3 easy tricks for creating a kickass content engine

Hey friends,

It feels almost surreal to write this but more than 250 new folks have joined us since our Product Hunt launch on Tuesday. If this the first-ever Story Alley to land in your inbox - welcome. We’re looking forward to sharing tips and tricks for building a strong online presence with you every Sunday.

To everyone who’s been with us for a while - we’re extremely grateful for your support. The wonderful comments you left on our Product Hunt page warmed our hearts more than you can imagine. We’re glad to have you here :)

Now, let’s get down to business. You’re all here because you want to build a kickass online presence. And clearly, to do so, you need to come up with great content day after day. But having to show up and share your ideas regularly can be intimidating, especially if you’re just starting out. Many folks feel this way. We certainly did.

When we first started building our online presence, we worried that we’d run out of things to say. Creating content every day seemed like a tall order. So, we came up with a few shortcuts to make it easier.

Today, we’re sharing our secrets with you. Ready? Let’s go.

Repost old content

Barney Stinson once said that “New is always better”. Well, guess what: he’s wrong.

It may sound crazy but most of your audience wouldn’t necessarily see your content the first time you post it. Social media algorithms ensure that not everyone who follows you will see every piece of content. While this may sound like a drag, it’s actually a hidden opportunity.

You can bookmark old content that did well, then wait a while and repost it. Chances are it will get even more engagement than before, which will expand your reach and attract new people to your audience. Trust us, nobody will notice.

Save content ideas for later

Ever had one of those streaks where great content ideas just keep pouring out of you? When killer content appears fully-formed in your mind and all you have to do is write it down, then hit ‘send’?

Earlier this year we had such a streak. We had built up our creative muscle so much that we’d come up with multiple ideas all day, every day. It felt great. However, we didn’t go ahead and share all the content the second we came up with it. Instead, we would write it down and save it in our Twitter drafts folder. This way, we’d have plenty of good content to choose from in case we hit a creative block (and trust us, we did).

The best part of this method? It works for whatever platform you choose. All you need is a place to store your ideas (like the Notes app on your phone, for example).

Break down long-form content into bite-sized

You spent several hours writing a killer article or recording a podcast. Hitting ‘publish’ feels so gratifying. You’ll finally share your ideas with the world.

However, if you only published in long-form, on one platform, you’ll be limiting the number of people your ideas can reach. To avoid this scenario, break down your long-form content into smaller pieces. This could take the form of a Twitter thread, summarizing your piece or a series of posts, each focused on a specific insight you shared in the bigger piece.

You can even write the smaller posts in advance, while the ideas are still fresh in your mind, and save them in your ‘future content’ folder. Two birds with one stone :)

Now, you have it: all of our tried and tested secrets for setting a kickers content engine in motion. Try them out and let us know what you think.

With love,

Team Salley

What is Salley?

Salley helps you build habits that allow you to create a strong online presence. With us, you can stay accountable and earn stress alleviating rewards for hitting your content goals.