How to Create Compelling Marketing Content

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.

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.

You’ve spent hours crafting the perfect campaign. The design is flawless, the message is clear, and everything feels on point. But the results? Meh. The numbers barely budge. Every marketer’s fear is creating something that gets noticed but doesn’t connect. Because attention alone isn’t enough—it’s emotional resonance that drives action and builds loyalty. 🌱 Here’s how to create content that resonates: → Understand your audience’s why Go beyond demographics—tap into psychographics by learning what drives your customers. What problems keep them awake at night? What aspirations push them forward? → Focus on stories, not facts People are wired to connect with stories. Stories humanize your brand and turn abstract concepts into relatable experiences. Rather than listing product features, share a story of how your product solved a customer’s real problem or made a difference in their life. → Speak their language Choose language that aligns with your audience’s emotions and experiences. Whether it’s light-hearted humor or a sense of hope, using intentional language helps your content resonate with readers on a deeper level. → Be authentic in sharing your journey, objections, and goals Your audience can sense what’s real. Share your challenges, goals, and even vulnerabilities to build trust and reliability. → Invite meaningful dialogue and understand what defines their ideas Encourage your audience to interact with your content—ask questions, invite opinions, or run interactive campaigns. When people feel involved, they develop a sense of connection with your brand, making your message more impactful. It’s not about grabbing attention—it’s about making it matter.

What’s the #1 mistake people make when creating content? They forget its purpose. Every piece of content needs a goal. Are you aiming to go viral? Build trust? Get appointments? Without a clear purpose, your content is just noise. Here’s how to fix that: 1. Start with the feeling How do you want your audience to feel when they read your post? - Inspired? - Educated? - Confident you’re the expert who can solve their problems? This emotional connection drives engagement. 2. Solve specific problems Let’s be real: People don’t care about fluff. They care about solutions. If you want to generate leads, focus on solving real problems your audience faces. - What keeps them up at night? - What’s costing them time, money, or resources? For example, I once wrote a post about avoiding common mistakes in cold outreach. The result? People DM’d me saying, “This is exactly what I needed!” 3. Be unapologetically YOU Stop trying to sound like someone else. Authenticity wins every time. Your voice, your style, your perspective—that’s what stands out. 4. Hook them immediately Your opening line can make or break your post. Write 5-10 hooks and pick the one that hits hardest. Here’s one: “Ignoring this one thing in your content strategy could cost you 20% of your leads.” 5. Show them the stakes Every problem has consequences. Make your audience feel them. - If you’re not fixing this issue, you’re likely losing X% of revenue. - Want to avoid wasting 20 hours a week on ineffective strategies? Start here. 6. Share your stories Talk about your challenges, your wins, your clients’ transformations. Case studies and real-life examples build trust and credibility. – – – – – When I create content, I stick to this structure: 1. Hook: Grab attention. 2. Problem: What’s the pain point? 3. Solution: How can they fix it? 4. Impact: What changes when they do? 5. CTA: What action should they take next? For example, if your goal is lead generation, write posts about cold email strategies, LinkedIn outreach tips, or common misconceptions. Solve these problems, and people will see you as the go-to expert. What’s your biggest challenge when creating content? Drop it in the comments, I’d love to help! #ContentStrategy #LeadGeneration #Authenticity

B2B tech companies are addicted to getting you to subscribe to their corporate echo chamber newsletter graveyard, where they dump their latest self-love notes. It's a cesspool of "Look at us!" and "We're pleased to announce..." drivel that suffocates originality and murders interest. Each link, each event recap and each funding announcement is another shovel of dirt on the grave of what could have been engaging content. UNSUBSCRIBE What if, instead of serving up the same old reheated corporate leftovers, your content could slap your audience awake? Ego-stroking company updates are out. 1. The pain point deep dive: Start by mining the deepest anxieties, challenges and questions your audience faces. Use forums, social media, customer feedback and even direct interviews to uncover the raw nerve you're going to press. 2. The unconventional wisdom: Challenge the status quo of your industry. If everyone's zigging, you zag. This could mean debunking widely held beliefs, proposing counterintuitive strategies or sharing insights that only insiders know but don't talk about. Be the mythbuster of your domain. 3. The narrative hook: Every piece of content should tell a story, and every story needs a hook that grabs from the first sentence. Use vivid imagery, compelling questions or startling statements to make it impossible to scroll past. Your opening should be a rabbit hole inviting Alice to jump in. 4. The value payload: This is the core of your content. Each piece should deliver actionable insights, deep dives or transformative information. Give your audience something so valuable that they can't help but use, save and share it. Think tutorials, step-by-step guides or even entertaining content that delivers laughs or awe alongside insight. 5. The personal touch: Inject your personality or brand's voice into every piece. Share personal anecdotes, failures and successes. 6. The engagement spark: End with a call to action that encourages interaction. Ask a provocative question, encourage them to share their own stories or challenge them to apply what they've learned and share the results. Engagement breeds community, and community amplifies your reach. 7. The multi-platform siege: Repurpose your anchor content across platforms. Turn blog posts into podcast episodes, summaries into tweets or LinkedIn posts and key insights into Instagram stories. Each piece of content should work as a squad, covering different fronts but pushing the same message. Without impressive anchor content, you won't have anything worth a lick in your newsletter. 8. The audience dialogue: Engage directly with your audience's feedback. Respond to comments, ask for their input on future topics and even involve them in content creation through surveys or co-creation opportunities. Make your content worth spreading, and watch as your audience does the heavy lifting for you. And please stop with the corporate navel-gazing. #newsletters #b2btech #ThatAshleyAmber

