Staying Agile in Content Creation: 18 Lessons from Business Leaders
In the fast-paced world of digital content, staying agile is key to resonating with an ever-changing audience. We've gathered insights from content creators to CEOs, distilling their wisdom into eighteen actionable tips. From resisting perfectionism to recording all ideas on a brainstorming board, discover how these professionals maintain flexibility in content creation.
Resist Perfectionism and Post Content
Experiment with Fresh Content Ideas
Create a Feedback Loop
Pre-Make Content and Stay Inspired
Adopt a Modular Content Creation Approach
Inject Fresh Ideas with New Team Members
Commit to Daily Content Posting
Consume Content to Craft Better Work
Utilize Real-Time Updates
Adapt Review Focus to Emerging Trends
Allocate Budget for Experimental Content
Analyze Existing Content Performance
Produce Trickle-Down Content from Hero Piece
Seek, Listen to, and Act on Feedback
Use Keyword Trends for Content Design
Balance Viral and Evergreen Content Creation
Maintain Flexibility with Daily Team Stand-Ups
Record All Ideas on a Brainstorming Board
Resist Perfectionism and Post Content
Resist perfectionism and keep your expectations in check. As your following grows, your standards for “good” content may grow as well, and while the highest quality work should always be a priority, getting hung up on performance (i.e., feeling like a failure if your video doesn't go viral or isn't viral “enough”) and attempting to control outcomes by perfecting your look, creation process, posting schedule, etc., are easy traps to fall into. Post it anyway! This mindset is key.
Shelby Lynne Barlow, Content Creator, TikTok
Experiment with Fresh Content Ideas
Dare to experiment! A lot of us do well in conducting research and gathering internal or external feedback. But the real game-changer is actually applying those insights to create something completely fresh. It's all about making a concerted effort to create content outside of your usual process, style, format, application, and more.
My tip is to stay flexible by setting aside time each month or so to just play around with new ideas, no matter how “out-there” they seem. You never know what unique content might click with your audience until you try it out.
Create a Feedback Loop
I'd recommend creating a feedback loop that lets you tap into these needs anytime. For example, conduct surveys for each long-form piece you write to find out the current challenges your audience is facing. It leaves no room for assumptions, and you can use that data to inform other parts of your strategy and iterate accordingly.
Also, it's very common for internal teams to need content assets 'on demand,' so make sure you leave some space in your content calendar for ad-hoc requests. This way, you're not inconvenienced when it comes in, and you can redirect resources and ship that asset in time.
Tanaaz Khan, Freelance Content Strategist and Writer, Tanaaz Khan
Pre-Make Content and Stay Inspired
I make sure that I am pre-making content that is planned for the month, but I am also being inspired to create content as I go. I see what inspires me and add that in, and that keeps the connection to my audience.
Dielle Charon, Business Coach, Dielle Charon Coaching
Adopt a Modular Content Creation Approach
Adapting and maintaining agility in our content creation process is crucial to meet the evolving needs of our audience.
We continuously monitor and analyze audience behavior, preferences, and feedback. This data-driven approach ensures that we are always aligned with what our audience truly wants. We employ tools like social media listening and Google Analytics to stay on top of trends and shifts in audience interests. Our content strategy is not set in stone. We remain open to pivoting our approach based on what the data tells us. This might mean changing our content calendar, experimenting with new content formats, or exploring different channels.
Also, our team is encouraged to think creatively and propose new ideas. Regular brainstorming sessions and a supportive environment for experimentation mean we can quickly trial new concepts and adopt what works.
One key tip is to embrace a modular content creation approach. This means developing content that can be easily adapted, updated, or repurposed across different platforms and formats. For instance, a long-form blog post can be broken down into a series of social media posts, an infographic, or even a podcast episode. This approach allows us to be nimble and responsive, adapting our content to suit different channels and audience preferences rapidly.
Staying agile in content creation is all about being in tune with your audience and being ready to change course when needed. It's a dynamic, ongoing process that requires creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to experiment.
Lata Tewari, Chief Content Officer, Webuters Technologies Pvt Ltd
Inject Fresh Ideas with New Team Members
If you want to stay agile with your content-creation process, add new team members periodically to inject fresh ideas into the system. I work with a lot of freelancers. While I systematize my content-creation process, I give them the flexibility to be creative, and I encourage them to pitch their own ideas.
Not only does this help us stay ahead of the curve, but it also gives people a sense of empowerment. They have more creative control than they might under other contracts, which makes them feel good about what they do. The end result is that they enjoy their work more, and I get a better deliverable from them. Win-win.
Dennis Consorte, Digital Marketing and Leadership Consultant for Startups, Snackable Solutions
Commit to Daily Content Posting
I've posted on TikTok now for 450 days in a row. I have never missed a day—not once. I started the account in November 2022. Now, I'm at 75,000 followers and growing daily. The same goes for Instagram Reels—I have nearly 25,000 followers on Instagram and have not missed a single day of posting Reels.
My one tip for maintaining flexibility in content creation is to lower the bar for success as much as possible. My bar for success is posting at least one video a day. No matter what happens, I will post at least one video a day. It is the most important thing I can do each day.
