When I think back on all the content I scroll past each day, most of it barely makes a ripple. It’s not because the people behind it don’t know their stuff, but because they haven’t figured out how to translate that expertise into stories that connect. That’s what drew me and Robin to start exploring a different approach. We wanted to move away from the endless stream of generic posts and find a way to help businesses show up with content that actually builds trust, credibility and results. What we’ve built is less about theory and more about giving people a playbook that makes sense in the real world.
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One of the biggest mistakes we see is jumping straight to the “ask.” Too many posts are written as though the reader already knows, likes and trusts you enough to sign up, buy or book. In reality, most people are nowhere near ready for that. They might not even understand the problem you solve, let alone why they should choose you. That’s why we spend time mapping the customer journey, starting with awareness. Awareness content is about recognising the moment someone thinks, that’s me, I have that problem. Only then can you move into education, showing them what good looks like and what outcomes are possible. The final stage is engagement, where you invite them to take a step towards you. Skipping those early stages is like asking for marriage on the first date.
We saw this play out clearly when we worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Their content was polished, but it all sat in the engage column, asking people to sign up or sponsor without first creating awareness or educating them about the impact of mentoring. Together we designed a mix of posts that started with simple triggers, like talking about the everyday motivations people might have to become a mentor. We then built education pieces that showcased the long-term rewards for both mentors and mentees, including the broader benefits for the community. Finally, we crafted clear calls to action that made it easy for people to step forward. The result was a balanced journey rather than a blunt sell, and the feedback from their team was that it felt more like inviting people into a story than pushing them into a decision.
Another example came from my own experience running a software business. People knew me, but they didn’t really understand what I did. That gap meant they were never going to buy, because they couldn’t see how my work connected to their problems. Content Play, the framework Robin and I developed, was born out of that frustration. We realised that unless you take people on a journey—first sparking recognition, then educating them—you stay invisible. Once we applied the model, not only did the conversations shift, but the credibility heat map we use showed exactly where people were moving from “I don’t know you” to “I trust you enough to work with you.”
Of course, once you understand the journey, the practical questions begin. What tone of voice should you use? Do you write in a serious, technical style or keep it light and conversational? What platforms make the most sense for your audience? And how do you stop your feed becoming repetitive? This is where content pillars come in. By mixing educational posts with personal stories, milestones, light industry insights and the occasional direct sales piece, you build a rhythm that feels human. One client of ours saw this clearly when we encouraged them to share more personal stories. They were hesitant, but when they posted about a camping trip with their kids, the engagement far outstripped their usual corporate updates. That mix is what makes people stick around.
Formats matter just as much as the message. Blogs can act as anchors, giving you a solid piece of content to spin out into shorter posts, carousels, infographics, or even animations. We’ve found that different formats work better at different stages of the journey, and when you test and map them you start to see a heat map of what resonates. Infographics, for instance, have been surprisingly effective for longer-term awareness because people save and revisit them. Meanwhile, short animations help ease people into a message without the pressure of a talking head video, which not everyone is comfortable with.
And then there’s the structure of the story itself. Using simple frameworks like problem–solution or the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) keeps you from rambling and makes the message land. Hooks are critical too. Whether it’s a contrarian angle, a surprising fact, or even something humorous like the line we discovered—mentoring has been around longer than sliced bread—your opening lines are what stop the scroll. Layout matters as well. No one wants to read a wall of text on a phone. Breaking things up visually, using white space and bold key points, makes your content digestible and far more likely to be read.
Publishing and engagement are the final pieces of the puzzle. Timing, frequency and warming up your profile before posting can make a huge difference. But more important than volume is interaction. Commenting thoughtfully on other people’s posts, bringing conversations back into your own space and responding quickly all boost visibility. Algorithms favour genuine interaction, and people do too. What often surprises our clients is that while likes and comments are useful, the real magic happens off-platform. A post you put out weeks earlier might resurface in a face-to-face conversation, or someone might mention they’ve been quietly following your work without ever engaging online. That’s the unseen impact of consistent content.
Of course, AI has shifted the playing field. Left unchecked, it produces what we call AI slop: long, generic, American-style marketing copy that misses the mark. But when guided with a clear blueprint—customer journey, content pillars, tone of voice, structure, format—you can harness its speed while keeping control of the message. We’ve even had moments where a bit of AI drift created something unexpectedly brilliant, like that sliced bread line. The trick is to treat AI like a keen but untrained intern: useful, fast, sometimes off the mark, but valuable when steered with care.
What all this comes down to is that content is no longer about shouting the loudest or posting the most. It’s about showing up with clarity, purpose and authenticity, and respecting where your audience is on their journey. When you do that, content becomes less of a chore and more of a system—a way of building trust at scale while still feeling personal.
If any of this feels like the missing piece in how you show up online, let’s keep the conversation going. Robin and I are always up for a coffee and happy to walk you through how the frameworks can work in your world. After all, content isn’t just about being seen, it’s about being remembered for the right reasons.