How we show up without burning out

Hi Reader,

Years ago, Hazel and I realized we would need some help with our content if we wanted to keep it consistent.

We’re not interested in showing up in inboxes or on social media every single day, but we do want to have a meaningful presence and stay top of mind.

Just like we advise our clients, we want to show up regularly and be loud and proud about what we value as business owners…

…without spending hours on our content each week.

It’s super important for Hazel and me to minimize the time burden while still making sure each piece of marketing feels authentic to us.

So, building on Hazel’s newsletter about our team, I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our newsletter/content creation process. Maybe it will give you ideas for tackling your own marketing!

1. We started by setting our foundation

Once we realized we would be outsourcing some of Drio’s marketing, we worked with our copywriter and friend, Erika Holmes, to create a brand voice and messaging guide. It helped us put all our ideas and values into a central place our team can lean on.

This way, anyone who creates content for Drio can quickly understand what makes us tick and what our brand is like. From there, we could establish content pillars.

2. We don’t try to be everywhere

We often say, “It’s not about doing all the things. It’s about doing the right things.” That’s exactly the approach we took with our content plan.

Currently, Hazel and I both post on LinkedIn roughly once a week, and we publish a few newsletters per month (1 for Hazel, 1 for me, 1 for Drio’s business update, plus our office hour reminders). We also post content a few times per month on Drio’s LinkedIn, which is then repurposed on Instagram.

In between all that, Hazel and I engage on LinkedIn whenever we have some free time, commenting on other people’s content. This makes it feel like connecting, not grinding!

3. We use calls with our copywriter to streamline the process

We’ve found that some of our best content ideas come from organic conversations. Instead of adding a bunch of tasks to our to-do lists, we simply jump on calls with our copywriter to brainstorm and knock out tasks on the fly.

The calls reduce the amount of work (and mental energy) for Hazel and me, but they also feel therapeutic.

For example, I don’t always know what I want to talk about in my newsletter ahead of time. We bring ideas when we have them, but our copywriter also prompts us to help uncover the good stuff. We allow things to flow before turning it all into concrete ideas.

If you don’t have people on your team dedicated to content, your process will look different, of course. Maybe you set up a bi-weekly chat with your co-founder to brainstorm, reflect, and hold yourselves accountable.

If it’s just you, you could try setting aside half an hour to record yourself brainstorming. Giving yourself space to think out loud might reduce the pressure.

4. Draft, delegate, and chime in

Our team drafts the content, always tying it back to one of our foundational messages and goals. We provide feedback, they edit, and voila.

From there, our team can schedule emails and social media posts. Hazel and I also jump in with extra LinkedIn posts when we feel inspired or if there’s something timely we want to share.

The right process doesn’t happen right away

Our process might sound simple, but we didn’t nail our content workflow on day 1. It was tricky to let go of control at first. It took a few years to find the right balance between outsourcing and DIY.

If you don’t have the same ability to outsource (or if you just LOVE being fully hands-on with your content), your process will look different. Get clear on your goals, only focus on the most important things, and accept that you’ll have to experiment.

Don’t get discouraged if someone else’s way of doing things doesn’t work for you.

And if you need to set yourself up with a digital marketing strategy or a new website, we’re here when you’re ready. 😉