121 - From Blank Page to Published: The RECAP Method for Effortless Content Creation

Staring at a blank page with no idea what to write is every content creator's nightmare. Luckily, I have a solution for you. 

In this solo episode, I share my RECAP method, a four-part system to streamline content creation by recording, converting, adapting, and publishing. And a few tips to use your text to create a variety of content.  

Key Takeaways

🔹 Recording your voice can help overcome writer's block.
🔹Transcription tools like Happy Scribe can simplify content creation.
🔹Creating diverse content formats can enhance audience engagement.
🔹Using personal quotes in social media is more impactful than sharing others'.
🔹Short-form videos are increasingly popular on platforms like LinkedIn.
🔹Infographics are making a comeback in content marketing.
🔹Adapting transcripts can lead to multiple content pieces.

TCHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Content Marketing Strategies
01:18 The Recap System: Record, Convert, Adapt, Publish
06:20 Creating Diverse Content from Transcripts
09:06 Final Thoughts and Publishing Tips

P.S. Incorporates part of an earlier Content Marketing School episode. 

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For additional insights, connect with Annette Richmond and Black Dog Marketing Strategies on social media.
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Transcript

[00:00:08.920] 

Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Welcome to Content Marketing School, where we will dive into content marketing strategies, specifically for B2B professionals, consultants, and entrepreneurs. Discover how to confidently create engaging content and leverage content marketing to elevate your brand and grow your business. And if you enjoy the show, don't forget to hit that follow button. Now, let's dive in to today's episode. [00:00:42.420] Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Thanks for joining me for this episode. Today, I decided to bring back one of the earlier episodes of the Content Marketing School podcast, where I share my recap method, which is an easy way to help you get unstuck when you're staring at a blank page. So let's dive into the show.

[00:01:02.980] 

Today, I'm excited to share with you a method I learned that will help you with your content creation. I often talk about having been a magazine writer in a former life. It was my dream job and certainly a magical time in my life. But I also remember what was not so magical was having to sit down at a computer screen and know that I absolutely had to sit down and write something that day. If you've never worked in publishing, [00:01:33.060] I can tell you it's a nonstop environment. We were often working on two issues at the same time and almost always on some type of a deadline. I am no stranger to having to sit down at the blank computer screen and start writing. But I recently learned something in a training, well, maybe not that recently, but I recently learned a technique to help avoid that. Now, this is something that actually a lot of people do use [00:02:03.680] because they want to make sure when they are creating content that they are writing in their own voice so that it will sound like them. The simple method that I'm going to teach you It's a four-part technique.

[00:02:18.100] 

I call it the recap system. Record, convert, adapt, and publish. If you follow this simple system, you will not have to face that challenge of looking at the blank screen. The first part is record yourself. You record yourself speaking about your area of expertise, whatever it is that you want to post about that day. For me, it might be talking about how to [00:02:48.120] do a podcast or how to do some type of content. There are a variety of options that you can use. Zoom allows you to record up to 40 minutes and download it to your computer for free. You can use an app called Audacity, which a lot of people use to record their podcast. You can record and edit on there also for free. I actually use a very simple and free app on my phone. It's actually called voice recorder and [00:03:18.580] audio editor. What I love about it, besides the fact that it's free, is that I can talk into it, dictate into it, and then I have the option to actually download, send myself by email a transcript, or even send myself the audio recording if I want to use it that way.

[00:03:40.220] 

Love the app on my phone because it's great if I'm sitting in my car waiting for someone and I have some extra time, I can start working on something that I want to write about. The next step is to convert your audio into text. Now, there are some platforms like Riverside that can be used to transcribe audio or video created elsewhere. Now, my favorite transcription and captioning platform is Happy Scribe. While there is no free option, [00:04:10.720] they have a relatively inexpensive pay-as-you-go alternative, and you can upload your audio file to Happy Scribe and actually have it transcribed and then download the transcribed. Now, there are also several platforms that let you record and transcribe. Most Most of them have limited free and also paid options. Now, for video, you might want to use Descript on the desktop. You can use Riverside, which I just mentioned. You can use [00:04:41.200] that on your desktop or also on your phone. What you can do is record and transcribe and then download the transcription. If you want to use something for audio only, you can record using Otter AI. They have desktop and also an app for your smartphone, and I believe they have limited free.

