A new shift is happening in the social media space. Founders are turning into their brand ambassadors. One of the key elements of a successful founder-led marketing is content creation. Just like influencers, the right content can help founders to build trust, shape perception, and convert customers. Without the right content, it can be hard to get noticed. In this article, we will help you create a good founder-led content strategy. 

What is Founder-Led Content?

As the name suggests, founder-led content is content created by the business founder. Due to the authority of the founder in their niche, the content helps them communicate their vision, build trust, and show users the human side of their company. While LinkedIn is one of the most popular platforms where founders share content, it is not the only one. Founders can also use other channels such as blogs, videos, newsletters, and podcasts.

One of the characteristics of a founder-led content is that it is personal. It is an indicator of how you share lessons, experiences, and insights. This is one of the reasons why the fastest-growing startups nowadays have their founders creating content. Additionally, founder-led marketing is reasonably cost-effective, particularly for startups in the early stages.

How Founder-Led Content Can Help Startups?

For many startups without a marketing budget, founders have no option but to conduct some form of founder-led marketing. They are involved in pitching to customers, explaining their products, and persuading people to make a purchase. With founder-led marketing, founders utilize content to pitch to a broader audience.

According to one study, 70% of the buying journey typically occurs when prospects reach out to the sales department. That means before a customer can reach out to you, they have already researched the product, your values, and even your customers. That's why founder-led content is important, as it can help you tell your brand story.

Additionally, the right content also contributes to branding. Research from Hard Numbers indicates that CEOs who are successful on LinkedIn also saw the highest ROI. Therefore, if you are serious about building, you should take the founder-led content more seriously. This may also come with other benefits, such as: 

• Ease of buying the product. Your content should discuss your product values, common challenges, and provide buyers with a clear understanding of the buying process. By doing that, they are more likely to say yes when someone calls them.
• Low customer acquisition cost (CAC). Cold outreach and paid ads can be expensive. However, the results of founder-led marketing can increase over time, as it helps brands attract the right audience and makes each customer easier to acquire. A report by the Entrepreneur shows that 77% of customers are likely to buy from a company whose CEO is active on social media.
• Understand your purpose. For people to buy your product, they need to understand what it does and how it will ease their pain points. With founder-led content, you can simplify complex ideas. Instead of relying on technical jargon, founder-led content can feel more relevant and relatable.
• Increase credibility and trust. According to the marketing rule of “7”, a customer needs to be exposed to a brand at least seven times before making a purchase. That means that when a founder consistently shows up for their brand, potential customers are likely to trust it more. Additionally, founder-led content can make your brand feel more relatable, showcasing your vision and expertise. 

How to Create a Founder-Led Content Strategy

We have already seen the benefits of a founder-led content strategy. However, it's also important to understand how to make it sustainable since a founder isn't a content creator.

Your goal should be to create simple and relatable systems to enable you to share insights with your audience and increase your credibility. Here are a few ways you can do that:

Choose the Right Platforms

As a founder, you don't need to be on every platform. The most important thing is to remain consistent, and this is only possible when you are focused on one or two channels. Some of the top platforms for founder-led content are:

• LinkedIn. This is a great choice for investors, B2B companies, and hiring, making it a good option for founders as well. You can use LinkedIn to publish long-form content.
• Email lists. You can use your email lists to keep your brand top of mind for your customers. 
• X. This social media platform is a good choice for founders in the tech industry, even though it has a lower engagement rate.
• YouTube. If you create a lot of video content, such as webinars or in-depth content, YouTube can be a good choice. 
• TikTok. This video-sharing platform is ideal for consumer products and brands, focusing on short-form video content. 
• BlueSky. A startup in its early stages, this decentralized social media platform is a good choice for reaching niche startup communities.

While this list may feel large, it shouldn't intimidate you. You need to select a platform where your target audience is most active. Therefore, if they are mostly found on LinkedIn, you don't have to create TikTok videos. Additionally, consider the type of content that you are most comfortable making. This is important as you should invest in a content strategy that you can sustain in the long-term.

Have a Clear Content Calendar

You need to have an idea of the audience you want to reach with your content. You need to understand:

• Who is your target audience? What are their industry and roles?
• What are their biggest pain points?
• What are their needs?

Before posting, consider whether your ideal customers will find the content helpful. if they will not, continue refining the content. Rather than just posting a random topic, structure the content around three to five pillar content to help you position yourself as an authority. Some of the content to include are:

• Industry trends and insights. You can write about what is already happening in your space.
• Startup journey lessons. Share your journey in creating the startup while discussing the raw and unfiltered content. 
• Your customer success stories. If your product solves problems, show it to your customers.
• Founder lessons. What lessons have you learnt along the way when creating the brand?
• Behind-the-scenes content. Tell your viewers why you're building the brand.
• Built-in public content. If your brand is still in the early stages, building a public presence can be a great strategy for creating founder-led content. The plan works as the audience feels like they are celebrating their major milestones.

Conclusion

Founder-led content can enable you to market your brand at a lower cost. It can also position you as an expert in the industry and, therefore, gain the trust of your audience. With our strategy outlined above, you can create founder-led content that will elevate your brand to the next level.