Someone asked me what is the content production process for this public account?

This question is a bit difficult.

Under normal circumstances, I would like to share the content of my article with you in "How to plan the content of a public account? Solve operational problems in 7 steps! 》 has shared:

We need to clearly define content positioning - competitive product analysis - content column planning - content style determination - topic library establishment - content visual presentation finalization, and finally generate a public account content planning operation manual to form a systematic standardized SOP.

Then, based on the content planning manual, start from topic selection, collect materials, create manuscripts, complete cross-review, and finally preview and publish.

This is a more reliable process, right?

Even each link in the process should be handled more meticulously, such as topic selection. In addition to establishing a topic database, many teams also hold topic selection meetings.

For a team like the Late Night Post, the editor-in-chief usually asks everyone to submit a list of topics one day in advance. Each person may propose dozens or even hundreds of topics.

Then we held a topic selection meeting the next morning. Everyone looked at the topic list together, and everyone picked out the topics they liked and disliked and explained the reasons.

Focus on the topic that most people like, and it will most likely become a hot article next month. Even if we don’t like any of the topics, we will study them together in detail. Why don’t we like any of them? What do they have in common? Avoid it from happening again.

This is a good method that every team can refer to.

But when asked about the content planning process of the account Mumu Laozei, it is really different - most of the above have nothing to do with me.

Because I created this account by myself in my spare time, without a team, without constraints, and without much time, I kept everything simple and casual.

After all, running other matters is already tiring, so managing your own account won’t be that stressful!

If I must talk about the process, it is to read more, think more, summarize more, and record more, and then:

Just write whatever comes to mind!

Really, that’s it, that’s why I said this problem is very troublesome.

Anyway, I really don’t have any process, so stop being curious! But I think the steps I use to write articles are quite reliable, and I can share them with you for reference.

The whole process is not complicated, the key is to spend more time. To sum up:

Think → List → Stack → Delete → Revise → Ask → Revise again → Ask again → Continue to refine (revise the manuscript N times).

1. Thinking

If you start writing an article with the wrong direction, you will make more mistakes the more you write.

Before I start writing, I always stop and think:

Have you thought clearly about what you want to write, how you want to write it, what the core theme is, what you want to express, what you want to convey to the readers, and what is the ultimate goal?

This is important, very important. I always spend a lot of time thinking.

What’s there to be afraid of when writing an article?

I’m afraid that readers will leave after reading your article and ask: What the hell is this trying to say?

Of course, this is not the most frightening thing. The most frightening thing is that after you finish reading it, you say: What the hell did I want to write?

This is due to not thinking it through in advance. In my opinion, thinking is the most important and necessary step in writing an article. Just like making a marketing plan, I will definitely think clearly about the top-level strategic planning.

Don't just start writing aimlessly. You may work hard but still not get recognition from others. It is smart to think before you write. This way all your energy will be focused in one direction, without any confusion or deviation. It will also be convenient for you to do self-examination later.

When you are thinking, try to be as specific as possible, such as "How does the article progress step by step?" "The logical structure of the content", "How to mobilize the readers' emotions", "How to divide it into several argument points", etc.

2. Columns

If you start writing an article right away after careful thinking, a problem may easily arise - you will start to write yourself into it. Although I thought about it in the early stage, when I started writing it was all mixed up and it looked like a piece of clutter.

My method is to make an outline immediately after thinking about it. This is definitely a quick way to write an article.

Divide an article you are planning to write into different sections around the topic. Write down what you want to write in each section in a sentence or with keywords. You can then continue to divide each section into the next level.

In this way, layer by layer, the logical context becomes clearer, and each part corresponds to its own content, forming a clear article framework. When writing an article, you won't go off track.

The copywriting master Sugarman has a trick for writing copy, which is to first create a copywriting logic roadmap, and then output all the content according to the logic of the diagram, which is actually an outline.

For example, here is the logical outline of the marketing copy he listed for an electronic product:

Interest and passion → Uniqueness → Why it is different → How it works → Amazing features → Rationalize the purchase → Valid forever → Free after-sales service → Order now.

I have a habit of writing down whatever comes to my mind or any flash of inspiration that comes to my mind. If I want to write something, I will immediately make an outline, which may be just a few dozen words or a few subheadings. But it can quickly turn into several thousand words when I have the time.

To put it simply, practicing writing logic and making an article outline is to exercise your ability to write with your brain. Eventually, you can simulate writing in the car, in bed, in the toilet, in a coffee shop, while meditating...

