Why Content Creators Need a Strategy

I know this sounds strict - but all the best writers and creators can confirm this as a fact

I have an embarrassing story to tell you. I was chatting with my friend recently, who happens to be on Substack (because I bugged her to death until she gave it a try) - and wouldn’t you know she pulled a fast one on me and ended up becoming a total success and me, well, I’ve been doing more complaining than writing.

When she told me my problem was consistency, I laughed on the other side of Whatsapp - luckily she couldn’t see me - but yeah I laughed in that haughty way - the way we laugh when we know they’re right but we insist that we know better.

I thought, “Good Lord, I’ve been teaching blogging and social media and content creation courses for 16 years. I KNOW THAT CONSISTENCY AND HAVING A STRATEGY MATTERS. Does she know who she’s talking to?”.

And gosh, I’m a nice person, I don’t kill spiders and I smile at babies - I’m not a holier-than-thou type, so it’s embarrassing to admit I was being sort of an a-hole.

Then, I realized something.

The arrogance was my own embarrassment wearing a mask. You know that mask. That arrogant one with its pointy nose, beady eyes, slight sneer… That mask we put on the second we feel small and don’t want others to see.

I also realized this. She was damn right and it took someone who hasn’t taught social media classes for 16 years like I have to tell me, the blogging queen, what I’ve been waxing on about for ages - YOU NEED A CONTENT PLAN, MAN.

Normally, I’d tune out and busy myself with something else. But after that chat, I didn’t. I crafted a plan. I forced myself to sit with it, and then I pulled together a schedule. I started publishing more frequently and well, stuff started to happen - including a flow state I found myself in that I’ve not had in a long time - and feedback from my readers through shares and comments. Even emails came in - emails from some of you who had missed my writing.

I needed to cut the crap and get real and I did, and I’m glad I did because I’m slowly getting my writing mojo back and it feels amazing. I’ve witnessed, in action, that:

• Posting randomly and hoping for the best is NOT a strategy.

• Complaining about lack of growth as you do nothing except blame the algorithm is not a plan.

• Showing up when the spirit moves you won’t move the dial.

You may be able to ‘fake it to make it’ in life, but you can’t ‘flake it to make it’.

Flaking out doesn’t produce work.

And you need to produce work (content) to create momentum and to ease out of shadows, out of your little dark den of complaint and B*S, and meekly crawl into the light.

So let’s talk about YOU in all this.

Maybe you’ve been creating for a while but feel like you’re spinning your wheels—churning out content, yet growth feels slow. Or maybe you’re just getting started and wondering, “How do I make my content stand out?”

Here’s the truth: The creator economy is bigger than ever, and if you want to get noticed, grow your audience, and (most importantly) monetize your work, you need a real content formula, a strategy—not just a collection of ideas and random posts.

And if you’re on Substack and want to do something amazing here with your voice, then bloody go for it because it’s not yet so saturated that growth feels impossible - it’s a good time to set you plan into action.

Since I’ve taught all of this for so many years, I decided to give you a mini lesson here today, to hopefully activate you just as my friend activated me. Though, to be honest, my dear friend had to pull out the pads and administer chest compressions to get me to listen to my own advice - hopefully, you’re not so trapped in your head.

And you know what, the things I’m about to share are the same ones that I had to remind myself of just a few weeks ago, and by practicing them myself, I can say they really do work. So let’s break down why having a solid content plan is non-negotiable and how you can build one that works.

The Algorithm Has Changed—Again

If you’ve noticed that organic reach on Instagram, Pinterest, or even Google has dropped, you’re not alone. I’ve seen my Insta go from 126k to 119k in a few months. Platforms constantly tweak their algorithms, favoring engagement, consistency, and high-quality content. They also purge bot accounts, which I suspect is one reason why I lost 7k followers in 2 months - but also it happened during and after Trump’s first day in office. It seems many stopped using Instagram to take a political stand against the Zuck.

What doesn’t work?

