My Content Journey So Far and The Tools I Use

It's been a while since I started making content.

Mostly visual.

I started an Instagram page in late 2019, to exercise my creativity. To apply and test my social media knowledge and content creation skills. I made simple posts and published them for some time.

And then I discontinued it as I started working with a startup in 2020. I shifted all my focus to making content for this startup and managing their social media.

And earlier in 2021, in February, I started making content for myself again. But I actually started making content consistently from April. It's been a very experimental, challenging and interesting journey so far, with lots of learnings.

I never considered myself a creative guy for a long time. But with consistent practice and some knowledge bytes here and there, I have realised that creativity is a learned skill.

The more you do the more creative you get. And that's what I have been doing all this while.

To give you some idea, I make minimal designs, memes, concept ads, and many more on a lot of things.

I like connecting 2 totally different things and make something new. Not beautiful, not great, but something new, which would make sense.

Over these 7 months, I have set up a system for myself to do things consistently. So here it goes.

Generating Ideas

The first and foremost thing in content creation is coming up with ideas. It requires a lot of observations, thinking and research.

Here's what I do to get some inspiration.

  1. I read books, blogs, articles, listen to podcasts on topics I'm interested in and curious about.
  2. Consume other creators' content (tweets, IG posts, LinkedIn posts, YouTube videos, etc). Even the posts from different brands.
  3. I look into platforms like Pinterest for visual inspiration and resources.
  4. I take random walks every now and then, which surprisingly has helped me in generating ideas to work on.

Documenting the Ideas

Once you have an idea, it's really important to note it down somewhere to look back when required.

You never know when ideas strike you. So always be prepared.

  1. Have a notebook with you for jotting down those ideas.
  2. You can use apps like Keep(by google), Evernote or as simple as notepad on your phone too.

Then move those ideas into project management tools like Notion, Trello or Asana.

I use Notion to keep track of my creative process, right from ideation to publishing.

Research

Once you have your ideas in place, it's time to do some research on them to get more perspectives and angles on what and all you can try out.

You can use tools like Answer The Public, Instagram Hashtags or even a simple Google search will work.

As I mentioned earlier, I try to connect 2 totally different things and make something out of them.

The below posts are some examples of what I mean.

You see what I did there?

Grammarly but for talking to dads.

Creation

These are my go-to tools for content creation.

  1. Design - Canva & Figma
  2. Video Editing - Inshot(mobile) & VSDC
  3. Schedule and Publishing - Creator Studio
  4. Hashtag Research - Hashtagstack, inTags(mobile)
  5. To remove background images - removebg
  6. Memes and Meme Templates - Memechat app, Websites like Indian Meme Templates.

    7. and I use some of the creative common PNG images and illustrations available through different websites.

snapshot of my work on canva

I create many things but publish only a few. The goal for me is to practice more rather than publishing more. So even on the days, you don't see a post on my IG account I would still be making something.

Distribution Platforms

My major focus has been Instagram so far.

Now I have started to repurpose my content and share it on Pinterest and LinkedIn as well.

Other than this, I have started writing short essays and blogs since last month(September 2021). You can read them here - hey mohan.

How do you manage your creative process? Share it with me on @hey_mohan(Twitter) or @brainymuse(Instagram).