Overthinking Your Content Strategy?

Are you tired of spending countless hours agonizing over your content strategy, only to feel paralyzed by indecision?

Yeah, I thought so. Then let’s stop overthinking and start creating content that moves the needle.

In this post, we’ll get into the common pitfalls of content perfectionism and show you how to streamline your approach so that you can actually move forward with creating content. That way you can stop overthinking your content strategy.

Ready? Let’s get started.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link. For more information, see my full disclaimer here.

Prefer to listen? Check out episode 15 of the podcast: Stop Overthinking Your Content Strategy

Why Overthinking Happens

First things first: why do we overthink?

As solopreneurs, especially women balancing various roles, it’s natural to want everything to be perfect. It’s kind of baked in to our DNA, right? We aim for the stars because our businesses are close to our hearts. However, this quest for perfection often leads us down a rabbit hole of endless tweaking and unnecessary stress.

Common Triggers:

Overthinking happens for several reasons, and understanding these can help you manage it better.

Fear of Failure

When we’re worried about not meeting expectations, it can lead to overanalyzing every little thing. An example of this would be thinking “What if no one likes my content?”

Perfectionism

Striving for perfection can make you second-guess the content you produce. As a recovering perfectionist, I understand how difficult this is. But remember that perfection is an illusion. Focus on progress instead.

Perfection is an illusion. Focus on progress instead.

Comparison

This is when you look at other content creators and think things like “Look at how polished her posts are!” And it’s a trap. Because most of the time, we’re comparing ourselves to people who are way ahead of us.

For example, if I tried to compare my podcast to Amy Porterfield, I would probably just curl up under a blanket and cry. Of course, she’s polished. She’s been podcasting for 10 years and she has a whole team to help her.

Information Overload

We’re bombarded with information. That’s just a fact. And there are so many strategies, so how do you know which one is right? It’s tempting to try and consider every possible angle. But that can lead to analysis paralysis where you’re unable to make a decision and move forward.

High Stakes

This is when the outcome of a decision feels particularly important. And the pressure can lead to overthinking. Well let me make this one easy for you. Some things are high stakes. Your content strategy is not one of them. It’s okay to be imperfect. It’s okay to make changes.

You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. So just start.

Click here to grab your free Content Strategy Mistakes Guide

Simplify Your Strategy

The best way to stop overthinking is by simplifying your strategy. Here’s how:

Set Clear Goals for Your Content

We always start with goals, right?

So how do you set goals for your content?

Identify your purpose.

Ask yourself “what do I want to achieve with my content?” Are you looking to build brand awareness? Drive more traffic to your website? Engage with your audience?

Do you want to educate, inspire, or entertain your audience?

Next, define a clear, measurable objective, like increasing website traffic, growing your email list, or boosting sales.

Here are some example goals:

Increase blog readership by 20% in three months.
Gain 500 new Instagram followers by the end of the quarter.
Boost email newsletter open rates by 15%.

Clear goals give you direction and help you measure success without getting lost in details.

Understand Your Audience

You also want to understand your audience.

Who are you creating content for?

What are their needs, preferences, and pain points?

Get to know them by creating an ideal customer avatar. Now you may be thinking, “Tonia, you’re talking about simplifying, but creating an avatar sounds complicated.”

But it doesn’t have to be. And it’s super helpful in understanding your audience.

Let me back up a minute and define the term.

An ideal client avatar is a fictional representation of your target audience. So it includes demographics, pain points, preferred communication, channels, and values.

I like to think of it, like creating a character for a novel. I used to write fiction. And so I had these really detailed character sketches so that I would know exactly all the details about my different characters.

And that’s the kind of thing you want to do with your ideal client avatar. It really lets you get into their heads. And when you do that, you’ll gain valuable insights into how to create content that resonates with them and that addresses their unique challenges.

And you can even use chat GPT for this. If you input a little information about your business and your target audience, chat GPT will generate a comprehensive avatar that you can use to guide your content strategy. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create a client avatar with chat GPT.

Your content strategy will be so much more focused and effective when you truly understand your audience. So it really is worth spending a little bit of time on this.

I have a free training that goes a lot deeper into understanding your audience and how you can use ChatGPT to create a client avatar.

Next Create a Content Calendar

A content calendar acts as your roadmap. It helps you plan ahead and reduces last-minute stress.

Here are the Steps to Create a Content Calendar:

1. Choose Your Platforms

Decide on your core content type – this is your main form of free long-form content. Will you write blog posts? Create videos for YouTube? Or maybe a podcast is more your speed.

Also consider your micro-content platforms. Will you do social media? If so, what channels? Will you write emails (and here’s pro-tip: I strongly suggest you do email).

2. Decide on posting frequency

When it comes to deciding how often to post, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

First, consider your capacity. How much quality content can you realistically produce on a regular basis?

Keep in mind, it’s better to post less frequently than to sacrifice quality for quantity.

Ask Yourself:

Does this add value to my audience?

Is it aligned with my brand values?

Would I engage with this if I were my target audience?

And factor in consistency as well. It’s better to regularly post once a week than to post daily for a week and then disappear for three months.

If you’re just starting out, it’s okay to start small. Maybe you begin with one blog post and two social media posts per week. Once you get into a rhythm and get your systems in place, you can scale up your frequency.

3. Brainstorm Topics

Now, let’s get creative! Jot down all the topics that align with your goals and audience needs. If you need inspiration, look at what your competitors are doing or ask your audience directly. Don’t overcomplicate this. Just jot down ideas.

4. Schedule Posts

This is where the calendar part comes into play. Assign dates and stick to them. Okay, actually I’m going to say stick to them as best you can.