• Posting inconsistently and expecting growth

• Showing up often but posting whatever topic you feel like

• Chasing trends without a long-term content plan

• Creating without a clear audience in mind

What does work?

✔ Posting with intention (every piece of content should serve a purpose)

✔ Understanding SEO and platform trends

✔ Engaging with your audience in a meaningful way - think about what matters to them, what could make a different in their life.

A content strategy helps you stay ahead of these shifts so you’re not left wondering, “Why isn’t anyone seeing my posts?”

Random Posting Won’t Attract the Right Audience

Do you feel like your content is attracting the wrong people—or worse, no one at all?

That’s because random posting = random results.

A strong content strategy ensures that:
✔ You’re talking to the right audience (not just anyone scrolling by)
✔ Your message is clear, consistent, and compelling
✔ Every post, blog, or email moves your audience closer to buying from you

Think about it: If you’re a designer, blogger, or creative, you don’t just want followers—you want engaged people who trust you, interact with you, and eventually become customers. Your strategy should be built around who you want to attract and how to guide them through your content funnel.

Monetization Requires a Plan

Hoping that one viral post will change everything? I hate to break it to you, but going viral doesn’t equal profitability. In fact, it rarely does. You have to go viral often and have products to sell that are ready or else poof! you’ve missed the opportunity.

The biggest content creators don’t just create—they have a plan to generate revenue through:
✔ Brand partnerships
✔ Digital products & courses
✔ Affiliate marketing
✔ Membership communities and group coaching programs (like my Content Creator’s Club!) and more…

Without a content strategy, you’re missing revenue opportunities. The key is to create content that builds trust and positions you as an expert so when you sell, your audience is ready to buy.

AI is Changing Content Creation—For Better or Worse

AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and automated social media schedulers are making it easier than ever to create a lot of content, but here’s the catch:

More content doesn’t mean better content.

With all of the AI-generated posts out there, authenticity and originality stand out more than ever. Your personality and uniqueness can’t be exactly replicated through a bot. Your dreams, goals, stories, fears, losses, trials and failings are yours alone and it’s in those topics - the REAL YOU appears and is of high value to others. A solid content strategy ensures that your voice, personality, and expertise shine through—and that you’re not just another creator or business blending into the noise.

How to Build a Solid Content Strategy

Now that you know why strategy is everything, here’s how to start building yours:

• Define your niche and audience. Who are you talking to? What do they need?

• Set content goals. Are you trying to grow your email list? Sell a course? Get brand deals? Set your financial goal and work backwards. Let’s say you want to earn 5k a month. How may courses would you need to sell each year to earn that? How many paid Substack subscribers would you need?

• Plan your content in advance. Map out posts, videos, and emails at least a month ahead.

• Use SEO & data. Track what works and tweak your strategy based on insights. Look at top performing posts, your open rate on emails that you send to your mailing list, and notice your likes and comments on posts - see what resonates, what hits - and press repeat and bring more of that content to your crew.

• Stay consistent. Whether you post 3x a week or daily, consistency builds trust.

If you need help creating and executing a content strategy that works, if you want to build a marketing machine that works for you 24/7, and if you rather calmly create content and avoid the hustle culture where you end up feeling like a walking advertisement, then I would love to welcome you with open arms to my new program.

It’s called The Content Creator’s Club—a group coaching program that will give you focused training, tools, inspiration, support, and community on your path to creating a successful career or side hustle as a content creator, or as a business owner or independent creative (designer, coach, etc.) wishing to create content that grows their business.

I’m limiting enrollment for this 3 month club since I’m giving each participant one hour with me alone on a Zoom call and I cannot schedule so many 1:1 sessions - So please don’t delay, I’d love to see you in this program and help you make content that makes you feel good, and that gets you the desired results!

Doors are open now! Join today and let’s build a content strategy that actually works.

👉 Sign up here

And if it’s not for you, that’s also okay. I hope this post helped you anyway and gave you some clarity on your content path and helped you to see why having a game plan really matters. I’ll be back tomorrow to share a post about design - I’m looking forward to connecting with you here again soon.

Love,

Holly