The art of saying no - 3 things to do with urgent content requests

This is the original version of the blog:

9 Questions to Help You Prioritize Content Creation [Template]

as posted on the Content Marketing Institute blog on the 21st of April 2013... I'm sharing it here as an interesting comparison with the final version which is less quirky, and a bit more Americanized...

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So you've got a great content creator (or maybe even a team of them – physical or virtual) and a content calendar; you know who the personas are that you're creating content for and you've already started writing insightful, valuable, shareable content. You're coming to be seen as a valuable part of the organisation and they're loving your content.

That's great, right?

Wrong.

This is where you need to learn the art of saying 'no' to content requests that simply don't fit within your overall business objectives, that aren't clear enough in their intention, or that are simply requested too late for you to be able to do a good job with them.

How late is too late?

This is a question that good content marketers should be asking themselves, and have answers ready to provide, based on good business reasons and a dollop of common sense. When preparing to say no, a good place to start is to write your own 'content creation rules’.

A very short (1 page is more than enough) tip sheet could include timelines, responsibilities, and what kind of content will and won’t be created. This gives you a helpful starting point that can be bent when necessary and stand strong when required. And then make sure these are communicated to the rest of the organisation.

1)      Consider using a content request form

You might also want to consider putting a content request form or process in place like the one pictured in the image, if the demands simply become too large or frequent to manage easily.

What is a content request form?

A content request form is basically a set of guidelines to help the requestor consider what they want in more detail, before they ask you to write it for them. Often requestors only have a vague idea of what they need when they ask for content to be created. Drilling down into the real nitty-gritty of the issue can help identify better ways their ideas can be used to reach their target audience.

What should a good content request form look like?

Keep it short – 1 page or less is best. It should help answer (amongst other things):

-          What people need the content

-          How it aligns with business objectives,

-          How long they think it will take to produce (then surprise them with the real timelines).

To help you decide whether it’s important, or just urgent, it’s also worth asking what the consequence will be of not producing the content – will the world end, will it critically affect a campaign, or will their boss just be unimpressed?

How do you use them?

-          Fill them in with the requestor, initially. A blank form can be a daunting prospect, and put people off. Help them understand what is involved in creating the content and identify where it should and can be used. For example, they may want to create a white paper when the content would actually be more appropriate for a blog. Explaining the whys and hows not only educates your colleagues; it also helps people understand why you are paid to do what you do.

-          Use it as a reference doc. That way, everyone knows what to expect of the final content. It keeps you all on the same page, literally.

The content created as a result of using this kind of form is more targeted, more appropriate, and often better thought-out, laid out, and therefore more likely to deliver the kind of results its requestor expects.

2)      Prioritise - is it important, or just urgent?

If you have a great content calendar, with space to put in some unexpected activities that add value and are in keeping with the business goals and objectives that's great. But what happens when there are desperate requirements that fall between the gaps. What is the difference between urgent and important?

This old phrase comes to mind: "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." But, unfortunately, sometimes it does. In business emergencies – such as PR disasters or the hacking of a social media account – it does mean that everything has to stop, so you put recovery measures in place. Hopefully, however, your business will have already put back-up plans in place for PR/social emergencies. And, if you haven’t already got a plan, maybe now is a good time to start preparing one?

3)      Pull a content rabbit out of a hat

When it comes to ‘urgent’ requests from other parts of the business that demand content resources the key is to keep the ego and emotions out of it – at the end of the day, content creation is a business function that should help get clear, trustworthy and valuable messages out to customers and prospects. Don’t dismiss a request just because you’re having a tiff with that employee, or your business groups have differing objectives.

Sometimes there’s value in pulling a content rabbit out of a hat to meet an urgent need – not only does it make you a valuable content creation resource, it also builds cross-functional relationships. And, you never know, it might even result in that huge sale that keeps your content team in work, and in demand, for another year – while boosting your reputation: a win-win situation.

5 key takeaways

So in conclusion, when it comes to managing demand for content creation some top tips are:

1)      make ‘content creation rules’

2)      develop a ‘content request form’

3)      plan for emergencies

4)      prioritise requests, and

5)      consider requests with an open-mind and a collaborative attitude.

That way saying ‘no’ when necessary, becomes much easier and much less personal.