Related: Struggling to plan and organize your content effectively? Simplify the process with my Content Planning Toolkit.

Embrace Imperfection

So we talked about this earlier. Perfectionism can be paralyzing. Understand that no piece of content will ever be perfect—and that’s okay!

Here’s why embracing imperfection works:

Authenticity Resonates

People connect with real, human experiences, not polished perfection. Your audience wants to see the genuine you, flaws and all.

Speed Over Perfection

Getting your content out there quickly can be more beneficial than waiting for it to be perfect. The faster you share, the quicker you learn what resonates with your audience. Also, keep in mind that content sitting on your computer doesn’t help anyone. You have to publish in order to help your audience.

Continuous Improvement

Imperfect content gives you room to grow. You can always tweak and improve as you go, based on real feedback.

How can you embrace imperfection?

Set realistic goals

We talked about setting clear goals earlier, but they also need to be realistic. Aim for progress, not perfection. And set deadlines.

Deadlines do two things. They keep you accountable. They also act as a time limit. If you’ve set a deadline to publish that podcast episode by Tuesday, then you only have so much time to work on it. When you run out of time, stop and publish.

Prioritize value

Focus on the value your content provides, rather than it’s flawlessness. Does it solve a problem or answer a question for your audience? That’s what matters most.

Share Behind-the-Scenes

Show the real side of your business journey. Your struggles. Your wins. Your progress and your setbacks. This humanizes you and it builds a stronger connection.

Learn from Feedback

Criticism can sting. But look at it as a growth opportunity.

Iterate Quickly

Publish, gather feedback, and improve continuously.

One of my mantras is done is better than perfect. And it’s something I try to remind myself of every day. Especially when I get stuck in overthinking mode.

Overthinking your content strategy? Here are 5 says to embrace imperfection.

Leverage Analytics Wisely

Analytics are helpful but don’t let them overwhelm you. Focus on key metrics that align with your goals rather than trying to track everything.

Here are some Key Metrics Examples:

For a Blog, you could look at Page views and time on page
For Social Media, look at Engagement rates (likes, comments, and shares)
For Email Marketing, focus on click-through rates

Regularly review these metrics.

And when I say regularly, I mean weekly or monthly. Not daily.

Looking at your analytics daily can lead to obsessing over every dip or spike. If you review them weekly or monthly, you can look for trends over time instead and not get caught up in the weeds.

Tools and Resources

There are a lot of tools out there that can help you with your content strategy.

You’ll need a tool for your content calendar. I personally use Google Sheets. But you can also use tools like Google Calendar, Airtable, or project management tools like Asana.

AI tools can be super helpful for things like understanding your audience, generating ideas, outlining etc. My favorite AI tools are Marketing Magic, Claude, and ChatGPT.

You’ll also need tools to help with production. This will depend on the format you choose.

The main content production tools I use are:

Word – I use this for any written content, whether that’s an outline, a blog post, a script, etc. Google Docs is another option.

Descript is what I use for recording and editing audios and videos. It’s hands-down the easiest editor I’ve ever used for audio and video. It works like a word-processer. It automatically transcribes the audio and when you edit the transcript, you’re also editing the recording.

You’ll also likely want something to create graphics or other visual elements. This could be for in-post graphics, slide shows, or social media. I use Canva, because A) it’s super easy to use, and B) if you have the pro version, it includes stock photos and you can magically resize graphics. It’s worth it to me to pay for the pro version.

Here are a few tips to implement tools into your strategy

Start Small: Begin by integrating one tool at a time into your routine. That will allow you to learn how the tool works without overwhelming yourself by trying too many new things at once.

Be consistent: Regular use will help you get the most out of these resources. If you only use a tool once a month, it will be hard to remember how it works. If you use it regularly, it will become second-nature.

Experiment and Adapt: Find what works best for you and tailor it to your needs.

Review your strategy regularly

Finally, let me share my main tip for maintaining momentum without becoming overwhelmed.

Your content strategy is a living thing, so set regular review sessions. Take a little time weekly or monthly to review your analytics, your calendar, and your processes. and don’t forget about qualitative factors like how you feel. What’s working? What’s not? How can you do more of what’s working well? What can you change to improve the areas that aren’t working?

Then make small adjustments to your strategy based on what you’ve learned.

If you make small adjustments at each review session, you’ll continuously improve and you won’t feel like you’re starting over time, which can be overwhelming.

Take Action: Overthinking Your Content Strategy

Before we wrap up, let’s review the key action points from this post. Remember, nothing changes until you take action!

1. Set Clear Goals: Define specific, measurable objectives for your content, such as increasing website traffic or growing your email list.

2. Understand Your Audience: Create an ideal customer avatar to gain insights into your target audience’s needs and preferences.

3. Create a Content Calendar: Plan your content in advance by choosing platforms, deciding on posting frequency, brainstorming topics, and scheduling posts.

4. Embrace Imperfection: Focus on authenticity, speed, and continuous improvement rather than perfection. Set realistic goals and deadlines to keep yourself accountable.

5. Leverage Analytics Wisely: Track key metrics that align with your goals and review them regularly to identify trends and make informed decisions.

6. Utilize Tools and Resources: Start small by integrating one tool at a time, be consistent in their use, and adapt them to your needs. Recommended tools include Google Sheets, Descript, and Canva.

7. Review Your Strategy Regularly: Set weekly or monthly review sessions to assess your analytics, calendar, and processes. Make small adjustments to continuously improve your strategy.

And don’t forget to grab your free Content Strategy Mistakes Guide. In it, I share the top 5 mistakes I see people making with their content strategy, plus tips on how to fix each one.