Content Strategy Performance

We manage LinkedIn for 20+ founders. Most hit 300K-800K views 4-5 times a month. Here's what actually makes posts perform: 1. Posts that opened with a clear opinion in the first 2 sentences and immediately proved it with evidence.  Long setup without a sharp opinion? Makes people scroll past. 2.  "This worked well" gets ignored. "This brought 65% of our pipeline last quarter" gets bookmarked. Founders don't save content for motivation. They save what they plan to steal later. 3. Posts that mentioned small teams, tight budgets, or early-stage chaos performed better than polished wins. Constraints make success feel replicable. Big outcomes without context just feel distant. 4. "Here's why this worked for us, given X, Y, Z" beat "Here's what you should do" by 2-3x. People trust honesty over authority. 5. Posts explaining internal process beat positioning statements every time. People are done with differentiation claims. They want to see how things actually work. 6.  Decent writing with a clean graphic beat great writing alone. It's not about design skill. It's about stopping the scroll. The algorithm isn't broken. Your positioning is. Stop writing for everyone. Start writing like only you could write it. That's when posts start performing. PS: What pattern have you noticed in your best-performing posts? #LinkedInGrowth #FounderContent #B2BMarketing #ContentStrategy #PersonalBranding

Analytics aren’t just numbers; they’re your roadmap to publishing growth. Data isn’t power, it’s potential. For publishers, the real value lies in transforming raw metrics into repeatable growth strategies that drive audience retention, revenue, and #SEO performance. Too often, publishers collect vast amounts of data but fail to extract meaningful takeaways. The key is understanding what content resonates, how audiences engage, and where opportunities for growth exist. Collecting data is easy; extracting insights is not. Without clarity, metrics like pageviews and bounce rates become distractions. For example, a 40% drop in returning visitors isn’t just a traffic issue—it’s a retention red flag. By using the right tools and refining strategies based on real data, you can turn numbers into growth. Here are actionable strategies to turn data into action: 1. Know Your Audience Beyond Pageviews Pageviews alone don’t tell the full story. Instead, track return visitors, time on page, and scroll depth to measure true engagement. Tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Parse.ly provide deeper insights. Cohort analysis can reveal trends, millennials may prefer video, while Gen X engages more with newsletters. For example, if mobile traffic spikes by 20% after 8 PM, push breaking news via mobile notifications to capture that audience in real-time. 2. Optimise Content Performance with Behavioural Data Understanding why some content performs well helps you replicate success. Use @Google Search Console and Semrush to analyse search visibility and Hotjar Digital Marketing Company to track user interactions. For example, if "AI in media" gets 3x more shares than "content trends," double down on AI-related content. Additionally, A/B test headlines (e.g., “5 Growth Hacks” vs. “Proven Tactics”) to see what improves click-through rates. 3. Track Conversions, Not Just Traffic Traffic alone doesn’t guarantee success—conversions do. Set up goals in GA4 to measure newsletter sign-ups, paid subscriptions, or product purchases. Identify which referral sources drive the highest conversion rates, and adjust your strategy accordingly. For example, premium subscribers from "how-to guides" tend to have a 15% higher lifetime value than general news readers, meaning content type matters when driving long-term revenue. To scale what works, automate reporting with Power BI Visualization or Looker Studio to save 10+ hours per month. Analytics only matter when they drive actions. The biggest mistake any publishers can make is to treat data as a report card instead of a playbook. Start by auditing one content category this week, setting up a conversion goal in GA4, and A/B testing a headline. Data doesn’t lie, but it won’t work unless you do something. What analytics tools are you using to grow your publishing efforts? Share your go-to platforms in the comment below. #DigitalPublishing #SEO #ContentStrategy #AudienceGrowth #DataAnalytics

