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How To Write Content For Your Audience
How To Write Content For Your Audience

by John Parkes   |   Oct 3, 2024   |   13 min read
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Ever heard the story of how Product Hunt got started?

The platform gained its first 2,000 users in under a month – thanks to just two blog posts.

Ten years later, it’s one of the best-known platforms for startups and generates an annual revenue in the high seven figures.

It’s proof that when content is done right, it can have a huge impact.

Even if you’re starting from scratch.

But how do you craft content that engages your audience and drives the actions you want?

In this post, we’re sharing 12 genius ways to write engaging content for your audience, with real-life examples.

Let’s dive in!

Benefits of Using Engaging Content as Part of Your Marketing
Historically, businesses could survive without “content” as we know it today.

Before the rise of digital marketing and the Internet businesses relied on location, word-of-mouth and face-to-face interactions.

We’re talking about businesses that had a shopfront on ‘Main Street’ or ‘Downtown’.

Their location was enough to bring in new customers. (And sometimes traditional forms of advertising like Yellow Pages, flyers or newspaper ads.)

Today, there are still businesses that can survive without content marketing:

Highly localized services (e.g., street vendors, small local shops, or certain tradespeople) may rely on foot traffic, community reputation, and customer referrals rather than digital content.
Certain monopolies or industries where the product or service is in high demand with few competitors may not need to market themselves as aggressively. Utilities like water or energy suppliers often fall into this category.
Luxury brands that cultivate exclusivity sometimes limit their content to a select, controlled few channels to maintain an aura of inaccessibility rather than mass-market campaigns.
If You’re Looking to Build One of These Businesses Below, You’re Going to Need Content
It’s all very well for businesses that can survive without online content.

But what about the rest of us?

If you’re looking to build a business online, you’re going to need content to stand out, build your brand and win new customers.

Here are the types of online businesses that are popular among ClickFunnels users, where engaging online content is critical for success:

SaaS (Software as a Service) – Businesses that provide cloud-based software solutions to solve various user problems. They rely heavily on content to showcase features, educate users, and build trust.
E-commerce Stores – Businesses selling physical or digital products online. Content is vital for product descriptions, customer education, reviews, and marketing funnels.
Online Courses & Digital Education – Entrepreneurs who create and sell online courses rely on content to establish expertise, attract students, and nurture leads through value-driven blog posts and email marketing.
Coaching Services – Life coaches, business coaches, or health coaches depend on content to demonstrate their value, share testimonials, and engage potential clients.
Consulting Agencies – Consultants in marketing, sales, or tech industries use content to position themselves as thought leaders, educate prospects, and drive inquiries for their services.
Membership Sites – These platforms offer premium content to paying members, including exclusive articles, videos, or webinars. Engaging content is the core product of this model.
Affiliate Marketing – Marketers who earn commissions by promoting other people’s products need constant, fresh content to attract and convert an audience through blogs, reviews, and email campaigns.
Freelancing Platforms – Businesses offering freelance or gig services, such as copywriting or web design, use content to build credibility, share portfolios, and attract new clients.
5 Stats About the Power of Engaging Content
Each of the online businesses above relies on engaging content to build their brand, attract customers, and scale.

In fact, sometimes engaging content is the most powerful form of marketing they engage in.

It has key advantages over other types of advertising, like paid ads.

Take a look at these stats about the impact of engaging content:

Content marketing costs only 28% as much as outbound marketing and generates three times more leads (Respona).
44% of users consume 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a business (Respona).
The three most popular content formats are how-tos, news, and guides (Statista).
70% of users prefer receiving information from blogs rather than advertisements (Ahrefs).
Almost 50% of buyers read a company’s blog when making purchase decisions (HubSpot).
How do You Write Good Content?
So what actually is engaging content?

Here’s a definition.

Engaging content is helpful, useful content that genuinely educates and helps people solve problems. It provides value by addressing the needs of your audience, making them more likely to trust and interact with your brand.

It’s important to distinguish between viral content and content that drives action.

Many businesses mistakenly think that viral content is automatically good content. While viral content may get a lot of views, what truly matters is creating content that builds your brand and brings in new customers.

