We Don't Even Have an Intern: Creative Systems for Staying Current Without Burning Out

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You don’t need an intern—or endless scrolling—to keep your government social media creative. What you need is a system. This session will walk you through a repeatable, realistic process to find inspiration, track trends, organize ideas, and turn them into content that works for your agency. 

Marie will explore how to set up lightweight systems that fit into your existing workload, so content creation doesn’t feel like another full-time job. You’ll learn how to use content pillars as a filter, so you can quickly decide if a trend or idea is worth your time. Along the way, you’ll see real examples of government teams adapting trends in ways that educate, inform, and engage their communities without chasing every viral moment. The goal is to build confidence in your creative process and give you tools to sustain it, not add pressure to produce or scroll nonstop. 

You’ll learn how to: 

• Spot fresh inspiration that sparks creative risks 

• Build your own “trend radar” (even if you’re not on TikTok all day) 

• Define content pillars so you know what’s worth posting 

• Organize content ideas without drowning in emails or tabs 

• Write out ideas in a simple social media plan that gets leadership buy-in and approval for posting 

• Write short-form video scripts your boss will actually understand 

• Pitch a trend or meme with confidence and structure 

You’ll leave with a content idea-tracking template, a plug-and-play post checklist, and a practical one-page social media plan you can use to turn your “Saved” folder into approved posts that engage your community—without burning out.