The 3 Minutes Per Day, 21-Day Content Creation Challenge
First of all, let me make this clear... I created this content challenge for myself! 😃😃 However...
Once I started the challenge I found it so satisfying and easy, I gathered other people would benefit. Hence the reason I'm writing this blog article to show you how you can get your message out there by creating content that makes a difference in as little as 3 minutes per day.
So nope, no signup necessary... just read, be inspired and implement. 😊
Why 3 Minutes?
There is nothing signitificant about 3 minutes per day except the fact that it's a small enough number that you give yourself no excuses.
I've created some of my videos at 2:00am in the morning where I've been determined that I wouldn't go to bed without recording first.
My daughter said "you can't do anything in 3 minutes," but my response was that if I chose 5, 10 or 15 minutes, the likelyhood is that I wouldn't do it. However, I knew that 3 minutes was short enough to give me no excuses, long enough for me to get a meaningful message recorded (and Facebook prefers videos that's 3 minutes plus long), and I KNEW I couldn't do a video in 3 minutes but for me it was a "just start" signal!
I even gave myself permission not to have to even upload the content for the first 21 days so I didn't even have to focus on recording and editing at the same time.
How You're Going to Organise Your Content
After the first 21 days - or sooner if it suits you - you're going to organise your content in 3 folders on your computer. You'll have a green, amber/yellow and red folder - just use the coloured tags if your computer allows, as below:
In the green folder, you're going to put all of the content that you're happy with... those you're going to post.
The amber/yellow folder is the "meh" folder where you'll put those files you're not sure is post worthy but you can come back to those and make them post worthy later on.
The red folder is the "hay no!" folder. You think they're so bad that they're never going to see the light of day. BUT...
You are not allowed to delete these files.
Why?
Because you can either make them postworthy by editing them if you're writing or even patching (adding and removing segments) if you're creating audio or video.
Additionally, with the content inside the red folder and indeed in any of the folders, you can repurpose that content. Take segnments and add them to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and just change the narrative that accompanies the video and audio and you have yourself new content!
Can you see how simple this is?
There is no need to complicate the content creation process. It's a myth that it has to be done a particular way. The most important thing is that you get your audience to listen and this is where I agree with Russell Brunson 100%... initally, you're doing this for you... to find your voice.
So give yourself permission to not think about what others are going to think and just focus on giving value.
The difference day 1 to 7 made for me was interesting in so far as I learned what I wouldn't have known had I not just started recording. But the last 7 days - from day 7 to today, day 14 - has been the difference between night and day.
The last video I created, I think I have just one edit I need to make. Prior to that, I stopped and started, patched and re-recorded, though in truth, the re-recording was due to a technical glitch which resulted in the audio not being picked up. And I'm sure I'm not that watchable that I could get away with posting silent movies! 😃
So Let's Start Creating!
First, you want to decide what kind of content you're going to create.
If you like to write, I suggest a blog (you can get started at Medium.com).
If you prefer recording audio, I suggest a podcast (you can get started at anchor.fm).
If you prefer recording video, I suggest you create a YouTube channel at YouTube.com.
I'll tell you why YouTube as opposed to Facebook an add a link to a Getting Started on YouTube video a little later.
What Will You Write, Say or Video Record?
As my daughter would say, "don't deep this."
Overthinking what you're going to talk about is the primary reason many of us stayed stuck for so long, including of course, the "I have to get it right or perfect" syndrome.
I suggest you create a mindmap of your topic using either keywords or sentences that you can continue adding to and take one sub topic to talk about each day.
A couple of starting points I would suggest include:
- YouTube videos - check content in your industry with the most engagement - views and comments. And trust me, you can get a lot of inspiration from the comments.
- Amazon. Check out the table of content and establish whether you could write or talk for 3 minutes on one of the topics outlined in a book that relates to your topic.
And do remember this is a challenge. So there is no problem you telling your audience that you're doing a challenge and why. By doing so, you change the narrative each day as you become more confident and you engage with your audience because you're being transparent.
After you've introduced yourself, what you're doing and why, give your audience something of value that they can use.
By around day 4 of my challenge, I decided to tell my audience what I was going to be talking about in the video and then I told them what the challenge was about and why I was doing it.