10 Top Quotes About Engaging Content
So how do you create content that’s both useful and drives action?

Let’s look at what a few content marketing experts have to say about engaging content.

​​Ann Handley – “You need to create ridiculously good content—content that is useful, enjoyable, and inspired.”
Andrew Davis – “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.”
Marcus Sheridan – “Great content is the best sales tool in the world.”
Ellen Gomes – “One of the best ways to sabotage content is to not tie it to your goals. Know why you’re creating content.”
Brian Clark – “These days, people want to learn before they buy, be educated instead of pitched.”
Tim Ferriss – “People don’t like being sold products, but we all like being told stories.”
Seth Godin – “Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t.”
Leo Burnett – “What helps people, helps business.”
Rand Fishkin – “Best way to sell something: don’t sell anything. Earn the awareness, respect, & trust of those who might buy.”
Jay Baer – “Make your marketing so useful people would pay for it.”
Where Will Publish Your Engaging Content?
Engaging content can be applied to formats like video and podcasts. But this post is specifically about writing great content.

So, you’ll most likely be looking at a handful of publishing platforms and formats.

Here are the most popular places where online businesses (especially those run by ClickFunnels users) place their content:

1. Blogs – Found on their own websites or through guest blogging, blogs are crucial for SEO, establishing expertise, and driving organic traffic.

2. Social Media Platforms:

Facebook – For building communities, running ads, and engaging directly with customers.
Instagram – Great for e-commerce, coaching, and personal branding through visuals and stories.
LinkedIn – Important for B2B SaaS, consulting, and professional services to share insights and connect with industry professionals.
TikTok – Increasingly used by e-commerce and personal brands for viral content and product promotion.
3. Email Newsletters – Essential for nurturing leads, offering value-driven content, and promoting products or services directly to subscribers.

4. Lead Magnets – Content such as reports, interviews or guides specifically designed for conversions, such as collecting leads.

5. Online Communities (Facebook Groups, Discord, Reddit) – Places for engaging with customers, offering support, and building loyal communities around a brand or service.

12 Real-life Examples of Engaging Content
Rather than giving you theories, we wanted to share real-life examples of engaging content with you.

Each example contains more lessons in them than we can cover in this blog.

But hopefully, you’ll find one example that directly relates to the business you’re looking to build. Use that example as your roadmap for success with engaging content.

Let’s go!

Person in athletic gear poses with a determined expression, set against a plain backdrop. Text discusses the influence of platforms like Hacker News on product marketing.
1. How Product Hunt Used 2 Blogs to Get it’s First 2,000 Users
Type Of Engaging Content: Blog

Key Result: First 2,000 users

Backstory: Product Hunt acquired its first 2,000 users through strategic guest posts and personalized outreach. Ryan Hoover, the founder, wrote two key blog posts—one for FastCompany and another called “PandoDaily”—to capture the attention of tech enthusiasts and startup communities. These blog posts explained the vision for Product Hunt, attracting early adopters. Hoover also leveraged personal connections, sending private invitations to startup founders and influencers to contribute and share feedback. This created a sense of exclusivity and involvement, helping to build a loyal early community before the platform’s official launch. By focusing on personalized outreach and community building, Product Hunt grew organically and rapidly.

Screenshot of an interview with Leo Widrich discussing how guest blogging helped BufferApp gain 100,000 customers.
2. How Buffer Used Guest Blogs to Get 100,000 Customers
Type Of Engaging Content: Blog

Key Result: 100,000 customers in 9 months

Backstory: Buffer’s co-founder, Leo Widrich, leveraged guest blogging as a core strategy to grow the company’s user base. Over a period of 9 months, Widrich wrote around 150 guest posts across various blogs and websites. Although the initial posts barely drove traffic, consistency paid off, with the strategy eventually attracting 100,000 customers. Widrich focused on signing up users rather than just driving traffic, with guest blogging accounting for nearly all of Buffer’s early user acquisition. The posts provided valuable content, promoted Buffer’s unique scheduling tool, and built crucial relationships in the social media and tech communities. This helped to organically spread awareness and grow Buffer’s customer base.

