Use This Content Marketing Checklist to Skyrocket Your Productivity

I used to beat myself up and feel guilty for not getting more done in my business each year.

There were so many awesome content ideas burning in my brain for videos, books, and education I wanted to create. Yet, not much was really getting done.

Sure, I was busy as hell, but my content creation process wasn’t very productive. Then I started working with a mentor who shared her simple daily content creation checklist with me.

By following her version of the checklist, she’s able to create a video, a livestream, a podcast episode, a blog post, multiple social media posts, and additional free education on top of that — every single day.

And all of her content is really, really good.

I decided to give it a try. I created my version of her checklist and then spent a day working through it.

That day was a game-changer for my writing business, so make sure to grab your free copy of the editable PDF checklist I’m going to share at the end of this post.

It could be a game-changer for your content marketing productivity as well.

A system that produces substantial results

I was so blown away by how much I got done in that one day that I decided to keep the experiment going. By the end of the week, I had created 21 new pieces of content for my business, including:

• 5 blog posts
• 6 training sessions for my membership site
• 5 videos for my YouTube channel
• 5 videos for my Instagram account

So, what’s the secret to making a content marketing productivity checklist work?

Four very simple things:

1. Have a mindset practice

Your mind has to be clear and focused if you’re going to produce that much content.

When your mind is full of negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, or worries, it will make it much harder to stay inspired and keep taking action.

Mindset work will be different for every writer. The idea is to do something every day to improve the way you think, believe, and feel.

Here’s my daily practice:

• Journaling: Every morning I write my intentions for my day, week, and life. I write out powerful statements declaring who I am and who I want to be, all written in the present or past tense. For example, “I am a great writer. All of my content attracts my ideal tribe, and I create content with ease and flow this week.”
• Verbal intentions: Intention is powerful, so I have multiple practices that incorporate intentional ways of thinking. Right before I create a piece of content, I set an intention for it. For example, before I write a blog post, I might say, “This blog post turns out great. The words flow with ease, and when it’s published, my ideal tribe finds it and reads it.”

The most important thing about mindset work is how it transforms you. It builds confidence and gives you clarity. You’ll start thinking and talking differently, which will then cause you to take more productive actions in your business.

2. Get inspired

It can sometimes be tough to come up with ideas for new content. That’s why I brainstorm and keep lists of ideas, even if I never actually do anything with them.

I’m a believer in using lists and brainstorming as a way to clear out crappy ideas and make way for really good ones — or to let the really good ideas come through. Sometimes when you make that list, you automatically find a couple ideas that are a “Yes!”

Right before I’m going to write something — and especially when I don’t have an idea — I’ll read or watch something inspiring.

I have a go-to list of people I follow who always create inspirational content. Or I’ll pick up a book and read a chapter.

Read or watch until you feel a “spark” in your brain. Something will trigger a thought you want to expand on or a full topic idea — and then you’re off and writing.

3. Create your daily content marketing checklist

Like I said, I make a lot of lists. But one thing I’ve (almost) stopped doing is making “to-do” lists other than a weekly list of deadlines or other projects that need to be finished.

On a day-to-day basis, the checklist I follow is more for general activities that I want to accomplish rather than specific work.

Here’s what my list includes:

• Write a daily blog post (25 minutes): I try to keep my blog posts short and to the point. They’re usually less than 1,500 words, but some days I write more.
• Provide value in Facebook groups (15–20 minutes): I run a free group for writers and I’m also active in several groups. I try to mix it up so I’m not sharing the same content in each group on the same day, but I also don’t reinvent the wheel. I may post something valuable in my free group one day and then share a version of it in another group I’m in the next day.
• Create free content for social media (15 minutes): Fill your social media channels with valuable content and occasional personal updates to remind people that you’re human. My rule is that one piece of content should be used in at least five places. After I write a blog post, I’ll create a teaser image with a link I can share on Instagram, Facebook, etc.
• Write books (15–30 minutes): Writing more books is a priority for me, so I have daily time set aside to work on whatever book project I have going on at the moment. Doing this has helped me triple the book content I produce.
• Visibility (10–15 minutes): If you want people to know who you are and eventually buy from you, you have to be visible. I aim to increase my visibility with content each day, whether it’s with a video, a Facebook livestream, or a blog post with a personal picture.
• Create paid content (30 minutes): I run a membership site, so I’m always creating new content and trainings for my members. Having this as a daily task has helped me build engagement and increase the amount of time people remain members.
• Create free content again (15 minutes): Yes, I repeat this activity. Why? Because free content is the bread-and-butter of any writing or content marketing business.

Now, you don’t need to do all of these things every day. You may devote a lot more time to writing your content, for example. Maybe for you, just focusing on two or three tasks on the checklist will allow you to start creating more content.

The point isn’t the number of activities — it’s how much valuable content you can create.

Here’s how to build your own daily content marketing checklist:

• Make a list of your content marketing tasks. Focus on what you want to accomplish in a typical day, so that you stay on track for the entire week or month.
• Designate an amount of time for each action. Experiment to see how long you need to complete each task. I used to create social media content for 10 minutes but found I was finishing somewhere around 12–13 minutes, so I changed that item to 15 minutes.

And if you don’t finish something you started, don’t worry. Just finish it during your next content creation session.

4. Use a timer

This is a super important step for me. Timing all of these content marketing activities forces me to become laser-focused and improves my ability to get more done.

I have an egg timer that I use, but you can also use the timer on your phone or, if you like gong sounds, this timer here.

Your free content marketing productivity checklist

Without this process, there’s no way I’d get as much content created each day and every week as I currently do.

Download your free, editable content marketing productivity PDF (57 KB) and incorporate the checklist into your routine to optimize your content creation sessions.

What would you add to your checklist? Share in the comments below.