It seems the best content initiatives go by the wayside. We get too busy, other priorities creep up and we lose the inspiration. Does this resonate with you? At the same, there are academics / higher education communicators who are strategically creating content on a regular basis and consequently achieving some of their personal / institutional goals. The difference between those that succeed vs. give up in their content goals goes back to the approach. To a certain extent, those that are successful adopt a media company mindset. Here’s what I mean:
1. Most traditional media outlets have an editorial mission. In the same way, effective content creators within a higher education context also have an editorial mission. This mission outlines the core audience, the type of content that will be delivered and the desired outcome for this audience.
2. Those that succeed think through their editorial “beats” – the types of topics that will be covered. A newspaper has staff covering the police beat, the education beat and the sports beat, etc. An academics’ beats might consist of thought leadership, classroom perspectives, research and/or resources, among other topics.
3. Inspiration will only get us so far. Successful individual academic content creators deliver because they have an obligation to fulfill a particular goal, not because they feel like it. It’s about perspiration!
I expanded on these topics in my latest post for the London School of Economics Impact Blog. I trust that adopting this mindset will help you achieve your content goals.
