Hacks for blogs— and amplifying your content

In the not-so-distant-past, I met with a client who was off-boarding. In full disclosure, they decided not to renew their contract with me, thinking they could get more accomplished by hiring someone full time. Whereas I’m happy to give clients all of their assets— and even manage their websites or any content I run on their behalf with email addresses they own, so that they have all passwords and logins and correspondence related to their project(s) if we ever do part ways— I don’t generally train clients on “how to do my job” such that they can readily have someone on staff do what I do.

Honestly, I think my work is a bit higher-level and deeper in scope than most clients realize, and I’m not trying to work myself out of job. Training is something I’m paid to do, not something that’s “thrown on top” of a few meetings after someone decides they want to save some money by doing things on their own.

“I think it would be helpful to talk us through the software we’re using… show us what you do after you login… and then explain your weekly workflow,” the CEO said. 

Against my better judgment, I consented…

Think differently about the tech

“Here’s how the entire workflow starts,” I began. “I always go to the NOTES app on my Mac. You might want to use a Word doc, I’ve used Evernote before…”

“We don’t want to know all of that,” he said. “We want to know your workflow— and how you turn all of this stuff into everything and crank out all of the content.”

“That’s what I’m showing you,” I said.

“No. Not this,” he said, pointing to my screen. He reminded me that I’ve been posting two blogs a week, a podcast at least every other week, social media each day, and 5-6 weekly email blasts. “Show us how you do all of that. We need to know that before you exit.”

I politely told him, “Well, that’s what I’m trying to teach you. You’ve asked me to train you on my processes, but you’re telling me how to train you… Some of this sounds backwards, I know, but this is what I do…”

“Fine,” he conceded. “Keep going…”

Begin without the technology 

“I begin with the text— the copy,” I said, “which becomes the blog posts for the website.”

“You start with the blog on the website?” he questioned.  

“No. That’s too advanced. I start with the NOTES app on my Mac. I have a folder for each website. The folder has sub-folders for courses that are featured on that site, pages that are published across the site, and blog posts…”

“Why do you do all of that?”

I could tell he was getting agitated. He wanted me to get to the stuff that everyone can see online. He clearly wasn’t interested in the behind-the-scenes processes which made all of the “visible stuff” possible.

“I do that because I don’t create anything to use just one time. I create it, I recycle it, I continue refining it… I re-share it… and repost it…”

“Just get to it,” he said.

“Back to the NOTES app,” I continued. “I have two folders in the blog folder…One is for blogs I have posted, and the other is for blogs I have not posted— for content I’m working on.”

I explained that I’m always developing something for his ecosystem. Sometimes, it’s from a book of his I’m reading, a course of his I’m watching, or even videos we’re shooting.  I organize it in my NOTES app and it proliferates from there.

“You’re asking about the workflow for the weekly blog-email-social trifecta,” I continued. “This is how it goes for all of that— at the same time.”

Step-by-step...

For the next few minutes I outlined the process I’ve developed…

First, I toss the content into NOTES. 

This is generally where I begin shaping the content. If you’ve ever seen a video post, a podcast, a blog post, or anything else on my website… it all began (and you can still find it) here. 

Here’s what else I place in NOTES: 

👉 Swipe file = some of the best emails I’ve received from industry leaders, marketers, and others. If I think I can learn something from it, or may want to mimic some of it in the future, I place it in a folder. I have a folder for several thought leaders I follow. 

👉 Social media posts I’m developing = many times I’ll read my Bible or a book or come across something that morphs into an idea I want to share at some point in the future. 

👉 Links = other things I may want to share, or places I might need to access quickly.

Don't get ahead of yourself

Second, I develop the blog post in the NOTES app.

I read and re-read it, continuing to refine what I’ve said.  I place the graphics and images and every other thing to be included with the post all in that NOTE.  When it comes time to create the blog post, I cut-and-paste from my NOTE into the back-office / editor in my website. I re-read the the copy as I do, making any corrections in the editor and in the original NOTE.

At the top of the NOTE (i.e., the draft of the post), I also include the URL of the post, the date it goes live (remember, I schedule most of this weeks— and sometimes months— in advance), and a few more things…

Keep it where you can always find it + re-find it + find it again and again...

Third, I continue working in the NOTES app. 

The blog post will be emailed to everyone on the subscriber list the week it goes live, and it will be shared across all social media platforms. The content for all of this comes from… you guessed it… the NOTE. 

Generally, I cut-and-paste a few sentences from the post to create the email. I repeat the process— with slightly different wording— for social media. Even though my email provider will allow me to duplicate any emails (so I’ll always have access to this content), and even though the scheduling software I use for social media keeps a detailed account of everything I post, I keep the copy in the NOTE— along with the images— as well. That way, regardless of where I am, and irrespective of whatever device I have on hand (my computer, my iPad, or my smartphone), I can access anything.

It's about amplifying everything-- not just about creating more content

Let me remind you: this entire process is about amplification— not additional content creation. Everything we’ve discussed in this chapter, other than the blog post, relies on existing collateral. We’ve haven’t made anything new.  And, if you re-read the chapter about blogs, you’ll notice that most of those posts begin as books or courses or something else. Again, we’re recycling everything we create— in multiple ways, across diverse platforms. 

The process is illustrated below.

If you follow the process we just outlined, you’ll find it far easier— and faster— to move through your workflow than you will if you just go “straight to the tech” like the people I was training kept coaxing me to do.

In fact, remember this: the tech is just a tool. 

You may even need to repeat it over and over.

The tech is just a tool...

The tech is just a tool...

The tech is just a tool...

Moreover, the technology is the last thing to touch.