Should I Publish Content I’m Not Excited About

The Short Answer Is Yes

First, I’m going to be a bit silly and compare it to dinner. There have been dinners I’ve made that have absolutely slayed. They’ve been so delicious. They’ve been pretty enough to go on Instagram. People would ask for the recipe.

And then there have been nights where what I made was: good. Not ‘grammable. Not anything the kids are going to beg me to make again. But we all needed to eat, and it was good.

(Now, one time, I opened a package of raw chicken and I could tell it was spoiled. We’re not talking about that.) We’re talking about how you should keep feeding your audience.

And that’s only the beginning

When you push yourself to create more content, you'll find that you like some pieces more than others. Some will just flow and include lessons you're excited to share, and others will feel like they fell flat.

Which begs the question: What do you do with the flat piece? Most people feel a little anxious about publishing it. 

Nine times out of 10, you should post it and here's why: 

I can't tell you how many times I thought a piece was brilliant only to have my editor to cover it in tracked changes; and--wait for it--love that piece I was hesitant about and accept it as-is. 

Or, if you don't have an editor, you may've experienced the same thing with your audience. It could be that you get the greatest response to something you weren't entirely happy with.

Truth: For all of the polls, and surveys, and ideal customer avatars, you don't have a crystal ball. And you may be biased against when or how you wrote the piece, and not see how strong it is. Or, you may be stretching your writing so it's uncomfortable for you but more interesting to your audience.

Not to mention, people respect consistency. So, even if your article is basic and fine, there's value in showing up on your blog, or your feed, or your customer's inbox because they depend on you there.

Finally, the whole premise of building an audience is communication and interaction: If it is weak in some places, your audience can help you strengthen it, and that’s not a bad thing.

The caveats

You know the difference between a piece of content that's not your finest, and that is bad. Don't send something out if you don't want people to read it.

This also applies to any "special" content. If you're publishing something that's new for you (like a product, or a download, or something on a sensitive subject), take the time to take an extra swing and get it right.