Content at this point!
11. Post Information About Your Blog to LinkedIn
I do more B2B type a services, and LinkedIn is a great platform for me. That doesn’t always make sense if you’re say selling say lotions to women, those types of things.
I will generally go and I’ll post a link to the blog on LinkedIn. Then I will post once or twice, maybe three times throughout the week, just snippets of that blog that will then lead them back out. LinkedIn, it doesn’t care if people leave their site like Facebook does.
Content Pieces #11-12 Done!
Use the same graphics as you did for Facebook and you’ll be fine.
12. Create Posts for Instagram To Advertise Your Blog
On Instagram you’re going to do things a little bit differently than you went on LinkedIn or Facebook or Pinterest. It’s very visual. So you want a good visual graphic and you’re going to put pieces of your blog content in your post. Keep it short, use your hashtags, do those things that will help people see it.
You’re also going to want to make sure that you have a link tree in your Instagram profile that leads them out to your website. Some people will go in and they’ll change the link every single time they update something on Instagram. I prefer just to keep it more generic and use a link tree and have it go to general sites.
If you think them to your blog, generally the first blog that you’re promoting is going to be showing anyway. So I would just do it that way.
Content Pieces #13-15 Done!
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13. Tweet All About It! Advertise Your New Blog On Twitter Too
I know there’s all kinds of mixed feelings on Twitter. If you’re not on it, that’s okay. It’s not that big of a deal. But if you are, here’s the strategy for posting on Twitter from a blog post.
The first day you’re going to tweet about that blog with a link back to your blog and again 6-24 hours later.
Again, just like all the platforms you’re not going to use the same content every day. You’re going to change up the wording a little bit each time. You’re going to do that usually every 8 to 12 hours at random times, not all at the same time throughout the week.
Content pieces #16-20 Done!
If you have done it right you will have created on average at least 10 pieces of content to advertise your new blog & video (but it could be a lot more!).
We hope you understand now how you can take this one piece of core content, turn it into multiple pieces of content across multiple platforms without the overwhelm.
If you will do it strategically, it will pay off.
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Check out our social media accounts to see how we implemented these strategies ourselves!