3. Heap

After making an outline, the plan of the entire article is already very clear. At this time, I will move on to the next step - piling .

What does it mean?

Just start piling up content based on each subheading in the outline. I will write down everything that comes to my mind about this subtitle, and express it in the most direct and unadorned language.

During this process, try to include what you want to say, the information and materials you need, without worrying about grammar and punctuation, sentence patterns, the connection between paragraphs, or the beauty of your words... I like to fill in every section under the outline.

4. Delete

Next, it is the process of "content weight loss" .

First, read the content you have filled in from beginning to end, and delete it as you read, deleting those contents that are not related to the theme and outline of the entire article. This is also the process of reinforcing and sorting out the logic of the topic.

Then, delete the parts that are bloated, repetitive and verbose. Once you get excited about writing an article, your brain becomes extremely active and it is easy to write a lot of rambling or even nonsense. Just delete it directly, with great force.

One thing to note is that the original manuscript should be retained during the deletion process, because it may need to be supplemented later, and you may delete too much.

5. Change

After deleting, it’s time to edit the copy and polish the content.

Including sentence structure, punctuation and grammar, text optimization, rhetoric, paragraph connection, rich cases, use of copywriting skills... and so on.

However, I usually don’t work too hard on the text at this step, because it’s only half done and I’ll continue to revise it later.

6. Ask

Okay, after I’ve finished editing and revising, I’ll ask a few deadly questions and conduct self-censorship.

This step is to find fault with yourself and argue with yourself, and it is something you must do.

Asking questions and reflecting is a good thing. It will constantly allow you to deny yourself, discover problems, and iterate quickly. For example, you could ask yourself:

01. Is the core theme of the article dispersed?

02. Is each section clearly written and focused enough?

03. Does the beginning of the article attract people to continue reading?

04. What is the purpose of this paragraph? Why am I writing this?

05. What is the purpose of this sentence? Any help with the context?

06. Is the case convincing? Is the story touching?

07. Does the content directly hit the user’s pain points? Can you feel it clearly?

08. What emotions will be aroused in readers? Is it what I want?

09. Will readers share the article after reading it? If you share it, will others be willing to click on it after seeing it?

10. Does the entire article fit my positioning and personality?

11. Is the content too long? Can it be shortened?

12. What can readers get after reading the article? Can you summarize it in simple words?

…..

There are many problems, so I won’t list them one by one, but there will definitely be some effects.

After completing this step, I believe you have had a deeper thinking about the article, so continue.

7. Change again

After a wave of overwhelming questions and thinking, I will edit the article again, solve some deficiencies, supplement some omissions, optimize some redundancies, and delete some unnecessary content.

For example, adjusting the paragraph structure, replacing important cases, strengthening personality positioning, optimizing the beginning and ending of the article, supplementing key information points, adding some sharing stimulation points, reducing some complex knowledge, reconsidering some statements, adding more guidance for readers' emotions, etc.

8. Ask again

After the content was edited again, the article had a brand new look, but it was not finished yet, at least not for me.

Usually, I will read it several times, ask questions and think about it again, on the one hand to see if it is better after the previous revisions, and on the other hand to see if there are any other new problems.

9. Continue to refine

What does it mean? In fact, it is simple. It is just to revise the manuscript repeatedly and repeat steps seven and eight over and over again - read it repeatedly, ask questions repeatedly, and revise it repeatedly. There will be N steps here.

In theory, I always believe that "the next version of the copy will be better."

However, in actual writing, you should consider factors such as needs, time and energy, importance, urgency, your own mood, etc., and revise it until you are satisfied or the party in need is satisfied.

Okay, these are the basic steps I usually take when writing articles. I have given them all to you.

Among them, an indispensable process is to constantly revise the manuscript, which is not only supervised by others, but more by self-revision.

Many great predecessors created classics through countless revisions. Tolstoy wrote hundreds of pages of manuscripts, but only five pages were published; Flaubert wrote only one line out of every ten lines on the manuscript paper, leaving the other nine lines blank for revisions; Haruki Murakami spent six months writing the first draft, and another seven or eight months revising it...

When it comes to writing articles, I don’t really believe in inspiration and state. The N extra steps than others may be the so-called " shortcut ".

Related reading:

1. New media operation: new media content operation skills!

2. New media content operation skills: How to choose a good title?

Author: Hong Jian

Source: Deep Echo (ID: deep-echo)