Agencies: Stop measuring success by rankings alone. Here’s why your clients aren’t impressed... Clients aren’t buying into your efforts and it’s not because your rankings aren’t improving it's because those numbers don’t speak to what they care about. So, what’s most important to a SaaS client?  a. 10% increase in QoQ organic traffic b. Improving SERP position from 15th to 10th position c. Improving organic conversion rate from 1.7% to 3.5% ⬅️ spoiler alert ‼️ it’s this one. Organic traffic and rankings? Listen, we look at those leading indicators too, but we know that bottom line and pipeline growth determines the success of our efforts in our clients' eyes. Here are 3 content marketing tactics that drive bookings and pipeline growth: 📣 Tell a story that only they can tell B2B tech SaaS companies have proprietary data at their fingertips. This lends to their authority on the subject you’re writing content about. If you’re not weaving these authoritative signals into your storytelling, your content will fall flat and it won’t build trust or lead volume. Fresh statistics in your content will signal trust and authority to LLMs and search engines, but also to your target market. 🗓️ Develop a content strategy beyond just blog topics When your entire content strategy is comprised of articles recommended based on informational-intent queries as opposed to commercial-intent, functional content your traffic may grow but your lead funnel will dwindle. If this is the case, consider making article-style content 10% of your total strategy, while focusing the bulk of your production on functional content, multi-channel content assets and expanding foundational content. 🤝 Combining SEO + CRO efforts When our teams pair CRO with ongoing SEO strategy, we’re able to tell a more complete story about what’s driving handraisers and demo requests vs. what’s just driving traffic and impressions. Take this client’s performance as an example: After a cookie update, their organic traffic dropped considerably, but as part of our ✨ magically blended ✨ SEO + CRO efforts, we were able to capitalize on the opportunity and drive more QoQ conversions, despite an organic traffic decline. If our North Star Metric had been traffic, we would have been up a creek without a paddle - but since we were focusing on producing higher quality, more personalized (read: ICP-focused) content we still earned that renewal - and our client’s trust. TLDR: When your work delivers ROI and you can clearly report a strong efficiency ratio, clients won’t just renew—they’ll ask how much more they can spend. #DirectiveDrilldown is where we share the tactics and results we use for our customers to drive the best CSAT in the industry 

I’m fortunate to have regular conversations with CMOs, digital leaders, and content strategists across industries. When the topic is content, the discussion almost always circles back to generative AI, along with two critical questions: “What use cases will actually impact my business” and “What will the ROI look like?” Many teams are already running pilots, generating large quantities of content at speed and scale. Yet, focusing solely on creating more content, faster and cheaper, often fails to deliver positive business results—and in some cases, it has the opposite effect. The companies we’ve seen achieve the greatest ROI from generative AI are the ones that take a less-is-more approach, putting content performance at the center of their strategy. Here are a few use cases that stand out: 1. Optimize the Content You Already Have Many organizations have content with strong SEO but limited impact on downstream business outcomes. Generative AI excels at identifying underperforming assets and optimizing them to better resonate with audiences, driving measurable actions and results. 2. Version, Atomize, and Create Derivatives of High-Performing Content Once you’ve identified your best-performing content, AI can help extend its value by creating tailored versions for different segments, personas, regions, or channels without overburdening your creative teams. 3. Focus on Fewer, Higher-Impact Pieces Instead of chasing volume, shift focus to refining and amplifying the content that truly moves the needle. This not only aligns with business goals but also maximizes ROI on your content investments. Demand for content is expected to grow 5x in the coming years. By operationalizing AI with performance as the guiding principle, content teams can deliver better results, enhance efficiency, and free up time for high-value creative work.

