The Right and Wrong Reasons to Create Content
Most companies are churning out content that’s little more than expensive digital noise — pouring cash into a void of digital static that no one hears. They’re trapped in a hamster wheel of misguided priorities—burning through budgets, watering down their brand, and missing the mark with the decision-makers, stakeholders, and customers they need to reach.
I’ve watched this play out time and again—both the flops and the wins. In my experience, these are the right and wrong reasons to create content:
The wrong reasons to create content
“Our competitors are doing it.” Mimicking Stripe, Revolut, or whoever’s trending is a losing game. Fintech is crowded; copying someone else’s playbook only buries a brand deeper in the noise.
“We have budget to burn.” Allocating funds to content just because they’re available is a recipe for mediocrity. Compliance Managers, Heads of Payments — whoever the audience — are more often than not, smart, experienced, and technically minded. They can spot purposeless fluff from a mile off and won’t waste time on yours.
“We want to be thought leaders.” Thought leadership isn’t a goal you declare—it’s a status you earn. Flooding LinkedIn with generic takes doesn’t make companies visionary; it makes them forgettable in a sea of sameness.
“We’re launching a product.” A product drop shouldn’t automatically mean a content spree. If your new payment platform or lending tool doesn’t come with a compelling narrative tied to customer pain points—like simplifying cross-border transactions or reducing fraud—it’s just another press release no one reads.
“We need something to promote.” Content as a promotional crutch rarely moves the needle. Pushing a webinar or white paper without a clear value proposition leaves an audience—say, a CFO looking for compliance solutions—scrolling past.
The right reasons to create content
You have something genuinely interesting to say: Great content hinges on tackling real challenges or sparking fresh ideas—whether it’s simplifying a complex process or offering a new lens on a familiar issue. If it doesn’t ignite curiosity or bring a unique angle, it’s often not worth the screen space it occupies.
You bring a distinct voice or perspective. Your take on a topic—be it a bold stance on emerging trends or a sharp analysis of overlooked data—should feel unmistakably yours. It’s about carving out a viewpoint that stands apart, something competitors can’t just parrot back.
You can own a topic in your audience’s mind. Choose a niche you can master and make it synonymous with your brand. For example, a business could become the go-to source for practical SME cash flow management strategies and tools.
The topic has staying power for long-term exploration. The best ideas aren’t fleeting. A meaty subject lets you unpack layers over months or years, keeping people engaged without running dry.
It draws the right people into your orbit. Content should magnetise decision-makers who align with your mission—those key players whose goals intersect with yours and who see your work as a catalyst for their success.
It builds trust through expertise. Today’s customers (businesses or consumers) are wary—they’ve waded through too much hype and empty promises. Content that educates (say, a clear breakdown of a tricky concept or a thoughtful exploration of industry shifts) rather than pushes a hard sell establishes you as a reliable guide, not just another voice clamouring for a sale. Better still, backing it with proof—like case studies or customer success stories—shows the real-world impact of that expertise, turning insight into credibility.