Screenshot of a blog post discussing financial mistakes and promoting Mint's personal finance solution with an email signup form for notifications.
3. How Mint Used a Personal Finance Blog to Get 20,000–30,000 Beta Signups
Type Of Engaging Content: Blog

Key Result: 20,000–30,000 beta signups

Backstory: Nine months before the official launch of Mint, founder Aaron Patzer started a personal finance blog as a cost-effective marketing strategy. Mint created unique content, such as “Train Wreck Tuesdays,” which highlighted readers’ financial disasters, making others feel better about their own finances. Another feature, “What’s in Your Wallet,” featured tech celebrities and personal finance bloggers discussing their financial tools. Mint’s blog posts heavily featured guest content from other personal finance bloggers, who would cross-link back to Mint, driving traffic to their site. This blog ended up generating more traffic than its established competitors. To convert this audience, Mint added a call to action promising early beta access, which helped them capture 20,000 to 30,000 email signups. They further incentivized bloggers by offering special VIP beta access if they added a Mint badge to their sites, resulting in 600 backlinks, and boosting SEO and traffic.

Graph showing website analytics for plausible.io from March 16 to June 30, with metrics on unique visitors, total pageviews, bounce rate, and visit duration. Prominent visitor spike noted.
4. How Plausible Analytics Used Blog Posts and Community Engagement to Grow to $2,750 MRR in 135 Days
Type Of Engaging Content: Blog and Community Engagement

Key Result: $2,750 MRR and 427 paying subscribers

Backstory: Plausible Analytics, a privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics, achieved remarkable growth without paid advertising, affiliate marketing, or sponsorships. By publishing useful blog posts addressing pain points in web analytics and engaging with communities on platforms like Hacker News, Twitter, and Reddit, they saw a 2,200% increase in visitors and significant growth in paying subscribers (427) over 135 days. Blog posts tackled issues like privacy and user tracking, making them relevant to a growing market. Plausible also actively participated in discussions, published guest posts, and reached out to relevant audiences via cold outreach, leveraging organic methods to boost their subscriber base and build trust.

Book and text about "State of Software Development in 2019" with a call-to-action button for getting a report.
5. How Coding Sans Used an Industry Report to Double Their Website Traffic
Type Of Engaging Content: Industry Report

Key Result: Traffic doubled and $300,000 in new projects

Backstory: Coding Sans, a small software development agency, aimed to build trust and generate quality engagement online. In 2017, they launched their State of Software Development report, an annual, gated industry survey report exploring trends and challenges in software development. This report, which took 260 hours to create, became a key asset for driving backlinks, shares, and leads. In its first year, traffic to the Coding Sans website doubled, and the report’s popularity continued to grow. By 2019, it had accumulated 26,700 visits, over 5,000 downloads, and 291 backlinks, leading to an estimated $300,000 in new projects attributed to the report’s indirect impact. The effort paid off significantly by building authority and engaging their target audience.

A collage of Instagram stories showcases travel scenes such as tropical foliage, musicians, aurora borealis, and a serene lakeside, with prompts asking about Stewart board travel experiences.
6. How Stewart Surfboards Used Instagram to Boost Engagement and Sales
Type Of Engaging Content: Consumer-Generated Instagram Content

Key Result: 272% increase in story views and direct sales

Backstory: Stewart Surfboards, a handcrafted surfboard brand, wanted to transform its image from “dad boards” to “family legacy boards” by targeting its audience of middle-aged “surfer dads.” They implemented a consumer-generated content strategy on Instagram, encouraging users to share photos of their Stewart boards in exotic locations. The brand leveraged Instagram Stories to repost user content, adding engagement with features like Instagram’s “ask-a-question.” This interactive campaign asked followers, “Where has your Stewart board taken you?”. During the launch phase, Stewart saw direct sales from social media for the first time.

