✍️ How Content Starts
What was the last TV show you watched, that you thoroughly enjoyed? Did it make you laugh or cry? Did you get swept up in the life of the characters on-screen? It's incredible to watch how far televised entertainment has come, and how much human emotion can be communicated well through video productions today.
The availability of high-speed internet and high-quality cameras have made it easier than ever for platform-builders to join the same world, with more people jumping into video and leaving blogging behind. Except. . . do you remember that TV show you love so much? Have you considered where it began?
Before The Behind The Camera
Every show has a small team of writers furiously building out story-lines before the actors, cameramen, and the rest of the production crew get involved to bring the story to life. With very few exceptions, all content starts with writing.
The most engaging live videos come from a short written outline of talking points.
- The best podcast interviews come from written questions prepared in advance.
- Your favorite TV shows start as written notes that become word-for-word scripts.
Whenever I'm coaching a new creator, I recommend starting with writing (typically for a blog). Sometimes people ask if that's still relevant. Shouldn't we all be creating videos & live-streaming? Isn't podcasting still on the rise? Yes, in fact, podcasts and videos are phenomenal content mediums—and yet:
Why Writing Keeps On Winning
Compared to any other medium, writing keeps its place as the dominant content medium because of four primary advantages:
- Easy to create. All you need to write is a pen & paper, laptop, or the phone in your pocket.
- Easy to consume. Nobody needs any extra apps or hardware to read what you write.
- Easy to revise. Ideas start rough and become smoother. Editing writing is effortless.
- Easy to repurpose. Your best writing can become a book, a podcast, or a video script.
Start with writing. Hone the habit and cultivate your craft. That's how content starts.
