5 Steps to Building an Evergreen Pillar Content System
Open Twitter….. “okay.. what should I say?” 🤐
Open IG….. “which trending audio do I use?” 😵💫
Hit record on the camera….. “ah crap. I messed up. again. Take 12!” 😣
That was me.
Like not long ago at all…
As a struggling freelancer, with ambitions of building a personal brand as a creator, I knew I needed to be putting content out there.
But every time I found myself trying to create it, I was just…. Stuck.
I kept thinking…
“How do people find time to do all of this and still run a business?”
“Is this whole social media content thing really worth it for me?”
“There has to be a better way…”
“Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
I saw all the top thinkers’ talking about systems, routines, schedules, and so on.
But going from 0 to 1 was a huge hurdle for me for a long time and continues to be for many others.
What do I talk about?
What note-taking, idea-building software is best?
Which scheduling software should I use?
Which social channels should I be on? (I figured.. all of them right?)
How much time should I allow myself to work on this? (I have other priorities too ya know…)
What’s the end goal of posting? audience growth? more sales? more clients?
What 15-minute time window is best to post to maximize exposure?
What hashtags, SEO-optimized captions, algo-friendly things should I…. ah forget it…
🤯😰😵
I figured since I was starting at zero - zero followers, zero customers - I should optimize for each of those points above to increase my chances of gaining some traction.
But that was the WORST thing I could’ve done.
Why? Well in hindsight…
Not only was my brain exploding from the mental chaos, but I was so focused on the micro-details of it all that I was blind to the fact that…
The answer was right in front of me the whole time. 🙌
Instead of trying to come up with a bunch of micro-content for social media, I needed to zoom out and focus on one big thing every week.
The Answer = Pillar Content
Allow our friend ChatGPT to explain.
Long form content that covers an relevant niche-specific topic.
If I could just focus on one pillar piece made specifically for one platform (aka one distribution method) I’d be able to….
Focus on one thing to avoid the mental chaos
Make something pretty dense - more value-packed
Have a pillar piece that could be chopped up for all that chaotic micro-content for social media
promote my pillar ‘product’ as a free offer on my offer ladder
Finally have something that’s evergreen and leverage-able
I started this newsletter and haven’t looked back.
All of those frustrations and friction points mentioned above vanished in an instant.
Whether you consider yourself a creator or not…
All one-person businesses need to utilize pillar content to support their business and begin to build in digital leverage as Justin Welsh refers to it.
It’s not a trend or a fad. Long-form content creation and distribution have been around since the printing press. But…
Today, in the digital age, there are a variety of formats you can utilize.
So there’s literally no excuse for not taking action.
Take it from Will aka @notiondad
Will has the right idea.
Focus on one pillar content format, and dice it up for social media content if you want.
The Dominating 4 Pillar Content Formats
Newsletter
Blog
Video
Podcast
I’m gonna help you pick your best pillar format and then give you the plan of attack to get you up and running.
First question….
1. What is Easiest For You?
Forget about what’s the coolest, most sexy thing right now. and for god’s sake screw the algorithm for a moment…
“The best content you could produce, is the content you’ll actually create (and publish).”
Here are your options:
Writing
Recording Audio
Recording Audio + Video
Pretty tough huh?
decisions decisions….
In most cases it starts with writing, since most creators script out their videos or podcast ahead of time either way. For instance, this text you’re reading will go on my studio desk teleprompter and be used as a loose script for the M&M Video Podcast Experience.
The other thing to consider is what tech you have available to you. And honestly, there’s no excuse on this either. Your get decent audio from your phone mic, and really good video from it’s camera. The smartphone has changed the game.
In the first year of releasing content on your pillar platform, focus on quantity over quality. And with quality, focus on the quality of your writing and message as opposed to the tech or visual side of it.
Determine what pillar content would be easiest to consistently produce based on:
What tech do you have available to you
What you can do the most of in a shorter period of time, consistently over time
But that’s just step 1 of 5. There are 2 other things to consider before you start - and you can’t skip these.
In the rest of the article, I will walk you through the best and easiest way to create your pillar content plan and begin building the modern era’s most valuable one-person business asset….
Digital Leverage.
2. Pick a Format You Already Consume
This is a no-brainer.
If you don’t listen to podcasts, don’t start a podcast.
If you’re not opted-in to newsletters, don’t start a newsletter.
What kind of long-form content do you already enjoy as a reader, listener or watcher?
I suggest doing that!
Benefits of Creating Pillar Content for a Format you enjoy
You’re familiar with the landscape
You can model other creators - great for getting started
You know what you like about the platform, so you can work that into your content
It’s easier to connect with other creators where you spend much of your time
It’s more fulfilling and enjoyable for you as a creator
I love youtube. I have since day one.
