5 Steps for Creating Content That Sells

Walking through how to create a piece of content and 5 steps to make sure that content will sell. I want you to create content that is serving people, growing your business, representing your brand, building that brand and selling your products. It’s a lot, but I promise you it can be done! 

5 Steps for Creating Content that Sells

1-How does the problem you solve show up in everyday life?

Think about your core piece of content you’ll create next. Is it a podcast, YouTube video, IGTV, etc.? Think about what you’re about to create and why you are creating it. Now, think of your ideal audience member and brainstorm about how the problem you solve shows up in their everyday lives. How does this look in a real life situation? Recently I had a leak in one of my bathrooms in my home. We thought it was a small leak, then we discovered that it was actually much larger and it ended up affecting a few of the bedrooms in my home along with the bathroom. I hired a plumber to come and figure out what was going on with the leak, and he was able to fix it. He solved my problem. 

You need to know that your business solves a problem for someone. It might not be an obvious problem like a broken pipe. Maybe the problem you solve is that the house is too noisy to work in and your audience needs a quiet place to work. For this problem, the solution could be that you provide a safe, quiet work environment where women can come to get work done and can be more productive than they would be at home. 

I want you to think about the big problem that you solve and brainstorm how that problem shows up in your customer’s everyday life. 

How does this look in real life?

Going back to the workspace problem, I have a friend here in Riverside, CA that has solved this problem. She saw a need for professional women who work primarily out of their homes to have a place they could take meetings and work uninterrupted. So she created Women In Tandem to solve this problem. Now, how can she take this problem and create content that sells her solution? There are a few different ways, but one piece of content she could create would be, “3 ways to be more productive working from home.” 

Yes, your problem that you solve is most likely deeper than just something on the surface like needing a quiet place to work. But, you need to meet people where they are and then take them to where they need to go.

2-Solve one specific problem

Too many times we are really vague bc we want to help everyone with our content. Instead, I want you to show up and tell your audience, ‘this is the one problem I’m going to solve for you right this minute. And it represents everything I can solve for you later, too.” A good example of this is Instagram Reels. (For all my posts on Reels, click here)

When Reels began, I started showing people how to utilize them in their businesses and how to create Reels. Now, do I only teach how to use Reels in my business? No. I teach overall strategy with your content. But I’m going to tell you, when Reels came out that was one problem my audience had that I could solve quickly. I created a lot of content around solving that one problem And when I did that I became the Reels expert. I even got asked to speak at a conference and teach people how to do Reels. Crazy, right? All because I created content around one specific problem with one specific solution. It’s been a game changer for me. When you focus on one specific problem you are answering one specific question and giving your audience one specific result. Try it. It’s amazing. 

 

3- Make the content the first step in the journey.

When you create content you’re going to focus on the first step in the journey. You’re going to focus on the most obvious problem that you can solve. For me,  I use my podcast to solve one specific problem for people. Now, my podcast should lead you to my email list, a product that I’ve created, or even my monthly coaching group. You want your content to be the first step on your customer journey. This is where people will come in, get to know you, you’re going to build a like/know/trust factor, and then the content will lead the customer to a specific outcome. Too many times we create content just to create content. When we do this, our content is not leading people anywhere or taking them on a customer journey at all. 

I want people to listen to my podcast, make changes in their business, and then follow up with the next step I’ve shown them– email list, coaching group, etc. You need to look at your content as a part of your overall strategy.

4-Have a specific goal for your content.

Every time you create a piece of content I want you to have a specific goal of what you want them to do next. After they read your blog post, watch your YouTube video, check out your Reel on Instagram; what do you want them to do next? Remember, the different places that you are creating content for will have different rules for getting the results you want.

With my podcast, it’s a long form piece of content and it’s for people who are more invested in me and my business. My goal is going to be different for those who listen to my podcast. For Reels, my strategy is completely different. I use Reels for brand recognition and to grow my audience. What I want them to do is to comment on my Reels and share it with others who need it. Think about your piece of content and make sure you know what you want people to do.

 

5-Tell your audience what you want them to do

People need to be told what to do. They just do. If I want to start a conversation on Instagram, I need to say, “Tell me in the comments below.” If I want you to join my texting thread, I need to give you my number. (Listen to the podcast to get my number!) If you’re not telling people exactly what you want them to do, they’re not going to do it. Your audience is consuming your content and asking themselves how they can use it in their lives and how it can help them. Tell them what the next step is. If you are not clear on what you want them to do, your content is going to be wasted. They’ll consume it and move on. Make sure you’re giving them a clear call to action. 

Which of my 5 steps for creating content that sells spoke to you?

I’m so glad that I get to help you, my audience, create content that makes you money. You don’t have time to waste. Content is a hungry beast that you have to feed all the time, so make your content count and make you money! Which tip spoke to you? Tell me about it in the comments below or on my Instagram feed @iammichellegifford.

 

Click here to get my free training series: how to create a year’s content calendar in one week.