Content Creation Techniques

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.

“Ranking #1” does not matter if no one clicks. That lesson landed after a piece hit page one faster than expected. The keywords were right. The structure was tight. Backlinks were in place. On paper, it was a win. In reality, traffic barely moved. The reason became obvious soon after. People did not need to click. The answer was already sitting inside the AI summary. Search has changed, quietly and permanently. The shift is not from page two to page one. It is from rankings to references. Content is no longer competing for clicks. It is competing to be quoted. And AI models are not impressed by tactics. They surface clarity, consistency, and trust. That changes how content works. Visibility now depends on whether machines recognize a brand as a reliable source, not just whether a page ranks well. Formatting, cross-channel consistency, and reputation matter more than ever. This week’s newsletter breaks down how answer engines are reshaping discovery, and what marketers need to change to stay visible in a world where clicks are optional.

I found a page ranking #1 despite breaking every SEO rule in the book. Here's what I discovered about this page that's ranking for a keyword with 58,000 monthly searches: ↳ DR 22 ↳ Horrible URL structure; includes year and month ↳ Meta description is ridiculously long at 192 WORDS (not characters) ↳ Has less than 1/10th the backlinks of the next best ↳ Looks like it was designed in 1995 But here's the fascinating part - despite breaking these many SEO "rules," it's outranking websites that are DR 90+. The reason? Experience. The page is about a specific type of bread, and the author has done something remarkable. They've purchased every single brand of this bread available, photographed each one, and provided detailed feedback about whether they'd buy it again. This isn't an isolated case. I've observed this pattern across various industries, and I believe this is what future SERPs will increasingly look like. Google is prioritizing content that: - Shows real effort and dedication - Demonstrates genuine experience - Comes from actual users with real perspectives You might have noticed this trend with Reddit threads appearing more frequently in search results, too. It's the same principle - authentic, user-generated content taking precedence. Why is Google moving in this direction? Two main reasons: 1. This type of content provides better training data for their LLMs 2. It better serves user intent and needs I tested this approach with an architecture/interior design client. Instead of writing generic content about a specific design style, we created questions for the architects to answer via voice notes, which we then transformed into content. The key takeaway is that you need to develop a system for capturing and showcasing genuine experiences and unique perspectives in your content. This means incorporating real-world knowledge, personal insights, and authentic viewpoints into your content strategy. Without this experiential element, your content risks getting lost in the growing sea of AI-generated material that users increasingly ignore. And if you have real content, it seems that you can break every other rule in SEO and get away with it. What do you think?

After managing hundreds (maybe thousands) of SEO campaigns… I've distilled content creation down to a science. Here are 6 core pillars that actually move the needle: 1. Smart Keyword Selection Search volume is a vanity metric. Focus on these factors instead: • Relevance to your business goals • Commercial intent signals • Click-through rate potential Pro tip: 60% of Google searches end without a click. Pick keywords where people actually click through to websites. 2. The Uniqueness Factor Google's drowning in AI-generated content. Your advantage? Being genuinely different. Here's how: • Conduct original research (even small studies work) • Share first-hand experience and opinions • Create fresh data sets • Build user-generated content around polarizing topics AI can't replicate human experience. Use that. 3. Perfect Intent Matching Want to rank? Match the format that's already working (while adding your unique spin). Simple process: • Search your target keyword • Study the top 3 results • Note the content format (list, guide, comparison) • Create something similar but better If Google shows informational content, don't try to rank commercial pages. Work with the algorithm, not against it. 4. Content Quality Standards Great content isn't about word count. It's about clarity and engagement: • Write like you're talking to one person • Use simple language (no jargon) • Break up text with headings and bullets • Add visuals that actually add value • Edit ruthlessly 5. Topic Authority Building One great page isn't enough. Build supporting content around your main topic: • Start with branded keywords (easiest wins) • Target competitor comparisons • Create problem-aware content • Build educational resources Each piece should link to others, creating a content hub that Google loves. 6. Technical Foundation All the great content in the world won't rank if your technical SEO is broken: • Page speed under 3 seconds • Mobile-first design • Proper URL structure • Internal linking strategy • Schema markup where relevant Stop pumping out random blog posts. Start building strategic content assets that serve your business goals. Every piece should either educate your audience or move them closer to becoming customers.

I spoke with a D2C brand that had skyrocketed its organic traffic yet their daily orders were still flat. They came to me expecting a quick SEO fix. But as I dug deeper, I realized what they needed was a strategic framework —an integrated set of choices that would drive not just visitors, but profitable orders. Initial Situation: ➜ 10x increase in daily clicks (from almost nothing to 2,000/day) ➜ Average Order Value (AOV) surprisingly low ➜ Order volume: virtually unchanged despite the traffic surge Problem Identification: Why wasn’t all that new traffic turning into sales? The brand had invested in SEO, yes—but without aligning content strategy with top-selling SKUs, profit margins, demographics, and their unique value proposition. ❌ They chased visibility, not viability. Process (Our Discovery Call): I asked questions like: ➜ Top-selling SKUs? ➜ High-margin categories? ➜ Core audience and demographics? ➜ Product Differentiators vs. competition? ➜ Customer repeat purchase cycles? By understanding these, I identified where intent-rich opportunities matched their strongest business levers. What We Did Next (The Proposal): I presented a tailored SEO program that went beyond “just more traffic.” It focused on: a) Where we choose to play: Pinpointing search opportunities that have a short time to value of results. b) How we choose to win: Mapping keywords to product categories with favourable Search Volume, Keyword Difficulty (KD), and Average Order Value. I presented them a scatter chart of commercial-intent keywords plotted by: ➜ Search Volume ➜ Keyword Difficulty ➜ Potential AOV Impact This instantly clarified the path forward. Instead of random traffic, we were going after the right traffic. The prospect’s reaction? He said no previous proposal had offered this level of strategic clarity. It’s easy to chase vanity metrics (traffic, rankings, clicks), but without aligning your SEO strategy to business goals, you’ll never see the revenue catch up. Stop treating SEO as a game of traffic. ➡️ Treat it as a strategic tool that positions you in front of high-intent audiences. ➡️ It’s not about playing everywhere—it’s about winning in the right places. If you’re looking to make strategic choices—on Google, Bing, or next-gen platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude —and you want to translate visibility into growth, let’s talk. I’d be excited to help you map your SEO opportunities to real business outcomes.