The purpose of this was to entice my existing audience to keep watching beyond the introduction which they've probably heard a few times, and to encourage any new watchers to wait with anticipation to find out what this challenge was all about.
To Name Your Challenge or Not to Name Your Challenge
I decided to give my challenge a name which started off which Trish's Diary and quickly became Trish's Chronicles. I took the view that people would mistake a diary for what I had for breakfast and lunch and whilst Chronicles is by no means perfect, the name alone seemed to bear more credibility. That was my thinking behind it anyway. 😊
Again, not trying to be hip, but don't deep this. My experience just in the 14 days so far that I've been doing this has surpassed any issues I may have had previously about naming things or getting the introduction and the close right, because as I stated in day #7, I discovered what I didn't know just by getting on with it.
Some days, it's been 2:00am in the morning that I've recorded, but knowing that the video had to be a maximum of 3 minutes, I just got on with it. It's true that some days after recording I felt more confident and satisfied than others, but the important thing was to keep going.
Don't Stress The Tech
Notice how I didn't suggest you go create a WordPress blog, or set up a full blown podcast? The techiest thing I suggested was setting up a channel on YouTube and even that doesn't have to be too tech.
Before I get into the YouTube element, let me just say why I suggest you only get started with Medium.com or Anchor.fm...
It's NOT your platform!
When you build your business on third party platforms, you're bringing traffic to their site, not your own, and you have too little control over the content you spent so much time producing.
Just do a search on YouTube about Medium.com and Anchor.fm and you'll soon discover that long-term, this isn't the best strategy. But, I'd rather you didn't have to worry about the tech for the next 21-42 days and if it's going to get you started and stay focused, go for it!
Back to YouTube...
The reason I've suggested YouTube and not Facebook is purely because of the longevity of the videos.
On Facebook, if those videos don't get views within the first hour or so, they can die a cold hard death and get little to no visibility.
With YouTube on the other hand, even if you don't get any views for a month, you can breathe new life into that video just by making some small changes - including changing the title, thumbnail and description. Also, once your videos start gaining momentum, you have a much better chance of your other videos getting noticed.
Facebook haven't quite mastered this aspect yet.
But the thing to do is set up a basic channel where you can post your videos and you can go back and optimise the channel and the video later.
Here is a video that will help you set up your YouTube channel properly from day one:
What About Recording Equipment?
If you have a smartphone you have everything you need to get started.
Russell Brunson has built an almost billion dollar company and to this day, he records his weekly video and audio podcasts using his iPhone.
Steve Larson, an ex employee of Russell Brunson's company (Clickfunnels) makes a mint and records his podcast using his iPhone. And trust me, I can name others, but I hope you get the point... You don't need expensive recording equipment to get started.
Even though my daughter has a middle of the range vlogging camera - the Canon M50 - I'm still happy using my iPhone to record. I just use an external microphone to make the audio quality better.
I used to use the MOVO LV1 lapel microphone, which you can purchase for around £15 on Amazon, but recently I started using my Blue Yeti, connected to my iPhone via the Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter, which you can also purchase on Amazon.
A word of caution here... Forget the cheap imitation adapters, they are intermittent and keep bugging out. I discovered this the hard way so you don't have to.
Beyond the 21 Days
What will you do once you get to 21 days?
You're going to do another 21 days. Yes!
Remember that this challenge isn't about you impressing anyone, it's about helping you get confident, find your voice and be consistent.
So apart from any other marketing you're doing, your main focus on a daily basis is to record one piece of content and edit and upload one piece of content every day.
If you prefer not to have to edit your videos, consider using YouTube live. This is definitely something I'm considering for the coming weeks.
Here's a Quick Summary to Keep You Focused
I'll personally be coming back to this post to update it as I complete more of the challenge, but let me give you a summary to keep you focused.
- Decide what type of content you're going to create - blog, podcast or video
- Decided where you're going to post your content - blog (medium.com), podcast (anchor.fm) or video (YouTube.com)
- Create a mindmap of content ideas
- Write or record your content
- Organise your content into 3 folders on your computer - Green, Amber/Yellow and Red
- Start uploading your content
- Repurpose your content for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc
- Repeat the process
- Get known in your industry
- Win!