5 ways to simplify and streamline your content

Do less to connect more.

Apr 11, 2024

Welcome to The Content Brief 💼, a community designed to help you take control of your content with a strategy and system to make it feel simple. It’s less “how to succeed on Substack” … more *how to stay sane* as the Editor in Chief of your content.

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⏪ Last time, I asked: Is social media simply too much or is it a tool writers need? That's here.

⏩ Today, how to think about your content as a whole and how you can do less to connect more.

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In my day job, I’ve received more than one email from those in counterpart roles to mine to the effect of: "Would you mind sharing how you do what you do?"

At first, I truly didn’t know how to respond to this kind of request. How do you put what you’ve learned from a master’s in journalism, teaching university journalism for years, and managing content for an international nonprofit for some 20 years into … an email reply?

After the first request, I received a new ask a few months later about hosting an editor, letting them shadow me to learn my system.

And a few months after that, a former student emailed me after getting a job, asking how to go about managing content for her new company.

THE THING WAS: Even though I've indeed been managing content since the ancient year of 2007, and even though I taught journalism for years…to explain how exactly to go about doing what I do—how I organize it in my head, the steps I take to keep things moving—that was a new idea.

And that’s how I accidentally landed on the notion I should create my own templated Content System.

Months later, I was in a mastermind-type group and a designer in the group shared about her content woes: “I am SO overwhelmed between posting on social media, writing my blogs, sending newsletters, creating lead magnets, and more ... I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up!”

I had nearly finished an initial draft of my system, so I sent it to her.

Her response a few days later confirmed I was onto something: “OMG, Christin! This template is GOLD!”

Eventually, I started The Content Brief 💼 while I continued putting the final touches on documenting my process, my techniques, the little things that make a BIG difference in showing up with more ease to create content online.

And my Content System is soooo close to being done…stay tuned! 🪄✨

My entire goal with this community is to help you transform your approach to content into something that’s simple, sustainable and, dare I say, enjoyable.

It’s so easy for content creation to grow into something you keep adding more and more and more to without really stopping to think about the things you’re doing as a whole or how you can do less to connect more.

So with that in mind, here’s five ways to simplify and streamline your content.

1. Protect your time. ⏰

When it comes to your current content process, what areas are taking up a lot of your time or involve a large amount of manual work for you? Outline your process and the time you dedicate to each part. And listen, I know when you’re already feeling overwhelmed and staring down an impossible to-do list it can feel like one more insurmountable task to do something like this, but it really is the best place to start.

Before you can put strategies in place to protect your time, you have to know where your time is going.

Part of that strategy is to clearly identify your content pillars (the conversations you want to lead), content campaigns (the offers you’re making) and your content plan (what you’re committing to show up for). That all needs to be in place before you turn to filling your content calendar with specific pieces of content.

And good news, I lead you through all of it in the Content System.

For now, consider: What time can you realistically commit to content? What can you be consistent with? Where is it in your weekly schedule? How can you better protect that time?

2. Lean on your system. 🗄️

For all of the outcry about AI, there’s no denying we have incredible tools at our fingertips. Whether you want to automate appointment scheduling, collect payments or get a kick-start on your content ideas, tech stands ready to help.

The trick is deciding what will work for you and keeping it simple.

When it comes to content management, I like to keep an eye on everything in one place. I’ve worked hard at creating and finessing a content dashboard in Airtable (a free user-friendly platform with the features of a database but applied to a spreadsheet—it’s incredible) to house my content strategy, campaign info, metrics, idea bank and content calendar. Everything seamlessly works together so I open my laptop knowing exactly what I’m working on and can see how everything is unfolding and performing over time.

I can’t wait to share the full dashboard template with you soon but until then you can get your hands on my Content Idea Bank template now! 🫶

3. Simplify your ask. 👋

Success is not about engagement, or followers, or fans, if none of that leads to actual outcomes.

What *does* lead to a successful outcome?

Getting people to subscribe to your email list. Then you can have real conversations. And share real ideas. And make real offers.

It's that simple.

Life doesn't need to be so complicated.
Neither does content.

While there are limitless ways you could show up and create content, trying to do all of them without any clear understanding of why or where each piece leads will leave you (and your people) spinning.

Instead, define the journey you want someone to take from initial discovery to the decision to take you up on something you’re offering. Here on Substack, that journey includes everything from your publication one-liner, your about page, your subscription page benefits, welcome email, post call to actions and more.

For now, decide what one thing you want someone to do as the initial door into your work—most likely, to subscribe to your Substack, your email list.

Then anywhere you do show up—on social platforms or as a guest on someone’s podcast, etc.—you have one ask: Subscribe. It becomes your catch-all call-to-action.

So, it’s not: “Connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my Substack.”

It’s just one thing—subscribe.

From there, you can further map the steps you want someone to take once they are a free subscriber. Become a paid subscriber? Purchase your book? Get inside a course or other offer?

When you understand your journey, and make one ask as a starting point, you can better optimize your content to help truly welcome someone in to you and what you create.

4. Be intentional about what you do and don’t do. 💁‍♀️

I loathe anything that makes me feel like I’m doing six nonsense steps. Or for that matter, that feels like a useless performance (*cough* Reels *cough*).

I hate wasting time because, well, I don’t have time for that.

I have a full-time job and three small kids. I have to be strategic and intentional when I do show up online. I don’t want to struggle with what to say, feel like I wasted three hours making a video for some views before it vanishes, or worry I’m not doing enough.

I want to focus the time I do have on meaningful work that is helpful and serves my community.

In essence, I must have a plan.

As the saying goes, you can do anything but can’t do everything.

When you know what you’re committing to that is sustainable for you and your life, you can use that as the guardrail for what you do or don’t do. It creates a whole new ease in how you show up. (And that’s why I’ve been so meticulous in plotting out my system as a template.)

If you, too, want a plan and want to *actually* sit down and plan your content with support, become a paid member of THE CONTENT BRIEF and come to the Quarterly Content Planning Party.

5. Remove the friction. 💃

When it comes to how you are showing up online now, what feels hard? What do you keep delaying or avoiding? What takes a lot of time but doesn’t really deliver a return on that time investment? Are you spending an hour scrolling for “inspiration”? Are you sitting down to write a weekly post with nothing but a blank page week after week?

I’m sure you know where those friction points are for you. Put strategies in place to help you avoid them.

There you have it, five ways to simplify and streamline your content:

Protect your time.
Lean on your system.
Simplify your ask.
Be intentional about what you do and don’t do.
Remove the friction.

Pick just ONE thing on this list that most calls to you, then do it consistently for the next few weeks to note any changes you may experience.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear in the comments if this resonated or if there’s something you’re going to try. Seriously, drop a comment or hit reply. I'd honestly loooove to hear from you. Typing into the void isn't nearly as fun as interacting with a real human—you! 🫶