Content Creation Techniques

I've helped over 100 brands fix their content creation. And most of them face the SAME problem: They focus on the top layers of content before building the foundations. - They obsess over design, hooks, and storytelling... - but skip the structure that makes content work long-term. It’s like decorating a tasteless cake. The audience might try, but will not get back to the content. And that core problem splits into 4 sub-problems: - Sub-Problem (1): They spend hours tweaking visuals instead of clarifying their ICP. - Sub-Problem (2): They post daily but don’t follow consistent content pillars. - Sub-Problem (3): They copy formats and ideas from others but don’t have a content plan. - Sub-Problem (4): They start from scratch every day, without a repurposing strategy. They’re trying to “fix” aesthetics while the real problem is deeper; their content creation lacks structure. If you want to build a real content creation system, work on these 7 steps: 1. Define Your ICP: Know exactly who you’re talking to. 2. Messaging: Clarify what you solve and why you’re different. 3. Content Pillars: Focus on 3-5 topics that show your expertise. 4. Content Plan: Organize ideas and cadence for consistency. 5. Repurposing: Plan to turn one idea into many formats. 6. Copywriting: Write clearly about a specific topic. 7. Design: Make visuals support the message. 8. Bonus step: create your signature formats. Which step do you find the most difficult? Follow me, Pierre Herubel, for daily marketing tips.

I haven’t run out of content ideas in 4 months.  Let’s break it down together: When people say “I don’t know what to post,”  I get it. I’ve been there too. The stress of being valuable ‘all the time’ is real. These are 5 things that have helped me even on my ‘off’ days: 1. Document pain points in your audience language. I copy exact phrases from DMs and comments. If they said it, it’ll resonate. 2. Capture ideas in real-time. Notion/docs, voice notes, screenshots. If I wait, I know I will forget. 3. Pull inspiration from outside. The best angles often come from Twitter, TikTok, & YouTube. Step out of the LinkedIn bubble. 4. Keep a living content bank + hook bank. Organize them and repurpose them when you need to. No copy-paste please. 5. Consume content like a strategist. I’m not a passive reader. I ask: “Why did this post perform?” and “How can I build on this?” Still think you “don’t have content”?  Nah. You just don’t have a system yet. Build the system, and the ideas will follow. That’s how you stay consistent on this app. PS: Which one of these do you already use? What's missing? Tell us 🧡

Want your words to actually sell? Here’s a simple roadmap I've found incredibly helpful: Think of crafting your message like taking someone on a mini-journey: 1. Hook them with curiosity: Your headline is the first "hello."  Make it intriguing enough to stop the scroll.  Instead of just saying "Email Marketing Tips," try something like "Want a 20% revenue jump in the next 60 days? (Here's the email secret)."  See the difference? Promise + Specificity = Attention. 2. Tell a story with a villain: This might sound dramatic, but hear me out.  What's the problem your audience is facing?  What's the frustration, the obstacle, the "enemy" they're battling?  For the email example, maybe it's "wasting hours on emails that no one opens."  Giving that problem a name creates an instant connection and a sense of purpose for your solution. 3. Handle the "yeah, but..." in their head: We all have those internal objections.  "I don't have time," "It costs too much," "Will it even work for me?"  Great copy anticipates these doubts and addresses them head-on within the message. 4. Show, don't just tell (Proof!): People are naturally skeptical.  Instead of just saying "it works," show them.  Even a simple "Join thousands of others who've seen real results" adds weight. Testimonials, even short ones, are gold. 5. Make it crystal clear what you want them to do (CTA):   Don't leave them guessing!  "Learn the exact steps in my latest guide" or "Grab your free checklist now" are direct and tell them exactly what to do and what they'll get.  Notice the benefit in the CTA example: "Get sculpted abs in just 4 weeks without dieting." And when you're thinking about where you're sharing this (LinkedIn post, email, etc.), there are different ways to structure your message. The P-A-S (Problem-Agitate-Solution) or A-I-D-A (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action) frameworks are classics for a reason. The core difference I've learned? Good copywriting isn't about shouting about your amazing product. It's about understanding them – their challenges, their desires – and positioning your solution as the answer in a way that feels like a conversation, not a sales pitch.

Your Head of Communications reports to Marketing. Marketing reports to the CMO. The CMO needs CEO approval for employee announcements? You built a telephone game. Example: A company needed to announce a policy change. The journey: - Comms writes the message. - Marketing reviews for "brand alignment." - Legal checks for compliance. - HR adds edits. - Executive team debates tone. - CEO makes final approval. Timeline: 3 weeks. By the time it reached employees, half had heard rumors. It was what the delay revealed: Nobody trusts the person they hired to communicate. Companies spend six figures hiring communications experts. Then treat them like junior copywriters. Multiple stakeholders dilute the message. Legal reviews strip out personality. Executive wordsmithing removes humanity. The result? Messages written by committee. Employees tune out corporate-speak. They create their own information networks. Meanwhile, the communications leader gets blamed for poor engagement. Here's what works: Hire someone with judgment. Give them decision-making authority. Let them communicate directly. Review results, not process. The companies with strongest internal communication treat comms as strategic, not service. Their communicators have: CEO access. Real-time information. Authority to act quickly. Messages arrive when relevant. Tone feels authentic. Employees trust what they hear. You can't build trust through approval chains. Let your communicators communicate.

