7 Habits that help me stay consistent on social media
We’ve all heard the advice at this point - posting consistently is key to growing on YouTube. But how do you actually implement that advice? What I’ve learned is: you need to treat YouTube like a habit. Just like brushing your teeth, or going for your silly little walks for your silly little mental health - you build up habits over time and eventually, it becomes second nature. That’s the beauty of the 8 habits I’m going to talk about today - once you start doing them, and you practice doing them over and over again - eventually, it does get easier. And posting consistently on YouTube will start to feel more like a normal part of your life- and less like a gargantuan task that you feel the need to procrastinate.
Habit #1: I do regular brainstorming sessions + keep a content ideas database
One barrier to consistency is not having ideas when you’re ready to sit down and film. If you don’t have a system in place, then chances are you have times (probably just as you’re falling asleep or while you’re in the shower) that you have a huge list of awesome ideas. But then, when you actually have some spare time on a weekend to film - your mind is totally blank. Well, this habit is designed to address that exact problem. I try to schedule regular brainstorming sessions for myself - I add them to my calendar so I don’t forget.
During these brainstorming sessions, I write down all of the ideas that I have for future YouTube videos. To get inspiration sometimes, I’ll check out the “channels your audience also watches” tab in YouTube Studio - to see what’s performing well for the other creators my viewers seem to like. I’ll also scroll through channels of creators that I really admire - and I try to only do this with creators who have a totally different niche or subject matter than I do - and I’ll see if I can use their titles or thumbnails as a starting point for my own videos. For example, a fashion creator I follow might make a “5 style mistakes you can fix with this one change to your wardrobe” and that might inspire me to make “5 YouTube growth mistakes you can fix with this one strategy” - see what I mean?
I keep all these ideas in a Notion database - and that way when I have those spontaneous shower thoughts or whatever, I can quickly pull out my phone and add those ideas to the list.
By the way, if you’d like to use any of these Notion templates yourself you can check them out in my digital product shop. I have a YouTube Starter Pack bundle - it’s linked in the show notes.
Habit #2: I keep my tools accessible
Nothing stops your creative juices flowing like having to dig through your closet to find your camera - or worse, turning it on and realizing that all of your batteries are dead. So, I found a way to make all my gear easy to grab and ready for me, when I’m ready to film. And you don’t need a whole fancy studio set up to do this, let me show you what I did.
My “gear cabinet” is an Ikea TV stand. On the left-hand side, I store all my gear on the shelves, organized in bins from the dollar store. I got my friend Sarah to print cute labels for me. The stuff I want to grab most often - my cameras - I just keep on the shelf, and my other lenses are behind them. On the other side - this is kind of catch-all storage for tech, including our Nintendo Switch - but I have a power bar running into that side, so I keep all my batteries plugged in. That way, I know they’re always fully charged when I need them, and as soon as one dies, I put it back here to charge. If you want to see this, check out my YouTube video called 5 Habits that help me stay consistent on YouTube. Just head to www.youtube.com/katie.
Habit #3: I organize my resources
In addition to keeping my physical gear organized and easily accessible, I have found that keeping my digital resources organized is equally important. A well-structured file organization system helps me easily locate the clips I need without losing any footage. This saves me valuable time and effort that I can put toward other aspects of my projects. I also ensure that my digital resources are backed up regularly so that I never lose any important data. It is super important to have a reliable backup system in place, because losing data can be a huge setback for any project.
Habit #4: Create a Content Calendar
Creating a content calendar is crucial to posting consistently. It can help you plan your content in advance and ensure that you have enough time to create quality videos. You can use a simple spreadsheet or a tool like Notion to keep track of your ideas and schedule your content. And as I already mentioned, you can check out my Notion templates - check out the show notes or just head to www.katiesteckly.com/shop - and you can find my content calendar template there.
Here are some tips for planning your content calendar:
Determine your posting frequency: Decide how often you want to post videos on your channel. This will help you plan your content calendar and ensure that you have enough ideas to fill your posting schedule.
Brainstorm ideas: Use brainstorming sessions, audience research, and inspiration from other creators to come up with video ideas. Keep a running list of ideas in a document or database for easy reference - just like we talked about!
Consider seasonality and trends: Think about how your content can tie into upcoming events or trends within your niche. For example, if you have a cooking channel, you might want to plan Halloween-themed recipes for October.
Plan ahead: Give yourself plenty of time to plan and create each video. Avoid last-minute rushes by planning your content calendar several weeks or even months in advance.
Be flexible: While it's important to have a plan, it's also important to be flexible. Don't be afraid to adjust your content calendar if something unexpected comes up or if you have a new idea that you want to pursue.
By following these tips, you can create a content calendar that helps you stay organized, consistent, and on track with your content creation goals.
Habit #5: Batch your content
We all know and have heard the term batching, right? This strategy can help you save time and ensure that you have enough content to post consistently. You can choose a day or weekend each month to batch-record your videos, write your scripts or captions, and so on!
Batch recording also allows you to maintain a consistent filming environment and lighting. This can help make your videos look more professional and polished.
Habit #6: Use video templates
When it comes to saving time and staying consistent while creating YouTube videos, having both a script template and an editing template can be a lifesaver. A script template can help guide your content and ensure that you hit all the important points you want to make. And once you have your content recorded, an editing template can help you quickly put together a polished final product.
My custom Viral YouTube Script Template is available in my shop (I promise this episode wasn’t meant to be a Notion template ad), but this template was designed to guide you through crafting your next YouTube video for viral success. As for your editing template, it should include your intro and outro, music, transitions, and any other elements that you use in every video - I use Premiere Pro and have a template file that I duplicate for each video - makes it so easy.
Habit #7: I take time offline to recoup and get inspired again
It’s so important as a creator to take time away from your projects. I even find for me, it’s so refreshing just to watch YouTube for fun instead of purely work. So I try to follow creators that aren’t in my niche at all and pursue hobbies outside of just YouTube.
Currently for me, that’s taking time to do online Spanish classes, and trying to make yoga part of my daily routine. Find things that make you feel fulfilled outside of just YouTube, it will help you feel much more inspired and motivated when it comes time to make your next video.
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Thank you so much for tuning in and listening to my tips on how to post consistently on social media. I hope you found this episode helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @katiesteckly.
And don't forget to check out the show notes for links to my Notion templates and other digital products. Thanks again for listening, and I'll talk to you in the next episode!
