During our initial meetings with authors and thought leaders over the years, most clients have been very enthusiastic about following our plan to support their launch. They say “yes!” to writing guest blog posts, “yes!” to providing 1-2 posts a week for their own blog, and “yes!” to creating unique content for PR requests and top tier media.
As we move from the Building Phase into the Working and then Launching phases, a few of them have been just as prolific as promised, but the majority end up exactly where we warned them they could be: scrambling for content during crunch time.
Whether you believe it or not, you will be very busy with last minute changes to the book, unforeseen issues with the distributor, and plans for marketing your published work to your desired audience. You may find, as so many do, that the time that you thought you would have for writing “once the book is done” is eaten up very quickly by things outside of your control.
When faced with fifteen — or fifty — requests from your publicist or fellow authors and bloggers for content and interviews to help them spread your message, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and only answer the top five. This not only sends the unintended message that the others aren’t important, but it causes you to lose out on free advertising.
Don’t miss out — be prepared to be generous with your content because you did the work ahead of time.
In addition to the above reasons for why you need a content library, here are three ideas for creating a stockpile or ready-made library of content, whether you have a ready-to-launch book, a rough outline, or are hoping to be discovered as a new niche blogger.
1. If you find yourself with time on your hands, USE IT.
Instead of taking a nap on a rainy afternoon, type out a short article or two. Rather than watching a movie on your next flight, jot down outlines for 7 or 8 future posts. When inspiration hits you, use it! Chances are, when it’s time to respond to pre-launch requests, you may not be feeling particularly creative or enthusiastic after completing all those manuscript revisions!
2. Writing once can help you TWICE.
Even if you don’t have a book yet, you can stockpile posts that can be used on your own blog during the book writing phase. This will keep your blog active in the present while you are busy focusing on the future. ALSO, If you mention your book or include ideas from it in your posts, they can stay in your launch library to be reused later (with two or three easy tweaks to refresh them) as guest posts for bloggers who are willing to use repurposed content.
3. You’re not writing a BOOK, just a few paragraphs.
So many bloggers and authors are paralyzed by the idea that they need to come up with 2,000 or 2,500 word posts, when 250-500 will do. Everyone’s in a hurry, so your post should be like the sample on a stick that fast-food restaurants hand out to entice you to buy a meal — hook them with the basic ideas, and sell them on buying the book.
No matter where you are in the process, set aside time to begin cultivating your library of content so that you can fulfill all those “yes!” promises that you make to yourself — and others.
P.S. Learn more about repurposing content in our upcoming webinar! Details here
Carrie Koens joined the Weaving Influence team in May 2012 and has held a number of roles, including three years as the Book Launch Director (a title she stepped away from in June 2016 in order to focus on the needs of her growing family), and she currently serves the team as a Writer and Consultant. An INTJ with a penchant for culture, book stores, Parisian cafés, Indian curry, British mystery shows, and her passport, you can find her on Twitter @CGKoens.