The 10-Week Content Sprint
What would it look like If I started creating and not just consuming?
Like most, after a long day at work I’ll find myself doom scrolling on social media. But what if it didn’t have to be this way? What would mean to put myself out there versus just watching from the sideline? I had three questions I wanted to explore:
What would it mean to create rather than consume?
What could I learn?
Could I network in a way that felt authentic versus transactional?
Since the start of the year, I’d held a vague goal to write one blog post a month. After seven months of delays, I decided to pivot and create a learning sprint. Inspired by the "great lock-in" and “winter arc” trends, I committed to a new goal:
Publish one blog post every week for 10 weeks and share my posts on LinkedIn.
I chose LinkedIn as the primary platform to test because my blog topics were related to my professional life. My takeaway? Overall, the past ten weeks have taught me how to get over perfection, that LinkedIn engagement is not obvious or linear, and that I enjoy writing.
The Strategy
I already had a backlog of blog ideas, mostly books I’ve read and lessons I’d applied from those books. I selected a few promising topics and created a writing schedule.
I’d lay out four blog topics at the beginning of the month, write a draft over the weekend, and then edit and post it on my blog and LinkedIn on Wednesdays.
At first, writing was exciting, and ideas were flowing. I was intimidated by posting on LinkedIn, worried about whether people (especially my manager) would like my ideas. I learned that getting my ideas into a single, cohesive narrative was crucial, and Gemini ended up being a great editing tool to help solidify my drafts.
In the middle of the sprint, even more blog ideas were flowing, and I got a solid handle on the post structure I liked. However, LinkedIn became a downer. I felt pressure to make my posts actionable and fit my ideas into short, marketable terms to try to drive engagement.
By the end, I was enjoying the writing process, focused on sharing my own perspective, and being less concerned about who might be following along.
Overall Performance Metrics
My blog
306 visits to my website
Top article: No More Awkward Silence: The Tiny Change That Transformed Our Demos (121 visits)
LinkedIn
Most likes: No More Awkward Silence: The Tiny Change That Transformed Our Demos (32 likes)
Most views: 4 years: 4 lessons (1956 impressions)
Other Outcomes:
I did get a few new LinkedIn connections from people who reached out after reading a post.
Two of my coworkers reached out about my posts and said they really enjoyed the topics.
Now, the next time I’m hiring, candidates will have a better idea of who I am as a professional and as a leader.
Takeaways
Lesson 1: There is no such thing as a perfect post.
Having deadlines helped me get past not feeling ready. I learned to focus on getting something valuable out there, rather than waiting for an elusive state of "perfection." Consistency is key.
Lesson 2: I don’t understand how to go viral
I realized I have no interest in being any sort of influencer. I don’t care to spend time understanding LinkedIn’s algorithms or chasing likes. But I do really like the process of writing. Moving forward, my focus will be on the writing itself, not on optimizing engagement.
Lesson 3: The Power of Purpose
Having a creative goal during the week that wasn’t related to my job was a deeply refreshing change of pace. Writing, specifically, was an excellent tool to refine my thinking and ideas on topics I care about.
Lesson 4: Success Doesn't Require Forever
I’m proud that I set a time-bound goal and succeeded. Success doesn’t have to look like posting weekly to a blog for one year, five years, or ten years. Creating a schedule made sure this goal didn’t just stay a dream. I’m planning a few other learning experiments over the next year because of this success.
So what’s Next?
The experiment is over but this blog isn’t. I plan on continuing to write at a slower cadence and expand the range of topics
I also loved the format of a short term commitment and challenge. I plan on a few other experiments over the next year. Stay tuned.
