People have short attention spans. But that can be a good thing for content creators—especially busy gym entrepreneurs who struggle to hit “publish.”
In the 2020’s, you just don’t have to post a fitness or nutrition thesis to gain credibility. In fact, doing that all the time might actually make some busy people tune out.
Instead, use the concept of “minimum effective dose” in your media.
Here’s how to do it.
Media overwhelm is real, and TLDR is a thing (that’s “too long, didn’t read”).
Get this: In February of 2020, Statista estimated that over 500 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every single minute. If you wanted to watch all the content posted in just 60 seconds, you’d need 21 days without sleep to do it. When you got to the end, you’d then have 15.1 million more hours of video to catch up on.
You get the point. People upload incredible amounts of content every second to a host of platforms. So more and longer aren’t necessarily better.
Think about it: You’re a busy entrepreneur whose time is always short. You’ve got 100 things on your to-do list. So which headline would you be more likely to click on?
- “The History of Content Marketing and How It Can Help Your Business”
- “The 30-Second Media Hack to Double Blog Output Instantly”
Some of you would choose the first one, but I bet many of you would hit the second. (In case you’re wondering, the hack is to break posts up into two parts and publish on consecutive days.)
In a sea of content, the second post stands out because it offers something simple and fast. It’s easy to consume, sharable and doesn’t require a lot of investment. There’s actually a term for this stuff: snackable content.
Snackable content is the beef jerky of the media world—and it’s delicious.
Got 10 Minutes for Content?
I’ll take my own advice and be brief:
If you’re struggling to create media for your audience, keep it short and sweet. Snackable content is the key.
Here are 5 things you can create in about 10 minutes:
1. Post a quote graphic to social media. Just use any app or program to put words on a large background. State something very simple. If you can’t think of anything, use this: “The first step to fitness is a step. Get up and move for 5 minutes right now!”
2. Write this mini-blog: “The King of Condiments for Weight Loss.” Just take 150 words to explain how mustard has a ton of flavor and almost no calories.
3. Create this video: “The Quick-Relief Upper-Back Stretch for Desk Workers.” In less than a minute, demonstrate any stretch that will help someone who’s hunched over all day.
4. The next time you make a solid lunch, take a picture of it and quickly explain what’s on your plate—and why. Post it with this headline: “What a Fitness Coach Ate for Lunch Today (It’s So Simple!)”
5. Quickly describe a glute movement and explain why it’s effective for the butt. Here’s your hook: “The Glute Movement You Should Be Doing TODAY.”
(When it’s time to serve a slightly larger snack, here’s a precise five-blog plan.)
Snackable Content: “These Chips Are so Good”
If you’re struggling to create content, resist the urge to go long.
Start serving snackable content to gain momentum—and to please busy people who just want a quick nibble, not a five-course sit-down meal.
