Traditionally, when I use the Content Waterfall, I use it with the Leads Field Guide Newsletter.
However, you could use it with any long-form piece of content.
Just apply the below system to your style!
Step 1: Ideate Topics Based on Your Audience
The first step in the Content Waterfall method involves researching topics that resonate with your audience.
It may go without saying, but the best engagement will come from content that your target audience ACTUALLY wants to read.
Here are my favorite places to get ideas!
- Google topic ideas
- Use Twitter to find ideas
- Subscribe to industry-specific newsletters
- Use Redditt. What are people asking a lot about?
- Follow other business owners on Linkedin.
Whenever I come across an idea, I drop it into my Trello board.
Step 2: Write a Long Form Piece of Content
Your primary piece of content forms the foundation of your Content Waterfall.
It should be rich and detailed enough to extract various discussion points or perspectives.
Broad concepts like “How To” Guides, “The Ultimate Guide to…” or “All You Need to Know About…” serve as excellent core content.
They deliver precise and authoritative insights, making it simple to derive numerous subtopics from them.
No strict word limit exists, but more substance (Guides1,200-1,500 words) offers increased adaptability.
My favorite content mediums are:
- Email Newsletters (The Leads Field Guide)
- Long Form Blog Posts
- Long Form Video
But again, you can use what fits your overall marketing plan best.
Step 3: Repurpose Each Step into Written Social Content
Break down your long-form guide into smaller, digestible chunks of content.
The best part? You’ve already got all the ideas you need!
Each point or step in your guide can be turned into a short social media post.
Example: This Step ^^ will become a LinkedIn post.
I might show how I take each email newsletter and break it down into several LinkedIn posts/Tweets with screenshots.
Step 4: Repurpose What You Just Repurposed
Ok – Now we’re digging a little deeper.
Let’s say you repurposed a step in your email into a LinkedIn post.
Next up – Repurpose the LinkedIn post into a Twitter Thread.
Then – Repurpose the Twitter Thread into several Tweets.
Now, take your Tweets and make Facebook posts.
The sky is the limit when it comes to repurposing.
This way, you’ll never post the same thing twice!
Step 4 BONUS: Repurpose Written Content Into Video Content
Take your repurposed written content one step further by turning it into video content.
Video content can help you reach a broader audience, increase engagement, and go cross-platform.
I typically like to create short Instagram Reels or YouTube shorts from my written posts.
The best part? I pretty much paraphrase my social media post and do an off-the-cuff video.
The script is already done for me!
Step 5: Track Social Media Metrics
Finally, don’t forget to track your social media metrics.
This will help you understand which pieces of content are performing best and which might need tweaking.
Keep track of likes, shares, comments, and other engagement metrics and any increase in followers or subscribers.
From there, re-use your best templates and consider honing your process.
