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Streamline Your Content Creation and Distribution

Creating great content fuels growth for your business. But managing the distribution and keeping up with production can quickly become overwhelming.

Before you know it, you’re scrambling between documents trying to prevent your workflows from descending into chaos.

There must be a better way to stay organized, right?

Enter the "minimum viable content system" (MVCS).

In this post, I share my system to help you scale content output without overwhelm or creative droughts…

This is the same system I used to get started and has helped me build an audience of 20K across social (Linkedin/X) and my newsletter and generate $320K in revenue the last 2 years.

I don’t say this to flex. It is what it is. 

What you'll learn

• What an MVCS is and how it helps

• How to integrate AI and automation

• A step-by-step guide to build your own MVCS (free template included)

If you already have a system in place, that’s great! You don’t have to use this one. I’d continue reading so you have context for upcoming posts or use it for inspiration.

The Struggle of Unstructured Content Management

Without a content creation framework, you may grapple with:

• Losing track of scattered ideas and drafts

• No central place to see content needing repurposing

• Manually recreating formats and workflows for each platform

This fragmented approach is time-consuming and unsustainable as your volumes grow. You'll likely see declining content quality and creativity as you scramble to keep up. When content isn't organized, it's also common to hit a wall and be unsure of what to work on next.

I plan to share more automation and AI content for repurposing and distributing in future posts... But before I did, I want to make sure you have a system to support your workflows.

Onward…

Automation is fantastic.

But, with a broken content system, automation is only going to make things worse.

The solution is a creation framework like the one I’ll be sharing.

Here is a preview of mine that I’ve built over the last 2 years. It definitely didn’t start off this way.

The Airtable MVCS database I’m sharing with you looks like this:

Which has now evolved into this:

Note: (The Notion template below includes a walkthrough of how it all works and a link to the Airtable template)

Understanding the Minimum Viable Content System (MVCS)

Here’s an analogy to grasp the MVCS:

Imagine an air traffic control system and how it guides planes as they take off, fly, and land in and out of an airport.

There is a clear system coordinating everything.

Now think of your ideas as planes looking to take off and reach your audience.

Your MVCS works like air traffic control to guide your ideas. Overseeing movement from drafts to finished content and helping land repurposed formats across platforms without a hitch...

See the Core Components of an MVCS

As your content needs grow, your system will need to evolve. But, your system should include these core components.

✅ Idea Inbox: Captures thoughts before forgetting

✅ Centralized Calendar: Hosts all your content in one place for scheduling/planning

✅ Content Stages: Maps what happens from idea to distribution

✅ Metadata Tags: Smart labeling makes content easy to track/find

✅ Analytics Integration: Connects data flows across tools for insights

✅ Feedback Loops: Collect customer feedback and engagement

Analytics integration, feedback loops, and task management features come later.

First, focus on structuring the basics (included in the database I’m sharing with you).

Start With One Primary Platform

A big mistake is trying to manage too many channels at once. Instead, focus on one primary platform first - e.g., a newsletter, podcast, or YouTube.

The template uses a newsletter as the primary platform. If yours differs, like video or podcasts, adjust fields accordingly.

Pick One Secondary Channel for Initial Repurposing

Next, pick one secondary channel for repurposing content - say LinkedIn or 𝕏.

And determine what format makes sense - e.g., threads, long-form or short posts, etc.

Map out your current workflow before using the database. Start small, focusing on core stages like Ideas, Research, Create, Publish.

Automate Repurposing and Distribution

Structuring your workflows comes first.

But automation takes your MVCS to the next level for sustainability and scale.

Consider automating:

• Transferring finished content across platforms

• Using AI to generate captions, titles, alt text

• Setting up analytics reporting flows

I’ve also included additional automations you can implement under the ‘Resources’ section below.

Leverage automation to support your growing content needs.

The possibilities are endless.

Start Simplifying Your Content Workflow

The Airtable MVCS template is a straightforward tool designed to bring clarity and ease to your content creation and distribution. 

It’s a practical solution, and it’s yours to use at no cost. 

Take control of your content today with a scalable system that grows with you.

Wrapping Up

Let's recap what we covered today:

• Understanding MVCS: MVCS is like an air traffic control for your content. It guides your ideas smoothly from creation to sharing across different platforms, keeping everything organized.

• Core Components of MVCS: Key parts include an Idea Inbox, a Centralized Calendar, Content Stages, Metadata Tags, and Analytics Integration. These elements help capture, plan, track, organize, and analyze your content effectively.

• Using Airtable for MVCS: Airtable's features, like various views and editorial stages, make it easy to build and manage your MVCS. Start with focusing on one primary content platform and expand as needed. Automation tools further streamline the process, making your content management efficient and scalable.

I hope you enjoyed this. I’ve got some exciting and cool workflows planned.

Remember, there is no perfect system. The best system is the one you actually use and helps you achieve your content goals.

Automate Meeting Insights [ICYMI]: Turn meetings and feedback into actionable feedback loops and potential products (or improve your existing ones) on autopilot

Is AI Actually Helping Your Productivity? [ICYMI]: Eliminate manual work from your ChatGPT workflow

Automate Your Images with DALL-E [ICYMI]: Streamline and automate your image creation

Talk soon,

Mike 🧪🔨