Advice on using social media schedules to thwart writer's block

Advice on using social media schedules to thwart writer's block


See online: How social media schedules thwart writer's block, by Christian Kern via prdaily.com


Keeping a constant flow of content going across all the social media platforms you oversee can be daunting.

Authors get writer’s block; it’s insane to think that a PR pro won’t suffer from it every so often. There are the obvious fixes—the brainstorming exercises and useless time spent Googling “how to be creative” or “how to find inspiration.” You won’t find your magic solution in a search box. The easy way for any social-media content creator to overcome the occasional (or persistent) creative blocks they encounter is through theme-based scheduling.

There are several different ways of doing this, depending on the type of brand or business you oversee. Here are some examples:

1. Themes based on media type

The idea is to designate certain types of media to certain times of day, or days of the week (depending on the frequency with which you post). Podcast Mondays could kick off the week, followed by vlog Tuesdays, blog Wednesdays, contest Thursdays, news and related articles on Friday.

2. Themes based on content

A store, for example, could provide different social media posts designated to days of the week. The goal is to keep the posts varied enough to avoid boredom, but still relevant enough to apply to the business. In the case of a clothing store, something like contest Mondays, brand trivia Tuesdays, clothing news Wednesday, fashion tips Thursdays, and sale announcements Fridays could work. Making templates for these posts can also be an easy way to keep the content flowing.

3. Cycling outside sources

Subscribe to a few different relevant sources. Automating an RSS feed to post directly to your networks is another way to keep activity on your pages without putting in the time yourself. This can be done easily through management platforms such as HootSuite. Cycling among news, blogs, and different forms of content from other sources throughout the week can keep the outside information you share relevant and entertaining.

4. Cycling social networks

Instead of trying to mass-manage and post across every platform at once, setting aside a time each day or each week for the different networks you manage can also spur creativity. Knowing that you'll be posting and replying to tweets after lunch each day will get you thinking in short sentences and hashtags. Getting your brain to focus on one media at a time in a scheduled manner can ease the stress of having to create new posts or articles.

Scheduling is an excellent trick to bring old fans, followers, and viewers back to your pages regularly for the content they expect and enjoy. However, this does not excuse a lack of creativity. Spontaneity and innovation are the only ways to make your content viral. This attracts new followers to the different media channels you manage. The schedule is just in place to help the old fans coming back for information they desire and expect.

Remember, preparedness and scheduling don’t excuse your sacrificing creativity. They’re just tricks to get you through those days when 10 coffees just aren’t supplying the creative edge you’d hoped for.