The iceberg effect of content marketing Most people only notice what sits on the surface. The polished blog. The catchy LinkedIn post. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The real work, and the real leverage, happens underneath. Here is what usually goes unseen: 1. Customer insight The best content starts with listening. When you know what your audience needs, fears, and believes, you can create something that feels personal and relevant. 2. Strategic positioning Every piece of content should connect back to your bigger story. It is not only about teaching. It is about showing people how to think about the problem and why your solution matters. 3. Intentional distribution Content that never gets seen cannot make an impact. Smart teams plan channels, timing, and promotion before they publish. 4. Scalable repurposing A strong idea should work more than once. One blog can become a video, a podcast clip, a thread, or a slide deck. 5. Relentless iteration Content is not a one-time project. It is a cycle of testing, tracking, and improving based on what actually resonates. The posts you publish are the output. The real engine is everything that happens behind the scenes. If you want content that drives growth, start by building the part no one sees.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 ≠ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Everyone understands product vendors produce content with the ultimate goal of selling their product. But not all marketers know how to create interesting, engaging content their buyers enjoy reading. Most B2B content marketing feels so sales-y, you feel like showering after consuming it. Articles listing 10 ways to solve a problem can be helpful. But if the first item on the list pitches your product, you’re doing it wrong. Another common mistake is inviting people to a thought-leadership webinar, which ends up being a 45-minutes sales pitch. Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing content, which provides value to your prospects and has little to do with your product. Our very first piece of content at Gong demonstrated this well: We analyzed 25,000 customer calls and surfaced 5 secrets of the perfect sales pitch. We shared what the data told us about sales calls: how long a salesperson should talk, how many questions they should ask, and when to bring up pricing. The piece provided tremendous value to salespeople without overtly promoting our product. At its best, content marketing uses proprietary data or analysis exclusive to your company — anything like website traffic figures or an analysis of many sales calls. Offer exclusive content your audience can’t get elsewhere. It’s OK to include a link to your company’s website or a passing mention of your product if the context begs for it, but no more. Great content marketers resist temptation and don’t go on rants listing off product features and case studies. What's your favorite piece of content marketing?

How to make content your company’s most powerful competitive moat: 1/ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗢𝗩 Don’t start with tactics, keywords, or even strategy. Start with an idea or a story—something that you can uniquely own as a solution in the market. Think about new processes, contrarian ideas, or central insights that drive your business forward. They’re floating around in the CEO’s head or proven out in the data that only your company owns. But there’s likely a story you tell internally about how you’re doing things better or differently than competitors — or how you’re enabling your customers to do so. This central idea is what you’ll own in the market. Before customers know your brand or your business, they’ll know what you stand for and your unique opinion. 2/ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 Based on the Transformative POV, clearly articulate your Transformation Narrative. The simplest way to approach this is to define two states: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘆 - How people currently solve their problems or meet their needs. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗮𝘆 - The new solution that you’re offering or enabling. From there, we can unpack the full story of transformation. Why is the old way flawed? Why is the new way better? And what will come from adopting this new approach? We’re telling the story – literally. 3/ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁 & 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗮𝘁 Now we can start to think about content and tactics. Now we can look at keywords or queries or prompts. Once we know the story we want to tell and the full vision of our differentiated, breakthrough message, we can start to plan out how we’ll bring that message to market. Start simple but think big. 4/ 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱 & 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗮𝘁 Once we have a basic content plan, the Authority Moat is all about expansion. Growing the moat to carve out your market position. Building on the Transformation Narrative, you can create unique second-order assets that align with the unique POV. Data studies Benchmarks Processes Playbooks Assessments Roadmaps These are the practical pieces that help your audience apply your POV to their reality. Because everything is built on a cohesive narrative (rather than a fragmented set of tactics), each new asset creates compounding value & ROI along with the preceding pieces. – The most powerful content marketing strategies aren’t built on a pile of tactics, channels, or keywords. They’re built on an idea. A POV. A message that defines your brand’s narrative identity and differentiates your story from your competitors. We call this approach The Authority Moat Model. Learn more about how to apply this to your business: https://lnkd.in/gJkDeaF5