Web3 B2B founder. 30,000 followers on LinkedIn. Yet not a single meaningful lead. Real customers, strong product, good initial traction. But on LinkedIn? Stuck. His posts got views. Just never from the people who actually matter. Partners scrolled past. Investors skimmed. Decision-makers ignored him completely. During our first call, he said something most founders feel but never admit: "Aram, I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do. But nothing is happening." So we tore everything down and rebuilt from scratch. Not with hacks. Not with louder posting. Not with recycled crypto commentary. We focused on three things: 1. Positioning him as the obvious expert in his space 2. Writing content that speaks directly to buyers, not spectators 3. Turning his personal brand into a credibility engine buyers trust The entire perception around him shifted. He wasn't "a founder who posts." He became the founder people listen to. The founder whose posts get screenshotted, shared in group chats, discussed inside companies. 90 days later: Warm inbound from real B2B buyers. Consistent calls with the right partners. A healthy pipeline of $195k in inbound business directly from his content. No extra posting. No extra noise. Just clarity and the right strategy. A real LinkedIn presence in Web3 doesn't make you louder. It makes you impossible to ignore. P.S. Is your LinkedIn actually creating opportunities for you, or just impressions?

I analyzed 20+ B2B founders who scaled to $5M+ ARR much faster than others. The pattern is clear: 1. Consistent content creation • Consistent LinkedIn posts • 1-2 long-form articles monthly Some also have weekly newsletter to nurture leads 2. Niche authority positioning • Narrow focus on specific industry problems • Showcase unique methodologies and frameworks • Regular speaking engagements at industry events 3. High-value lead magnets • In-depth whitepapers and case studies • Free tools or calculators (by SaaS founders) • Exclusive webinars with actionable insights 4. Strategic partnerships • Co-created content with complementary brands • Joint webinars and events • Referral programs with aligned businesses 5. Thought leadership amplification • Guesting on industry podcasts • Contributing to top publications • Building a personal brand alongside company growth The result? • 70% lower CAC compared to paid acquisition • 3x higher close rates on inbound leads • Exponential growth through network effects Building authority isn't just cheaper—it's the rocket of visionary founders. #GrowthMindset #OrganicMarketing #ContentMarketing #AuthorityMarketing

My 3-step guide to create monthly LinkedIn content without burning out (might be worth saving:)) Tired of staring at a blank page trying to figure out what to write about (and how to write it)? Here’s how I overcome the dreaded blank page so I can consistently create authentic, high-quality content without investing 100s of hours per week or being “cringe”. 1. The Content Call This is how you can come up with content ideas that are authentic to you (capture your tone of voice and experiences) AND are relevant to your audience. • Schedule a call with another person (in my case it’s with my content strategist Max Radman) • Record the call (we use Riverside) • Talk (about your business, current challenges, events and priorities) • Transcribe the conversation and identify relevant topics from your discussion If you don’t have anyone to schedule a call with, treat it like a video journal. 2. Content Outlining This is where you: • organize the ideas you gathered • further infuse personality into the content • and set some guidelines    Think of this like building the frame of a puzzle before you fill it in. • Transfer each topic, any notes, and the associated transcript to separate Google docs or Notion • Brainstorm hook ideas that evoke 1 key emotion and that contain specific details from YOUR story (numbers, facts, dates) • Outline the key takeaways that you want the reader to remember from each post • Add details about the context of your post (how you felt at the time, where you were, who influenced you, etc.) 3. The writing process This is where most people get stuck. It’s a two step process that many people try to do in one: 1. Drafting, experimenting, creativity 2. Editing, trimming, refining It’s impossible to be creative and editorial simultaneously. First, you draft. Don’t worry about being perfect. Start writing and putting pieces of information together in different ways. Experiment. You’ll start to see how the post comes together as you fill in gaps in the text. Once you’ve got a draft that: • has a hook, body, and CTA • evokes 1 strong emotion • has a linear story • focuses on 1 topic then you can go back and polish it. Add a picture or video of yourself to complement the text, and you’re ready to publish. Like every new skill, your first few tries will take time (it was the same for me). I promise, with practice, and by following these steps, you’ll be spitting out banger LinkedIn posts before you know it! In this week’s issue of The Content Founder, I walk you through our notus ’ content creation process from ideation to posting in a live video tutorial. It went out at 8:00 today. So, if you didn’t see a 💆🏽 in your inbox this morning… …then go subscribe here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d6uxQe_3 The next issue goes out in 2 weeks. #contentfounder #personalbranding #content

