I'm moving my popular Stop Press! feature where I highlight the really timely, valuable content as I find it from Facebook across to the blog. I'm trying to show my own content the same love that I show my clients, so I'm having a renewed push to blog more regularly.
Yes, I know it makes sense, yes, I know that my SEO depends on it. And I know I have a lot to say that belongs right here, not on my social media where I tend to let it play out for sake of ease.
Podcasts are a party I have been late to join. I like my content to be visual and, aside from a running playlist, I like audio to lull me to sleep. Especially the talking kind. My husband and my eldest teenager tried to persuade me. My closest friends hooked me up with comedy and true crime stories. But after a lot of time spent jumping in and being left largely disappointed - all of a sudden last year I was hooked. I can, quite honestly, say that recovering from sepsis gave me a whole lot of time on my hands than I needed to have. And while I struggled to rest and stay sedentary Podcasts really did save my sanity.
Blogs are great tools for writers, but as a former journalist I don't like to give myself the 'blogger' moniker. And the struggle to find really relevant, really engaging content is real. But podcasts, I think they are the Sunday Paper Feature of the content world. You don't always have the time to indulge in them, but you make the time in much the same way that you may saviour all the magazines within a weekend paper but be unable to do more than browse the news Monday to Friday.
I've enjoyed guesting on some podcasts, but lockdown hit just as I was prepping to launch my own series and I'll be frank and say my business had other priorities. But, I have used the last 8 months to look deeper into what I can meaningfully communicate, and consider the content for my own (in the pipeline!) podcast. And while I was mulling this all over I came across Kate Toon.
Kate is a pro copywriter and I'm a huge fan of her lively, relatable style. Last week, as Lockdown 2 hit us in England, I remembered her podcast from earlier this year about coping with lockdown. I navigated Part 1, but Part 2 has already given me significant challenges. I struggled last week with the enormity of it all and worrying about some of the lovely businesses I work with.
So, when you can't down tools and go to the pub or grab a coffee you need to be creative about finding your inspo or revitalising your mojo, right? This episode was just what I needed. I felt like I had a couple of colleagues who were also mates in the room with me. I let myself off the hook and I understood where my struggles to focus were coming from.
If you're in the business of content or if your business is giving you some work from home challenges, take a break, do yourself a favour and tune in.
Link to the complete episode here.