The Just One Topic Method
A simple and efficient framework for creating impactful content - without sacrificing quality.
Fact - The more often you proactively engage with your audience and authentically provide value, the faster you build brand awareness and trust.
Fact -This requires content creation.
Fact - The most common objections I hear about content creation is lack of time and not knowing what to create.
I have a solution for both dilemmas.
The Just One Topic Method™.
The Internet Doesn’t Need More Content
The internet has a dearth of mediocre content. This is mainly because brands have been incorrectly led to believe they must constantly publish new content, which is simply not true.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the following.
"I write a weekly blog post."
"I send a weekly email newsletter."
"I post on X (number) social media platforms X times daily."
It’s no wonder folks are overwhelmed. The good news is that you don’t need to do all that. In fact, - in most cases - churning out all that content could actually hurt your brand. Instead, try the Just One Topic Method.
How the Just One Topic Method Works
Choose one primary topic for each month
Create and publish a blog post on that topic
Repurpose your blog content for email marketing and social media posts
“Our 2023 State of Content Marketing report shows that 42% of marketers and business owners say that updating and repurposing content leads to content marketing success.” (Semrush)
1. Research and Plan Your Topics
I recommend planning your topics for several months using an editorial calendar. This will allow you to flesh out your planning and consider any seasonality that applies to your business.
Strategy is essential when selecting content topics. First, you need to thoroughly understand your target audience, their pain points, and how your products or services address them. Second, you need keyword research to understand your audience’s specific language when seeking solutions to those points.
Keyword research is not only about competing for search engine rank. Knowing the words and phrases your audience uses when searching for your products and services and the intent of those searches—informational, transactional, commercial, or navigational—has a substantial impact on the content we create because the data tells us what our audience wants to know and why.
I recommend moz.com, semrush.com, or ahrefs.com for keyword research. Your goal should be keywords with an average monthly search volume of > 100 and informational search intent.
2. Create One Blog Post Each Month
If you're not already blogging - you should be. Central to the Just One Topic Method is creating one long-form content piece each month. I recommend that it be a blog. Here’s why -
“82% of internet users claim to read blogs at least once a month.” (HubSpot)
and
“70% of marketers say blog posts are the most effective content type when used for demand generation in the early stage (awareness), more than any other content type (Content Marketing Institute).”
That said, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a brand-new blog post. You could refresh and republish an existing post with updated and/or additional content.
Once you’ve published your blog post, consider cross-posting it for broader visibility. If your audience is on LinkedIn, I highly recommend cross-posting your blog as a LinkedIn Newsletter. If your audience isn’t on LinkedIn (and even if they are), consider cross-posting your blog on a syndicated platform such as medium.com or substack.com.
Side note: If you republish an existing blog post on your website, be sure to archive it and create a 301 redirect from the original content to the new post.
3. Repurpose Your Blog Content For Email Marketing
There are many ways you can repurpose your blog for email marketing content. Some ideas include
Share the blog post as a whole with your subscribers - similar to the LinkedIn newsletter format.
Break the post up and email one chapter at a time over the month. With this approach, I recommend setting the audience’s expectations by explaining what they will receive and when.
Start with a 2-3 sentence snippet with a link to the full blog post on your website, then provide links to 2-3 curated resources on relevant topics.
Whatever format you choose, limit promotional content to no more than 20%, and be sure to follow best practices for email marketing.
4. Repurpose Your Blog Content For Social Media
Repurposing your blog content on social media has the most variable options. The format(s) you use and the frequency of your posts will depend greatly on your industry, audience, and platform.
That said, these recommendations apply to all:
Focus on just one platform at a time.
The format you choose for your posts will depend on the platform. Some value text posts, while others may favor reels, carousels, or videos.
The frequency at which you should be posting is also dependent on the platform.
Engage with other people’s content. Doing so helps you authentically grow your community, and most social media algorithms will reward it.
As with email marketing, keep promotional content to a minimum.
Once you’ve mastered publishing and engagement on the first platform, you can add others - or not. You only need to be where your audience is. If you do post on more than one social platform, take the time to reformat your content to match what is favored for each platform.
The simplicity of the Just One Topic Method allows you to consistently create and distribute content across multiple channels without sacrificing quality. As a result, you extend your brand visibility and opportunities to reach and engage a broader audience.
Are you ready to start creating content that provides value to your audience and drives business results?
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