You want to start creating content online because you hear it’s such an easy way to make money from the couch. But you don’t know where to start or maybe you’re just stock in a rut with writer’s block. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re too lazy to make anything content-wise because it seems like too much work. Well, luckily for you, I’ve composed a list of lazy topics you can cover that don’t actually take much effort to write or produce at all. Last week we covered the rules for creating great content, while still being a lazy ass, and now let’s dive into the specific topics we can cover as Procrastin8rs... 1. Make a list of top things related to your niche Yup, Let’s get this out the way. I’m writing a “Top List” here because it’s easy content to make and I don’t feel like doing much today (or ever, really). But point is it’s just something you can slap together without really much effort or thought at all. It’s just a matter of curating things you like (or hate for that matter). And that’s really it. I mean you can choose to be a bit more objective and do some research, but when creating a list, it really comes down to your own opinion and what *you* think. You could be wrong, People could disagree. But whatever. As long as the list Entertains, Informs, or Persuades your audience, you’re good. This list here, for example: I’m no guru or expert, I’m just a lazy dude with an opinion and these are things that I personally find to be easy. Some may disagree with this list. That’s on them. I ain’t too upset about it. But this list here does teach you a thing or two about content creation, or at least I hope it does. Whatever if it doesn’t The only criteria you need to have in your own list is that it does have to be something RELEVANT to your niche. It should also either Entertain, Inform, or Persuade, as I mentioned,but it can’t be stressed enough and this idea really applies to all content in general, not just Top Lists, so staple it in your brain. No one likes boring content or at the very least can’t even provide any sort of value (like learning a thing or two) You can make a “Best of” or “Worst of”, depending on whatever mood you’re in. Feeling like shit? Make a list of things that pisss you off (in your niche) Feeling awesome? Make a list of things that excite you (in your niche) Here are some examples you can bounce off of to get some ideas: Top Ranged Weapons in Old School Runescape Best NPC dialogue lines in Outer Lands Worst and Cheesiest Jokes in Star Wars Best Fall Recipes with Rum Worst Glitches in Resident Evil You get the gist. Make it something simple yet interesting. You can also add a bit of a twist and combine the “best of” and “worst of” in one list to create a concoction of criticizing and appreciating at the same time. You can use a little “tough love” Most Annoying Pop Songs (That We Secretly LOVE) Most Frustrating Board Game Mechanics (That Actually Work Well) Basically set it up so that you can talk about why you hate said thing and also why you love it at the same time. Lists are also something that a lot of people like to read (or watch or listen to, depending on the format of the content you are producing.) It’s not a lot of work and people like it. So BOOM! That’s ProcrastiN8r approved. You can even Google or look on Youtube for other lists on the same topic you’re covering, in case you’ve got something like eight out of ten and are a bit stumped for the last two or just need an idea for your own. Mix n’ match from other people’s lists to create one of your own. Borrow from others. Just be sure to not copy/paste verbatim. Google punishes you for that in the rankings. Mix up the wording a bit too. Or you could just do it the real lazy way and just say “Top X”, where X is the number of things you actually came up with for the list off the top of your head 2. Do a AMA/Q&A No need to brainstorm, outline, and/or write drafts for a topic when you could just have your audience ask you questions. Make an Ask Me Anything post. That way, the topic/quesiton to be answered is provided for you. BOOM! Really the only downside to this is that you kind of need an actual audience to be able to well, ya know, talk to you and ask you questions. However, if you don’t have that many subscribers, don’t worry, man, chill. It’s not the end of the world and you’ll get there...eventually. If you’re at the point where you don’t have a large active audience (who are willing and able to ask questions), you can also just take questions that *audiences within your niche* are already asking. I know see, you’re asking: Wait. What? How? The answer is simple: Take a look at the F.A.Q. section of a website within your niche. These are quite literally the Frequently Asked Questions that people in your current audience (or at the very least *target* audience that you’re trying to attract) are asking, so show you have the authority to answer them. Watch top influencers in your niche and their Q&A to see what people are asking too. Then put your own spin to the answers. Of course, obviously, you want to avoid the questions about their personal life or whatever. You can even bring it up like… Someone asked A reader asked A viewer asked A listener asked Be vague. You don’t have to mention that this particular person was from another another website/blog. This can help establish authority within your niche. And that’s really what you want: authority. You want people in your niche to come *to you* with their questions, and you do that by showing that you can answer questions to begin with. You don’t necessarily have to be *too* thorough and detailed. Provide an answer that’s “just good enough” and long enough to answer the question. As a matter of fact, the simpler you break it down, the better, because, no offense, but a lot of the audience you want to come read your blog or come watch your videos are noobs (assuming they are asking questions and trying to search for answers of course) But they’re noobs. They really are. They don’t know the basic ins and outs. Like any good veteran player, you can help them get started with the game by answering their questions, and avoiding unnecessary