When To Stop Making Content
If publishing relentlessly was all it took there'd be way more success stories
Some of the most boring sods pump out content, consistently.
Was their content always this boring?
Or did regularly emptying their creative mind make them this way?
We publish because…
content = attention = leads = clients = money.
That’s the model, and it works mostly like this.
But if it were simply about relentlessly publishing content, we’d be surrounded by success stories.
But we’re not.
People grind away for years without ever reaching critical mass, or traction, or whatever you call it.
Yes, we know, consistency is vital to success. Successful people in any endeavour talk about the instrumental role that consistency plays.
But content isn’t magic.
As content creators, we hear ‘consistent’ and think it means output. We set publishing targets as a way to adhere.
But that binary, simplistic view isn’t helpful.
The surprise coffee.
Let’s say once upon a time, you woke up before your partner and “ding!” — you had the idea to make a surprise coffee for them, ready for when they opened their eyes.
So you put on your best barista hat, made it just the way they like it, set the surprise coffee bedside, and waited.
They woke up, were pleasantly surprised, enjoyed it, and loved you for it. Ahha! Something you did had a positive outcome!
Action » reaction.
So in that moment, you decided to have a coffee ready for your partner every morning.
Twenty years roll by…
Now, after 20 years of dutiful morning coffee without missing a day… could you credit this consistency to your long-lasting, enriching relationship?
Maybe. Little things do matter.
But what’s more likely is that there were bigger things that could have destroyed your relationship, and more impactful things that strengthened it.
You avoided those disasters, and you capitalised on the opportunities.
The daily coffee? It was at first a pleasant surprise. But then it became normal. Then expected. Then taken for granted. Other times, this consistency got in the way of life; needing to be awake first got in the way of your sleep. Often, the coffee would go cold because your partner was in a hurry, or didn’t want it, or had coffee plans with friends.
The value didn’t come from the repetition. Rather, the value was in the delight of a surprise.
Blind repetition hides stuff from us. We get so focused on repeating and checking off ✅ the action that we lose sight of its original purpose.
Now, my coffee analogy may be clumsy, but I hope you see the parallels with business growth.
Content grows attention. But not if it’s shit.
A clanger now and then is fine. It’s normal, expected even.
But when you’re cranking out content consistently for a period (3-6 months) and the signs of life are going backwards, something has to change.
Going invisible.
I’ve been making content in one form or another for decades.
Younger, I wrote poems and songs.
In business, I learned about blogs and social, Google Ads and email and Substack and YouTube.
And through it all, consistency has been vital.
But, a few times a year, I drop off the radar. Make no mistake, I’m still very much engaged and active in my business, but to the outside world, I’m quiet.
You can go invisible, too.
When the signs of life are dying, or your energy to create is fading, or you simply feel like you’re on a treadmill again and you’re not 100% sure why — that’s the sign to take a break.
Your business will be fine. Taking a breather will prevent burnout; you’ll be better off in the long run anyway.
But don’t just stop making content only to feel guilty about not making content. It would be a shame to waste a break like that. That’s like going on holiday to a far-off land and spending all your time worrying about what’s happening back home.
Becoming inspired again.
When you stop making content, enjoy the damn break! Do stuff that you’ve missed out on because of the creation process. Do other stuff that makes you happy. You are, after all, in recharge mode.
All the while, be listening. Reflect on your work. Hear what your instinct is telling you. Listen to what the market is telling you. Hear the nuance.
Has your stuff gotten a little too clickbaity?
Have you become too predictable?
Too sad, happy, angry, mushy, bold, cheery, mechanical, personal?
Should you learn some new words or take a few photography lessons?
Are you flat, uninspired and need some new inputs?
Are you still making things for the people you want to make things for?
Do you enjoy the process?
Is there anything you want to stop doing?
What do you want to be more like?
Reflect on what really worked for you and your audience this last season.
Observe why your message might be off. Consider how you could make it clearer, better, more compelling, and more enjoyable to consume.
Think of adjustments that might make your content more fun to produce.
Make notes, be messy, stare at the ocean and dream a little, question everything, assume nothing.
And when you’re ready, you’ll one day make something.
And you’ll feel compelled to share it.
And without much fanfare, you’ll find yourself back in the saddle, but with a different spark, new things to say, and a new voice to say it with.
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Thanks for reading
I’m currently in Australia, chasing koalas and taking taxi rides with kangaroos. The mornings are cold here in Victoria during winter, but beautiful.
Cheers,
Pat
PS: If you enjoyed reading this, feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack too.
Further Resources
The goal is to help you get clients without doing stupid shit.
If you’re new, start HERE.
Educate yourself for free with my foundational YouTube series HERE.
If your lead magnet isn’t generating clients, watch this HERE.
I run the Growth Accelerator a few times a year. Every time, people get clients. It’s inexpensive and will light a rocket under your business. Hop on the waitlist HERE for free.
Finally, if you want private help, learn about inbound lead flow HERE.