5-minute Content Ideas for Bad Content Creation Days

A gap in your content plan and a bad writing day at the same time? No reason to panic: here are 15 ways to avert a disaster.

What content to write on a day when your content plan has a yawning gap and you wouldn’t have time or energy to write anything?

This happens to all professionals and entrepreneurs using content to promote their ideas, careers and brands. (Those who claim it never happens are embellishing things!)

Of course, an odd slip in your content plan won’t make or break your business. (Those who claim it will are using scare tactics to have you buy from them, so you can safely ignore and unsubscribe!)

But, if the gap extends for too long, it will show up in the results as well. It can also feel stressful to try to come up with new content, and the longer the break goes on, the harder coming back will feel like. 

Let’s break that vicious cycle right away and post something that only takes five minutes to create. Pick your favourite idea, enjoy writing, and hop on to the next thing on your to-do list!

Quick Content Ideas for Solopreneurs and Consultants

1. Answer a follower question 

Pick a question that a follower, client or prospect has asked and answer it in a blog post, video or social media post. Keep the answer tactical and practical, so the post stays short and sweet – both to create and to consume. 

2. Share a behind-the-scenes sneak peek

What are you doing today at work? Share a sneak peek about the event you’re attending, a funny thing that happened on the train on the way to the office, or give your followers a glimpse of a project you’re working on.

3. “What I read today”

What have you read, listened to or watched recently? Share an inspiring or educational quote, a podcast episode that rocked your world or a YouTube video that solved a pickle for you. If you find it valuable, the chances are your followers will, too.

4. Highlight a useful tool or resource

Another way to tackle a bad writing day while still delivering value to your community is to share a tool or resource that has saved you from trouble. Think simple: tools that you use, and the ways you use them, probably feel obvious to you but aren’t the same for everyone. For example, one of my most popular LinkedIn posts ever is one where I share about the possibility of cancelling an already-sent email on Gmail.

5. Treasure chest of your content

Collate a treasure chest of your own content! Pick a topic you’ve got several posts about and gather them together into a resource compilation. Another personal example: LinkedIn Treasure Chest was born on one of these days when the blog deadline was close and the calendar was full.

5-Minute Content Ideas for LinkedIn

1. Share a Collaborative Article contribution

Are you already contributing to Collaborative Articles on LinkedIn to improve your visibility and build your profile? Pick a contribution, share it with your network, and expand your contribution in the caption. This allows you to get the contribution in front of more eyes and elaborate your point of view beyond the 750 characters the contributions allow.

2. Look into a personal post from the business perspective

If your personal content feed fares well but you’re having a hard time filling up your company profile, try this: Pick a value-adding “Tips & Tricks” type of post from your personal feed, and share it via the company profile. To get a fresh perspective, write a short caption that approaches the topic from a slightly different angle. Keep the time-consuming elements, such as visuals and carousels, the same. 

3. Repurpose a blog into a LinkedIn newsletter

LinkedIn newsletters are a great way to get your blog or article content in front of a new audience. Pick an article from your blog, or something you’ve written for third-party platforms and other websites, and repurpose it into a LinkedIn newsletter article. Educational content works particularly well as a newsletter.

4. Quick poll

Create a simple poll to create content that inherently engages with your audience. Ask something about a future piece of writing you’ve got in the works to spark creativity and generate anticipation. You can share the results in a follow-up post that makes for another five-minute post in the bank (for the next bad writing day)!

5. “Yes or No” Post

Easier yet: Pick a “Yes or No” question, and instead of setting up a poll, ask your followers to vote with the reactions. A “Thumbs Up” icon means yes and Clapping Hands no, for example. This also works on the channels that don’t have a polling function.

Fast Post Examples for Teams

1. Team member highlight

Introduce a team member, ideally in a spontaneous way in their everyday work setting. This creates relatability and gets your business closer to its clients.

2. Reshare a team member’s post

Are there keen content creators in your team or company? Browse through their feeds and share an insightful post that adds value to the company profile followers, too. Posts that highlight industry expertise or open up topical questions are great material for sharing. If you come across more than one great post, start compiling a reshare library for future rainy days. 

3. Share a client experience

Pick a client testimonial and share it to highlight the amazing work you do with and for your clients. Dig through your LinkedIn company profile, Google Business page,  other testimonial platforms and social media platforms for material. 

4. Product or service feature

Another quick content creation tip for companies is to highlight a product or service feature that many users or clients aren’t familiar with.  As a bonus, this will improve client experience and retention!

5. Quick tip or tutorial

Do your clients know how to make the most of your product or service? Instead of – or in addition to – sharing a service feature highlight, create a post explaining how to perform some simple but powerful function using your tool or product. Again, a double-whammy of interesting content and client service!

What if bad writing days repeat themselves?

Bad writing days happen to us all. However, sometimes the bad days follow one another in close succession.

If that keeps happening to you and your team, content writing can become stressful, and the pleasure of creating fun content fades. 

As a quick fix, you can download below my content guide with ten more content ideas that work on every channel. Many of them are as quick to execute as the ideas listed in this post.

And if the problem persists, why don’t we talk about it? The solution can be something as simple as refreshing your content strategy and content creation routines.  Book your Complementary Content Strategy Call and let’s discuss the way back to effortless, enjoyable business growth through content.