Oh, social media! Do you have a love/hate relationship with it? … especially when it’s time to write your posts. Can you relate? There is truly no doubt in my mind that Facebook and Instagram have been MASSIVE tools in my business. If you can plan a month of posts in one hour?

I love it, and it helped me grow my email list, but I realized how much time I was spending on my content. Then, I started thinking: if I prep and batch all of my content in advance, my life would be so easy.

Prepping posts in advance saves tons of time. Without spending so much time trying to figure out what to post, you can finally show up for your audience the right way, without the stress.

Ready to prep a MONTH’S worth of content in an hour? I’ve got you, my friend. So, grab a Margarita or your nonfat white Mocha, and get out your favorite calendar. Let’s make some moves to be more productive.

STEP 1: HAVE A GOAL BEHIND YOUR POSTS

You want to share your expertise to build trust and grow your email list. Now, let’s be more specific, what’s your goal? 

• Do you want to promote a new product or service?
• Do you have a launch planned this coming month?
• Do you want to introduce a new team member?

Just the simple act of thinking ahead to the month coming up in front of you is a great way to make sure you’re tailoring your posts the right way. It’s also a great way to make life easier.

When I started, I used to decide on my post content the day before I had to post… and spent hours writing one post. BIG MISTAKE. Because my goals were unclear, I was always looking for a new subject to post.

Before jumping into step #2, write down your goal for your next month of blog posts. Remember, the objective is to plan a month of posts in one hour.

STEP: 2 PREPARE YOUR POST

The most challenging and overwhelming piece of prepping your posts is writing the copy. But, before writing, you must prepare your post and have a strategy in mind.

First, create as many categories as you have subjects to cover. In my case, it’s all about marketing, mindset, strategy, behind-the-scenes, and finance (I love numbers!). Then, create content in those categories most of the time. It’s a great way to build trust with your audience, give the impression that you’re an expert, and create consistency with your brand.

So, I want to encourage you to focus on the connection with your audience. Ask yourself why your words matter and how you can invite someone into the moment. Use the rule 80/20:

• Connect and serve your audience at least 80% of the time.
• Use your posts to promote your products and services 20% (or less).

I love to use the questions I receive to create new posts and help other women build and run successful businesses. So, each month, I write posts related to each of my categories (marketing, mindset, strategy, behind-the-scenes, and finance).

Now, let’s plan your categories! Which subjects related to your business can help you build trust and share your expertise? Again, the goal is to plan a month of posts in one hour.

STEP 3: PLAN WITH YOUR CALENDAR

Now that you know what topic you will post, it’s time to plan with your calendar WHEN you will post. Use a simple calendar and start planning. WHY planning? Because planning will help you make sure everything looks cohesive. Keep in mind that you want consistent aesthetic graphics. I’d also recommend Social Curator to anyone looking for images. Jasmine Star, founder of Social Curator, and her team provides beautiful, stunning stock images that you can pull from to fit with your brand.

Maintaining a posting calendar lets you plan, batch your work, and note down all your creative brainwaves for later. It’s the best way to make sure you’ll never find yourself desperately scrolling through generic inspirational topics hoping to find something to post ever again.

Here is an example to help you get started! 👇

You are now ready to plan a month of posts in one hour! Use this strategy to make sure that your goals, imagery, and content are solid. A solid framework is the best tool to create posts to share your expertise and build trust.

Now that your next month of posts is planned, take the time to celebrate! You won’t believe how much time this would save you in your business. I’m so proud of you—this is a big move!

xox