Course resource
Content Production System
Producing content consistently without it consuming your week or degrading into filler.
The Week 6 single-source workflow covers adapting one piece into many. This is the system around it: how the pieces get made, batched and shipped.
The three modes
Do not do these on the same day. Switching between them is what makes content take all week.
| Mode | What you do | When | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capture | Collect raw material — ideas, incidents, numbers, questions | Continuously, 30 seconds at a time | — |
| Create | Turn raw material into one substantial piece | One focused block | 2–3 hours |
| Adapt | Turn that piece into channel-specific outputs | One batched block | 1–2 hours |
Capture
The input problem is why most content is generic. You cannot write specifically about things you did not notice.
Keep one list. Anything goes in:
- A question a customer asked
- A number from your own work
- Something that went wrong
- A thing you disagree with
- An explanation you gave someone that landed
Capture takes seconds and determines everything downstream. A full capture list makes creation easy; an empty one produces "5 tips for productivity".
Here is my capture list from the last two weeks: [PASTE]
Which of these could carry a substantial piece on their own?
For each candidate: what is the argument, who is it for, and what do
I already have that supports it?
Rank by: how much I actually know about it.
That last ranking criterion is the right one. Write about what you know most about, not what you think will perform.
Create
One piece, properly. See the single-source workflow for the structure.
The gate before you start:
- I have a specific argument, not a topic
- I have at least two specifics I own — a number, an incident, a quote
- I know who it is for
- There is something in it someone could disagree with
If you cannot tick all four, go back to the capture list.
Adapt, in batches
Batching is where the time saving is. Doing one post at a time costs three times as much as doing six.
Here are my [N] source pieces from this month: [PASTE OR SUMMARISE]
My voice profile: [PASTE]
For each source, produce:
- 2 short posts, different angles
- 1 email
- 2 video hook lines
Rules:
- Every output uses a specific from the source
- No two outputs from the same source make the same point
- Do not invent examples, numbers or incidents
- [BANNED WORDS]
Output as a table: source | format | draft | which specific it uses
Then edit the batch in one sitting, schedule in one sitting, and do not think about content again until the next block.
The calendar
Plan slots, not topics. Topics fill themselves from the capture list; empty slots are what cause panic-posting.
| Week | Source piece | Adaptations due | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 |
A realistic cadence for one person: one source piece a fortnight, five to seven adaptations each. Anyone promising you daily long-form is selling something.
The quality gate
Every piece, before it ships:
- Uses at least one specific I own
- Makes one point, not four
- Would be worth reading even if it were not derived from anything
- Sounds like me
- Nothing invented
- I would stand behind it in a room with my audience
The third item is the one that keeps the system honest. It is the difference between a content system and a content mill.
Measuring
Track three things. Not more.
| Piece | Reach | Meaningful responses | Did it lead anywhere |
|---|---|---|---|
Meaningful responses — replies, DMs, someone quoting it back to you — predict business outcomes far better than reach. A post seen by 400 people that produces two real conversations beats one seen by 40,000 that produces none.
The monthly review
Here is this month's content and its performance: [PASTE]
1. What performed well? Is there a pattern in the subject, format or angle?
2. What did not? Same question.
3. What took disproportionate time for its result?
4. What should I stop doing?
Be direct. Do not tell me to "keep experimenting".
Act on question 4. Most content systems fail by accumulating obligations, never removing them.
The failure mode
The system makes production cheap. Cheap production plus no quality gate produces volume, and volume without substance trains your audience to scroll past your name.
The gate is the system. Everything else is logistics.