Algorithms always starve for more (and what to do about it)
People think that creating content (and working from home) is like heaven.
Looks like creators earn easy money by making videos, podcasting, or writing dumb Medium articles.
But that’s only half the truth. The backstage area looks way dirtier than that.
If you find yourself on a treadmill to create more and more content, you’re in danger. It’s probably the fastest way to turn your passion into a living nightmare.
Here’s why.
Slashing the task tyranny
As a solopreneur, there’s always something to do.
Especially if you’re a perfectionist, overthinker, and workaholic like me.
Most people won’t accept this, but take it or leave it: you are your worst boss.
- No days off.
- No vacations.
- And you may spend more time working on your business than with your kids.
This is when the good old Pareto law comes into play. Since the tasks you could do are infinite… it’s time to identify the right tasks that move the needle and ditch the fluff.
Always remember that you can do anything but not everything.
Understanding what tasks to focus on is more important than the task itself.
Einstein reputedly said:
“If I had an hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-nine minutes defining the problem and one minute finding solutions.”
Start doubling down on the tasks that will propel your business to the next level. Not on those who keep you busy for peanuts.
Time to get more strategic about your tasks.
When you stop creating, you stop attracting
Most traffic sources rely on algorithms.
And guess what? Most algorithms starve for new content.
This is why you see the average shelf life of a social media post is only a few minutes.
There’s too much content that competes for our attention. If you jump off the busy social media bandwagon, your content vanishes. And the crickets of indifference of the internet greet you in return.
This drives the conclusion that if you want to be in the game, you have to do more.
Create more, interact more. It’s the never-ending content treadmill.
Fortunately, this is a treadmill you can escape.
The goal is to find the right balance between creating content that will drive immediate traffic while not sacrificing the long term.
This is why I’ve created a hybrid long-form content strategy for my business.
Here’s what I do: I keep posting on social while focusing on long-term SEO traffic. This gives me the best of both worlds.
The first results I’ve got so far look promising:
SEO currently drives approximately 100 subscribers per month to my newsletter.
On a yearly basis, that’s 1200 subscribers.
Not bad, given the fact that I’ve only written 15 articles (and almost every one of them hit Google’s first page within the first week).
Stop focusing all your efforts on short-term gains. Long-term gives you time to breathe and enjoy life.
No process, no business
Systems and processes saved my business more than once.
They allow me to create content on a predictable and constant basis. Even when I’m not motivated. This is where most creators stink. And people work with me to set up their content creation systems.
But I’m no wunderkind. In fact, I’ve learned all these painful mistakes on slow burn over the past decade in the school of hard knocks.
To build your content creation system, you need to understand one key concept.
Here it is: behind “creating content,” there is a myriad of hidden tasks you all have to manage at once:
- Coming up with titles
- Creating a thumbnail / Finding images
- Writing the damn piece
- Editing it: Spelling checking etc.
- Finding the right tags
- And the list goes on
You need to create a well-oiled machine that allows you to manage all those different tasks effectively. Otherwise, you’ll finish up exhausted and burned out.
It blows my mind how many creators aren’t aware of the 4 mental states of content creation.
You don’t simply need to create content. You need a process.
No process, no business.
Step off the treadmill today
Amateurs approach content creation by relying on randomness.
Pros have systems. This is why they’re more likely to be consistent and get results in the long term.
The first system I would encourage you to implement is a system that allows you to store your best ideas and come up with unique content angles.