A keyword ranking table and a line graph showing organic traffic trends with labeled orange and blue sections, and explanatory text about organic keywords and traffic for the last year.
7. How LogoMaker Used Keyword-Focused Blog Content to Boost Revenue by 548%
Type Of Engaging Content: Blog and How-To Guides

Key Result: 548% increase in revenue year-over-year

Backstory: LogoMaker, a DIY logo design platform, targeted small business owners and startups by creating keyword-driven blog content focused on logo design, branding, and startup advice. Their blog topics, such as the use of colors, shapes, and fonts in logo design, were designed to rank well in search results and offer practical value to their audience. In addition to logo-related posts, the company featured how-to guides on topics like business naming and trademarking. A content plan designed for longevity helped sustain traffic, with older articles like a 2012 post on creating a Gmail signature still receiving 5,000 monthly visits. This content strategy resulted in a 47% increase in blog sessions, a 49% increase in new users, and a 548% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Screenshot of a LinkedIn article titled "How I get 112,341 followers/month on LinkedIn" detailing the fastest-growing account from 0 to 639,643 followers at the start of 2024.
8. How FounderOS Used LinkedIn to Drive $200,000 in MRR
Type Of Engaging Content: Social Media

Key Result: 639,643 LinkedIn followers and $200,000 in MRR

Backstory: Founder Matt Gray of Founder OS grew his LinkedIn presence from zero to over 639,643 followers, generating $200,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) from the platform without any paid ads. Gray focused on sharing consistent, value-driven content using specific post formats like long-form lists, carousels, and hook-stacking posts to engage his audience. By posting regularly and optimizing his profile as a lead generator, Matt attracted new followers at a rate of over 112,341 per month. He also built relationships with other LinkedIn creators to expand his reach. This organic content funnel became a core engine behind Founder OS’s growth.

Webpage showcasing an article about starting a $48K/year sneaker newsletter. Includes author Casey Woodard, business details, and sections on business tools and resources.
9. How KickFlips Used a Newsletter to Grow to $48,000/year in Revenue
Type Of Engaging Content: Newsletter and Discord Community

Key Result: $4,000/month in revenue

Backstory: Casey Woodard launched KickFlips, an email newsletter, and Discord community for sneakerheads, which tracks limited-edition sneaker and streetwear releases that can be resold for significant profit. KickFlips sends out emails on every drop day, informing subscribers where to buy and how to resell these high-demand items. The free version of the newsletter offers basic updates, while the paid Pro version provides exclusive insights on even more profitable items like gaming consoles and graphics cards. KickFlips grew quickly, generating $4,000 per month in revenue by helping subscribers flip items for profit with useful content. The combination of targeted, value-packed email content and a supportive Discord community has allowed KickFlips to carve out a profitable niche in the reselling space.

Blog page featuring an article titled "How I Built a Profitable Newsletter Business" with a workspace image showing a person typing on a keyboard.
10. How Exploding Ideas Used Reddit to Grow to 5,000 Subscribers in 3 Months
Type Of Engaging Content: Online Communities

Key Result: 5,000 subscribers and profitable within 3 months, using Reddit

Backstory: Eric Lam, founder of ExplodingIdeas.co, launched a weekly newsletter that explores startup ideas and emerging trends for side hustles. By targeting Reddit communities and offering high-value insights into profitable business opportunities, Lam quickly gained 1,000 subscribers in 12 days with $0 in customer acquisition costs. After three months, the newsletter grew to 5,000 subscribers, and Lam introduced paid features, including deep business idea insights. The newsletter became profitable within four months, thanks to organic growth through Reddit and personalized engagement with subscribers. Eric’s focus on addressing subscriber needs helped build a loyal audience and generate revenue from consulting and sponsorship deals.

Screenshot of an article titled "How I Made $100,000 From One Blog Post." It includes a direct message from Noah Kagan offering feedback. Content Mavericks logo is displayed at the top.
11. How Content Mavericks Used One Blog Post to Land a $100,000 Job
Type Of Engaging Content: Blog Post

Key Result: $100,000 in revenue with $688.71 in ad spend

Backstory: Chris Von Wilpert, founder of Content Mavericks, used a blog post as a strategic tool to land high-value clients for his content marketing business. Chris wrote a detailed case study that reverse-engineered the content marketing strategies of HubSpot and targeted his Dream 100 clients in the SaaS space. By promoting the post through influencer outreach, the blog post generated over 1,000 leads. This single piece of content helped Chris land a $100,000 job at AppSumo, proving the power of combining targeted content creation with strategic promotion to build high-quality leads and clients.