A CEO tried to embarrass me in front of his entire team with this 1 hard question: "When has it NOT worked out with a client?" For context, I flew to this tech company's office to pitch their entire c-suite on why they should work with Creator Match 🧩 to help build their creator program Here's what I told them: 1. The brand hired the creator for their voice, then silenced it. Sounds like an ad. Performs like one too. If it looks like a press release, it dies in the feed. Fix: Brief the outcome, not the execution. Hire the voice, then trust it. 2. The brand started the campaign without knowing what winning looked like. We were given unclear objectives so we didn't know what success actually looked like. Fix: Lock your north star before you brief a single creator. If you can't define success in one sentence, you're not ready to run the campaign. 3. The brand treated the creator like an on-call vendor. Rushed briefs produce rushed content. Every time. Fix: Build a 2-week minimum buffer into every campaign timeline. Protect the creator's process and you protect your results. 4. The brand let too many people have a say after the deal was done. New stakeholders mid-campaign is one of the fastest ways to kill the whole thing. Fix: Designate one decision-maker on the brand side. One point of contact. Full stop. 5. The brand launched a creator campaign on the same day as their product. This one is the most avoidable mistake I see. Your creators are in your ICP. If your product has bugs, they'll feel every friction point. And they'll talk about it. Fix: Separate your product launch from your creator campaign by at least 2 weeks. Let the product breathe first. - The brands that win at creator marketing treat it like a partnership. The creators that win push back when something isn't right. Both sides have to show up. And for context, a few weeks after that presentation, we officially partnered with that brand. Transparency and authenticity are always the winning strategy. Don't pretend like everything is perfect. Nobody believes it, and nobody trusts it. *** 🔔 Follow me AJ Eckstein 🧩 for more content on entrepreneurship, B2B Creator Marketing, and Brand strategies

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.

ive been the creator/influencer for brands such as HubSpot, Notion, and Tracksuit and ive hired creators/influencers for my clients. most creator partnerships fail because brands and creators talk past each other. here's how to set up your next creator relationship for success (part 1 here, part 2 in the comments): I. set up the right foundations 𝟭/ 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 instead of dumping ten features that you need featured in the posts, nail the one core insight you want your creators to talk about. creators thrive with constraints, not checklists. 𝟮/ 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 "post between march 15-20" beats "post on march 17." creators know their audience rhythms. a range lets them pick when engagement peaks. 𝟯/ 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 give them the story like you're pitching a reporter. the why it matters, what makes it newsworthy to get them excited about why their audience should care. they dont have the internal context. 𝟰/ 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 / 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 / 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 "i got early access to this, here's what i found" beats "here's what the brand told me to say." exclusivity creates authenticity. 𝟱/ 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 don't make creators guess what resonates. share 2-3 customer testimonials, case studies, or problem statements. gives them ammunition for authentic storytelling. 𝟲/ 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 one low-stakes post lets you see their style, gauge audience reaction, and adjust the brief. cheaper than committing to 10 posts and realising the fit is wrong. part 2 in the comments (linkedin character count limit lol): II. creative control & execution III. contracts & compensation IV. measurement & optimisation == the uncomfortable truth? most creator/influencer partnerships underperform because brands give no direction or too much control. clear vision + creative freedom + contractual clarity = actual results.

Running a talent management company representing some of the top celebrities and influencers digitally, I’ve never believed in bucketing creators into a one-size-fits-all narrative. And I think a lot of talent management companies do exactly that. We currently represent 300+ talent across lifestyle, fashion, beauty, travel, sports, entertainment, comedy, music, family, gaming, and more. But the goal has never been to say: “𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳.” “𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳.” “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳.” It does not define their media business and who they want to be 5 years down the line. Our goal is to help talent become businesses themselves, not keep them boxed into a creator label that limits how brands, platforms, partners, and audiences see them. Because when every creator in a category is positioned the same way, with the same content format, the same brand list, and the same pitch language, nothing actually differentiates them. The creators who win long-term are not just the ones who “fit a niche.” They are the ones who own a point of view. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬: 1️⃣ 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲: Your niche tells people what you post about, but your worldview tells people why they should care, what you stand for, and why your audience keeps coming back beyond a single content format. 2️⃣ 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: Content is often the first layer of the relationship, but the real opportunity is turning attention into long-term leverage through partnerships, products, IP, community, live experiences, and owned business lines. 3️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: The best creator partnerships happen when talent is treated as strategic partners with trust, context, creative instincts, and cultural relevance, not just another distribution channel attached to a follower count. Talent management companies that are succeeding right now are ones helping creators build durable businesses around who they are, what they believe, and the unique value they bring to culture.

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.