They say cold email is dead. It’s not, we book hundreds of meetings a month with these copywriting tips. 1. Subject lines Personalization “{{first name}}- discussion?” doesn’t work like it used to; it often feels fake. Keep subject lines short, conversational, and natural, like something you’d really write. All lowercase often performs best. Use the curiosity gap, give just enough to make them want to know what’s next. 2. Keep it short There’s no universal rule, but the data is clear: shorter emails get more replies. The hard part is saying more with fewer words. Every extra line you add is another chance to lose attention. 3. Formatting matters People skim. They read the first and last sentence of each paragraph. Keep paragraphs tight, sentences short, and cut long blocks of text. 4. The preview line This is the 50–90 characters people see next to your subject. It’s your best real estate; treat it like a headline. Hook them. 5. Avoid generic personalization No one cares if you mention their college mascot or favorite sports team. Instead, prove you understand their world by referencing real challenges in their industry. 6. Meet them where they are Talk about their real challenges and pain points, not your investment criteria. Don’t say you understand their industry. Prove it through how you write, the examples you use, and the way you frame their challenges. 7. Social proof that actually matters Skip vanity metrics like AUM or fund size. Show how you’ve helped operators just like them. Use quotes, testimonials, or examples. 8. Offer value before you ask for anything Instead of asking “Are you for sale?”, share something useful first, an industry report, a small acquisition nearby that’s too small for you, or a valuable introduction. Offer something before you ask for something in return. 9. Links and images Avoid links, logos, or attachments; they trigger spam filters. If you have something valuable, ask permission to send it to start a conversation: “Can I send over a short case study?” That said, there’s no hard rule in marketing. If a link is truly worth it, send it. Even if 30% of emails land in spam but 70% more people reply, it’s still a win. 10. Calls to action Don’t jump straight to “can we schedule a call?” That’s too big of a leap. Start the conversation instead: “Would you like me to send more info?” “Is this something you’re exploring?” At the end of the day, cold email still works if you treat it like a conversation, not a campaign. Test, iterate, stay human, and focus on adding value.

Ever wondered why you can't stop binging a TV show? It's all about the pacing and cliffhangers. This isn't just a TV writer's trick, it's a powerful marketing strategy. In this post, I break down how you can use these same techniques to drive customer engagement and keep your audience hooked. (Hi 👋 I’m Sarah. I’ve spent 12+ years shaping stories for executives, brands, and teams—spanning TV writers’ rooms to global marketing campaigns. I’m now seeking my next senior marketing/partnerships role. Along the way, I’ll be sharing lessons from my journey in both entertainment and marketing—insights on creativity, strategy, and leadership that I’ve carried across industries.) A TV writer’s secret weapon is pacing. We manage the flow of information, sprinkling in small reveals and building tension toward a major event. But the most powerful tool in our arsenal is the cliffhanger. Just before a commercial break or at the end of an episode, we drop a bombshell that makes it impossible to change the channel. In marketing, this is the art of driving engagement and fighting customer churn. A strong content strategy uses "cliffhangers" to keep your audience hooked. This could be a "to be continued" at the end of a blog series, a sneak peek of an upcoming product, or a multi-part email sequence. You provide just enough information to satisfy their current curiosity while leaving a crucial question unanswered, compelling them to come back for more. The past few years, I led the marketing for the college football video game, and our entire launch strategy was built on this very principle. We didn't reveal the whole game at once. Instead, we drip-fed bits and pieces of the game, the schools, and the athletes to our consumer base. This took a team of experts weighing in on every detail we were planning to share. This approach was meticulously designed to build curiosity and anticipation, compelling them to keep coming back to our channels until the game's official launch. The marketing lesson is simple: don't give everything away at once. Create a sense of anticipation. Use your content to build curiosity and a desire for what's next. By strategically managing the flow of information, you can turn a passive audience into an engaged, loyal following that can't wait to see what's next. #MarketingStrategy #ContentMarketing #DigitalMarketing #CustomerEngagement #Storytelling #BrandBuilding #CampaignStrategy