How I Actually Create Content Every Week as a Solo Creator
A behind-the-scenes look at my step-by-step system for YouTube, Substack, and social media.
Most people assume you need a team to create consistent content across YouTube, Substack, LinkedIn, and social media. I don’t. I run all of it myself.
I’m a part-time YouTuber and full-time business owner, and in this article I’ll walk you through the exact system I use to create a weekly YouTube video and Substack post, while repurposing it across platforms.
This is my realistic workflow: flexible, ADHD-friendly, and powered by smart tools like Notion, CapCut, Canva, Whisper, OBS, Zoom, and ChatGPT.
1. Content Ideas & Planning in Notion
I start with my five content pillars:
🎥 Content & Video
🌟 Personal Branding
⚙️ Marketing Systems & AI
🗂 Digital Organization
📒 Notion
I keep ideas in a Notion database (check out my templates) with statuses (idea → filming → editing → published). Sometimes I brainstorm directly in Notion, but if I’m stuck, I’ll ask ChatGPT to generate ideas.
I don’t plan months ahead — usually just 1–2 weeks out. That’s realistic for me and gives me room to pivot if I change my mind or if trends shift.
2. Filming Setup & Process
Mondays are filming days. I film so the video is ready to publish by Tuesday morning.
For talking-head videos: I use my DSLR camera.
For tutorials (like Notion walkthroughs): I use OBS Studio, which records my screen and lets me place myself in the corner picture-in-picture style.
For podcast interviews: I use Zoom, which makes it easy to capture video + audio.
For audio: I sometimes use my Microphone with a mixer (the same one I use for my podcast), or just the built-in mic if I need to be quick.
I don’t script. Instead, I outline with ChatGPT and film in one take. Mistakes don’t matter — I just cut them later in editing.
3. Editing & AI Support
This is where my workflow really speeds up.
I edit in CapCut Pro on Desktop— fast, simple, works for both YouTube videos and Shorts.
I export the audio track → drop it into Whisper Transcription, which generates a transcript.
I feed that transcript into ChatGPT to generate:
SEO-friendly titles
A YouTube description
Timestamps & tags
A Substack draft
Thumbnail text ideas
This step used to take me hours, but now it’s streamlined. AI handles the admin, I just polish.
4. Thumbnails & Branding in Canva
Once I have thumbnail ideas from ChatGPT, I create them in Canva Pro.
Here’s my process:
Take a quick selfie on my phone (usually in Instagram Stories).
Airdrop it to my laptop.
Drop it into Canva, add bold text, and apply my color-coded backdrop system:
🟩 Green = Digital organization
🩷 Pink = AI & systems
🔵 Blue = Content & video
🟧 Orange = Personal branding
🟪 Purple = Notion
This small branding system makes my content instantly recognizable.
5. Publishing & Repurposing
YouTube video → scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 AM.
Substack → polished from ChatGPT’s draft, embedded with the video, and published the same day.
Repurposing → I cut Clips in CapCut for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikToks, and LinkedIn posts.
One video powers multiple platforms.
6. Tracking & Iteration
Every finished video and thumbnail goes into Notion. I log:
Title + date
Which pillar it belongs to
Metrics (views, engagement, CTR, etc.)
Over time, I see patterns:
Google Photos tutorials = high-performing.
Substack content = strong engagement.
Notion systems = great long-tail SEO.
This data tells me where to double down.
Why This Works for Me
I’m not a full-time YouTuber. My priorities are client work, consulting, and creating systems.
But by batching everything into one filming/editing day (Monday) and leaning on AI + automation tools, I can publish consistently without burning out.
This isn’t about perfection — it’s about a realistic, repeatable system.
📌 Tools I Use
Here’s the full list of tools I mentioned:
📒 Notion – Plan content + track results
🎥 CapCut Pro – Edit videos fast
🎨 Canva Pro – Design thumbnails
🤖 ChatGPT Pro– AI for titles, timestamps, drafts
🔊 Whisper Transcription (macOS app) – Get transcripts
🖥 OBS Studio – Record tutorials + screen
💻 Zoom – Podcast interviews
📷 DSLR Camera – [Filming talking-head videos]
🎙 Mic + Mixer – [Better audio for podcast + YouTube]
✨ If you’re a part-time creator or solo entrepreneur, know that you don’t need a team to stay consistent. You just need a system that’s realistic, flexible, and tech that does the heavy lifting.
👉 What tool from this list would you like me to dive deeper into next? Reply to this email or comment below — I’d love to know.
If you need help with content, marketing, Notion or video, check out my Untangle Clarity Session