If I were hired as a Head of Content at a B2B company with long sales cycles, here’s how I'd build a content program to drive demand in 2026: 1. Interview your 10 best customers and review at least 15 recent sales calls to uncover pain points, objections, and buyer language. 2. Use those insights to define content themes and break them into key topics that align with buyer needs and your brand’s POV. 3. Identify 3–5 subject matter experts with deep expertise, strong opinions, and a willingness to contribute regularly. 4. Run monthly 1-hour interviews with each SME. 5. Turn each recording into 1 long-form article, 4–6 short-form video clips, and 8–10 LinkedIn posts with great insights and a strong point of view. 6. Publish this content on the personal LinkedIn profiles of your SMEs (3-5 times per week). Connect their profiles to a scheduling tool like Buffer to streamline the process and publish approved posts directly. 7. Publish the article and video clips on the website, repurpose the interview recording for YouTube, and create a weekly newsletter with the best insights from the interviews. 8. After 3 months, start running LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads to amplify your SMEs' top-performing posts. 9. Repurpose the content for a LinkedIn employee advocacy program and turn your employees into a powerful organic marketing channel. 10. Track both quantitative metrics (engagement rate, dwell time, etc.) and qualitative signals (comments, booked calls, etc.) to analyze what resonates and scale what works. _____ 👉 Is your team stretched thin and are your SMEs too busy to write? At Leadwave, we've helped 50+ B2B companies create thought leadership articles, video clips, and LinkedIn posts from interviews with their experts. Book a free content strategy call with me here: https://lnkd.in/eSqakbR8

Typical pattern: prioritising content creation while treating distribution as an afterthought. This imbalance represents a fundamental misalignment of strategic resources. The scenario plays out with remarkable consistency: Marketing teams invest considerable resources crafting elaborate content pieces. Meticulously researched whitepapers, visually striking infographics, comprehensive guides. Yet allocate minimal thought or budget to ensuring these assets reach their intended audience. During interviews I posed a straightforward budget allocation question: "How would you invest £10K for maximum impact?" The responses were disappointing. Elaborate production plans consumed 80-90% of hypothetical budgets, while distribution received no consideration. It's a professional disconnect: • 𝗖-𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲: Focused on commercial metrics—pipeline contribution, conversion efficiency, revenue attribution • 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀: Optimising for production quality, volume, and creative excellence Both perspectives have merit, yet they operate in parallel rather than converge. The underlying dynamics: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 The concrete nature of content creation, which includes visible outputs and definable milestones, offers comfortable metrics for tracking progress. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 • Channel orchestration • Algorithm changes • Pipeline impact It isn't easy. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Content teams track subjective standards of 'quality' while commercial leadership prioritises audience reach and business outcomes. The distribution-first mindset represents a more sophisticated approach to content strategy. Strategic principles for you: • Begin with audience ecosystem mapping—where does your ideal prospect already engage? • Reverse-engineer content formats optimised for native platform performance • Integrate distribution partnerships during content conceptualisation, not post-production • Design within platform constraints (most social algorithms favour zero-click content) • Establish budget allocation principles that properly weight distribution channels A strategically positioned content piece that reaches 1,000 precisely targeted prospects consistently outperforms exceptional content with little reach. The nuanced truth is that most content marketing initiatives don't underperform due to quality deficiencies, but rather because of no distribution. ----- p.s. Want to know why your marketing isn't working? Get my free 6-part email diagnostic series (link in profile Oren Greenberg)

Do you know your Content isn't the problem, your Strategy is. Most Brands are not struggling because their content is bad. They’re struggling because they’re playing darts in the dark with no strategy. I’ve seen it happen over and over again: Beautiful designs. Well-written captions. Consistent posting… and still, no results. Here’s why 👇 🔹 1. Consistency ≠ Strategy Posting 5 times a week means nothing if you don’t know who you’re talking to, why they should care, and what you want them to do next. A strategy gives direction and without it, you’re just filling space. 🔹 2. You’re Measuring the Wrong Thing Likes are nice, but they don’t pay the bills. Instead of chasing vanity metrics, track actions that align with your goals i.e. clicks, sign-ups, saves, replies. 🔹 3. Content Without Context Dies Fast A great reel about your product is useless if your audience sees it at the wrong time or on the wrong platform. Strategy ensures your message reaches people when and where they’re ready to act. 🔹 4. My Case Study Proof One of my clients was posting daily and getting 200–300 views. We cut posting down to 3 times a week, aligned every post with audience pain points, optimized timing, and added a narrative hook. In 30 days: reach tripled, engagement doubled, and inbound DMs went from 0 to 15 a week. 🔹 5. Engagement Isn’t Luck, It’s Intentional We planned comment prompts, engaged before posting, and built mini conversations in DMs. The result? More community, less broadcasting. 📌 The Truth: Your content isn’t broken. Your plan to deliver it, amplify it, and convert it is. What’s one change you made in your content strategy that changed your results? #linkedIn #creators