It’s my favorite app on my phone and roku TV.
Therefore, when I release a new youtube video I get such a rush.
There’s such a great feeling of accomplishment from my contribution to the youtube community and ecosystem.
I can serve my needs while supporting a platform I love.
Nothing better than that!
Same w Spotify. I love Spotify. So switch my pod hosting platform just recently over to Spotify for Podcasters. The features are great, it’s free, and it supports their company.
Win. Win.
I love it.
3. Lock Down 1-3 Topics Within Your Niche
Admittedly, this has been a slow process for me…
Which is why I know you’ll flourish by getting ahead on this one.
The Process to Nail Down Your Pillar Topics:
What niche or industry are you in?
What makes your approach different or unique? (don’t overthink it)
What are the common misconceptions or frequently asked questions in this arena?
Of all of the bullet points you jot down from the above, lump them all into 2-3 different categories
Pick 1-3 Pillar topics (the more refined, the better, in the beginning)
Everything you write for the first year at least, should land in one of those pillar topics.
You’ll know without a doubt that there is attention and interest here.
This confidence in your topic choices will help you focus more on the quality of your content and writing style as opposed to questioning whether you’re touching on the right thing.
And remember, in most applications, your long-form pillar content will be evergreen. Meaning the usefulness of the content has a long shelf life. Which makes it….
Highly Leverageable 😏
After a ton of flip-flopping all over the place my core topics have become…
Personal and Professional mindset for solopreneurs
Marketing Strategy & Fundamentals (with a heavy emphasis on Content and Social Media)
one-person digital business tips for growth and autonomy
I’ll continue to refine and reduce as I keep carving my path.
The earlier you do this, the better your content will be.
4. Make 5 Entries Before Going Live
This step will tell you a lot about yourself and this craving to begin building a content system for your biz.
I was reluctant at first, but this advice was given to me by my business coach joel before launching the M&M Mondays Newsletter (you’re reading the repurposed blog version at the moment)
You learn really fast whether creating the content is enjoyable or not.
Which… If you’re absolutely hating the process of ideating, writing, and producing something, this is the time to re-evaluate whether it’s worth proceeding.
Granted, the more you do it, the better and quicker you get at it.
For some context, it usually takes me about…
→ 4-6 hours a week to write the newsletter [using this notion content creation template I made]
→ 1-3 hours to record the video podcast version and import the files into my Google drive
→ 1-2 hours to build it into my blog and email marketing software [My assistant takes 90% of this off my plate though]
So between 6-11 hours per week, every week, to produce a weekly newsletter.
But what I get from that is:
a newsletter
blog entry
podcast on Apple, Spotify, etc…
a long-form video on youtube
between 30-50 pieces of repurposed social media content for IG, LinkedIn, Twitter, FB, and YT (this takes a handful of extra time not noted above, again.. my assistant runs this for me)
Making 5 entries before going live, not only helps you understand what it’s gonna take to commit to it but will also give you a head start when you do go live!
In my case, with a weekly cadence, I was over a month ahead when I launched my newsie.
This gave me time to write new entries, optimize my content creation workflow, or take a breather without missing a beat.
This is the secret step many don’t do. Don’t skip it.
5. Launch, Commit, Grow
Get ready for liftoff! It’s time to go live.
With a format you can keep up with and enjoy, 1-3 topics to stay focused on, and 5 entries in the chamber, you’re ready to tell the world.
Keep in mind though.
Once you launch…
The real work begins.
Everything up to this point was more research and viability analysis-type stuff.
Now not only do you have to keep up with the commitment you’ve made, but if you want it to be fruitful for your business and help you hit your over-arching goals…
It’s time to market your new [insert pillar format here].
I’d like to humbly say that the approach I’m using with the whole ‘write a newsie/blog and use it for making video podcast episodes’ has the most bang for the buck, but it does take quite a bit of extra time, money, software, and equipment to replicate my current approach.
I don’t take credit for this approach, I’m just doing what’s working for others in a way that I can handle for the time being.
As you market the [insert pillar format here] you’ll be able to build and nurture your audience which is the critical juncture of growing your customer count and their loyalty to your brand.
Now you have a simple 5-step formula to begin marketing your brand with pillar content confidently.
Pick what’s easiest
Pick a format you consume yourself
Lock in niche-related 1-3 topics
Make 5 entries before releasing (the secret pre-launch hack)
Launch, Commit, and Grow
Til Next Time ✌️🙂
Ev