DAY SIX | A SECRET BLOGMAS 2025

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it.” 

Alan Lakein

Welcome to A Secret Blogmas 2025!

Today is Day Six and this sixth post is all about the benefits and productivity that can be achieved by planning ahead in content creation. This blog post will share the best methods for planning in this industry as well as discuss all the reasons why it’s such a wise move to engage in. Keep reading to find out why and how planning can impact the success and popularity of your content and/or your platform…

Content & Strategy

• Content calendar (topics, formats, platforms, publish dates).
• Series or themed campaigns (weekly tips, seasonal specials, launches).
• Evergreen vs. trending mix (core content planned ahead, with room for timely posts).
• Goal setting (monthly growth targets, engagement KPIs, monetization milestones).

Pre-Production

• Brainstorming & ideation (batch idea sessions).
• Keyword research / SEO planning for blogs, YouTube, or TikTok.
• Scriptwriting or outlining for videos, podcasts, or long-form posts.
• Shot lists & storyboards (especially for complex video shoots).
• Brand partnerships or sponsorships (pitching, negotiating, scheduling).

Production

• Batch recording/filming multiple pieces of content at once.
• Asset creation (graphics, templates, thumbnails, intros/outros).
• Photography sessions (headshots, lifestyle, product shoots for stock use later).
• Location and props prep (booking spaces, organizing gear).

Post-Production

• Editing queue (videos, podcasts, photos).
• Thumbnail and cover art design.
• Captions & subtitles (can be prepared in bulk).
• Repurposing plans (turning a long video into shorts, clips, reels, blogs).

Publishing & Promotion

• Scheduled posts (social platforms, blogs, newsletters).
• Cross-platform promotion (e.g., posting YouTube content on TikTok/Instagram).
• Email newsletter drafts.
• Ad campaigns or boosted posts.

Maintenance & Growth

• Analytics reviews (weekly/monthly check-ins).
• Community engagement plans (reply times, Q&A days, live sessions).
• Updating older evergreen content to keep it relevant.
• Skill-building time (learning editing tricks, studying trends, improving production quality).

1. Consistency (the algorithm + audience love it)

• Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram reward consistent posting.
• A planned schedule helps you deliver regularly instead of scrambling.
• Builds trust with your audience—they know when to expect content.

2. Time Efficiency & Reduced Stress

• Batching tasks (scripting, filming, editing) saves time.
• You avoid the “what do I post today?” panic.
• With a backlog of prepared content, you can handle busy weeks or unexpected life events.

3. Sustainable Creativity

• Planning gives you space to brainstorm and develop richer ideas.
• You avoid burnout by balancing creative work with rest.
• Leaves room to experiment instead of constantly firefighting deadlines.

4. Better Strategy & Growth

• You can align content with bigger goals (brand building, monetization, audience engagement).
• Planning lets you mix evergreen content (steady long-term growth) with trending topics (short bursts of reach).
• Easier to track performance and adjust direction based on data.

5. Professionalism & Opportunities

• Brands and collaborators prefer working with creators who can commit to schedules.
• Planning ensures you deliver campaigns on time.
• Makes you more credible and reliable in the eyes of both audiences and partners.

6. Flexibility & Control

• Ironically, planning creates freedom—you can adapt to trends without chaos.
• Having content “in the bank” means you can jump on opportunities without dropping your consistency.
• You control your narrative instead of chasing the algorithm day-to-day.

1. Inconsistent Posting

• Without a plan, it’s easy to post sporadically.
• Inconsistency can confuse your audience and weaken trust.
• Algorithms often deprioritize irregular creators, reducing reach and visibility.

2. Burnout & Creative Blocks

• Scrambling for last-minute ideas leads to stress and rushed work.
• Constant pressure to “come up with something today” drains creativity.
• Higher risk of burnout, which can make creators disappear for long stretches.

3. Lower Quality Content

• Rushed production = sloppy editing, weak scripts, or unpolished visuals.
• Missed opportunities for deeper research or creative storytelling.
• Audience engagement may drop if they notice declining quality.

4. Wasted Time & Missed Deadlines

• Without batching or scheduling, you spend more time context-switching.
• Collabs, sponsorships, or campaigns may suffer from poor timing.
• Can miss seasonal/holiday opportunities (e.g., posting a Christmas campaign in January).

5. Missed Growth & Revenue

• Brands may hesitate to work with creators who seem unreliable.
• Inconsistent content makes it harder to grow an audience or monetize.
• Lost potential traffic from evergreen content that could’ve been steadily generating views.

