10 CONTENT MARKETING TIPS FOR PARENT-WRITERS

How do you market yourself, your products, or your books in ways that: don’t feel 'icky'; help you build relationships with readers and other writers; and that you actually have time to do?

INTRODUCTION

Content marketing is defined as "a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services." (Oxford Languages https://languages.oup.com)

Disclaimer: I’m not a marketing expert. Instead, I want to share what I’ve learned from the perspective of a busy parent building a writing and editing career. Most advice I come across doesn’t seem to take life limitations into account!

I love content marketing. I enjoy learning and teaching others, and personally I would much rather offer valuable information and interaction than post ‘buy my book’ ten times a day at what would quickly become a handful of followers.

However, it can also feel extremely overwhelming.

What should I make content about? Should I blog? Make videos? Podcasts? Should I be on Threads? YouTube? TikTok? Instagram? Facebook? My own website? Repeat thought process until the kids are hungry and you still haven’t started dinner.

Which brings me to my next point. How on earth do you navigate this if you’re a parent, or are otherwise hampered by professional or caring or disability-related restrictions in your life?

In this post I discuss considerations, practicalities, and strategies for managing content marketing: especially when you have added complications in your life.

For the purposes of this post, I'm assuming you wish to create content to build relationships with your target audience and others in your field, and to raise awareness of yourself and your brand – rather than purely for ‘sales’.

For (related) practical tips on productivity and time management for parent-writers, please sign up for my newsletter to gain access to my free Productivity for Parents guide:

https://www.clairebentley.co.uk/newsletter

TIP 1: HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE?

Don’t panic. I’m not about to suggest keeping a time diary and recording how much time you spend on each activity during the course of a few weeks.

If you wish to do that then great, and yes it can offer some helpful insights.

However, it makes me feel stressed when people suggest this as an automatic first step to working through a time-management problem. Great idea in theory, but as my kids are wrapped around my legs and I haven’t showered in three days, I already suspect I don’t have a lot of free time. And I’m not going to waste even more time doodling my lack of free time on a colour-coded chart.

Yes, I could spend less time on my phone, but the daily grind of 14hrs+ of childcare doesn’t leave a lot of room for concurrent writing. There are writers out there who can churn out words while waiting for an appointment or standing in the school pick-up line. However, for me, writing requires concentration and forethought. I’ll return to this point later.

I don’t need a colourful chart to tell me how busy I am. My droopy stinging eyes, physical and mental exhaustion, messy house, and my barely controlled panic and sensory overload are enough to remind me how busy I am. If you’re reading this then I suspect you’re in a similar boat.

TIP 2: NO, REALLY, HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?

A word of caution based on my own experience (cough).

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME YOU REALLY HAVE.

I often fall into the trap of thinking I can do everything: write all the blog posts; make all the videos and recordings; and post thoughtful and insightful content in all these formats on a regular basis. All of this while (of course) writing my novels and short stories, and building my editing business. Apparently, my kids are supposed to raise themselves while I do all this.

When my brain gets carried away, I have to rein it in and remind it that it’s 1am as I write this blog post, and to ask it how on earth it expects me to record podcasts instead of eating and sleeping.

And the truth is: even if wasn't a parent, and I wasn't autistic, and I didn't have an editing business, I would still struggle to do all the things.

One of the best things you can do for yourself as a parent-writer is to acknowledge, embrace, and work with – rather than against – your time limitations.

TIP 3: WHICH TOPICS EXCITE YOU / WHICH TOPICS DO YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF?

Whatever your profession or creative passion or genre, there is a good chance that you have an interest in – or knowledge of – other topics which could intersect with your chosen path.

For example, when I decided to commit to a career in writing and editing, I knew I wanted to use content marketing to connect with and help other writers, and to help people become aware of me and my work. I made this career move at a time when I had very small children who already needed most of my time. I have a nerdy 'special interest' in time management and productivity, and I’ve always been good at getting things done. I also noticed that traditional time management advice typically doesn’t take into account those of us with added responsibilities and limitations in our lives. Yes, most of us start out juggling a day job, but what about if you (also) have children / caring responsibilities / chronic illness / disability etc to deal with? This inspired me to build a content marketing strategy around helping other busy creatives.

