This post (along with other posts and pages on this site) may include affiliate links. If you make a purchase from an affiliate link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Have you ever been tempted by one of those ads for a premade content bundle? The ones that have messages like:

• “Don't spend your vacation behind the keyboard! Buy these bundles and save time!”
• “Just add your own branding, and you can have 60 blog posts ready in just a few hours!”
• “Creating your own course from scratch can take forever! Buy a course, add some flair, and you're ready to go!”

There are bundles for almost everything including full courses, blogs, images, and more. 

If you’re a busy entrepreneur, this probably sounds like a dream come true! A pre-written course for $100? 60 pre-written blogs for less than the price of a good pizza? 

Where do I sign up? 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but buying one of these is actually not a great idea. 

Why? 

First of all, they’re selling these same bundles to people other than you! Maybe they’re limiting it to 20 people. Or maybe 50. Or even 100. But if all those people do what you’re going to do – just make minor tweaks and put the content out there, then you’re going to be sharing the same content that 50 other people are. 

Well, there are two audiences who won’t like it if you’re using recycled content: 

The first is search engines – you know, one of the biggest sources of traffic over time to your website? The best way to get free customers? Search engines punish duplicate content by moving it down in the results pages. If it happens enough, you can stop showing up completely. 

And the second audience – well, the second is your customers. If a target customer reads an article on your site and then reads a super-similar article on a competitor’s site, it’s going to raise eyebrows. If it happens twice, then they’re definitely going to take notice. (Think your customers aren’t reading blogs or taking courses from your competitors? Think again. If they’re really into something, they’re probably following multiple people on the subject. I’ve been doing marketing for 15 years, and I still follow the big expert sites as well as other people like me. )

If you’re lucky, your readers will think your competitors are stealing your content. They may even send you the links to point it out. Of course, then you’ll need to come up with a response. Yikes. 

If you’re unlucky, your readers may think you’re ripping off someone else’s content. Maybe they’ll point that out to your competitor while no longer following you (or buying from you). 

And if they paid for that content – like in the case of a course. I honestly don’t even want to think of the damage control you’d have to do there. 

But don’t worry, this post isn’t all doom and gloom. 

You do have choices that aren’t just pounding the keyboard for hours on end. 

What to do instead of buying pre-made content bundles

Option 1: Batch content. 

I’ve talked about batching content before. When you batch create content, you save time because you’re not switching between multiple different activities. You brainstorm. You outline. You create. All on related topics, so your brain keeps chugging along at peak productivity. 

Once you get used to doing this, you can make a month’s worth of content in a matter of focused hours. 

Option 2: Hire someone to create content specifically for you.

If you’ve got more money to invest than time, you can also hire someone to create the content for you. There are writers all over – from freelance marketplace sites like Fiverr to entrepreneur facebook groups. You may pay a bit more for your content, but you should also be able to ensure that it’s unique content just for you. The pricing on this may range from $15 a post to hundreds, depending on the experience of the person writing and the length of the post. 

Option 3: Change your content model or creation process.

Yep, this is a choice too. Even if you’ve been blogging for a decade, you can still change your mind. You may decide that it’s easier to talk than it is to write. You can use that to create a podcast or to simply record your content and then have it transcribed and edited into a post. Maybe you want to dip your toe into video creation. If your current content model has you stagnant, change it up!

Get the 1-Page Marketing Plan & Weekly Marketing Tips!

Grab the printable version of the Minimum Viable Marketing Plan 1-Page Marketing Plan my clients use to ensure they're focused on what matters most. PLUS, get access to the full Minimum Viable Marketing resource library and the weekly newsletter with expert insights, including trends in marketing, business and productivity today.

PS. I hate SPAM even more than you do. (Not even the bacon SPAM is tempting.) Your email address will never be sold or shared with a third party.