In this post, you'll learn 7 content experiments to try in order to figure out what type of content creator you are.
Is content one of the last things you want to spend your time doing? You *might* be making content a lot harder than it has to be by not taking your personal preferences for content creation, and your natural inclinations when it comes to creativity – into account when choosing how, where and when to create content.
I’ve definitely been a card-carrying member of that club before!
Have you ever felt something similar before: Creating content can feel PAINFUL? You don't know why but whenever you sit down to write, it's like you hit a wall and no longer can coherently form words and thoughts.
It's like you have a block.
Well, prepare to get your creative blocks surgically removed through 7 content creation experiments that'll help you design a workflow completely tailored to you.
Experiment #1 – Our first content experiment is Batcher vs Bespoker
Do you prefer to batch a bunch of content at once so you can have a little more wiggle room in your content calendar? OR do you prefer to create one post at a time before moving on to the next so they're spaced out and you can dedicate more creative focus to it? Like all of these experiments, think of this as a spectrum – on one end is batcher, on another is bespoker and there's a whole lotta room in the middle for in between the two.
If you're not sure which you are, I invite you to experiment. This coming week, create 1 single blog post. Then the following week, batch the next 3 or 4. After you're finished, evaluate which felt better in the moment. We're focused on the moment here. Because if it's torture during the content creation process, then it'll be hard to make yourself do it in the future. And you can scale up the number your do or scale down the number you do.
Check out my Monthly Content Sprint batching method here that you can check out for your experiment!
Experiment #2 – The next content experiment to try is to find out whether you're an Outliner vs a Free Writer?
Do you prefer to sit down, create an outline and then deliberately write from that outline? Or are you more of a fly by the seat of your pants, just braindump all the thoughts at first and see where it takes you? Or more likely, especially with this one, somewhere in the middle?
If you're not sure where you fall between the two, take it on a test drive. On day one, sit down and free-write for 25 minutes on one topic. On day two, pick a different topic and sit down and create an outline and flesh it out from there. Which one felt more “you”? Which one made you more focused and productive? Which one felt easier to get into flow?
Personally, I'm a mix of the two. I create an outline as a series of questions and then free write my answers to them, only to bring in the copy magic when I get to the editing phase of things.
Experiment #3 – Writer vs Talker
This one can make a HUGE difference to your ability to crank out high-quality content without it feeling like pulling teeth. Do you prefer to write or speak it? And if you don't know – you must experiment with this one. Because who knows? You may have been always forcing yourself to do it one way when the other will finally set your content free!
So try out both. Sit down to write a post one day. And then the next, speak into an app like Otter or just record yourself on your phone. Or if you have a friend or partner to rope in, “teach” them and hit the record button. Which was easier?
Experiment #4 – One Sitting vs Margin Project
Another biggie content creation factor is finishing it all in one sitting versus working on it a little bit at a time like maybe in Pomodoro sprints. Don't get me wrong, either method can still work for batching but it's more a matter of how focused are you when you sit down to write or record. Can you finish one thing all the way through or does your mind start to wander? In which case, you might enjoy a more time-based approach. I.E. my goal is to do 2 pomodoros on my content each day this week.
So take it for a spin, test finishing a post in one sitting versus doing it over the course of a day. See which one feels more natural and aligned to you.
For myself, I'm either a writing Pomodoro in the morning or a margins project girl. When I'm doing my content a la margin, I'll finish a task, and then write one section. Finish my next task. Write one section. Rinse, repeat. I love the interspersed creative breaks. And doing it this way can help me finish a post a day without really noticing.
Experiment #5 – By Hand Versus Typing
If you've discovered through experiment #3 that you're a writer (vs talker) – when it comes to writing do you prefer to go it old school with a pen and paper (or apple pencil and tablet)? If you're not sure, this can be another great experiment to try. And for this and all of the other experiments, you might not be 100% forever ever in one camp or the other.
Sometimes I like to do one and then other times I prefer the other. So as much as these are experiments to try to come up with your unique content creation process, it's also about noticing at the moment when you're feeling resistance to the process and using one of these experiments to switch it up.
Experiment #6 – Self-Inspired vs In Response
One that you might not think about is how connected does the piece of content have to be to your audience? I.E. directly from the unicorn's mouth or you're the one directing their thoughts. So are someone who can come up with an idea or see inspiration and then take that and run with it. OR are you someone who prefers to answer direct questions?
I've had brilliant clients who thought they were HORRIBLE at content because they felt they were never inspired by anything. But once we figured out they were responders, it was like a key unlocked and they weren't stuck anymore. So for them (and maybe for you), what revs them up is finding a question in the wild (like in a Facebook group or on Insta) and then creating a piece of content that answers that question.
As a bonus, they can scoot back in there and leave a link if allowed not only being of service but also raising that visibility as an expert for those types of problems!
So play with this. Try creating an idea you come up with and then go question hunting. Which is easier?
Experiment #7 – Environmental Experiments
Finally – and this is a broad experimental category – come environmental factors. What are your ideal content creation surroundings – quiet with noise-cancelling headphones on or with a little background noise, at a desk or a kitchen table or the couch; in the morning, afternoon or evening. Experiment with these so that during content creation days or work blocks you can create your ideal conditions as much as possible.
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The entire point of this post is to show that it's not as simple as saying – I'm a content creator or I create X type of content.
But when it comes to figuring out WHAT KIND of content creator you are, there is a myriad of factors to consider and knowing these will make creating content much easier than forcing yourself to create any one of which way that doesn't suit you.
So what experiments are you going to test out first?