6. Constantly Playing Catch-Up

• You’re always reacting instead of being proactive.
• No room for flexibility—if a trend pops up, you might not have the bandwidth to jump on it.
• Long-term goals (like building authority or launching products) get sidelined.

1. Define Your Goals

• Do you want to grow followers, increase engagement, build authority, or drive sales?
• Your goals shape what types of content should go on the calendar (educational, entertaining, promotional, etc.).

2. Choose Your Platforms

• Identify where you’ll be active (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, blog, podcast).
• Each platform has different content formats and posting rhythms.

3. Brainstorm Content Ideas

• Mix evergreen topics (timeless guides, FAQs) with timely/trending ones.
• Use audience insights, keyword research, and competitor analysis.
• Think in themes (e.g., weekly series, monthly deep dives, seasonal campaigns).

4. Pick Your Posting Frequency

• Be realistic: consistency matters more than volume.
• Example:
• TikTok → 3–5x/week
• YouTube → 1 video/week
• Instagram → 3 posts + Stories/Reels

5. Choose a Calendar Tool

• Simple → Google Calendar, Google Sheets, Excel
• Team/Advanced → Notion, Trello, Asana, Airtable
• Social-focused → Buffer, Later, Hootsuite

6. Structure Your Calendar

Include:

• Date & time (when it will be published).
• Platform (TikTok, IG Reel, YouTube, blog).
• Content type (video, carousel, blog, podcast).
• Title/Topic/Hook (main idea).
• Status (idea → draft → scheduled → published).
• Owner (if working in a team).

7. Build in Flexibility

• Keep at least 20–30% of the calendar open for spontaneous trends.
• Prepare a backlog of evergreen posts to fill gaps.

8. Track & Review

• Review analytics monthly or quarterly.
• Note what performed well, then feed that back into your calendar planning.

Why Set Goals in Content Creation?

• Keeps your content aligned with your bigger vision (brand building, monetization, audience growth).
• Helps you measure progress instead of guessing.
• Guides your decisions on what type of content to create, how often, and where.
• Keeps you motivated and accountable.

The SMART Framework

SMART goals are:

1. Specific → Clear and focused.
2. Measurable → Quantifiable, so you can track progress.
3. Achievable → Realistic for your resources and time.
4. Relevant → Aligned with your overall purpose and strategy.
5. Time-bound → Has a deadline to create urgency.

Examples of Applying SMART to Content Creation

Here’s how a vague goal becomes a SMART one:

• Vague goal: “I want to grow my YouTube channel.”
• SMART goal: “I will reach 5,000 YouTube subscribers by December 31 by publishing one new video per week, focusing on tutorial content that answers trending search questions in my niche.”

Another example:

• Vague goal: “I want more engagement.”
• SMART goal: “I will increase my Instagram engagement rate by 10% over the next 3 months by posting 4 Reels per week, engaging with 20 audience comments daily, and running 2 interactive Stories weekly.”

How to Apply SMART Goals to Content Creation

1. Set big-picture goals → e.g., build authority, earn income, grow community.
2. Break them into SMART goals → measurable targets for followers, views, engagement, leads, or revenue.
3. Tie them to actions → specific posting frequency, content types, and engagement habits.
4. Track progress → use analytics (YouTube Studio, Instagram Insights, Google Analytics).
5. Review & adjust → revisit goals every quarter; refine based on performance.

The SMART framework is one I use most frequently when creating collaboration pitches because a key element to a pitch is to create some objectives or goals for the collaboration and applying the SMART framework to them works well to concrete the thought process behind each of them (I tend to think up around 3 – 5 goals). But I also apply the framework to my own goals for my content creation on I’m NOT Disordered and have especially done this in the creation of my goals purely for A Secret Blogmas 2025. Here they are:

1.       To improve social media engagement by having an increase of at least 10% more engagements e.g. likes, comments, and shares, on social media posts which are purely related to the sharing of Blogmas content between the start (December 1^st) and the end (December 25^th) of the Series.

2.       To increase the size of I’m NOT Disordered’s audience by gaining at least 50,000 new readers in total at any point between the beginning and the end of the Series (relevant/same dates as above).

3.       To have learnt from creating, publishing, and seeing any feedback of the content in both a professional and personal way which will enable me to create a piece of Reflection content at some point after December 25^th (but prior to New Years) that will contain at least five lessons I have learnt as a direct result of those elements/stages of A Secret Blogmas 2025.  