A webpage detailing how "Dan Koe" built a $2.6M business as a solopreneur, featuring financial stats and a section to join Starter Story.
12. How Dan Koe Used Newsletters and Content Repurposing to Build a $2.6M Solopreneur Business
Type Of Engaging Content: Newsletters and Social Media

Key Result: $208K in monthly revenue

Backstory: Dan Koe, a solopreneur, built a business generating $2.6 million annually by leveraging newsletters and a content repurposing strategy for social media. Starting as a freelancer, he grew his brand by offering free long-form newsletter content and courses while focusing on short-form content repurposed for social platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This strategy allowed him to expand his audience to 2.6 million followers. His paid offerings include a membership program, Modern Mastery HQ, and courses like Digital Economics, which range from $150 to $8,000. Dan’s focus on continuous learning and community building has made his business a success with a 98% profit margin.

Tips to Measure the Results of Your Engaging Content
Hopefully, the examples above have sparked inspiration and shown you the power of well-crafted content.

But the key to driving real success lies in defining and working toward specific goals.

Creating engaging content is only one part of the puzzle – you need to know how to measure its impact effectively.

Here are some metrics you might focus on to track the success of your content:

Newsletter subscribers: How many new subscribers are you gaining from your content?
Social media followers: Are your social posts leading to a growth in followers across platforms?
Free trial signups: Is your content driving people to take advantage of a free trial for your product?
Conversion rate: How well does your content lead visitors to take action, like signing up or making a purchase?
Revenue: Is your content helping you generate sales and grow your business?
Paying customers: Are readers moving from free trials to paid customers?
Engagement: Are readers interacting with your content (comments, shares, likes)?
Referral traffic: How much of your web traffic is being driven by your content shared on social media or other sites?
Time on page: How long are visitors staying on your blog posts or articles?
Lead generation: How many qualified leads are you gaining from your content?
The next question is…

How will you actually track these metrics and build the system to collect subscribers, manage payments, and nurture leads?

This is where ClickFunnels becomes your ultimate solution.

ClickFunnels is an all-in-one platform that allows you to build and optimize every stage of your content and sales funnel.

Here’s how it can help you:

Email collection and automation: Use ClickFunnels to create landing pages that capture email addresses and nurture your newsletter subscribers with automated email sequences.
Social media integration: Connect your ClickFunnels pages to your social platforms to track and grow your follower base directly from your content.
Lead generation: Build optimized funnels that guide visitors from initial interest (via blog or social content) to becoming paying customers.
Sales and payment systems: ClickFunnels integrates payment gateways, making it easy to collect payments from customers who are ready to purchase.
Conversion tracking: Monitor your free trial signups, conversion rates, and revenue growth in real time with ClickFunnels’ built-in analytics tools.
Split testing: Test different versions of your content pages and funnels to find what works best for increasing conversions and driving results.
By using ClickFunnels, you’ll have a comprehensive system to create engaging content and drive actions.

You’ll also be able to measure its effectiveness easily.

And ultimately you can use it to continually scale your content and revenue side-by-side.

Try ClickFunnels Free for 14 Days

Final Thoughts: Writing Engaging Content for Your Online Audience
In conclusion, creating engaging content is a powerful way to grow your online business and connect with your audience.

We’ve seen how powerful it is through the various examples shared in this post.

Whether it’s blog posts, newsletters, or social media strategies, the key is to be intentional and track your progress toward specific goals.

Focus on the metrics that matter most to your business such as: growing your newsletter, increasing free trials, or driving revenue.

The good news is that you don’t have to build this process manually.

With tools like ClickFunnels, you can manage everything from capturing leads to tracking conversions and collecting payments, all within one platform.

Now it’s time to take action, apply these strategies, and watch your content deliver real results.

Try ClickFunnels Free for 14 Days

Posted in Conversion Optimization, Design Tips, Funnel Strategy, General, Landing Pages, Make Money Online, Marketing Funnels, Online Business, Online Marketing, Sales Funnels, Traffic Tips


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