How to Avoid and Deal with Content Burnout?

How to be consistently creative? In this blog we look at advice of some top creators on how to manage stress, burnout and consistency in content.

Content burnout is common, but getting stuck at it can lead to loss.
Content burnout is common, but getting stuck at it can lead to loss. 

The process of creativity has phases; it is not robotic and mechanical, and it does not follow a pattern. All creative people, be it artists, writers, dancers, comedians, etc have their phases where ideas don't seem to strike and materialize. However, social media algorithms desire consistency. Creating content under such pressure might lead to off-brand or mundane content.

Running out of ideas can have a seriously negative effect on your reach or engagement. So, sitting around waiting for creativity to strike might not be the wisest choice. Here are some of the ways in which you can overcome creative blocks and beat the pressure to maintain the integrity of your content.

Image credits- Beetroot

1. Plan Ahead and Organise Accordingly

Create a structure by drafting a plan to optimize your creative stints. This will help you channel your energy in the required direction For example, spend some time researching and brainstorming. Then, plan out your content for the entire week once you're in the zone. This way you have time to get in the creative zone and are also not short of content any day. Advanced planning and discipline are key to ensure the best results.

While talking to SocialBoat, Raj Abhisar, an online financial educator told us how he plans his week beforehand to ensure consistency. Raj notes down all ideas as and when they come to him. Then one day he sorts them all out by making a rough map of the content. The next day he shoots all videos in one go, changing his outfit for each. On the following day, he edits them all, and voila (!) he has content ready to post for the next week without the last-minute pressure of figuring out what to post.

Image credit- Woz Marketing
Image credit- Woz Marketing

2. Befriend Technology and Use Tools to Optimize Your Creation Journey

A helping hand can always be of assistance when creating content single-handedly. There are many applications coming out in the market that are easy to use and get your work done 10 times faster.

For instance, apps like Veed.io, Boosted, InShot, Jumprope can make creating videos much easier. Similarly, apps like Canva, Bazaart, Wibbl help you to make interesting and refreshing graphics efficiently. Their paid versions are even better.

Experimenting with such apps and finding one that suits you the best can be a game-changer for your social media content. When you have pre-prepared templates, the technical work for you reduces, and you can instead use that energy for ideation and execution.

Image credit- Hootsuite Blog
Image credit- Hootsuite Blog

3. Switching Social Media Platforms

A change of environment always helps, both physically and also digitally. When one social media platform begins bugging you because of the pressure, there are many others you can try your hand at. Diversification of platforms leads to diversification of content, and who knows, when you might create something that satisfies you and your audience.

Shuffle dance and digital creator, Akanksha Singh told us about the intense pressure her sudden popularity on Instagram put her under. After posting under pressure for some months and tiring herself out completely, Akanksha decided to start posting tutorials on YouTube along with Instagram. Doing something new was beneficial for both her quantitative and qualitative growth.

Similarly, stand-up comedian Garv Malik told us that the Instagram algorithm kills the creative potential of many creators. Therefore, he is creating an audience on other platforms, especially LinkedIn and Twitter where he has found an audience that relates to his jokes.

Image credit- Digital Agency Network
Image credit- Digital Agency Network

4. Take Control of Your Own Community

After building an audience on social media platforms, create your private community on a community platform on which you have end-to-end control. Platforms like Slack, Discord, or SocialBoat allow creators to take complete charge of their communities.

You already have fans and followers from social media. The top 2% of these are your super fans, they genuinely love your work and directly want to engage with you. You don't want to lose them to the algorithm.

On such community platforms, you can create your own private community, which you can monetize in the long run. Here, you can have exclusive AMAs, classes, or other forms of premium content without having to worry about losing engagement or followers.

For example, Shravan Tickoo, an online educator about Product Management, told SocialBoat about his plan to start cohort-based classes. The members of these cohorts will be people who have engaged with Shravan's free content on social media platforms. Financial educator Prashant Desai also has similar plans.

Creating private communities opens up a whole suite of monetization options for you as a creator. We will talk about this in detail in our future blogs.

It's normal to feel like you're not in the mood to create content, but if you want to be successful, you need to find ways to get past this. We hope this blog post has helped you find some new strategies that will help you get past creative blocks.

For more insights to help you build better online content and communities, visit SocialBoat.