I’ve come across people using previous expertise in physiotherapy, psychological services, accountancy etc to inform their writing and to help other writers. Maybe you're a fantasy writer who knows a lot about looking after horses. Maybe you're a crime writer who worked as a lawyer for many years. Maybe you're a science fiction writer with specialist knowledge of genetics. List your passions and interests, and see if any of them could inform your writing or your services in some way – even if the link isn't immediately obvious. Are there any underserved topics?

Ultimately, pick topics which interest or excite you!

TIP 4: WHAT TYPE OF CONTENT DO YOU CONSUME?

When I’m cooking or cleaning I usually have writing-related podcasts or YouTube videos playing in the background. When I get a few moments when looking after my boys, I will click on interesting-looking blog posts – usually via social media.

What types of content do you consume? What types of content would you enjoy creating? Do you know what types of content your target audience is likely to consume?

I’ll use myself as an example. If I had more free time I would love to have a podcast, and I’m considering moving to this format in the future when both my children are at school full-time. Podcasts are of particular interest to me, and I suspect many of my writing colleagues and target readers can be found there. I’m an auditory learner so this is my preferred method of consumption. Plus I regularly see social media posts from the US gushing over British accents, so my Yorkshire tones might help me gain listeners (!)

However, this is where the step of REALISTICALLY assessing how much time you have really comes into effect.

I would love to create a high-quality writing and productivity podcast, but I just do not have time to do it justice – at least not yet. I’ve always been an all-or-nothing person: I would rather do something properly and professionally with the commitment it deserves, rather than half-arse it and abandon it after three weeks because I’m overwhelmed.

If you choose one of the more challenging and time-consuming content marketing strategies, then fantastic, and I wish you all the luck in the world! But before you do so, be aware that this is a huge time commitment, and it may mean holding back on other things in order to do it. Only you know what is most sustainable for you, and what you most enjoy.

There is a sense in the writing community that blogging has had its heyday, and I don’t entirely disagree with this. However, it is the form of content marketing that works best for me at this stage of my life. I’m a writer and editor after all, and I’m naturally more confident and proficient with the written word than I am sitting in front of a camera or microphone and trying to coherently discuss the key points on a topic. In fact, my autism means I practically fall apart if there is a camera in my face! With practice I think I could speak somewhat coherently into a microphone, but learning a new skill set is yet another thing that would take time away from other parts of my life.

To summarise: pick a form of content which you enjoy consuming, which you would enjoy producing, and which you could do a decent job at – or at least learn the ropes relatively easily.

TIP 5: PICK ONE OR TWO OUTLETS

Remember, your time is limited. Therefore – for both content and social media – it is better to focus your efforts on one or two outlets and do them well and consistently, rather than scatter-gun your time and energy across multiple formats and accounts.

I focus most of my time and effort on my blog, my website, and my Threads account. Again, play to your strengths and preferences. Choose social media that you're comfortable with. For example, I have an Instagram account but it is not my main one because a. lack of time (again!), and b. I’m not a visual person. I prefer the text-based posts on Threads and Bluesky to the visual posts on Instagram.

There is something to be said for working out where your target audience is most likely to be found and focusing your efforts there. However, I personally feel the number one priority is looking at what you’re comfortable with and what you can realistically maintain. Yes, you might miss some of your target audience, but you’ll miss even more of them if you're not consistent with your chosen platform(s).

TIP 6: PICK A SCHEDULE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

The recommendations for growing an audience via YouTube or podcasting are to release quality content on a weekly basis. Bearing in mind that includes preparation, filming / recording, editing, artwork, blurbs, descriptions… that’s a lot to fit in every week when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep for nine years (*clears throat and side-eyes her children*).

