Write When You Mean It

These days, writers are advised to have a social media presence — tools like Instagram or Threads don’t have to be the only place we are, but the mantra is that writers need to be posting content consistently to engage with readers, show their expertise, and improve their overall platform size. That’s made a lot of writers stressed out and led them to think constantly about what to cover in “this Tuesday’s content.”

Notebook, Walls.io on Unsplash

But I will say it plainly.

The best thing you can do to build a platform is not to post on a calendar schedule. It’s to write when you actually feel obligated to say something.

Not pressured.

Obligated.

There’s a difference.

Obligated means that what you have to write and share holds significance for you. That you believe in it. That you’re even willing to sacrifice for it, and that you can’t imagine leaving it unwritten.

Obligation can coalesce around key themes that become part of your entire brand. But they also can reflect many different parts of you across an entire range of topics. People are multifaceted that way, and readers don’t have an understanding of who you really are and whether you’re trustworthy unless you let them circle you 360 degrees.

This might mean you post only once a month. But posting once a month with something that’s heartfelt, honest, and empathetic is infinitely better than adding to the generic noise we constantly get delivered in a feed. It might not happen as frequently, but it still stands out because it is different and honest.

So, think about how often you genuinely feel compelled to speak. Is it once a month? A dozen? Just be honest and center yourself around the average. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be consistent enough that your readers know how much you’re likely to keep showing up.