For the longest, content creators have been under substantial strain to create a never-ending flow of content. In many ways, this seems like – and can be – a good idea: your brand never runs out of new content to market, you can more effectively utilize other platforms such as email marketing and social media, and search engines value fresh content as well.

However, there are some concerns that brands should focus on creating less content. This may seem counter-intuitive to the information we’ve all heard over the years, but legitimate concerns do exist.

Let’s review these concerns so that you can decide whether or not creating less content is right for your exact situation.

Content Can Exhaust You

Let’s be honest: grinding out content – one post after another, day in and day out – can leave you feeling drained. There comes a point at which you just lose interest. It doesn’t matter how much you enjoy writing or how interesting the subject material is to you: when writing feels like a chore, it loses its appeal.

Content creators can find themselves running out of fresh ideas after some time, which probably is the best sign that too much content is being created (or at minimum, that the frequency of content creation isn’t sustainable). Content can also suffer in quality if you’re not feeling motivated when creating it, so it’s better to settle on taking a break than it is to be pinging noise at your audience.

Content Can Backfire When It’s Irrelevant

For many, rather than taking a step back and breathing for a bit upon feeling exhausted, they decide to branch out into new topics. The same often occurs when writers feel like they’ve used every conceivable idea for the primary subject their blog, brand or business is covering. This hardly ever works well in the end.

As you’re building content, you’re sending signals to search engines that your website covers a specific set of topics. While some websites – particularly those that cover news or current events – can cover a variety of topics without penalty, they are also producing content consistently for these subjects and most have covered these topics from the beginning.

When your brand suddenly shifts from creating content for one niche and begins covering another, it not only can throw off search engines, but your audience probably won’t appreciate it either. After all, they have been reading your content in search for specific angles, coverage or information relating to the original topic in question.

Content Needs Upkeep

Last but not least, it’s important to remember that most content requires periodic maintenance in order to remain relevant, viable and persuasive. Search engines and audiences alike won’t stick around to read outdated content: if you publish more content than you feel comfortable maintaining, then the long-term value of that decision is questionable. To avoid pinging noise at people in the form of outdated content, only create a level of content you know you can revise on a periodic basis.

Content remains king, but too much of it can be a bad thing in some situations. Consider the above advice as a warning of what may befall your brand if you bite off more than you can chew. It’s far better to write a manageable level of content consistently, and avoid unsustainable behaviors.