Even when I had the stomach flu in Barcelona, I still managed to get out a single video. Even if it's late and I'm exhausted, and I know the video won't be good—I will still put one out.
Why is daily posting so important?
By missing a day or two, it becomes easy to miss a week, miss a month, and then stop altogether. By posting daily, I'm able to more effectively iterate and increase my quality. My minimum view count on videos has more than 10X'd since starting, and I've had huge hit videos that I'm proud of. Daily posting is a great way to increase quality fast.
So, the best way to stay flexible in content creation is to commit to one daily piece of content.
My content is about SEO, growth hacking, and digital marketing. There are few people in my niche who do videos daily. This gets me to stand out, and even when my videos are not great, my audience still grows because people admire my commitment.
Daily posting is the number one thing!
Edward Sturm, SEO and Marketing Expert, Edwardsturm.com
Consume Content to Craft Better Work
In order to create engaging content, you need to consume content as well. When I started writing blog posts over 10 years ago, it was common to have extremely text-heavy sections with a minimal number of headers.
Today, of course, it's better to have shorter sentences, lots of headers, and elements like bullet points and tables to help audiences find the exact information they're looking for. By reading content from other thought leaders in your space, you can find takeaways that resonate with you (or not) to craft even better content for your own brand. As you continue to hone your voice, drop those notes into a style guide so that your entire team is on the same page.
Lauren Ward, Writer and Content Strategist, Upward Content LLC
Utilize Real-Time Updates
Staying agile in content creation hinges on quickly responding to current events and trends. A practical way to do this is by subscribing to newsletters and utilizing API feeds from trusted news outlets and industry sources, ensuring access to real-time updates. Also, monitoring competitors and industry leaders provides insights into trending topics and audience interests, helping to fill the gaps in your content strategy with timely information.
By integrating these strategies, your content creation process becomes more dynamic, allowing for rapid shifts in focus in line with audience interests. This flexibility not only keeps your audience engaged but also establishes you as a reliable source of current and relevant information.
Adapt Review Focus to Emerging Trends
In the fast-moving software evaluation world, adapting review focus to match ever-emerging web tool categories proves vital for staying top-of-mind for entrepreneurs and developers. As online platforms and apps accelerate feature builds in reaction to competition, Tool Tester must continually reorient coverage to align with user necessity beyond dated stalwarts.
So, when determining testing roadmaps, I prompt analysts to tap into SEO and Google Trends data to identify rising search volumes around fresh functionalities like white-label solutions. We recalibrate quarterly to target emerging web builder talking points while covering enough evergreen basics.
This rhythm also helps balance reviewers' personal interests with trends showing true vertical viability beyond hype cycles. Specialist passions still inform angles but are grounded in opportunity metrics, preventing disjointed or speculative digressions.
An obsessive pulse on both software evolution and nuanced demand shifts keeps Tool Tester topically versatile. Regular content strategy reviews, comparing expert topic ideas to commercial signals, prevent disconnect.
Robert Brandl, Founder and CEO, Email Tool Tester
Allocate Budget for Experimental Content
Over time, we've determined that fostering a culture of experimentation is key to staying agile in our content-creation process. We regularly set aside time for creative brainstorming sessions and encourage team members to pitch innovative ideas. By allowing for experimentation and risk-taking, we discover new and engaging content formats and stay ahead of evolving audience preferences.
One practical tip is to allocate a small portion of our content budget and time to pilot projects or experimental content pieces. This could involve testing new storytelling formats, interactive elements, or emerging platforms.
By closely monitoring the performance metrics and feedback from these experiments, we can gain valuable insights into what resonates with our audience. This iterative approach allows us to adapt quickly and integrate successful elements into our primary content strategy, ensuring that we remain flexible and responsive to the dynamic needs of our audience.
Nurlan Suleymanov, Content Strategist, Aqua Cloud
Analyze Existing Content Performance
One of the best ways to stay agile in content creation and meet the evolving needs of audience members is to study the performance of your existing content. If you run digital campaigns like we do, be sure to check tools like Google Analytics or Mailchimp to see what kind of content resonates with your readers.
Pages that drive high traffic and engagement and align with your business goals are going to be the type of content that you continue producing. Once you know what performs well for you, try to identify trends in these pieces of content—this could be the use of images throughout, the length, how it is organized, and more.
At Zibtek, we maintain flexibility in our content creation by producing content for multiple audiences. For us, this means those who are buyer-intent focused and individuals who are surfing the web for additional information about all things web development. We study keyword tools like SpyFu and Google AdWords to see what the performance of the keywords looks like, then center content around those words that perform well in searches and align with our ideal customer.
When sifting through keywords, we find it valuable to look for questions as well. This shows what people are curious enough to search for, so be sure to take them into consideration! Factor in any industry trends to this research, and you will be left with meaningful information that is both timely and written by experts, making it a great resource for your readers.
An additional tip would be to ask your readers what they want to see. No one knows your consumers like the consumers themselves. Be sure to keep consumer feedback in mind when creating content calendars moving forward.
