How many of you have ever fallen victim to "shiny object syndrome?"
Maybe you use Trello for project management and Canva for graphic design. You use these programs for a while, and they save you time.
But then you get distracted by another cool platform. Now, instead of creating or repurposing content and doing what you love, you're learning how to use a new program.
It happens to all creators (even me.)
If you live stream regularly, you need to repurpose content. Every new piece of content you create is an opportunity for your audience to learn from you.
It's also crucial to find tools that work for you and help you develop workflow processes.
On this episode of Digital Confetti, I brought on a guest who is an expert in creating systems to save time.
Yvonne Heimann is the founder of Ask Yvi. She began her career as a pub owner in Germany and today is a business efficiency consultant for digital entrepreneurs.
One of Yvi's goals in her business is to make workflows and processes simple. Whether you work alone, have a virtual assistant, or a team of people helping you, you need to have workflow systems in place.
After you create a system, you can get back to doing what you love: creating new content.
What is a workflow system?
A workflow is a step-by-step system you follow to automate necessary elements of your job and streamline your work.
You got into live streaming because you are passionate about filming and helping others, not working on tedious administrative tasks.
But with the correct workflows in place, you can put in the work once and then pass it off or hit duplicate.
Think of it as if you are going grocery shopping. If you forget the grocery list on the fridge, you're going to forget certain items and buy things you don't even need.
Workflows need to be in place for every step of your live stream, from the initial brainstorming of ideas, prepping content or bringing on a guest, going live, and post-production.
Without a workflow system in place, you're going to forget something silly, like getting a headshot from your guest.
If you don't have workflow systems, you're also losing a lot of time. Think about it. Instead of creating new content for your live show, you'll be racking your brain trying to remember if you completed specific steps.
“Creating a repeatable workflow is a simple way to streamline your systems to create better content and save time. If you want to scale and grow your show, you need to have workflows in place.”
Workflows mean you can easily duplicate your work, saving you time and energy and allowing you to scale your business.
How to implement workflows for your live show
There are many ways you can use workflows for your live show, from the planning process, to filming, and finally, post-production.
The first step to automating your workflows is by transcribing everything in your mind to paper.
Grab a notebook and write down every single data point you want to hit for your show, such as the topic, run of show notes, guest information, graphics, and more.
When I start planning a show, I run every idea through my Why, What, How, and What If formula:
Why: Why should you tune in?
What: What am I going to teach you?
How: How will it impact your business?
What If: If you can't tune in, what's the next step you need to take?
Because Yvi focuses on YouTube videos, she first considers the SEO research around a specific topic and the questions related to the topic.
However you start, write down your steps and screen record them so that you, a virtual assistant, or someone else on your team can help you plan every live show step-by-step.
Templates are one of the best ways to streamline your processes.
If you use graphics like a video thumbnail for your live show, create a template for every episode. With a template, all you need to do is update each episode's image, instead of recreating it from scratch.
You can also use templates when writing the description of your show. Copy and paste the show description or Facebook event information, then fill in the new episode's correct details.
When promoting your live show, use the same workflows to reach out to sponsors, set up advertisements, tag guests or brands, and of course, show notes.
While some live streamers work on their show notes after their live stream, both Yvi and I plan our show notes ahead of time.
Show notes may include:
What questions you want to ask
What the blog post will look like on your website
The corresponding social media posts
Over the years, I've developed show notes with my Video Script Maker. My intro includes the show title, start time, and introduction. Then I have my guest biography, bullet points with questions I want to ask, and my closing statement.
With the video script maker template, it's simple to add updated information for each show and your run of show workflows. I follow Owen Video's run of show template, which tells you when and how to engage with your audience.
By automating your run of show, you'll know exactly what to say and when, making it that much easier to plan your live shows ahead of time, in less time.
Plus, you won't forget any critical pieces of information, such as questions you want to ask or things you want to promote, once you hit the record button.
After you finish recording, set up a workflow for how you want to repurpose your content. For Digital Confetti, I immediately add the file to Descript.
From there, my executive assistant and virtual assistant turn the episode into a blog post, video clips to share on social media, and more. In fact, the first episode of Digital Confetti was all about using Descript to repurpose your content.
Yvi works with an editor for post-production and repurposing content from her live shows. Her editor converts every stream into Instagram posts and stories, including promoting “knowledge bites” from her guests.
After my live shows, I also use the ACES framework to bucketize my repurposed content in Agorapulse, which is my social media scheduling platform of choice.
ACES stands for:
Authority
Connection
Engagement
Sizzle
As I build out my social media content calendar, I make sure my posts fall into one of these categories.
There are also many tools to help you automate workflows for your content. While I use Descript to transcribe and repurpose content, Yvi's favorite transcription service is Temi.
Other tools include TubeBuddy, which allows you to bulk edit your YouTube video descriptions, and Rebrandly to create custom links and change them in the future if needed.
Finally, one of Yvi's favorite tools is ClickUp. It is her go-to platform for project management, task management, template creation, and overall systems integration.
ClickUp is task- and action-based. Anything that Yvi adds to the program automatically becomes a task based on the workflows she's created.
Yvi is a ClickUp consultant and your go-to person for questions on how to optimize efficiency for your business and workflows with ClickUp.
Automate workflows and systems that work for you
If you want to have sponsors for your live shows, you need to have systems in place. Brands want to work with content creators who know what they're doing.
Systems aren't just about saving time; they help you feel confident, whether you are speaking to potential clients or guests, developing content, filming, or handing off work to someone else.
Remember, the goal of streamlining your systems is to create new content and maximize your business.
Yvi and I both agree your workflow processes don't have to be perfect. They probably won't be for a long time (if ever!)
Workflow systems evolve, and it may take some trial and error to automate a system that works for you and your team.
Life changes. Our circumstances change. 2020 was a huge year of changes for many creators as we shifted from in-person to virtual environments.
It comes down to doing the work, building the habit, and implementing it. A tool can make work easier for you, but it can't save you.
If you keep switching tools, you will never nail down your workflow processes. More often than not, it's not the tool that isn't working. It's you not having the discipline to learn your current workflow too.
“Consistency is key when it comes to developing workflow systems. Tools don’t fix broken systems.”
What workflows do you have in place to streamline your processes?
Share your favorite tools and systems below.
Thank you to Restream for sponsoring Digital Confetti!
If you haven’t heard, Restream allows you to broadcast live video to 30+ social networks at the same time.
