An Influencer’s Guide to Managing and Organizing Content Creation

Raise your hand if you are a content creator who struggles with staying organized. You are welcome here.

There are so many moving parts involved in the creation process: from ideation to publication and beyond.

If you don’t have a handle on the who, what where, and when, of YOUR content creation process, chances are you will continue to struggle with consistency, leave money on the table, and burn out. & we simply don’t have time for that.

So let’s get right to it. To keep my content process organized, I’ve broken it up into the following phases:

• Ideation: This is where you come up with ideas for content
• Creation: This is where you create, film, and edit your content
• Publication: This is where you publish & post content on various platforms
• Organization: This is where and how you keep your content, data, and processes templated and organized.
  

How To Organize Your Content Ideas

As a content creator, you likely have a lot of ideas floating around in your head at any given time. In order to make sure that these ideas don’t get lost, it’s important to keep track of them somewhere. This could be in the form of a physical notebook, an online document, a project management tool, etc. Whenever you have an idea for a piece of content, make sure to write it down immediately so you don’t forget about it later on.

My content ideas come from various platforms. I use Pinterest and YouTube as a search engine, and I use Instagram & TikTok to stay on top of trends. Trends evolve in the blink of an eye, so it’s important to stay on top of them and be ready to jump on any opportunity for relevant content. On each platform, I use their innate organizational tools to organize content ideas.

On Pinterest, I create secret boards for photoshoot ideas, blog post ideas, etc. On YouTube I have curated several idea playlists that are relevant to my niche.

On Instagram & TikTok, I have a handful of collections that have trending audios, transitions, educational content, and niche specific ideas.

When I’m planning out my content, during the Ideation Phase I’ll navigate to these collections of ideas and share links inside of my ClickUp Content Folder. This is where I store all of my promising & relevant ideas. Not all ideas are good ideas, and some trends fade out quickly which can render the idea as useless. Don’t be afraid to scrap the ideas that aren’t working for you and your goals.

How To Plan Your Social Media Content

One of the best ways to stay organized as a content creator is to plan ahead. This will help you avoid random posting and ensure that your content is strategic and purposeful. I suggest creating a content calendar that outlines what you need to create and when it needs to be published.

There are many ways you could approach content planning, but the ultimate key is to create a routine & process that works for you and the resources you have access to. Here’s what my content planning process looks like:

My current social media goals are to grow my platforms and secure consistent brand collaborations. With my goals in mind, I determine what types of content make the most sense for me. For example, since one of my goals is growth – I’ll think through what pieces of content will give me quick exposure and help me grow the fastest.

For growth, I’m utilizing the “Ask a Specific Question” method outlined by the folks at Think Media. The idea is to create content that answers specific questions. These questions are highly searched and pique the interest of my ideal community member. This blog post is actually an example of that! My ideal community members are content creators and moms, and a common topic I have seen is “how to stay organized as a content creator” – so I decided to create long-form and short-form pieces of content that answer this exact question.

While outlining my content plan, I’ll take a look at my ideas and see if any of them are applicable to this topic, whether that is a transition effect, a trend, or a style that would best convey the overall message.

How often should I post on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, & Blog?

In addition to thinking through content topics, I’ll outline a cadence that works best for me and my goals. For sustainable growth, consistency across platforms is necessary. Your version of consistency may very well differ from mine, so don’t feel like you need to use the same content cadence. Again, pick the routine that’s best for you, and one that you can consistently implement.

Social media growth is a whole beast in and of itself, so I can’t get into all of the nitty-gritty details here, but from my experience and, research I’ve outlined a Growth Cadence that I’m following to the best of my abilities.

Instagram Content Cadence for Growth

Instagram has recently become more difficult to grow a following. That’s partly due to the growth in users, the ever-changing algorithm, and the rollout of new features.

If you want to grow on Instagram, reels are currently the algorithm’s best friend and your most effective tool. Incidentally, my Instagram growth strategy is almost 100% focused on reels. Here’s a quick breakdown of my weekly IG reel theme schedule:

Monday: Educational
Tuesday: Family
Wednesday: Educational
Thursday: Brand Campaign (if applicable)
Friday: Authority/flashy video transition
Saturday: Family
Sunday: Luxury

In the schedule above, I’m posting one reel a day. I may sprinkle in carousels, but that’s just a bonus only when I have the capacity to post twice a day.

TikTok Content Cadence for Growth

TikTok is one of the best platforms to grow on. The virality aspect – with that being said, if you want to grow, TikTok favors quantity – now this does not mean quality doesn’t matter – it just means that you can get away with more off the cuff and unedited content than Instagram.

With that in mind, 3 time a day is a recommended growth cadence for TikTok.

Morning Block: Campaign

Afternoon Block: Educational

Evening Block: Family

YouTube & Blog Content Cadence

YouTube & blogs are more involved, so realistically 1 or 2 a week is all the capacity I have without sacrificing quality. Until I perfect my YouTube & blog workflow, I’m sticking to 1-2 a week for long-form pieces of content.

From a growth perspective, YouTube & blogs are a long-term growth strategy. Sometimes it takes six months for YouTube & Google to pick up your content, but the ROI, in the end, makes it absolutely worth it. If your SEO game is spot on, your YouTube channel and blog could bring in tons of leads and financial opportunities via brand campaigns and ads.

Once you’ve outlined your content cadence, map it out in a content calendar. There are tons of tools you can use. I use ClickUp’s calendar view to visualize my content cadence.

By planning ahead, you can avoid last-minute scrambling and ensure that your content is intentional and cohesive.

Note: currently I’m reposting content to YouTube shorts and I’ve seen a dramatic increase in subscribers.

