4 Content Creation Secrets from C.C. Chapman

At Writtent.com, it was a pleasure for me to interview C.C. Chapman, storyteller, explorer, and humanitarian, author of Amazing Things Will Happen and co-author of Content Rules.

The two books I totally recommend to read, very inspirational and informative.

C.C. generously shares some of his content marketing and life wisdom with us.

@HNesterenko: 1. One most important tip you can give to businesses just hitting the content creation road?

– @cc_chapman: That it is a long and ongoing road.

Everyone is looking for shortcuts and there are few of them. When it comes to content, you’ve got to have a solid strategy or you are just going to be spending time and resources flailing around and hoping something works.

With so many of the tools being available to everyone to create content, people fall into the trap that it is easy. But, if I give 1,000 people a smart phone and tell them to go take pictures they are not all going to be Ansel Adams.

You must constantly be creating and being smart about what you create. If you don’t know how to do it or where to get started, hire someone that does.

@HNesterenko: 2. How to stay inspired when hitting the content creation road? And continuously “ship”? What if passion is gone for some time?

@cc_chapman: If you have no passion for what you are creating then stop.

I stay inspired by constantly consuming content. I read books, magazines and posts every day. I watch all sorts of video, look at photos and constantly try to get outside and experience the world around me. That is where I find inspiration and what keeps me going.

@HNesterenko: 3. In your book “Content Rules”, you talk about authentic “voice” that content creators need to discover. What is the best approach for doing that?

– @cc_chapman: Trying to teach someone how to find their voice is a silly exercise.

YOU know who you are. You might decide you want to present yourself in a specific light to the public and if that is the case then start doing so.

Listen, I’m not going to give anyone a silver bullet on how to do this. The best people creating content are the ones who do it on a regular basis. The longer you do it, the better you get and the more comfortable you’ll get with your voice.

We all have it inside of us and we all decide what we let out and play.

@HNesterenko: 4. What do you think will change in how we create content in 2024?

– @cc_chapman: The tools continue to get more mobile and more visual. AI has grown in popularity over the past few years, and the content creation industry is no exception. One look at ChatGPT and you can see where it is going.

I wear a FitBit Force to track my activity and I imagine before too long it’ll have a screen on it where friends can taunt me and brands can reach out to me.

Personalized and localized are going to become even more important. I don’t want a blanket offer that everyone else is getting from a company. I want an offer that makes sense to ME based on where I live and what I’ve bought in the past.

Smarter content will begin to show up and there will be no turning back.

What are your thoughts about the trends to come?
Do you agree with C.C. Chapman? Share with us in the comments below.