I don’t know about you, but sitting down to a blank page with 5-20 social media posts clamoring to be written used to be very real and frequent part of my world (which is a problem when you manage social media accounts for other businesses).
You know what I also used to do?
Dreamily and tummy-rumbling scroll pinterest. Overwhelmed by all the delicious-looking recipes, I just shopped for the things I already knew how to cook. Week after week, I missed out on stuffed peppers and zoodles with peanut sauce.
But that was THEN.
Now, I scroll pinterest every week to find one breakfast, one casserole, one dessert, one salad, and one snack recipe. I pin a lot more than that, but all in the pursuit of what I’m actually gonna make in the next seven days.
Once I finally select my favorite recipe for each category (usually right before church) I write down all the ingredients. After that, it’s pretty easy. But only because I started with categories.
Having a place to start with my shopping list gives me somewhere to go with my meal plan (other than back to what I’ve already made). In the same way, having a place to start my content creation gives me somewhere to go with my social media captions.
The magic of categories is that you are no longer sitting down to a blank page. You’re giving yourself topics to think about and write about. I think the hardest part of a blank page is the fact that there is so much going on in our brain we can’t possibly put it all on the page, so it stays blank. Or there’s so much in our brain we don’t know how to organize it in a pretty way, so instead of messing up the blank page, we leave it blank.
Categories put an end to this. Not only does the page start messed up, you already have a framework to organize your thoughts (you don’t have to put down every thought that’s in your brain - YAY!). And, get this, you’re allowed to put down thoughts that don’t fit into those categories, because after all your blank page is already messed up!
HOW DO I CHOOSE MY CATEGORIES?
I’m a dedicated listener of The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher. She teaches her audience to create content that represents who they are not just what they do. For example: Jenna is a wedding photographer. If all she posted about was wedding photography I wouldn’t follow her. But she posts about body image, her journey to become a mother, wedding photography, and strategies for building a soulful business.
Not only does her strategy make sense (and work) but it resonates with me. After all, we’re human beings not a human doings. So, here’s the formula I use to select my categories:
One category for each day I’m going to post (I post 5 days a week).
2-3 personal
2-3 business related
One promo day
WHAT?! A PROMO DAY?
Okay, I know this can feel like a scary thing, but that’s exactly why I have a PROMO category. It’s just too easy to skip it in the name of “feeling sales-y” or “what if I don’t sound authentic”. But just like my friends don’t know I want someone to hang out with unless I reach out, your ideal clients won’t come banging on your door unless they know you exist AND want their business.
For me, promo day is a weekly challenge to lovingly and graciously let business coaches know I’m here for them. Here to help them connect with their ideal clients and establish themselves as experts online while freeing them up to do more of what they love and makes money (I dare you to tell me that’s sales-y).
If you’re looking for some inspiration, my list looks like this:
PERSONAL Self-love/spiritual
PERSONAL Lifestyle
BIZ RELATED Promo/tip
BIZ RELATED Quote/Inspirational
BIZ RELATED Blog post
Before you go, I’d love to know what categories you're gonna use. Let me know in the comments (even if you just steal mine)...