When you start a new year, it can often feel like you have to hit the ground running. Suddenly you’re meant to have clear goals, shiny plans, and renewed enthusiasm for all the things you were already struggling to keep up with last year. For many small business owners that includes blogging and website content.
If your copywriting or content plans feel more stressful than exciting right now, you’re not alone. But there is another way to approach them.
Why content goals often feel harder than they should
When people set copywriting or content goals, they often start with the numbers, like two blog posts each week, one website update every month, or social media posting across three platforms. It’s all about getting as much done as possible.
The problem is that volume on its own doesn’t make content work harder. Writing more words doesn’t automatically make things clearer, more helpful, or more effective.
In my experience, the hardest part of content isn’t the writing at all. It’s deciding what actually needs to be said. Without a clear picture, even the best intentions can turn into half-written drafts, abandoned ideas, or content that doesn’t really do anything.
What to think about before setting copywriting goals
Before you decide how often you’re going to blog this year, it’s worth taking a step back and asking a few simple questions.
You might ask yourself:
- What do you want people to understand about your business after visiting your website?
- What client questions do you find yourself answering again and again in emails or conversations?
- Which parts of your website still sound like a past version of you and your brand?
You don’t need perfect answers to these questions. This is simply about giving yourself a clearer starting point than ‘I should probably blog more’. A little time and thought spent here can save a lot of effort later on.
Setting calmer, more realistic goals
Instead of setting big, ambitious content goals, it can help to aim for something calmer and more specific.
That might mean:
- One clarity goal, such as updating your homepage so it explains what you do more clearly.
- One consistency goal, like publishing one thoughtful blog post each month rather than aiming for five random topics and burning out by the end of the first quarter.
- One confidence goal, for instance, writing in a way that sounds more like you, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
These kinds of goals are easier to maintain and can often lead to better results over time.
The truth is that there’s no set amount of content that you should create each month or year. The best goals are the ones that fit your business, your energy, and the time you actually have available.
Why smaller steps often work better
A small amount of well-considered and consistent content can do far more for your business than a burst of enthusiasm followed by months of silence. Blogs and websites work best when they build trust and familiarity gradually, layer by layer.
Taking the pressure off can make it much easier to keep going.
A quiet truth about good content
Often the most effective content comes from people who decide what not to write about. When everything feels important, nothing stands out.
A bit of thinking at the start about priorities, message, and purpose often saves rewriting it all later on. It also makes the writing process itself feel more focussed because you’re no longer trying to say everything in one go.
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If your copywriting or content goals for the year ahead feel modest, that’s not a failure. It’s often a sign that you’re being realistic. Building a clear picture now makes everything else so much easier further down the line.
And if you’d like some support thinking through what your content needs to do this year, that’s something I can help with.
