Why "Doing Nothing" Makes Great Content

This last winter I was shooting an Airbnb I've shot many times.

As I drove up to the property, I started to prep the scenes in my head.

Most ideas I came up with I realized we already had. There wasn't much of a point to capture the same thing twice.

• Drone shot sequence at sunset. Check.

• Roaring bonfire scene. Check.

• Walking around the property in every possible direction. Check.

My biggest fear with content shoots is going back home with nothing new. This was about the time that fear set in.

Yet, I kept driving on.

Two nights & three days is what I had at this Airbnb. Plenty of time. I should be able to get something, right?

After arriving at the property, I went through the usual motions:

• Walk around

• Look at the upcoming weather (again)

• Plug stuff in

• Claim my room

There was still a little daylight left so I threw the drone in the air to capture what was left of the sunset.

Again, this is stuff we already had.

As the sky went dark, I shot some rooms in the low-light for about 30 minutes.

"Now what?" I thought to myself.

After pacing around the living room, I sat down to think for a while. Which I never do on these trips.

Fast forward two nights, this ended up being one of the best shoots ever.

Let me explain...

Great content loves nothing

You may remember the interview I did with Marissa from Haymaker marketing last month.

Part of her job is doing social media content shoots for Airbnbs and hotels around the world. Similar to us.

During the interview, I asked for her content shoot secret sauce. This is the summary of her answer:

1. Follow a standard process

2. Sit, do nothing and enjoy the space. Then capture whatever comes to mind.

I used to think the second step was silly. I would've thought "do nothing and think? That's not work."

Now, I realize the second step is the most important. It's the difference maker that has gotten our work in magazines (literally).

What I'm trying to say

When Lodge Social started over two years ago, I had a production mindset with every aspect of the business. Including the content shoots:

• Create a shot list

• Follow the shot list

• Move on to the next client

• Repeat

Most entrepreneurs are like this. You may be the same.

It only took me until recently to understand that creativity shouldn't be systemized.

Good content can be taken using a process. We use a shot list.

Great content comes from:

1. Sitting down

2. Doing nothing

3. Enjoying the space

4. Getting whatever comes to mind

So I'll end with this.

If you think your content could be better, it can.

Try sitting down, shutting up, thinking and enjoying the space.

That's all for today. I'll see you in the next article.

Before you go

I spend about 10 hours writing this newsletter each week. The rest of my time is spent running $100K Stay and Lodge Social.

1) $100K Stay — Learn how to make $100K for your Airbnb or hotel from social media.

• This hybrid-live training program is everything you need to get your own guests from the internet. Even if you have zero audience, experience, or marketing skills.

• Enrollment is currently open. Book a call to join →

2) Lodge Social — Our marketing team will help you get more guests to like, share and book. Work with me and my team here.

Links you might like:

1. What if Airbnb became a luxury brand? (LinkedIn)

2. The Airbnb Pattern Nobody Talks About (The Lodge Social)

3. Stay at The Nook (Instagram)

4. Tackle today’s deep work with this 4hr set (YouTube)