How To Organize Your Content Creation Process

Now that we’ve laid out our blueprint, it’s time to start creating the content. I use a mixture of batching content and off-the-cuff content.

Part of my content creation process is to outline and script everything. On my content batching day, I’ll use my outline and/or script to create pieces of short-form and long-form content.

I always try to avoid creating content on the same day as outlining, since usually by then my creative energy has been tapped.

For each piece of video content, I outline the following:

• Script
• Location
• Outfit
• Audio
• Cover Photo/Thumbnail

Outlining these details in advance makes content batching so much smoother.

Pro-tip: Templates can be a lifesaver when you’re creating content on a regular basis. Having a template for each type of content you create will help you save time and stay organized.

I typically film my content on my phone or my Nikon Z6. After I’ve filmed everything, I’ll transfer the files to my computer or to my phone for editing. Video editing apps can take you so far, but if you’re trying to create more technical videos with precise timing and complex transitions, it’s absolutely worth it to invest in a video editing software such as Adobe Premier. I create folders on my phone for batching sessions to make it easier to reference when I’m editing or repurposing. I’ll do the same on my hard drive (specifically if I’m recording using my DSLR).

As you’re creating content, be sure to save everything in a central location so you can easily find it later. If you’re working with team members, use a shared drive and a project management tool like ClickUp to keep everyone on the same page. I’ve created a content management system inside of ClickUp to operationalize my content workflow.

What is a content management system?

A content management system (CMS) is a software application or set of tools that help you create, manage, and publish content. A CMS typically provides a user interface (UI) and various tools or plugins that allow creators to add edit, and format content. In some cases, a CMS may also provide features for managing the workflow, publishing schedules, user roles, and access control.

There are many different types of content management systems available, ranging from simple applications designed for small businesses to complex enterprise-level systems. Some popular examples of CMS include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla!, and Adobe Experience Manager.

When choosing a CMS, it’s important to consider your needs and the needs of your team if you have one. If you’re looking for a simple system that will be easy to use, you may want to choose a less complex CMS, which is why I’ve chosen to use ClickUp.

ClickUp is a project management tool, however, I’ve created a CMS within ClickUp to help me keep track of my ideas, content plan, and schedule. If you need help building one out, my team and I would be happy to help. Click here to see how we can help.

As a Content Creator, you probably don’t need anything complex; a simple Project Management Tool will suffice.

With all of this in mind, here are some content management system best practices:

1. Use labels and status to organize your content and provide clarity on your content stage
2. Create templates or checklists to streamline the creation process.
3. Use a calendar to plan and schedule your content.
4. Store your research and reference materials in an easily accessible place.
5. Collaborate with other content creators to brainstorm ideas and get feedback.
6. Track your progress over time so you can see what’s working and what isn’t.

For longer forms of content, I outline them in Notion. My web team loves when I share my blog posts in a notion page because it’s a lot easier to specify the headings and include the graphics directly on the page. I’m actually currently writing this blog post in Notion!

File Management

As a content creator, file management has been the bane of my existence until recently. File management is like your closet: it’s always easier to throw something on the floor and deal with it later, but the next time you’re looking for that outfit (or file), you struggle to find it. Proper file management takes time and intention, but it always saves time in the long run. Whenever I am intentional about keeping my files organized, I always thank my past self, especially when I’m looking for content to repurpose or collateral to use. Whenever you’re tempted to just dump a new file onto your desktop or catch-all folder, keep your future self in mind!

Here are some of my file management best practices:

1. Create folders for each month and sub-folders for different types of content. For example, if you’re working on a blog post, create a folder for the project that includes sub-folders for images, research, drafts, etc.
   
2. Labeling your files correctly will save you time and frustration later on. Use consistent and descriptive naming conventions for all of your files. This will make it easier to find what you’re looking for, whether you’re searching your computer or collaborating with someone else. Pro-tip: Use an SEO-friendly naming convention for your images. Google uses your image metadata to categorize your posts. If you name them appropriately from the get-go, you won’t have to optimize your images when they are uploaded to your blog, YouTube videos, etc.
   
3. Back up your work regularly to avoid losing anything important. Cloud-based storage options like Google Drive and Dropbox make it easy to access your files from anywhere and share them with others, and it’s always a good idea to keep a physical hard drive back up as well. It may seem excessive, but the general rule is to have at least one cloud backup and one physical backup. In case of some unexpected file catastrophe, you’ll thank yourself.
   
4. Review and revise regularly. Archive what is no longer relevant like old branding, outdated b-roll, etc. The goal is to make relevant collateral easy to access. If you find that something is outdated or no longer applies, make the necessary changes so that your content is always up-to-date.
   

Tools to Help You Organize Your Content

Use technology to your advantage. I mentioned several tools throughout this blog post: ClickUp & Notion, but there are lots of other great tools that can help content creators stay organized. From project management tools to social media scheduling apps, there’s sure to be something out there that can help you streamline your content workflow. Do some research and find the tools that work best for you & your current resources.

Here are some more tools to help keep your content workflow organized:

Content Scheduling Tools

• Hootsuite:
• Buffer
• CoSchedule

Content Visualization Tools

• Preview
• Unum
• Canva

Content Operation Tools

• GatherContent
• Scrivener
• WordPress
• ClickUp, Asana, Trello etc.
  

Final Thoughts

To recap:

1. Organize Your Content Ideas
2. Plan Your Content in Advance
3. Use Tech Tools to Streamline Your Content Workflow
4. Use a Content Management System to Centralize Your Content Resources & Processes

Don’t let your lack of organization make you leave money on the table. If you’d like to pick my brain on all things Influencer & Content Creator life, book a session here. In the meantime, do you have any Influencer organizational hacks? Share them below.

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