This content strategy has generated 10M+ impressions, and it added $300K to a client’s Q4 pipeline. Here's the 7-Step Framework: 1 - Target the Right Audiences Build two key audiences: --> Your ICP Audience > CTOs, Product Managers > Decision-makers in your target industries --> Creator Community > Other SaaS founders and tech leaders > Amplifies reach and builds credibility 2 - Build Trust First Your buyers need to trust you before they buy. Show them: - Your technical expertise - Real results from customers - That you understand their problems 3- Content Distribution (40/35/25 Rule) Product Strategy (40%) > Product-market fit insights > User adoption strategies > Technical implementation > Performance optimization Go-To-Market (35%) > Positioning frameworks > Demo strategies > Customer education > Trust-building tactics Founder Journey (25%) > Your founding story > Lessons learned > Industry insights > Personal challenges 4 - High-Converting Formats --> Quick Content: > Daily tips > Code snippets > Quick wins --> Deep Content: > Technical tutorials > Case studies > Lead Magnets --> Interactive: > Live demos > Q&A sessions > Behind-the-scenes 5 - Lead Capture > Prospects show interest by: > Lead Magnets > Joining webinars > Requesting demos > Engaging with content > Asking questions 6 - Convert Interest to Revenue 4 conversion paths: ↳ Newsletter (weekly insights) ↳ Demo page (interactive walkthrough) ↳ Outbound calls (strategy sessions) ↳ Educational meetings (assessments) The difference: - Random content gets random results. - Systematic content builds a predictable pipeline. What's your biggest content challenge?

Measuring content performance...as a contractor. 😖 Here's my approach. Quantifying content impact has never been easy, but it's even more challenging when you're looking in from the outside. For ongoing clients, I request direct access to their analytics tools, especially: -Google Analytics -Google Search Console If it's a search-related client, I also set up a project in SEMrush (my instance, integrated with their GA instance). These tools allow me to get a feel for: -How well the content is performing in search -What keywords are driving traffic -How much traffic is hitting the content -Whether visitors are actually consuming it -Whether the content is contributing to desired outcomes (if the client has goals set up in GA) Sometimes, I use a tool like Databox to bring all of this live data into one dashboard. What about one-off projects or clients who can't share access? I can still pull search performance data from SEMrush, but traffic, engagement, and outcome data is tougher to come by. Some alternatives I've used: -Request summary reports of key performance indicators -Ask for qualitative testimonials -Look for publicly available signals, like social engagement with the content --- Contractors, how do you measure success when you don't have full visibility? In-house marketers, do you share performance data with your external team members? #contentmarketing #contentperformance #content

Content performance is part art, part science. If you see a page plateau, start by asking yourself these five questions: 1. Is the content actually good enough? Don't be naive here. Would this content actually motivate & build credibility with customers? Or adversely affect both? 2. Is it well optimized for both readers and search engines at the same time? It's a delicate balancing act. Too far in either direction and the problems should be obvious. 3. Do we need to cover a single topic in-depth, or have multiple pages working together? Don't guess or listen to faux-influencers. Benchmark what's already actually working across the SERPs you intend to rank. 4. Do we have topical authority on this subject already? Or, does it need to be improved ASAP so that a rising tide will lift all future boats. 5. Are we at least “competitive” with the brands already ranking for this query? Don't bring a knife to a gun fight. Big brands can out-compete other big brands head-on. Small brands cannot. A balanced scorecard approach like this will quickly help you uncover underlying weaknesses holding content performance back. And it’ll better focus your team’s limited bandwidth to turn underperforming content into SERP-topping ones. This real-world example will show you exactly how to answer each question. 👇