Being “good” and not “great” will save you from “content stress”

by Joe Kuzma ( joe_kuzma) on July 5, 2018

If you’ve listened to the last few episodes of the DisContent Podcast, you may have heard me use the phrase “you only have to be good, not great”.

That statement doesn’t refer to your actual expertise, rather, is a statement I make to help downplay the stress which can occur from overwhelming yourself with the pressures of content marketing.

Some of those pressures can include being a perfectionist. While having proper grammar in a blog post or making sure a dog isn’t barking in the background while recording a podcast can take you from looking like an amateur to a professional, those steps are far more important than concerning yourself with speaking for exactly twenty minutes or imposing a 1,000-word quota for your articles.

Be “good” and the “great” will come. Focus on those things you are best at and let the content come naturally. Adding negative influencers, such as stressing over strict deadlines and content guidelines will only hinder your best efforts.

It can also make even the most persistent people quite overnight.

That’s why you can make your own rules. The only one I feel people should implement 100% of the way when undertaking a new blog, podcast, or social media campaign, is to stay consistent. You make the schedule, but at the same time, stick to it.

Another big part of consistency is practicing what you preach. Obviously, if you’re not a writer or editor (like myself) you can get away with a spelling error here or there. Stick to what can be forgiven.

However, if you provide a service and post a photo on Instagram that goes against your best practices, you’re only doing yourself a disservice.

Therefore, when you begin (or continue) with your content marketing efforts, make sure you stay firm to appear professional, but don’t sweat the small details. No one needs to spend hours on a script to read during a podcast. If a blog entry is only 400 words, don’t force more just for the sake of stuffing words into it.

Sometimes the simple path is the best one. In this case, don’t overextend yourself by raising expectations. In due time you will create an audience who will encourage and help you achieve greatness.

And all it took to get there was doing good stuff!