Content Marketers Can Take Their Power Back
By: LaNae Riviere of FMK Agency
A lot of content marketing today exists to exist. It’s built for a deadline, a content calendar, or a slide in a stakeholder deck. It might check the right boxes, but nobody actually cares about it…. least of all the person who wrote it.
But what if you gave yourself permission to make something better, not flashier or louder, just more honest? What if you stopped writing like you’re trying to meet quota and started writing like you’re trying to connect? That’s where the good work starts.
This post is for marketers tired of SEO-driven content that says nothing, content strategists fighting for quality over volume, and brand writers who still believe words should mean something. Let’s write content that feels like it came from a person, not a prompt.
Start with What’s Stuck in Your Head
Let’s be honest, half of the content we’re expected to write starts with a blank doc and a vague brief. The other half starts with a content calendar that hasn’t been updated since someone rage-quit in Q2. It’s draining. And you know what doesn’t help? Pretending you’re inspired by some lifeless prompt just to fill the queue.
But you know what? You don’t have to stick to the established norm. You have ideas. Maybe you just didn’t realize they were right in front of your face.
Some of your best content ideas aren’t sitting in a spreadsheet, they’re hiding in the conversations you’re already having. If something keeps coming up in meetings, in DMs, or when you’re venting to your work friend, it probably needs to be written down.
The best content isn’t the most optimized, it’s the most honest. Start with what’s actually on your mind and build from there.
Tell the Truth. Just… Tell It Well.
You ever read your own post after publishing and thought, “This doesn’t sound like me”? That’s a red flag. That’s how soulless content feels. Like shouting ‘thought leader’ into the void until you croak. But we all get it, we have bosses, shareholders, people who often care more about scale than they do about quality.
You aren’t them, though. You’re a creative, which in this case, makes you an expert.
You don’t have to write something groundbreaking to make it useful. Just tell the truth about how something actually went: no fluff, no ego, no slide-deck polish.
The work that resonates most is usually the stuff that’s least filtered. Honesty earns attention. It also earns respect and builds trust with your audience.
Make One Line in Every Piece Unmistakably Yours
We’ve all written that post. The one that could’ve come from any brand, any team, any intern with a pulse and access to Google Docs. It ranks fine. It fills a gap. It means nothing.
Most content sounds like it was written by someone playing a content marketer on TV. Voice matters. So does risk. So does putting something down that doesn’t sound like it came from a content prompt.
This is where brand differentiation lives. If a reader can’t tell your content apart from your competitor’s, it’s time to take the gloves off and write like you mean it.
Give Your Reader Something They Can Actually Use
You know the feeling, you hit publish, check analytics, and nothing. Not because the algorithm was mean, but because the piece didn’t actually help anyone. It sounded fine. It said very little.
If your content is just a rehash of what’s already out there, don’t expect anyone to care. People remember the post that helped them take the next step—not the one that sounded smart.
High-performing B2B content earns its place when it offers clarity, not just clicks. Help your reader take action without making them download a PDF.
Say the Thing You Wish Someone Had Said to You
Remember when you were new, stuck, or second-guessing everything? That version of you is still out there, only now they’re your reader. They don’t need polished positioning. They need a flashlight to figure where the heck they should go next.
Everyone starts somewhere. You’ve probably already lived through the moment your reader is in right now. Write to that version of yourself.
This is where human-centered content marketing wins. Make something that helps someone feel seen, not sold to.
Let the Metrics Come Later
You’ve probably written something you knew mattered, then watched it tank in Google Analytics. That’s fine. The truth is, good content doesn’t always show up on the dashboard right away. But bad content? That’ll show up in your unsubscribe rate pretty fast.
You can care about performance without letting it dictate every decision. Not everything needs to drive immediate traffic. Some of the best content is the kind that quietly builds trust over time.
How to actually do this:
- Tag content types by short-term and long-term value.
- Identify one piece a quarter that’s built for longevity.
- Review old posts—what still drives traffic or gets linked?
If you're serious about building sustainable content strategy, you need patience and conviction. Make something that earns bookmarks, not just clicks.
Last Word: Make It Matter
You don’t have to write the next industry manifesto. But you can write something that feels real. Something that reflects your voice, your experience, and your actual brain.
Forget the clickbait. Forget the buzzwords. Say something useful. Say something human. Say something that helps someone else do their job better tomorrow.
That’s what good content marketing still is. That’s what we get to do.
So go ahead, make something you give a damn about. We’ll all be better for it.
