Hey friend!

What if you could get more content in front of people with less effort?

That question constantly runs in the background of my brain.

So I finally started to audit what I was doing on autopilot vs. what was moving the needle.

If you want to be someone who gets things done and makes a difference for your company, here’s the secret:

It's not about working more. It's about working smarter.

We tend to gravitate naturally toward thinking the more complex something is the better it must be.

Or we add layers of complication into things for no other reason than boredom (this is me pointing a finger at myself).

But if we aren't proactively looking for ways to work smarter, we're never going to get there.

We never fall into good habits. It takes a little work at first.

So, here are 10 simple ways you can give yourself an edge and avoid Autopilot Marketing this week.

1. Talk to your audience.

Don't create your content in a vacuum. You should be listening to and talking with your audience regularly.

Set aside time each week or month to talk with folks so they know you care about what they have to say and value their feedback.

It's never a waste of time.

And always ROI positive.

What I do: I've built a bit of this into my entire process. I chat with marketers on my podcast, work with coaching clients, and hang out with folks in the Distribution First community.

It all gives me a different perspective.

Because even though I'm also a marketer, every company, role, and situation is different.

2. Focus on the customer.

If you're not clear on what your brand's story is, your customers never will be either.

If you don't have a clear sense of your narrative, take some time to think about yourself or your company can guide your customers. And how you can help make your customer the hero.

This exercise will also help you stop talking about yourself and start focusing on your audience.

What I do: I’m a StoryBrand junkie. Their seven-part framework taught me everything I know about storytelling.

I now have an entire story mapped out for who my audience is, what problem they’re facing, what transformation looks like, and my plan to get them there.

If the content I create doesn’t fit into that story, I know I’m off track.

3. Create your content in batches.

Context switching will crush your productivity.

Try setting up a day (or two) each week where you focus on a specific task in your content creation process.

What I do: I block off mornings religiously. If I have a podcast to plan for, content to edit, or an email to write I need to get it done in the morning or the energy won’t be there.

I use my mornings for heads-down, immediate work and my afternoons for meetings and future planning.

I also only book meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays if possible.

That leaves me 3 days a week where I can focus on getting things done rather than constantly context-switching between meetings.

4. Repurpose what you already have.

This is all about getting more mileage out of the work you’ve already done.

Were you just a guest on a podcast? Ask for the recording.

Did you host a webinar? Cut up the Q&A and post those answers on social media.

Did you write an awesome comment? Turn it into a newsletter.

You probably have a few weeks (or months) of content sitting there waiting for you.

What I do: This is 99% of my content strategy. But you probably knew that at this point :)

I promise, no one cares if the content is “old.”

5. Repeat messages in multiple content types.

I know that it's tempting to create one piece of content and leave it at that.

But there's so much more you can get out of your work if you publish more than one version.

• A blog post can become a video.
• A LinkedIn post can become a slideshow.
• A podcast episode can become a video clip.

What I do: I’m constantly looking into the most popular content and seeing what other formats, angles, and mediums it can be put into.

6. Turn off distractions & notifications.

This one is easier said than done. But we have to stop letting social media, Slack, and email dictate our attention.

Focus is a currency if you're a creator. And turning off notifications so you can actually get work done can be a game-changer. I know it is for me.

What I do: One of the best things I did this year was to install the UnDistracted Chrome extension. When I need to get some solid work done I can turn off LinkedIn, X, and YouTube with a click of a button.

I have no affiliation with UnDistracted, I just love it and share it with everyone I know.

7. Don't compare yourself to others.

It's easy to get discouraged when we compare ourselves to others.

But it's only going to distract you from making progress on your own goals.

What I do: Not going to lie. I suck at this. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with what other people are doing. If I notice that I'm comparing myself to someone too much, I’ll stop following them on social for a bit.

Seems harsh. But it helps.

I've also been limiting my inputs recently. I've picked 3 main "voices" to listen to around content, business, etc. and I'm leaving the rest alone.

Even in the few weeks I've been doing this it's helped calm my mind from constantly feeling behind.

8. Create a distribution document.

One of the biggest mistakes I see content marketers make is not having a distribution plan. Create a distribution document that has all your methods for promoting a piece of content in one place.

That way, when you publish a new piece of content, you can reference your doc and share the content in minutes.

What I do: I use this simple document every single week.

I break it down entirely in Content Repurposing Roadmap, but at its core, it's a unified spot for you to plan and write your content for any given blog, video, podcast, etc.

Create enough of those documents and you build an entire Library of content to pull from.

9. Have a written plan.

Your content production and distribution processes don't have to be complex or intimidating. Think of it as a system of tasks, and plan ahead.

Whether you're creating content for a company, or for yourself, nothing should feel random.

It's okay to give yourself some flexibility, but without a written plan, things tend to get into chaos mode quickly.

What I do: I no longer plan any of my content out for more than a few months at a time. Things change too rapidly. But I always know what big content is coming and what’s going to get created off of it.

And my social content is typically planned out a week or two in advance.

10. Niche down.

It's only getting more crowded and noisier out there.

The more you narrow your focus the easier it will be for you to stand out. If you act, look, and sound as vague as everyone else, you won't get very far.

What I do: When I started writing on LinkedIn in 2020, I wrote about whatever I felt like (marketing, hiring, content, writing, or business).

But the most traction I’ve seen has come since I niched down to one core thing: repurposing content.

At first, I thought this would limit me, but it’s helped bring clarity to what I create and made me a much better writer.

If you want to learn how to niche down your own messaging and see exactly how I've become one of the top voices around a very niche topic, check out the Unlock Your POVs workshop.

You got this

Doing these consistently isn't easy. But if you can tap into them, you'll get more done in 8 hours than most people do in 8 days.

So here’s my challenge:

Pick 3 for next week and focus on getting better in those areas.

Here are the three I’m working on:

1. Comparing myself to others.
2. Creating blocks of undistracted work.
3. Repeating messages in multiple content types.

Have a great week! 👊

Justin

Here are 5 ways I can help you...

#1: Want to leverage my proven content remix strategy to grow your content engine without constantly starting from scratch? >>> Discover more here

#2: Have you listened to the Distribution First Podcast? I'm putting a ton of effort into creating a show that doesn't just help you create great content, but gets the most out of it after you hit publish. I think you'll like the show and smart marketers that come on to chat.

#3: Join a community of experienced, active-minded, and smart peers. My Distribution First membership Includes monthly workshops, group coaching, and more. Level up your skills (and hang out with cool, smart people).

#4: Get 1:1 coaching: Meet with me one-on-one to optimize your distribution strategy toward brand building and conversion. If you want specific help beyond a group setting, this option is for you. >>> Schedule an intro call.

#5: Advising for B2B SaaS and agencies: I'll become an extension of your team over 90 days. This is implementation-focused. I will be doing some of the work with you, and then giving you clear guidance on each step for your part to build your distribution engine. >>> Schedule an intro call.