Content batching has caught on like crazy in the online entrepreneurial world over the last few years, and for good reason: it works.
If you’re not familiar with the term (although you probably are by now!), ‘batching’ simply means grouping similar tasks together. It also means less context-switching and more deep focus–aka more productivity in less time. And let’s be honest, as entrepreneurs we’re always looking for ways to be more efficient and get more done in less time.
Content batching specifically means creating large volumes of content in a short time period, so you can spend less time on content creation overall, and more time on other important tasks (like living life).
Sounds almost too good to be true, right? Like, is it even possible to batch 3-4 months of content in just two weeks, without skimping on quality?
The answer: Totally. All it requires is some simple planning.
If you’re ready to get started, check out the breakdown below and you’ll learn exactly how to map out, plan and create high-quality content for three months (an entire quarter) in just two weeks:
1) Plan First
Think about it this way: If you’re creating a quarter’s worth of content, you’re essentially just creating content for 13 weeks. This means you only need thirteen “big,” relevant ideas to turn into content. (Of course, this assumes that you publish one long-form piece of content per week, so you might need to adjust, depending.)
So, think about it. What would you be excited to teach or talk about over the coming 13 weeks? Write down all the topics that come to mind. If you’re stuck, think about what holidays, promotions or other special events (in your business or the world) are happening over the following quarter.
2) Choose Your Content Topics
Once you have your 13 big ideas picked out, place them into your content calendar so you know which topics you’re covering which weeks. You’ll also want to get clear on where you’re publishing the content. Most business owners focus on 1-2 main marketing channels, and repurpose content everywhere else.
That said, think about what you might need to repurpose as well. For example, if YouTube is your primary marketing channel, you’re likely only creating one video per week–but you also might need a supporting social media caption, email newsletter and YouTube-specific elements like a video description.
3) Schedule Your Batch Days
You can choose to do this a few different ways. Most people batch by day–which means they tackle one task in the content creation lifecycle per day.
In a perfect world, you could break your ‘batch’ days down into five distinct days: brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing and finalizing.
What does this look like in practice? It means you’ll brainstorm ideas for all thirteen pieces of content on day #1, then outline them all on day #2, etc. If this sounds like your jam, go ahead and schedule five batch days into your calendar over the course of two weeks–or feel free to add more days if you think you might need two days to write, for example.
Of course, you’ll want to do this at least two weeks before the following quarter, to ensure the content is ready-to-roll.
And don’t fret if working on just one part of the content creation process sounds like a yawn-fest, you have options, friend. You can also batch your work by breaking it up into different chunks throughout the day.
For example, maybe you brainstorm in the morning, write or create before lunch and edit after the kiddos go to dreamland. It’s really about what works for you, so you might have to experiment a bit.
4) Get to Work!
By this point, you know what you’re creating and when you’re creating it. Here’s what you’d ideally do on each batch day, but feel free to tweak based on your business’ needs (and your social platforms of choice):
Brainstorming and research: Doing your research upfront is key. Before you start writing or creating, gather all the information and resources you’ll need so that you can focus just on writing when the time comes. For social media or videos, this might include gathering supplies, props, picking out outfits and makeup, etc.
Outlining: What topics and subtopics do you want to cover in each piece of content? Write them down so you don’t forget, and then keep them handy for creation day.
Writing/Creating: This one is pretty self-explanatory, but here are a few tips.
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- Write in blocks of time. Dedicate an hour or two (or more) at a time to writing instead of trying to squeeze in a few minutes here and there throughout the day.
- Take breaks as needed, but don’t get too sidetracked. Once you finish a block of writing, give yourself permission to scroll TikTok, step outside for a hit of sunshine or text your bestie. Anything to ‘reset’ your brain.
- Set parameters. For example, maybe you vow to write for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. Or perhaps you set a ‘word goal’ count for each ‘writing’ batch day, so you have a mini-goal to focus on.If you’re creating another type of content, commit to doing it all (or doing the ‘first take’ at least!) in this 1-2 days.
Editing: Dedicating an entire day to editing can relieve some of the ‘pressure’ of writing day. You know you don’t have to get it perfect, because you have a large chunk of time set aside to polish things up. Don’t forget to check it for the basics, too, like grammar and spelling, if you’re writing–or to watch your video from start to finish if you’re creating a video.
Finalizing: What final touches do you need to put on your content before it goes live? If you’re writing a blog post, maybe you need to whip up an accompanying social media post. If you’ve created a long-form video, maybe you need to write a video description or start the upload process. You might also need to turn or create any of your long-form content into email newsletters, social media posts or create graphics.
5) Polish and Publish
At this point, you should have most of your content created and just need to do some final touches like editing, proofreading, and adding (or creating) images.
Once everything is polished up, go ahead and hit publish (or schedule it to go live at a later date). This is also a great time to work on repurposing content, if you haven’t already.
And that’s it! By following these simple steps, you can easily knock out months’ worth of crazy-good content in just two weeks (or maybe less)–and be well on your way to keeping your content calendar full and your engaged audience coming back for more.
