Welcome to The Rachel Kurzyp Show.

The two biggest problems that my clients face when it comes to writing content in their business is:

#1 – they are too focused on making a sale so they create trending content that doesn’t feel aligned and doesn’t resonate deeply with their dream clients

#2 – they edit as they write so they censor themselves and end up with content that lacks personality, clarity and purpose

That’s why today on the show, I want to help you overcome these common problems by sharing the five stages of writing. Yep, writing is a process and if you skip a step, you may not get the desired result.

So let’s dive in.

Step #1 – Idea generation

My best ideas come to me in the shower or when I’m taking a walk. Some ideas are fully formed and others need to develop. That’s why I’m always writing down my ideas on my phone as they come to me. And I set aside an hour once a month to explore them.

If you create content in a rush or at the last minute, you may find that your ideas haven’t fully developed. This doesn’t become apparent until you go to write the piece and find you only have a sentence or two and struggle to know what else to say. To avoid this, dedicate time to explore your ideas and decide which ones are worth you fleshing out.

Step #2 – Research

Once you have a solid idea, it’s time to dive deep and see what unique perspectives you can add or different ways you can explore the topic. I always do a broad Google search to find relevant articles, books and podcasts.

From here, I narrow down on what it is I want to say. Usually I say something different to the norm or something complementary to what has already been said. This is how I avoid repeating what has already been said before and ensure I’m adding something new and interesting to the topic. If you find yourself thinking “I have nothing new to say” you may want to dedicate more time to research.

Step #3 – First draft

This is when you can actually start writing. I use the purpose of the piece and what I want readers to take away from it, to guide my writing. This helps me write clear and concise content and not waffle. It also reduces my writing time because I know what I want to include.

If you find yourself dreading the writing stage because you either have too little or too much to say OR can’t get into flow because you need to step away and think, then you have definitely skipped the Idea Generation and Research stages.

The first draft usually takes me anywhere from 10 minutes for an Instagram post to 30 minutes for a podcast episode. While we put a lot of emphasis on the writing, it’s actually the editing stage that takes the longest.

Step #4 – Editing

The editing process is where I spend most of my time. I can spend anywhere between 15-minutes to weeks editing my content – depending on what I’m writing.

This is where I focus on removing redundant words, repetition and prepositions. And ensure my piece is easy to read by reducing sentence length, ensuring my tone is consistent and I’m using an active voice where possible.

This stage shouldn’t be done at the same time as the First Draft as it requires a different skill set and part of your brain. Many of my clients blend these stages together and that’s why their content feels generic or void of emotion.

If you have a tendency to self censor, turn off AutoCorrect in word and in Google Drive so you can have the space to write freely. Then when you’re ready to edit (letting the piece sit for 72-hours is ideal), turn them back on.

Step #5 – Marketing

This is when you can think about how you would like to share the content with your dream clients. And ensure you have everything you need to make the most of your content – for example hashtags, images, catchy headlines and call to action.

And while I do think about these things throughout the entire writing process, I don’t let it be the only deciding factor in what I choose to write.

The quickest way to stop your creativity is to force yourself to create something because you feel you should or because it’s expected of you.

If you find yourself scrolling through Reels to get ideas or jumping on trends, this may be why your content isn’t getting the results you want. While it may get you attention initially, you’re only prolonging the inevitable. You will eventually have to develop your own style, voice, ideas and personality if you want to be seen as an expert in your niche.

Well there you have it. The five steps to writing content in your business. If you follow this writing process you will be able to create content that attracts and sells in half the time.

And if coming up with ideas of what to post is holding you back, download my free guide 7 types of content to convert followers into clients.
I’ll walk you through what content to create using my content formulas. I even provide before and after post examples so you can see how easy it is to apply my formulas in your biz.

Head to rachelkurzyp.com.au/7contenttypes to get your copy.

Thanks so much for tuning into today’s episode.

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