How I grew my confidence in my content writing

Hello everyone 👋 A few weeks ago @krupali and I connected on a Cafecito call. We got to talking about content, and how we sometimes struggled with posting things we've written. Either because we weren't sure it was good enough, or it wasn't insightful, or that other people might be more knowledgeable in the subject we were writing on.
I had never talked about this with anyone else. I sort of knew other people had this problem. It was great getting it out in the open.

That is why we started this group (and thanks to everyone who joined). Hopefully, we can help more people get more great content out in the world.

With that, here are some things that have worked well for me in overcoming this anxiety about pushing out content.

Validate content like you validate a startup idea

I used think of content writing like a chore. I'd sit at my desk knowing we needed to pump out a blog post, and then I'd strain to think of an idea. Then I'd draft something, post it, share it on social media.

The problem with this is I was never really sure if the idea for content was good, or if people would be interested. I'd draft it in a vacuum, then put it out in the world. More often than not no one would comment or re-share it because it didn't resonate with them. Not having any positive feedback made me feel bad about the post, and the cycle would continue.

Recently, what I've been doing instead is posting 'minimum viable content'. For instance, a reply to a tweet, or a comment on a post on reddit or Indie Hackers. I'll respond to someone's question, or share some insight I have. Often no one responds to it. However, some of the time it gets a hugely positive response, or sparks a conversation, or gets you those sweet sweet upvotes.

If something I post gets a good response, then I tend to turn it into long-form content like a blog, or a Twitter thread. The early validation makes the rest of the process flow a lot better, because I know I am addressing a subject that at least some people are interested in. I also then feel more confident sharing it in other channels or replying in more detail on other similar threads.

Write about stuff you are passionate about

This might not always be possible, but I am fortunate enough to be in the position that I am writing content for a target audience that is similar to me: early-stage founders. It is an area I am passionate about. This makes creating content way more fun. It also means that I tend to know a lot about these subjects, which is also a nice boost of confidence.

Get feedback before you post

This is critical for me - and we invite you to use this group for this very purpose. I share my draft with at least one other person. I care very little about the grammar and spelling mistakes (ideally there are none because Grammarly handles this). What I do care about is having one person view something before I put it out there. To give their overall feedback. For me, having this additional screen makes me much more confident in putting something out in the world.

Worry less

The last thing that works really well for me - trying to worry less. People are busy, they have their own things going on. If you write a blog post that isn't great most people don't really care. They aren't keeping score on what you are doing. What's worse is not putting some great content out in the world because you are afraid you might also produce some mediocre content.

Finally

Hope that is helpful for you as well. More importantly, we hope you will use this community to get support, feedback, and advice on putting your content out in the world. We can't wait to see what you are working on!