Cache Merrill, CEO and Founder, Zibtek
Produce Trickle-Down Content from Hero Piece
We always create a hero piece of video content, and then produce experimental trickle-down content, such as behind-the-scenes, walkthroughs, candid content, deep dives, etc. Not only does this allow us to improve the longevity and reach of the hero content, but it provides great insight as to what our audience loves and wants to see more of. In this way, we can adapt our approach and be playful without compromising the hero content or our own brand position.
When producing your trickle-down content, don't be afraid to ask your audience directly whether
they enjoyed the content or how it can be evolved. Trickle-down content is supplementary to the main piece and is therefore more sympathetic to directly addressing your audience; ultimately, they are the best arbiters of what they want to see.
Ryan Stone, Founder and Creative Director, Lambda Films London
Seek, Listen to, and Act on Feedback
As a content creator, I know how important it is to adapt and stay agile in my content-creation process to meet the evolving needs of my audience. The digital world is constantly changing, and so are the preferences and expectations of the people who consume content. That's why I always try to keep one thing in mind: feedback.
Feedback is the key to maintaining flexibility in content creation. It helps me understand what works and what doesn't, what resonates and what falls flat, what engages and what bores. Feedback can come from various sources, such as analytics, comments, reviews, surveys, polls, social media, etc. I make it a habit to regularly monitor and analyze the feedback I receive from my audience and use it to improve my content strategy.
For example, if I notice that a certain type of content is getting more views, shares, and likes than others, I try to create more of that content. If I see that a certain topic is trending or generating a lot of buzz, I try to incorporate it into my content. If I get negative feedback or a complaint, I try to learn from it and avoid repeating the same mistake. Feedback helps me stay in touch with my audience and their needs. It also helps me experiment with new ideas and formats and test their effectiveness.
Without feedback, I would be creating content in a vacuum, and that would be a waste of time and resources. So, my tip for maintaining flexibility in content creation is to always seek, listen to, and act on feedback. Feedback is the best teacher and the best friend of a content creator.
Bhavik Sarkhedi, Growth Head and CMO, Content Whale
Use Keyword Trends for Content Design
I use a website called AnswerThePublic.com. The site is free, but you only get three searches per day. You can sign up for a full account to get unlimited searches, but I have found I don't need this yet. The site allows you to search short-tail keywords and then highlights longer-tail keywords that are getting search volume at that time.
Once you have these long-tail keywords, you can then start to design articles, blog posts, and web pages around them. To speed up the process, use a tool like ChatGPT to quickly write out, say, ten different article titles for specific long-tail keywords. You can then create the content you want, knowing that the content is already getting search results.
Keyword search volume is always changing, so it allows you to see what is currently on trend and then design content around these specific things.
Jake Perry, Content Writer, Jake Perry Writes
Balance Viral and Evergreen Content Creation
I think with content creation, striking the balance between viral and evergreen is always important. And it starts from the moment you create your content calendar.
Whether you're creating your calendar on a monthly or a quarterly basis, make sure to leave out some space to accommodate any changes on the go. You can stick to a ratio of 60:40, where 60% of your calendar is fixed, comprising evergreen ideas, and 40% of the calendar is reserved for current trends, sudden shifts in audience interests, industry developments, etc.
To cater to this 40% of content, you must keep a close check on audience behavior and content performance analytics. Look out for any opportunities to be capitalized on before they become commonplace. Spot current and future content trends using SEO and social media analytics tools so that you can respond to these in a timely manner.
Astha Verma, Co-Founder and CEO, WrittenlyHub
Maintain Flexibility with Daily Team Stand-Ups
In our content-creation process, staying agile and adapting to our audience's evolving needs is key, and one of the best ways we've found to maintain this flexibility is through daily communication. It sounds simple, but having a daily stand-up with the team, where we openly discuss our projects, especially those with dependencies, has made a world of difference.
During these meetings, we talk not just about progress but also about our hopes for adjusting plans to better align with audience feedback or new insights. It's about taking small, manageable steps rather than overhauling everything at once. We started with a small team and a few projects, learning to dance with the process, and only scaled up once we were comfortable.
This approach has allowed us to stay nimble, keep our content fresh, and, most importantly, ensure it resonates with our audience. Remember, in content creation, it's as much about listening and adjusting as it is about creating.
Blake Smith, Marketing Manager, ClockOn
Record All Ideas on a Brainstorming Board
To stay agile in our content-creation process, we maintain a dynamic brainstorming board where all ideas, big or small, are welcomed and recorded. This practice serves as a creative reservoir, ensuring that we're never short of inspiration. Even preliminary or half-formed ideas are valuable; they often evolve or merge into more comprehensive concepts.
This approach keeps our content fresh and relevant, as we can quickly adapt and draw from this pool of ideas to meet the evolving interests and needs of our audience. The key tip is to never disregard any idea at its conception. What might seem incomplete today could spark a trendsetting piece tomorrow.
Jaya Iyer, Marketing Manager, Teranga Digital Marketing LTD