Other outlets such as TikTok and Instagram recommend posting every day. Some – like Threads – recommend posting many times a day. As a parent, when I see these recommendations, I laugh and laugh.

Ignore these recommendations and only post / create content as frequently as you want to and are able to, while still preserving your mental and physical health. It is no good committing to a weekly podcast if you will quit after two weeks, or crash and burn after six months of minimal eating and sleeping, most likely damaging your health and losing the enjoyment of creating the content in the first place.

I know that to grow my blog quickly I should be posting every single day. However, when I started my blog and author newsletter, I decided on a monthly posting and emailing schedule. Sometimes I manage to post more often, but the minimum I know I can deliver – which will be useful, well-thought out, and will preserve my health – is one blog post and one email every month. No matter what Google or the algorithms say, taking care of myself and my children is higher priority than producing daily content.

For social media, I don’t post anywhere near as often as I ‘should’, but I try to post four or five times a week. Back to my earlier point about looking after my children: for me, the moments when they are engrossed in something and don’t need my rapt attention are the best moments for social media. I can hop in and out of it as I need to and still be present with my children; unlike writing and producing content for my blog and newsletter, which I need deeper focus for. This also means I don't cut into my dedicated writing and editing time. It also helps me stay aware of changes in the writing, editing and publishing fields.

TIP 7: BATCH CONTENT

If you are producing podcasts or videos, or writing multiple blog posts over a short period of time, then I highly recommend batching tasks wherever you can to save time, e.g. recording multiple videos at once, writing several articles at once etc. It is not possible to do this every time or with every type of task, but I batch things wherever I can. Scheduling tools for social media and other types of content are also really useful.

TIP 8: ADAPT AND RE-USE CONTENT

If you produce content in one form or for one type of social media, then you can often adapt its contents and / or message for other outlets.

I don’t recommend copying content straight from one social media into another, as one type of content may not translate well into another platform. For example, if I copied an entire blog post into a 'thread' then it would be a hundred 'threads' long and yawn-inducing. However, I might pick out a section or a key message from a blog post and create an adapted thread around that. Or I might see a post that inspires an idea for a topic to cover on my blog. Although Instagram isn't my main account, I will post my interesting writing-related pictures there. My main platforms inform and feed one another, which helps lessen the workload.

TIP 9: REMEMBER YOU’RE HUMAN – AND SO IS YOUR AUDIENCE

Some authors’ social media feeds are mostly or exclusively ‘buy my book’. It’s fine for some posts to be promotional, and indeed some of my own posts directly promote my editing services, or my blog, or my newsletter (even though the Threads algorithm suppresses them). However, if I see an account made up entirely of promotional posts then I don’t follow them. I want to connect with actual humans – especially in the age of generative AI – than with people who have nothing to say other than 'buy my book'.

It is important to set boundaries when choosing what to share – or not share – on social media. For example, none of my writing platforms feature the names or photos of my husband or children. However, I do post about some of the funny things they say and do, and about my writing and editing life, and the joys and challenges of being a parent-writer.

TIP 10: IF NOTHING ELSE, BE PRESENT

To conclude this entire post: it is better to be present online – in whatever way works for you and in whatever way you have the time and mental capacity for – than to not be there at all. Even if this is minimal or restricted to a professional website. No matter what other authors / marketing gurus tell you, your mental and physical health are more important than follower counts and book sales. Whatever you choose to do, it should be enjoyable and sustainable for you.

BEFORE YOU GO…

The post was getting long so I kept it to ten tips, but do you have any other content marketing tips and strategies which you have found useful?

Please feel free to comment on the article and/or contact me if you have any questions!

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I welcome respectful and friendly discussion on the topics I write about, including if your opinion differs from my own.

Disclaimer: generative AI

I do not use generative AI to produce or inform my blog, my images, or my fiction. All of my content is generated by the chaotic firing of my own (human) brain! (I have access to some images through my Wix subscription). I do not consent to the use of my content, images, or fiction to train generative AI models. Please contact me to discuss permission and compensation if you wish to use my content in this way.