[00:05:03.500] 

You can use the trusty voice recorder and audio editor app that I use on my phone. Again, you can record audio and then just download the transcription. Now, there are pros and cons to consider when deciding if you want to record something on video and then just use the audio or if you want to use something that's audio only. Free voice recorder and audio editor app that I use records and transcribes [00:05:33.500] the audio and you can email the audio and or the transcription to yourself, as I think I've already mentioned. However, using a video platform or app to record is a great way to get comfortable on camera, particularly because you're not going to be using the video. So it's just an other opportunity to be in front of the camera talking, which is always very helpful. Now that you have the text, the transcript, the next step is to adapt it to [00:06:03.730] create a variety of original content for LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Three posts you can create by pulling content from your transcript are a text-only post for LinkedIn or a text with image post for LinkedIn. You also might want to create some graphic quotes for LinkedIn and Instagram, which are very easy to create in Canva.

[00:06:27.550] 

As I always say, why share a quote from someone else on social media if you can share a quote from yourself? Three other things that you can do with your transcript content are to draw on the transcript to create a poll. You might want to expand on a copy to write a on blog post, you can use the copy as a basis for a newsletter edition on LinkedIn or someplace else. Three more content formats you can try are scripts for short form videos, [00:06:57.800] which will save you time recording. I know that there's a lot of disagreement on writing scripts for videos or not, but I'm a big believer in doing it for very short form videos. You can make copy for sliders, also known as carousels or document posts that you can use on LinkedIn or Instagram. Of course, sliders are some of the posts that get very high engagement still on LinkedIn. You can also use the copy from your transcript [00:07:28.640] to create infographs infographics, which are coming now the new darlings on LinkedIn. Infographics were around for quite a while. They went away, then carousels came in, and now infographics are back in a big way for those text with image posts on LinkedIn.

[00:07:46.580] 

Now, the last step, of course, is to publish your content on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Here are some ideas for that. You can create a text or text with image posts for LinkedIn. You You can create short form videos for LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, or Shorts on YouTube. And then, of course, as I mentioned, you can create graphics for LinkedIn and Instagram. So the next time that you are struggling traveling, try recording yourself [00:08:17.090] talking. It's easy to pull a few lines to be used as scripts or graphic quotes, or to build on whatever you have and create an article or a blog post for LinkedIn or your own website. I hope you find this simple recap technique that I've shared with you. Start by recording your voice talking about whatever it is that you're going to be writing about. Convert that audio into a [00:08:47.800] transcript. Take the transcript and adapt it for whatever type of content you're working on. You can probably get more than one piece of content if you've been talking for 10 to 15 20 minutes. Then, of course, publish whatever it is that you create on social media.

[00:09:05.900] 

Thanks again for joining me today. I hope you'll find the recap method helpful the next time that you're staring at a blank page. As always, if you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend. I bet they'll thank you. To continue the conversation, connect with me on LinkedIn. Just mention you found me on my podcast. If you find Content Marketing School valuable, please follow the show and give us a five-star review. That's the only way I'll know that I'm on the right track.

[00:09:36.180] 

Thanks for tuning into Content Marketing Rocketing School with me, Annette Richmond.

[00:09:47.480] 

If today's insights have inspired and resonated with you, please share this episode with a friend. And if you haven't already, hit that follow button to keep learning and growing with us.

[00:14:16.820] 

Thanks again for joining me today. I hope you'll find the recap method helpful the next time that you're staring at a blank page. As always, if you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend. I bet they'll thank you. To continue the conversation, connect with me on LinkedIn. Just mention you found me on my podcast. If you find Content Marketing School valuable, please follow the show and give us a five-star review. That's the only way I'll that I'm on [00:14:47.370] the right track. Thanks for tuning into Content Marketing School with me, Annette Richmond. If today's Insights have inspired and resonated with you, please share this episode with a friend. And if you haven't already, hit that Follow button to keep learning and growing with us. Thanks again for joining me today. I hope you'll find the recap method helpful the next time that you're staring at a blank page. As always, if you found this episode helpful, please share it with a I bet they'll thank you. To continue the conversation, connect with me on LinkedIn. Just mention you found me on my podcast. If you find Content Marketing School valuable, please follow the show and give us a five-star review.

[00:15:05.510] 

That's the only way I'll know that I'm on the right track. Thanks for tuning into Content Marketing School with me, Annette Richmond. If today's Insight inspired and resonated with you, please share this episode with a friend. And if you haven't already, hit that follow button to keep learning and growing with us.