detail. Take a look at the ELI5 (Explain Like I’m Five) Subreddit A lot of these are general questions, but you’ll get an idea on how to break down complex answers to complex questions and make them consumable. Also, take a look at relevant subreddits to your niche and see what people are asking there. You could even comment your answer and repurpose that comment for a paragraph in blog or part of a video script. Experts aren’t the ones asking questions, especially basic ones. Noobs are! Of course, you could write for a more expert audience, but that seems like way too much work for me, man. Maybe, eventually, I’ll write more advanced content. You do have to grow with your audience and “level up” if you want to keep them around, otherwise they’ll move one once they feel you’re “below” their level of knowledge, skill, or expertise. When starting out, it is recommended that you make your content “Noob Friendly” Experts already have the people they trust and the information sources they go to. They’re not going to be as welcoming or open to hearing from “the new guy” It’s easier to target people who have not a fucking clue what any of the shit (within your niche) means. That way, as long as you’re helpful, they’ll stick around. You can help cultivate them and build them up. Then when they are experts themselves, you’re still the guy/gal they go to. 3. Review a product, service, or app Easy. This is just like a Top List, but instead of giving a brief commentary on a bunch of things, you’re going to slow down and take the time to go into a bit of depth with focus on one thing. Just be honest and tell what you think about something. That’s really all. Although, note that it’s important you actually know what the fuck you’re talking about and can provide RELEVANT and interesting feedback and aren’t just saying “yeah, it’s good” or “nah bro, it suck” Include information your niche would want to actually know and that they would find important, If you’re pulling it out of your ass, your audience will know. So don’t review cars if you don’t know anything about cars. I can’t stress enough how important it is (especially if you’re trying to do this the lazy way) it is to create content for a niche that you find interesting or better yet, that you are a part of. It’s much easier to talk about something, or review something for that matter, if you yourself are part of the niche and alreadyunderstand what details the niche wants to hear about in your review. Your review should touch base on things your niche actually cares about Furthermore, no one wants an agenda shoved in their face. So just stick to the review/content and don’t spew out political or ideological viewpoints (unless of course your niche is a specific religion or something, but in general, unless your content is actually political or religious, don’t include a sermon) This is why a lot of game and movie quote on quote “journalists” receive a lot of criticism because they are so concerned with pushing a social or political agenda instead of actually focusing on substance. A lot of these people don’t even play games as a hobby, at least that’s how it comes across. What’s it like to play the game? What do the graphics look like? How smooth are the animations? Again, the content here is based entirely on your views and opinions but be sure to also include a bit of information on what your niche actually came to see. Don’t surprise them like a Jahova witness dressed up like a pizza delivery guy. Give them content and value to their hobby, not a moral lesson. That’s not why they came here. If the title is “Days Gone Review”, then talk about the game, not how toxic masculinity is ruining society and the game is part of it, for example. Also, keep in mind the types of things your niche likes and don’t show any feelings of resentment towards them. If you’re writing about fishing, for example, don’t complain about the “nastiness” of gutting a fish. Fishers love gutting the fish and getting their hands dirty out on the boat. Likewise don’t complain about how something like Call of Duty is “too realistic” If you can’t help but feel uneasy about a certian aspect of your niche, keep those feelings to yourself. ...Or just find a new hobby/niche. Take a look at a company, product, or website and dive into a little case study. This can either be a best or worst case study. Examine a specific company (or their product/service), then talk about why it’s kick ass or why it sucks ass. Books, comics/cartoons, videos, articles are all possibilities in what you can review. You can give it a score or not. Personally I always found numbers to be arbitrary though. I like what Acorn Films does with his scoring system on game reviews, where he gives an “award” by comparing a specific game to a celebrity. 4. Behind the Scenes Show people a “Day in the Life”, like how you’re just laying on the couch watching Netflix and eating Flaming Hot Cheetos. Show what you do outside of your content. This is a good way to show that you’re an actual...person, and not just some Internet star. Get off the stage and show people you’re a procrastin8r IRL. This is easy to post about because well, you’re not really changing your routine very much, or setting aside time to work, other than the fact that you’re now sharing what you do on a normal basis with other people. You may value your privacy and not want to Good. Don’t Don’t share too many details. It’s the Internet, not a personal scrap book or diary. But do share a little so people see the “off stage”, “real” you. You can also talk about how that content is produced in the first place, like they used to in the bonus sections of DVDs. This again, pretty easy, and is just a matter of walking your audience through your production flow. When you’re first starting out, going behind the scenes is actually NOT recommended though. This is because, well, quite bluntly, no one cares about you. They don’t. No one even knows who you are. You’re a nobody when you first start out, and people want content, not insight about a person they never even heard about. Your first step in content creation is to build authority. Build notoriety. Become a trusted source within your niche. Theeeen you can start getting personal. But until you actually have an established brand and actually have an established trust with your audience, then you really shouldn’t talk about who you No one would watch a person on the street in an interview talk about his life, but people love celebrity interviews (and maybe even obsess over them). I mea Take note. Notoriety is the resource you need for your Behind the Scenes content to be valuable. I mean heck, if you’re famous enough, people will literally stalk you (paparazzi) and force you to make “Behind the Scenes” content. You can start dropping Behind the Scenes” stuff into your *ther*content, after building a bit of rapport, like maybe sharing a personal anecdote or two, but really as a content creator nooby, don’t go overboard with the BTS stuff and keep it minimal. 