Make Summer Marketing Easier (My 3 Step System to Create a Summer Marketing Plan!)

Feeling like content creation is dragging you down this summer? Maybe you’ve started ghosting your audience—but deep down, you know that’s not the move. Especially with Q4 approaching, the last thing you want is to be starting from scratch. But let’s be honest, prioritizing marketing in the summer is tough. That’s why I want to help you make summer marketing easier.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Most small business owners I know are in the same boat. And let me be clear: you’re not lazy. You just need a better system—one that actually flows with the summer energy.

Today, I’m sharing my three-step content creation system to help you simplify your marketing without disappearing on your audience. This isn’t going to be one of those “just take the summer off, it doesn’t matter” kind of messages. I actually believe summer marketing does matter—because this is when your audience is deciding what investments they’ll make come Q4. If you want to be one of those investments, then going silent isn’t an option.

Quick intro before we dive in—I’m Kara. I’m a marketer specializing in blogging, Pinterest, and podcast management for creative entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and online business owners. Whether you’re a team of one or you’ve got a little help, this content plan is designed to make your life easier.

https://youtu.be/7prKD1kC18g

1. Start with one long-form piece of anchor content.

Start with one long-form piece of anchor content. That could be a blog post (I’m a blog writer, so naturally I recommend that), a podcast episode, or a YouTube video. It’s your foundational content—and the best part? It’s something you can easily outsource.

It could even be an Instagram Live if that’s more your style. The point is to create one solid piece of anchor content. Everything else you do to market your business this summer will stem from that. Anything beyond it? That’s a bonus. Think of it as the cherry on top—great if you have time, but not essential.

So that’s step one. And here’s the thing: you’ve got to give it some real effort. Don’t phone it in. As a podcast host myself, I know there are weeks when you’re just pushing to get something out—and sometimes, you feel like you’re half-assing it. No judgment—I’ve been there. But if this is going to be your only piece of marketing, do your best to make it count.

2. Take that core piece of content and using AI to stretch it as far as possible.

Remember when we had to do all of this manually—or pay someone else to? I don’t miss those days. Now, I use AI to repurpose my long-form content into multiple formats.

Here’s how:
Start by transcribing your audio or video content. I love using Rev.com for this—their transcription quality is great, and their plan (around $40/month for roughly 1,200 minutes) is worth it. Not all auto-transcription tools are equal, and Rev’s accuracy really cuts down on editing time.

Once I have the transcript, I head over to ChatGPT. I ask it things like:

• “Can you give me three quote graphics for Instagram?”
• “Can you create a carousel from this?”
• “Can you write a Reel script with a hook?”

ChatGPT is surprisingly good at the nuance of different platforms. I might also ask:

• “Can you turn this into a few posts for Threads?”
• “Can you pull out the strongest one-liners for Threads or captions?”
• “Can you write one email draft promoting this content?”

That’s usually where I stop—but you can go even further. Ask it to:

• Write LinkedIn posts
• Suggest TikTok video ideas
• Create Pinterest titles or captions
• Generate five variations of pin graphics

AI makes this whole process scalable—even if you’re a team of one.

Let’s say you’ve created one blog post as your anchor content. From that, you could easily generate:

• Three quotes for Instagram (post them Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as graphics)
• A face-to-camera Reel promoting the content on Tuesday
• A B-roll-style Reel with a hook and caption on Thursday

And none of these posts have to say, “Read the full blog on my site.” They’re just valuable content that builds your presence—and suddenly you’re posting five times a week.

Of course, you don’t have to post five times a week. That’s just one example of what’s possible. One common piece of feedback I hear about this repurposing approach is that it can be hard to stay organized. It’s easy to fall out of habit, especially when you’re juggling a million other things as a business owner.

That’s where project management tools come in. I personally love ClickUp—it’s my business HQ. If you’re looking for something specifically for marketing, I highly recommend Enji. Enji even has a built-in content repurposing tool, which makes it a fantastic all-in-one solution.

3. Make Summer Marketing Easier By Doing These 3 Things

(Okay, I know—it’s technically three things in one step, but they’re simple. Hear me out.)

Add Structure

This might sound counterintuitive, but structure creates freedom.
For example, maybe you decide:

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are quote graphic days. Tuesday is your email day to promote your blog or podcast. On Instagram Stories, you do “Ask Me Anything” Mondays or “Friday Tips.” If you’re in the wedding industry, maybe it’s “Wedding Wednesday.”

These light frameworks give you a starting point—so you’re never staring at a blank screen. That blank screen is a creativity killer. A little structure = more ease and more consistency.

Reshare and Use Your Data

Your top-performing content from last year? It’s probably still gold.
I keep mine organized in Airtable—I use a great template from Colie James. But you could use Notion, Google Sheets, whatever works for you. The point is: track what you post, what works, and what’s still relevant. If you’re short on time or fresh ideas, look at last year’s content. Repost it, update it, or put a new spin on it. For example, this very video idea came from looking at my top-performing podcast episodes—then asking ChatGPT for a fresh way to reframe it.

Batch Smartly

My summer batching tip? Don’t do everything start to finish in one sitting.
Take it step by step:

• One day, script two pieces of content. Another day, record both. Then later, transcribe them and turn them into blog posts or other assets.

When I say I’m batching, I don’t mean taking one piece of content from start to finish and then doing that four times in a row. That’s actually not realistic for most of us. What works better is grouping similar tasks together. For example, plan all your content in one session, record it another day, and write your blog posts later.

Staying in flow and avoiding constant task-switching is a huge win. It’s more efficient and way less mentally draining.

And that’s basically how to make summer marketing easier. I know—it might sound too simple. But having a straightforward system that actually works, keeps you consistent, and helps you market your business (without burning out) is exactly what you need this time of year.

Quick recap of my go-to tools to make summer marketing easier

• ChatGPT – I use it all day, every day, to repurpose content, generate ideas, and streamline the process.
• Rev.com – For transcribing podcast episodes and videos with high-quality results.
• ClickUp + Enji – For task management and marketing workflows. Enji, in particular, has awesome repurposing features built in.
• Airtable – My content library.

Now, Airtable can feel overwhelming at first—especially when you’re starting with a big backlog of content and nothing organized. But once it’s set up, it’s a total game-changer. You’ll be so glad you did it a few months down the road. Trust me, you’re likely creating way more content than you realize, and having it all in one place makes reuse so much easier.

So, final recap:

1. Start with one solid anchor piece of content
2. Use AI and tools to repurpose it across platforms
3. Add structure and workflow systems that make implementation realistic

That’s it! I hope this helped simplify your summer marketing—and I’ll see you outside.