Press play and I’ll read this juicy article to you!

I used to get nauseous anytime I heard the words, “content calendar”.

The idea of planning out what newsletters, blogs, and social media posts I’d write months in advance felt worse than being stuck in an elevator listening to punk music. (If it was 80’s pop, no prob, but punk makes my skin crawl.)

* Pay attention to that highlighted line- we’ll come back to it.

I was always the kind of person who writes when the mood strikes…when I felt a jolt of
inspiration…when a clear topic came to mind.

That method was good in theory, but often led to my website manager dinging me with reminders that my blog copy was overdue and I still had no clue what to write.

You might struggle with the same problem.

You never know what to write about…so you procrastinate and wait for inspiration…but it doesn’t arrive (at least not by the deadline) and you’ve got nothing.

This can lead to ghosting your email subscribers for months at a time…

…a blog that only has three articles (from two years ago)…
…and an Instagram account that no one knows exists because you never post anything.

The worst part?

You’ve got brilliant ideas…and years of experience…and services that will transform lives!…

…but you can’t seem to get your thoughts out into the world.

People need to know what you know…and the way they find out about you and your work is through the content you share.

So, let me show you how I got my content creation act together so the whole process is easier, more fun, and waaaaay more consistent.

Grab A Bucket

Label it with a topic that you know a thing or two about…and could talk about all day long.

(Don’t literally grab a bucket- no supplies needed! Draw a picture of a bucket as a visual.)

Grab two or three more buckets and do the same.

These are your CONTENT BUCKETS…the main topics you’ll write about over and over again.

Here’s what my content buckets look like:

Then, write down subcategories for each topic.

The subcategories are like different marbles that you put in each content bucket.

Here are the “marbles” in my MONEY content bucket:

• Money Mindset
• Heal Your Money Relationship
• Make More Profits
• Money Management

Once you figure out what your main content topics and subtopics will be, you can quickly and easily pull ideas from them.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to write something.

Just pick a bucket, pull out a marble, and start writing.

Your readers will soon come to know you for those topics…and your consistency (both in subject matter and posting regularly) will establish you as the go-to person in your niche.

But what about PERSONALITY??

You want your content to stand out…and a whole slew of people talk about the very same things you do.

How do you swirl in quirky tidbits and personal style to keep your readers engaged?

Add a side dish of personality gems to the mix.

Remember that highlighted line that I said we’d come back to?
(If it was 80’s pop, no prob, but punk makes my skin crawl.)

That’s an example of how to add a personality gem to your writing.

I made a quick, side-comment reference to the fact that I LOVE 80’s pop music.

It gave you a peek into who I am and what I like.

This “insider information” makes you feel a little closer to me- like you know something about me that other people don’t.

Adding personality gems to your content creates connection with your readers.

Jot down 4-5 personality gems you can weave into all your content.

They can be about your family, where you live, your favorite food, stuff that drives you crazy, or something else.

Here are mine:

• 80’s/90’s pop culture
• Pets on my farmette
• Double-stuffed Oreos
• My Addictions: Coffee & Self-help books
• My husband & daughters

You’ll see me make references to these parts of my life over and over…in slightly different ways each time.

Once you’ve got your CONTENT BUCKETS, SUBCATEGORY MARBLES, and PERSONALITY GEMS figured out, coming up with ideas to write about is as easy as grabbing a handful of double-stuffed Oreos from the pantry. (I did it again!)

No more procrastinating. No more waiting for the mood to strike. No more irritated emails from your VA because your content is late.

Now, grab a bucket and get to work on this. Then, leave a comment and let me know what your content buckets are.

P.S. Seriously- post your content buckets in the comments. It holds you accountable AND it gives other people the chance to learn about you and your areas of expertise…which could lead to a new connection. WIN-WIN!