Producing content can be time consuming but there are a few tricks you can use to manage your time efficiently.
Don't forget, all of this content can be sponsored...
Here are the 4 key types of content you can/should create (in order of the time it takes to create from most to least):
People & Places Profiles spotlight what makes your community unique like interviewing a new chef at a local restaurant, highlighting a nonprofit initiative, or visiting/highlighting a business. These are typically the most time intensive articles but also offer a more in depth look into your community that allow you to flex your journalistic muscle. These articles can use Q&A format or any other structure you'd like.
Listicles/Curated Content like 13 January Events (Editors Picks) or 7 Places to See Live Music are a little quicker to pull together as they don't require as much writing. These types of articles should highlight Things to Do and Places To Go and should make up the majority of your editorial calendar.
Quick Hitters are a very short article, maybe 3-4 sentences, on a hot topic such as a business opening or closing or town vote. Another type of Quick Hitter, called an article pick-up, is when publishers take content from other sources and share it with commentary, like when some larger outlet ranks your town the best place to live. Just make sure to link to the original source where appropriate. 1-2 of these a month, posted to your site and shared to social media, can make a big difference in your monthly traffic numbers.
Syndicated Content, like that provided by Family Features, is typically more generic content that can be used occasionally to give you something else to post or share. Since this content is provided to you, it's great when you're in a pinch to get something new up on your site. Syndicated content is often sponsored but not always. If it is, make sure to give proper attribution.