Core Principles of Audience-Centred Planning:

1. Know Your Audience
• Define who they are (demographics, interests, platforms).
• Understand their challenges, goals, and desires.
• Use analytics, polls, and comments to see what they actually engage with.
2. Solve Problems & Answer Questions
• Content should offer solutions, inspiration, or entertainment that your audience is looking for.
• Anticipate their questions (FAQs, beginner guides, trending curiosities).
3. Speak Their Language
• Adapt tone, visuals, and style to resonate with your audience.
• For example: Gen Z might prefer quick, humorous Reels; professionals may prefer LinkedIn posts or long-form blogs.
4. Anticipate Timing & Relevance
• Post when your audience is most active.
• Plan around events, seasons, and trends that matter to them.
5. Engage & Listen
• Use polls, Q&A, and comments to guide future content.
• Audience feedback is one of the best planning tools.

Benefits of Audience-Centred Planning

• Stronger engagement → People interact more with content that feels relevant to them.
• Faster growth → Content that solves problems or entertains spreads more easily.
• Loyal community → You build trust when your audience feels heard and valued.
• Better conversions → If your audience feels understood, they’re more likely to buy, subscribe, or support.

1. Monitor Where Trends Start

• Social media platforms: TikTok’s “For You” page, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels.
• Trend discovery tools: Google Trends, Exploding Topics, Pinterest Trends, TikTok Creative Center.
• Communities: Reddit, Twitter/X, niche Discords, forums.
• Industry reports: Newsletters, blogs, and research reports in your niche.

2. Anticipate Seasonal & Recurring Trends

• Plan ahead for holidays, events, and cultural moments (e.g., Christmas shopping tips, back-to-school hacks, Black Friday deals).
• Look at your analytics from previous years—audience interest often repeats around the same times.
• Create evergreen seasonal content early so it’s ready to publish before peak interest.

3. Balance Trending vs. Evergreen Content

• Evergreen → steady long-term traffic (planned far in advance).
• Trending → quick spikes of reach and visibility (requires flexibility).
• Your calendar should have space for both: anchor content you know works + slots reserved for potential trend-jacking.

4. Adapt Trends to Your Niche

• Don’t just copy trends—make them relevant to your audience.
• Example: If a trending TikTok sound emerges, a cooking creator could use it for a recipe hack, while a fitness creator could adapt it to workout tips.

5. Use Data to Forecast What’s Next

• Watch rising search terms in Google Trends (not just the current top ones).
• Look at which of your own posts are gaining traction—it can signal where your audience’s interests are heading.
• Track influencer behavior in your niche—they often spot and start trends before the mainstream catches on.

6. Plan Lead Time Into Your Calendar

• Build a system where you can quickly swap in trending content without derailing your entire plan.
• Have templates, formats, or “light-lift” content ready so you can publish trend-based posts fast.
• Schedule evergreen content as a safety net so your output doesn’t collapse if a trend fizzles out.

Benefits of Trend-Forecasting in Planning

• Keeps you ahead of the curve instead of always reacting.
• Positions you as a thought leader or trendsetter in your niche.
• Helps you grow faster by tapping into existing momentum.
• Ensures your calendar is both reliable (thanks to evergreen content) and dynamic (thanks to trend adaptation).

1. Use a Content Calendar

• Plan out topics, formats, and posting dates in advance.
• Prevents “what do I post today?” stress.
• Gives you a big-picture view so you can align posts with launches, seasons, or campaigns.

2. Batch Similar Tasks

• Do similar tasks together to save mental energy and time. For example:
• Script 3–4 videos in one sitting.
• Film multiple videos in one session.
• Edit in blocks (all captions at once, all thumbnails at once).
• Batching reduces context-switching and speeds up production.

3. Prioritize High-Impact Work

• Focus on content types that bring the most results (engagement, views, conversions).
• Use the 80/20 rule → 20% of your content drives 80% of your growth.
• Avoid wasting time on platforms or formats your audience doesn’t care about.

4. Time-Block Your Week

• Assign specific times for ideation, production, editing, and publishing.
• Example:
• Monday → Research + scripting
• Tuesday → Filming
• Wednesday → Editing
• Thursday → Scheduling posts
• Friday → Engagement + analytics review

5. Build Templates & Systems

• Reuse design templates (thumbnails, Instagram posts, video intros).
• Create SOPs (step-by-step workflows) for repetitive tasks like uploading or tagging.
• Automate where possible (scheduling tools, auto-captioning, analytics dashboards).

6. Protect Creative Energy

• Work at your peak hours (morning vs. night person).
• Take breaks to avoid burnout—fatigue kills creativity.
• Give yourself buffer days for unexpected delays or trends.

7. Review & Adjust Regularly

• Track how long tasks actually take.
• Identify bottlenecks (e.g., if editing eats too much time, consider outsourcing).
• Refine your schedule every month for efficiency.