Now that you have decided where you want to publish your content, it is important for you to set your pace.
I have heard of people posting three times a day on Instagram, twice a week on YouTube, Once a day on TikTok and LinkedIn and every thirty minutes on Twitter.
The question is if that is realistic for you. Remember you are publishing and not just posting content.
When aiming for visibility, you need to determine what your goals are. For example, in 2024, I am publishing to correlate my professional work with individuals with my digital content.
That makes it easier for me to refer a potential client having doubts about my expertise to materials where they can see the ingenuity of my approach.
That is a different plan from publishing to go viral online. The former requires detailed articles that may run in series while the latter requires bytes of content people can quote on the move.
To set your publishing pace, you need to juxtapose your goals with your availability.
How many hours can you dedicate to this without losing steam in the long run?
What even is the long run to you?
For this first quarter, the long run is having ninety powerful articles that feels like a reader is reading my book. I could aim for three hundred and sixty-five (I considered it) but I knew that sounded fancier than it was functional – my schedule could be compressed for ninety days but I do not have control of the next ninety.
If you are honest enough with yourself about your availability, you will be able to create a schedule that honours your craft, your readers and yourself that allows for consistency.
How to ensure consistency
Think long-term: a few years back, I was in a coaching program and one of our assignments was to divide our area of specialization into five key themes and then write out twenty topics under that theme that we would like to publish.
I still carry out that exercise frequently and what it has done is ensure I never lack topics but it has also ensured that my mind notices tiny details that other people would miss.
A few weeks back, I wrote an article on submission (to the subordinate) detailing why they should be conscious about why and how they submit their autonomy. When I got to the end, I realized I said nothing about how subordinates can be abusive so I wrote another called Abused Bosses. Upon exhausting that thought, I noticed I had written to the subordinate twice but not once to the boss who could be abusive.
It’s easier for me to spot cracks that need filling when I write because I think of each subject matter with the lens of its implication and long-term usage.
Maybe you keep running to create content every day because you only create based on trends so when the trend passes, the piece loses context.
It’s okay if you write for trends only – a portfolio full of that will be fantastic but it means you cannot miss the pace of the trends as well.
Bulk creation: I know you can churn out six thousand words in six hours but I also know there are days when two thousand words take six hours and days when a haiku takes you two days to complete.
The trick is thus to write as many multiple drafts when your creative juice is bubbling. There are days when ideas are a dime a dozen – you should spend every dime on such days.
I have one offline notepad (for my quiet off the internet days) and two online notepads that are automatically backed up (I had lost a hundred thousand unpublished words once – story for another day). I keep these note pads just for capturing my random thoughts.
You could be in the market and there’s a story right there begging to be told – the problem is thus not a lack of inspiration but an indiscipline with inspiration.
If you’re going to write daily, weekly or biweekly, you still need a steady flow of ideas.
We say you cannot edit an empty page but many times act like we always have words to fill empty pages when we do not.
One reason writer’s block keeps ruining your consistency is that you have no bank of stories and ideas that reminds you of the process.
Write out the tiny ideas you have mastery in and write out the ideas that terrify you. The former gives you where you can start today and the latter tells you what you have capacity for tomorrow.
I have not done research writing in years but my diaries are full of research topics and in recent times, I have started to gravitate back home to it because the ideas were captured and I kept looking and thinking about them.
Where is your idea bank? Physically, that would be a journal and electronically, I recommend a notepad that has cloud backup so you do not lose things.
Set your pace: you have really great ideas and you have fifty ideas, you have fully developed weekly does not mean you should publish fifty contents weekly.
Too much heavy content is very distracting.
I podcast as well and I have found out the last episode when you take a break always gets the most listen. At first, I wondered why people would miss the amount of work put in, then I realized newer content pushes older ones backwards meaning people rarely know what else is available. Also, the newer content is mostly advertised meaning everyone forgets the old content.
Give your audience time to chew and digest. Create conversations around what you’ve created already. When you do publish again, reference old pieces.
Too much speed puts you under pressure
Publishing fifty articles this week means you are under pressure to publish fifty next week to appear consistent – that is unnecessary pressure on your creativity.
One reason content creators are publishing sham content is that their newer content is receiving less creation and processing time than their older content. Do not do that – do not give your audience sham.
The music industry has taught us time and again that people will wait for your content if it delivers the promise. Yes, people are getting on charts every week but then, some people come out of hibernation and get on charts for months.
Pace your creation does not mean go and sleep, it means to create with quality and not let the pressure get to you. So, if you have more content, spread out what you publish so you have time to create new ones with ease.
Schedule: almost everything has scheduler these days – websites to courses, to social media to blogging platforms – every thing has a scheduler.
I know breaks sound strange to you as a writer but you do need breaks – times when you are not interfacing with any content online or offline (if possible). That’s the period you allow yourself to be present in nature and just soak inspiration.
Automate your processes: blogging platforms have done a fantastic job with this. With my 90-post challenge for example, my primary content distribution platform is LinkedIn but I create and publish with Medium.
The moment I am done, Medium allows me to post to LinkedIn and all linked accounts such that I rarely spend more than ten minutes to distribute.
You want to ensure your distribution channels are easily accessible and connected so it does not frustrate the pace you are setting.
Create a margin for failure: if you cannot post within the timeline set, do you have a recovery plan?
For example, I have 90 post challenges instead of 90-day challenges which means whatever happens, I must get 90 posts at the end. If I miss a day or two, I have the margin to cover up.
You do not have full control of all your activities so make room for spillovers from other areas of your life.
I love writing to you dear affluent Author and I cannot wait to get your feedback.
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Read – Pick A Place – Affluent Authors Column – Liza Chuma Akunyili
