It’s something I see all the time.

People make a start only to stop. Or they get momentum on a social media platform and then they vanish and lose that momentum.

It happens because content creation is hard work.

And because business gets busy.

We all know that it’s a critical part of our marketing though.

So reluctantly, we do it. Then we don’t. Then we feel guilty about it, or have a slump in our sales pipeline and we start again.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing though. While content creation is hard (I’m not trying to make you believe it’s not), we make it even harder on ourselves because we set ourselves up for failure before we even start.

How?

We don’t follow the Path of Least Resistance.

In this article, I’ll explain what the Path of Least Resistance is when it comes to content creation, and the five things you need to be looking at to help you follow it when you’re creating content for your business.

What is the Content Creation Path of Least Resistance?

The Path of Least Resistance is all about setting yourself up for success.

Imagine being able to commit to a content creation schedule and sticking to it.

Imagine getting traction because you were able to show up consistently for your ideal client.

Imagine getting momentum and feeling inspired, instead of feeling resentful about having to create something new for your blog article or your social media feed.

It’s all about clearing a pathway for yourself. One that works for YOU.

Because here’s what I see –

You follow the latest new marketing or social media “guru” on Instagram, or read a book about a fool-proof content creation / planning / marketing strategy that’s worked for 100s of people.

You get excited.

You start to implement.

And for a little while it works.

But then it doesn’t.

Want to know why?

Because you’re following someone else’s ideal way of working.

In the same way that the gym works for some people, running works for other people and yoga works for still others, you’ve got to find your ideal way of content creation.

Not somebody else’s.

It was foolproof for them because they experimented and found what worked. For them.

What the Path of Least Resistance looks like for them, will look different for YOU.

It’s about removing the barriers that are creating blocks for YOU.

Here’s the top five things you need to look at on the journey to creating your Path of Least Resistance.

Choose the right content platforms

We’ve all done it. Fallen into the trap of thinking we have to be everywhere all the time.

But we don’t.

I’ve written many, many times about needing to be where your ideal customer is.

And this means you need to choose to create content in the content type they like to consume, and share it on the platforms they like to engage with you on.

Your business is not Jamie-Lee Curtis. You do not have to be everything, everywhere all at once.

Be really strategic in where and how you should be connecting with your ideal client.

Having a clear Content Strategy that’s led by Brand Story Strategy will help with this.

Find the right content creation timing

Are you a morning person? Or a night person?

When it comes to creating anything, when are you at your BEST?

Take me for example. I find I am best at planning content at the start of the day. But when it comes to writing it, I’m way better after 11am in the morning.

Why?

Because I’m a night person.

In an ideal world, I would schedule content creation between the hours of 5pm and 9pm – because that’s when I hit my stride, the words just come, and I find I can create a month’s worth of content in a way shorter space of time.

But that’s part of MY Path of Least Resistance. You should focus on what you think is going to work best for you.

Find the right content creation method

It’s really important to lean into the style of content creation that you find the easiest for YOU.

Far too often, I see people uncomfortable with writing struggling to create a blog each month.

Or I see people who don’t like the sound of their own voice attempt to create a podcast every week.

If you aren’t choosing the right creation method, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

If you’re better at writing – then do writing.

Don’t like writing but great at speaking? Then dictate your content instead. Transcribe it, tidy it up and BAM you’ve got a blog article. Or leverage your chatty nature and record a podcast instead.

What are you good at? What do you enjoy creating?

Find it. Then do that.

Find your content creation flow

This one can be tricky – but if you can master finding your flow, it will completely change how you feel about your content creation.

You know what it feels like when you’re on fire? You’re in the zone? Things just come pouring out and the stars align?

That’s what it feels like when you’re in flow.

The thing is, we don’t reflect nearly enough on the things that help us achieve our natural flow state.

The first three actions I’ve already shared in this article definitely help with flow.

If you’re clear and being strategic on the platforms you’re creating for, if you choose the right time of day to be creating, and if you optimise for the right creation method for you, then you’ll be on your way to finding flow.

Here are some other tips to help you find your flow -

Work out if you like to sprint, or if you’re a marathon runner
Find it hard to work on the one thing for a long time? Don’t like to write or record more than one big piece of content at a time? Then don’t schedule all your content creation for one day of the month and then be sad when you don’t hit your target.

Experiment a little and see if you’re more successful working in short sprints (30 minutes each day) or in a marathon (where you deep dive one or two days a month and batch create your content).
Try the 10-Minute Rule
This one is from the book Hustle by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlastokovits & Jonas Koffler.

If you’re feeling like you just can’t get started, commit to just 10 minutes of writing, recording, creating. Then, if after 10 minutes if you can’t keep going, you can stop. The worst that can happen is you’ve spent 10 minutes moving yourself (however minimally) towards your content creation goal. But mostly, I find that after I’ve gotten past that first 10 minutes, I find flow and all of a sudden I’ve written a 1,500 word article, or all the social media posts for the month.
When you’re next in flow, reflect on what got you there
We all know when we’ve been in flow. Because we get that immediate high when we finish what we’re working on.

So, pay attention.

The next time you feel that feeling, reflect back on what you might have done to help you achieve flow state.

Was your office clean and all of your other critical work finished for the day? Were you burning a particular candle? Had you nourished your body or mind in a particular way? Was it a particular time of day?

Whatever you notice, try and replicate that the next time you need to achieve flow and see what happens.

What is it that helps you achieve your flow state?

Follow the Foundational Content Approach

I’m willing to bet that you’re not maximising your content usage.

Heck, even I’m not maximising my content usage, and I’m a content strategist who knows the power of content repurposing.

Instead of trying to create more, and more and more and more content, what you really should be doing is taking one piece of high-quality content and doing more with it.

I call this the Foundational Content Approach – where you take your largest piece of content (your podcast, masterclass or blog article for example} and turn it into lots of other pieces of content to publish across all your other content platforms.

If you have a blog for example, you can take this piece of content you’ve created and use elements from it to create a tip sheet, and a series of social media posts, and some Instagram reels and a LinkedIn PDF sequence.

When you practice this approach and get better at it, one single piece of long-form content can create a whole month’s worth of content for your business across all your content platforms.

If you want to get your content to work harder for you, then you need to work smarter – and you can learn how to implement the Foundational Content Approach for your business here.

The Path of Least Resistance is great. But a Content Strategy helps too.

Way too many businesses don’t have a documented Content Strategy and then struggle to create content for their business.

You can try all of these strategies for clearing the path ahead of you, and still fail because you don’t know what you’re actually supposed to be creating.

A documented content strategy with a content plan will help you know what you’re signing yourself up for.

Is it achievable with the time and resources you have available?

Is it going to deliver the return on investment you’re looking for?

You can clear the content creation path all you like, but without a clear map, you’ll still end up lost.

If you think this might be where you’re falling down, you’ll find a Quickstart Guide to Content Strategy here.

Don’t give up. Make sure you experiment to find YOUR Path of Least Resistance.

You know those guru’s I mentioned at the start of this article?

They found what worked for them because they kept trying and didn’t give up. And you need to do the same.

Implement on my five strategies. Pick a time you think will work for you. Pick a platform you think will work for you. Try recording something into a voice note and converting it out to a blog.

Start, reflect, tweak, repeat.

And whatever you do, don’t give up.

I promise that your Path of Least Resistance is waiting for you.

When you find it, you might even find that content creation becomes one of the best parts of your week.