I generated 25+ campaign ideas for my client without using AI. Here’s my 6-step creative ideation process: ➡️ Step 1: Understand the End Goal Before anything else, you should understand the overarching marketing and business objectives. Ask yourself the following: Who do I want to reach? Why? What impact do I want to have? What would success look like? ➡️Step 2: Discovery & Research To think strategically down the line, use this step to gather info: 📊 Internal content audit → Examine what’s been done so far and look in depth at what has and hasn’t worked (and why) 🔍 Competitor analysis → Dive into your competitors campaigns, their effectiveness, and how people are reacting to them ➡️ Step 3: Empathise Get to the root of your target audience’s needs so that you can address their pain points. This means you can show how your product/ service solves a problem they’re facing. (Ex - A personal branding agency recognising that their ideal client struggles with lead gen. They use social proof to demonstrate how they’ve successfully created content that positions their current clients as industry leaders). ➡️ Step 4: Inspire Creativity Through Brainstorming Creative thinking is all about experimentation, imagination and curiosity. Let your mind run free here and allow yourself to spontaneously brainstorm. Quantity > quality is best at this stage. Some examples of brainstorming techniques: 💭 Create a mindmap, drawing branches from each idea 💭 Reframe and reword your target audience’s problem, looking at it from different angles 💭 Think outside the box i.e. ask ‘how would a child solve this problem?’ 💭 Test the waters of constraints and aim to brainstorm 10 rough ideas in 10 mins ➡️ Step 5: Relax & Unwind Giving yourself breathing space after so much thinking. It can stimulate subconscious ideas. ⛅️ Walking 💭 Meditating 🚿 Taking a shower 🎶 Listening to music It’s often in these moments that we connect unexpected dots and ‘lightbulb moments’ are triggered. ➡️Step 6: Unlock Your Creativity It’s solution time! Having completed steps 1-5, you’re now ready to generate innovative ideas to test. Evaluate and select the ideas you think will have the greatest impact. At this step, you want to whittle the best ideas down so it’s quality > quantity Quick idea generation checklist ✔️ 1. Understand what you want to achieve and why 2. Research internal content & your competition 3. Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal target audience 4. Get inspired through brainstorming techniques 5. Schedule downtime and give your mind a rest 6. Generate, evaluate and select ideas P.s. don’t just take my word for it that all of this planning & prep is worth it. Take Einstein’s advice: “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” What helps your creativity when it comes to ideation? 💡

Writing is at the heart of digital marketing, yet so many marketers overlook why certain content works. Effective writing isn’t about clever phrasing—it’s about shaping behavior, inspiring action, and guiding people through a logical journey. Audience-first approach: Don’t write for search engines—write for the human being. Understand their pain points, goals, and motivations. Structure matters: Organize content so it’s easy to scan, with headings, bullets, and clear takeaways. Storytelling: Facts inform, stories resonate. Show a scenario your audience can relate to—this is what makes content memorable. Clarity over cleverness: Being witty is great, but clarity wins every time. Make sure the reader can understand your message immediately. Iterate and test: Headlines, calls to action, and messaging should be tested. Small tweaks can have a huge impact on engagement and conversion. Writing skills aren’t limited to blog posts—they apply to social media, emails, ads, and even presentations. Strong writing is a strategic advantage. When you focus on the audience’s needs and use language that connects, you can turn ordinary content into a conversion machine. Always test your messaging, iterate, and refine—your best insights come from observing real responses.

Are you addicted to likes? Are you endless scrolling through your LinkedIn feed? Do you feel your stomach in knots the first 30 minutes after you press post? Do you question yourself: will this post spark a conversation, be ignored or will this land me in LinkedIn jail? Balancing the Scale: Social Media’s Allure and the Quest for Authentic Engagement Being active on social media can be a double-edged sword. The addiction to ‘likes’ and the stress of constant content creation present can be challenging. I’ve been there. Here’s what I’ve done to get past this. 1. Recognize the ‘Like’ Addiction: We often equate the success of our content with likes and shares, but this can distort our authentic voice. Remember, true value lies in genuine engagement, not just in numbers. 2. Schedule and Limit Engagement: Allocate specific times for social media interaction to avoid being consumed by it. This helps in maintaining focus on our real-world tasks and responsibilities. 3. Curate Your Feed: Follow and engage with individuals and groups that inspire and add value. A cluttered feed can lead to information overload and stress. 4. Embrace the Long Game on LinkedIn: Building meaningful connections and sharing insightful content consistently are more beneficial in the long term than chasing instant gratification. 5. Set Realistic Social Media Goals: Define what you aim to achieve through your presence on platforms like LinkedIn. Measure success not just by immediate engagement, but by the quality of connections and conversations you inspire. 6. Take Regular Breaks: Stepping away from social media is vital for mental health. Regular breaks can refresh your perspective and enhance creativity. I take a day off a week. 7. Stay True to Your Story: In the world of content creation, authenticity is key. Share stories and insights that are genuinely yours, resonating more with your audience and feeling less burdensome to create. Navigating social media’s highs and lows is part of our professional journey. How do you manage the balance between seeking engagement and maintaining authenticity? Share your strategies and experiences. P.S. Have you ever taken a step back to reassess your social media strategy? What insights did you gain? #whatsyourstory #storytelling #socialmediastrategy #wellbeing #mentalhealth