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Ready to level up your content?

Welcome to the wonderful world of content creation. Where it always feels like you are never doing enough, or you are always comparing yourself to what others are doing/making. Does your content feel a little dry these days? Are you wishing you could just bump into that next tier of content quality but aren’t really sure how?

I have a love/hate relationship with content creation, I really do. And if you feel the same way, then you have come to the right place!

So many creators are out there these days, how the heck are you going to stand out? You do not have a bunch of fancy equipment or a studio you can film in. You are just a mom, or a college student trying to get by and make it work. Sound about right?

The good news is, you do not need any of that to be successful and frankly, the fancy equipment is such a small portion of the overall quality of your content anyway. 

As someone who is making a lot of content on several different platforms, I would say I have a lot of advice to give on this topic, so here goes nothing.

In this episode of The Branded Cowgirl Podcast, I am speaking directly to those who have found their flow with content marketing but they just wish they could finesse a few things.

This post contains 5 different ways to level up your content that you can start doing right now. That’s right, these are all things you can literally do right now. Cool? Let’s jump in!

01. Get Higher Quality Equipment

I hesitated a little bit on whether or not I should put this one on the list. Mostly because I don’t believe the equipment you use really matters in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you are first starting out. But I reminded myself that not everyone is just beginning. If that’s you, then this is a great tip. 

However, if you are a beginner please take this with a grain of salt.

Let this be a reminder to you that we all have to start off somewhere. My first camera ever was a Canon Rebel T3i that I borrowed from my mom. When I upgraded to a new camera from there, I only had 1 lens. There was a time when I was shooting entire weddings on an 85mm lens. Don’t even ask me how that’s possible because I really don’t know. The funny thing is, I am still totally obsessed with those photos from back then. 

If you are in an industry such as photography, then of course you should be upgrading from time to time. Just as a way to make sure your equipment is still running smoothly. But I also know so many photographers (big names too) that are using camera models that are several years old. If it ain’t broke, why fix it??

Not a photographer? Great! You probably don’t necessarily NEED a professional camera. In fact, there are plenty of more affordable options you can use for a DSLR camera. Including your phone. That’s right. Your iPhone can take some pretty incredible photos.

My biggest tip for using your phone would be to use the rear facing camera anytime you need to record a video or take a photo. The quality on the rear facing camera is significantly better than front facing. When is apple gonna fix this???

I will link some of my favorite cameras and gear that I use to make content below as well for you to check out in case you want to purchase any of them. 

Recommended Equipment:

• Podcast Microphone Set Up
• Vlogging Camera For Youtube
• Ring Light

02. Better Lighting

Something that will instantly level up your content is just having better lighting. If you go from standing in a dark room to standing right next to a window you are going to immediately notice the difference of quality. The image will look much more clear and less grainy.

Also fun fact, platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels actually favor videos with good quality lighting vs. bad lighting. Meaning a simple change of where you choose to hit record could lead you to getting more views and engagement. 

If you do not have much natural lighting in your house or need to record where it’s dark, I would recommend getting a ring light of some kind. I use one that doubles as a phone tripod and it was really affordable on amazon. That is linked above!

03. Tell A Story

Good content should always tell some kind of story. It should bring your audience on a journey from beginning to end..whatever that might be!

Episode 092 dove deeper into this subject and I highly recommend you listen to that after this one. But remember, the purpose of your content is to help someone solve a problem, teach them something, inspire them, or bring them some other kind of value. 

You can incorporate personal stories from when you could empathize with what they are going through, or you can share other client testimonials and how you were able to help them get from A-Z.

04. Understand The Platform You Are Posting On

This one is HUGE. I think probably one of the most important things you can do as a content creator is really take the time to understand the platform you are posting on. You have probably heard me say that repurposing your content is a good idea, and that’s definitely true!

But what I don’t mean by that is just copy and paste the same exact thing on every single platform. You want to be posting on each platform in a way that makes sense for that particular space. Even if that does mean taking a little extra time to do so. 

For example… Youtube is a horizontal video platform. Whereas TikTok is a vertical video platform. This means you should not be reposting a horizontal video onto TikTok. You can still share the same content and the same message but do yourself a favor and take the time to convert that video into vertical format so it makes the most sense for that platform. 

Podcast is Audio, don’t just post audio clips to Youtube unless you literally have no other way of doing it

05. Collaborate

My fifth and final way on how to uplevel your content is to collaborate with other people in your industry. Working with other people who have similar audiences to you will help you expand and reach new people, and it also will help you grow as a business owner. 

Sometimes it can be easy to fall into our little routines and get too comfortable and then we start falling off the wagon. But if you can create content that helps you and someone else cross each other’s audiences it will not only boost engagement, but also help you see how other people are doing things as well.

Bonus Tip: Have someone help you make your content. AKA and Instagram husband, hire someone, OR outsource

Final Thoughts

The most important takeaway from this whole episode is that as long as you are creating and being consistent that is key. But if you have found your flow and want to bump your content to that next level then definitely do not be afraid to make an investment into yourself, and your brand. 

Be willing to experiment, try new things, and step outside of the box. Success comes to those who are not afraid to fail over and over again.

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Resources

OTHER POSTS YOU’LL ENJOY:

092: The power of storytelling in content marketing

082: Multiple ways to repurpose your content to save you time

023: Your content creation plan for the next month

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