5. Conduct an Interview Speaking of celebrity interviews, this is one of the best (and of course laziest) content you can create. Interviews. Instead of making content yourself or doing all the talking, let someone else do it for you. Quite easy. Interviews are just a matter of asking questions that you (and further, your audience) want(s) to learn about It's really just a conversation, an exchange of ideas. There are always going to be people that know more than you do in your niche. Rather than trying to compete, let them talk on your channel, let them be featured on your website. This gives them exposure for their own content (to your audience) and also takes a lot of the grunt work off your back by letting them share their expertise. Your audience learns something, which is most important. You may even get yourself exposed to *their* audience as well. It just an all around win for everyone involved. Reach out to influencers within your niche and grab them for an interview. And better yet, go after book authors. Influencers make AWESOME interviweees because they... 1. Want to expand their reach and influence as much as possible (and could 2. Have a large following of people in your niche (which you could attract) 3. Already produce entertaining/informative content (that they could bring to your audience) Book authors make AWESOME interviewees because they..
It never hurts to ask, and worst case scenario they say No. Whatever. Rejection happens, move on. If you don’t get a response right away, you can follow up later. Have a bit of patience and persistence. You don’t have to book them today. Heck, let them procrastinate their yes. When requesting an interview, don’t focus so much on the numbers. Focus on the value, trust, and connection you have to your audience and how the potential guest would be a perfect fit for them. Say something like “I know my audience would LOVE you and likely follow you and seek more content from you.” Also, be sure to make it clear that the interview will NOT be an infomercial, and while they can of course give their plug (for their website or new book or whatever), the conversation will be geared towards providing value. That’s what you need to provide your audience is value. How can they (your audience) benefit from this person being a part of your show? What can they learn from this person? Let them know you want to pick their brain, not create an advertisement. Be sure to say the more value they can provide, the more likely your audience will be to follow them as well (and create potential leads) Again, your audience trusts you (or is learning to trust you) and the last thing they want is a half hour long commercial smacked in their face. When reaching out to your potential guest, make it abundantly clear that it won’t just be a promotional pitch to buy something, but a real and riveting conversation. Then just talk and have a good time. Even if you’re writing a blog, RECORD the interview. That way you have quotes you can find and use for writing purposes (and maybe even social media posts with a block quote and their picture) You can use free software like OBS to record Skype or Discord. Always confirm permission before recording them though. Not only are interviews quite easy and low effort to do, they’re also a great way to network and meet important people and strong influencers within your niche and that creates much more opportunity than a simple blog article or video or podcast episode. By interviewing people within your niche, you are building relationships and potentially exposing yourself to a new audience and of course, producing content for your audience at the same time. Maximum efficiency. Minimum effort. Now if you’re feeling shy or nervous about talking to other people: Don’t feel pressured to get everything right or ask all the right questions. Don’t worry about being judged or gaining their approval. Take the attitude of “They’re lucky to be on MY show”, not the other way around. Adjust your mental attitude that yes, you deserve this. You deserve to have this person on your show. Interviews are just conversations and you can always edit out the bullshit banter or nervous later or awkward pauses later. And no matter how “big” the person is, even A-list celebrities, they’re just people. Relax, man. You got this interview shit. It’s cake. And that is NOT a lie. 6. How Tos You have the knowledge. You know how to do shit. Just write it down or record it (on the mic/camera). Share your knowledge and be that lazy genius expert you are. Teach something and make a simple step-by-step guide that’s easy to follow. Keep it concise and valuable. Make a guide that people want to watch/read/listen to. Be entertaining but not over-the-top. Get to the point and don’t trudge on too many details. Be short and practical at the same time. Not only is it more work to be detail-oriented, it’s also not actually effective Imagine trying to learn Calculus after you first earn numbers. Of course, it may be appropriate to dive into Calculus for an advanced mathematics lesson. So perhaps it is inaccurate to say avoid telling details, but make sure the amount of details you include is matched the level of knowledge and experience your core audience has. Include RELEVANT details. In other words, don’t get to the nitty gritty if your