⚡Can high-quality content be created quick?

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Happy St. Patty’s Day. If the weekend treated you a little rough, I recommend coffee, the hero smart people know they need. Today, I’ll give you 5 tips on how to get more content produced, using the best example going today. This dude has written more TV episodes in a shorter time frame than any other writer in history. And they’re hit shows mostly! 

See how Taylor Sheridan does it, then I’ll drop Monday Marketing News on you, including an ad-builder tool and a chance to pitch business ideas to win $5k.

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High-Quality Work Done Fast

99% of the time, I’d say you can’t have quality and speed no matter what kind of work’s being done.

That’s not the case with Taylor Sheridan. He produces TV scripts at lightning speed, and most of his shows are hits.

Sheridan has created eight TV shows resulting in 164 episodes, with the majority written entirely by himself — that beats Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul combined (only 125 episodes over 14 years).

This Rolling Stone article did a deep dive on Sheridan. Based on that piece, here are 5 insights on how he churns out so much content…

Taylor Sheridan’s Model for Creating Great Content Quick (5 Insights)

1. Solo Writing: Sheridan writes alone. He says this allows him to sometimes produce a script in a single day! This approach allows him to maintain creative control and avoid the collaborative process that can slow down production. The problem with committees? Most people on them shouldn’t be.
   

2. Minimal Studio Involvement: Sheridan avoids studio notes by sending scripts directly to actors. This streamlined process reduces the time spent on revisions and approvals, enabling faster production. It helps to have big wins under your belt so you can do what you want without fear of being fired.
   

3. Variety of Projects: Sheridan works on multiple projects at the same time, spanning different genres and timelines. This helps him stay engaged and productive across various creative outlets. I’d imagine one project helps add fresh ideas for another one that’s not even in the same genre (multiplying output versus 1:1 output).
   

4. High Energy and Work Ethic: Sheridan believes in working like a madman, including weekends. This relentless work ethic contributes to his ability to produce a large volume of content in a short time. No doubt he has to take breaks or else he’d get burned out (unless he’s unlike any other human being).
   

5. Personal Experiences and Motivations: Sheridan draws inspiration from personal experiences, such as his family's loss of their ranch, which fuels his creative drive and focus. This tells you all you need to know if you’ve ever watched the original Yellowstone. The plot’s simple: “I want your land.” “No, you can’t have it.” Sheridan’s words, not mine. Easy to see how his greatest hit came to life.

"If I have to check in creatively with others for a story I've wholly built in my brain, that would probably be the end of me telling TV stories." ~Taylor Sheridan

Which one of the above is most valuable for Sheridan being the content producing factory he is? If you could only use one of the insights above, I’d say number five is the most vital (regardless of what type of work you do).

Writing from the heart about what he cares and knows about saves a ton of time on research. If you didn’t know what it felt like to live on a ranch and lose that ranch, you’d have to ask other people with those experiences how it felt. 

Even then, you’d never “feel” it like they did. Though a talented person could still do a good job writing a story about it, just like Jim Rome can talk about sports better than anyone despite not ever being a pro athlete.

Working on something you know a lot about and are deeply interested in also keeps you motivated to work hard — even when things are not going great. If your work doesn’t inspire you, it’s a lot easier to give up on it if you don’t get traction early on.

“If there’s one thing you are passionate about—and that you can be best at—you should do just that one thing.” ~Greg McKeown, Essentialism

Today’s Content Creators Have a Dilemma

Most creators feel they’re being forced to produce stuff their audience wants, not necessarily what the creator would choose to work on. 

Same thing with content producers being enslaved by the algorithm. Working on projects that the algorithm “says” will work because it’s working for other content creators. Which is making the internet boring and predictable. 

Thing is, you don’t have to let the algorithm or audience be the master. You’re free. Free to produce anything you want. 

The key is to not care if anyone else loves it as much as you do. I know that’s counter to every bit of templated advice out there today, which tells you to copy what’s already successful. 

While there's logic to that, and it can point you in the right direction, it’s not fool-proof. 

Unless you’re willing to choose the work you want to produce, your heart won’t be in it. You can have success despite that fact. But I think odds are in your favor when you choose the road less traveled.

Now, I could be wrong about passion and interest being the number one key to Taylor Sheridan’s unparalleled level of production. Maybe it’s his desire to make up for lost time. He got a late start in his career. 

Time’s short for us all, though. That’s a perfect motivator to get good stuff done ASAP.

Please share Inbox Hacking with a fellow marketing genius or business owner. Many thanks…

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

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