Four content creation insights
Four content creators each share one thing that they each currently learning when it comes to creating content for social media
__
The chances are you think about what to post on social media. For some your approach might be more ‘spur of the moment’, for others it might be planned out and intentional. Whatever your approach, we can all learn and get better. Four content creators give us some insights into what they have been learning which we think will be useful to you as well.
1.Follow the promptings of God
‘My second most popular Instagram Reel is something that God simply dropped into my heart whilst I was running. It was honest and it was vulnerable. The background is that I suffered for many years with chronic fatigue syndrome and when I was running that day, I felt God say to me, ‘I saw you as a runner, even when you were unwell.’
As I reflected on it, I thought this could also be something that might resonate with others, so I made a little video and posted it as a Reel. It turned out that it did resonate with others and some people reached out to me afterwards about it which led to some very interesting conversations.
On another occasion, I was talking to God about creating a post that might encourage somebody. Suddenly, I saw an ‘SOS kit’ that someone had left behind when hiking in the hills up here in Scotland. it was literally as if God had handed me a prop and said, ‘use that and tell them about me about how we can send an SOS to God in prayer.’
Follow the promptings of God in your content creation. We were called to be rivers, not reservoirs, and what he says to one, he could easily be saying to encourage somebody else.’
- Ashley Andrew is a content creator, actress, performer.
2.Sustainable and inspired content creation
‘One of the things I experienced personally with social media is that if you set yourself some big targets in terms of content creation, and you're posting at a rate that’s not sustainable, you start to get a little bit tired of some of the expectations you've set for yourself.
As a result, one of the things I’m learning is that when you have some inspiration or a spark to create something to post, we shouldn’t hold back, but at the same time we need to be able to give ourselves permission to rest as well.
Approaching content creation like this has led to even more creativity in my experience, because I’m reminded of the bigger vision behind it all. It gives me more mental space to think through some of the bigger picture stuff that I’m working on, not just social media.
It’s easy to think that we should post every day because it's good for the algorithm, but actually, I think we need to hold that in tension with the other perspective as well, that it’s good to have time to breathe, because you'll find that the creativity will actually be more focused and probably a little bit more profound.
- Sats Solanki (aka Digital Rabbi) is a social media expert and pastor.
3.The need for content pillars
‘One of the things I have found essential in creating content for social media and other things is making sure that I am clear about ‘content pillars’. For some this might be a new concept but one that’s very familiar for those in the marketing world.
There are different definitions and schools of thought when it comes to content pillars, but they inform the content you create. As you create content for the weeks or months ahead, there should be something of each of these pillars represented in the content you publish.
You need to define the pillars in a way that serves you and helps you meet your aims. Do a bit of research online, and you will find different suggestions that might help spark some ideas. One example I found suggested five content pillars:
1.Promotional: promote events, resources, products, your goods or services
2.Educational: bring value, share your thought leadership on a topic, share insights and perspectives from your arena
3.Community: invest in your audience or community, find out about their needs, what they think or feel or know.
4.Entertainment: content that entertains, or lightens the mood and makes people smile
5.Engagement: through questions, or polls, or comments. Taking the conversation further than just a like.
I have found having content pillars to be really useful. Not only do they inform what I share, but how I share it and even help me work out when I share it. More importantly though, content pillars make sure I’m communicating the things that are most important. They streamline my time and energy which means I’m focusing on the things that God has given me a vision for, and help me steward the time he has given me too. Try them out.’
- Matt Hogg is the founder of Stronger Network
4.Metrics and Faithfulness
‘With social media and creating content I’m learning how to show up even when I’m not getting the engagement that I expected.
I feel that when God calls you to create, he doesn’t want you to be distracted by numbers and engagement. He wants you to be devoted enough to release your content even if only one person engages.
It’s hard to do this in world that values metrics. But I’m reminded that our lives are not only quantified by what we invest here but also by how we use our lives to impact eternity.
So to conclude, I create content because I believe it will shape someone’s life by pushing them closer to kingdom values and ultimately King Jesus himself. Do I want massive reach, yes. But more importantly, I want to be faithful over the little that God has blessed me with so I can share in his joy. Have a read of Matthew 25.23 to dig deeper.
- Isaac Tendo is a thinker, writer, creator