audience doesn’t even have a basic foundation of what it is you’re talking about. Also, make sure your guide is ACTIONABLE and include something your audience can DO right now...or later, whenever they feel like it. For me, it helps to ask myself: “If I was learning this as a noob, how do I wish someone explained it to me?” I always try to teach something in a way I wish someone had taught me and hence that’s why i started teaching these lazy tactics towards financial and personal success - I explain it in a way that I wish someone told me. 7. Respond to someone else’s content This, again, literally, not even your own stuff. You’re just taking someone else’s work and putting your commentary over it. The easiest content creation can get, frankly. And there are entire YouTube channels dedicated to people just reacting to things (music, videos, speeches, etc). Literally these quote on quote “video creators” don’t create a goddamn thing in their life and just watch other people’s shit and record their face over it. Some of them are making bank too! You should probably have an interesting personality or at the very least interesting reaction to things if you’re gonna make this sort of content work though. Boring or emotionally unresponsive people need not apply. I mean I would say it helps to not be boring, unless you’re going for the super ironic meme kinda weird shit humor people have nowadays, I’d say you should have a charming, genuine reaction. At the very, very least be genuine in your reactions. Don’t fake an emotion just because you think that’s the way you *should* react. People can sniff that out like a hound. Besides,a real procrastin8rs express their own true emotions and don’t dance around for other people. Don’t be a jester eliciting emotions in a slapstick way, unless of course, that's in your nature. However you react, it shouldn't feel forced. Just be real with what you feel. True reactions are funnier and more entertaining than exaggerated ones that don't come from a place of authenticity. Watch something and see how you react. Record it and share it with a few friends. If they like it, then you can scale it up a bit and go public with your “reaction channel”. If even your friends find you to be a bore in reaction to things, then you probably want to find some other type of content to produce. You can also rant about something in particular that a person said in an article they wrote or video they made. This usually involves a lot of the pause, comment, play cycle, where you show a bit of the content, react to that specific portion of it, then continue on to the next section, rinse and repeat, instead of reacting to the whole piece in its entirety. That’s the main difference between a “Review” and a “Reaction” A Reaction is more live and in the moment. A Review is a reflection and afterthought. A Reaction is more of a break down piece by piece. And a Review is more of am “overview” of sorts. Basically, Reactions are more improvisational, or at least they can be. A lot of times the top Reaction Videos are totally rehearsed and pre-planned. As cheesey as it might be to rehearse something, it can be a decent way to iron out lackluster comments, jokes, and puns in your reactions. On the other hand, it kind of loses that genuineness. A good way to combine the genuineness of improv and the polish of rehearsal and sort of balance the two is to record your genuine reaction (with no script) at first, and maybe even a few times after that. Then make a reel of the “best of” moments. That way you get *real* reactions but don’t sound like you’re just reading lines from a script. Play Devil's Advocate Another way to react to react to content is to play Devil’s advocate and look for the flaws in their arguments and critique them vigorously, even if you actually agree with them. Armored Skeptic on YouTube and Penn & Teller’s Bullshit are great examples of “debunking” ridiculousness. 8. Copy & Procrastinaste And finally, last but certainly not least on our list is the good ole Copy & Procrastinaste. In case you don’t know what that means or forget, it’s basically just recycling your old content or rewriting the content of others. I already covered this topic in detail before. Quite a few times actually. And I never received any complaints for repeating content. As a matter of fact, people appreciate it! People love hearing a review or getting further insight. And that’s exactly the point. I’ve done this content before. I just sort of re-worded it and re-purposed it now. Once you have enough content written, there comes a point where you’re just pulling it up again. And that’s completely okay. You don’t have to cook a pizza that’s already cooked. Just add different toppings and spices. In case you want something a bit more fresh, you can always use someone else’s content for inspiration. When you do Copy and Procrastinaste, make sure you do one of the following: 1. Add further insight 2. Re-purpose for a different format (eg. a blog to a podcast or vice versa ,a newsletter to a blog, etc) 3. Take a different angle (ie.offer a different opinion, if you were more critical, be more praising and if you were more praising, be more critical) 4. Relate it to a current event Wrapping Up And there you have it, the laziest topics you can quite possibly cover for your blog, vlog, or podcast. Remember it's not about how much you say, but how you say it. Quality over quantity. Do less with more focus. Make less content with more focus. You shouldn't put too much effort into producing content. Anyone that tells you "OMG content creation is a lot of work is LYING." Lying. They are kidding themselves. I mean yeah, go tell that to industrial workers. That shooting a video or typing a few Google doc pages or tlaking to a microphone is quote "a lot of work" Content creation doesn't require a lot of work. It just requires a lot of focus. Take it easy, N8 P.S. Speaking of lying, next week, we'll talk about the importance of being honest in your content creation and in your life and how much easier it is than lying. Subscribe to the newsletter so you don't miss it.
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