To the founders who’ve poured hours into content - LinkedIn posts, newsletters, tweets, and blogs - only to get no DMs, no signups, and no new users… this post is for you.

You’re not lazy. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just missing one foundational mindset shift.

You don’t need more content.
You need more conversations.

Why Content Feels Like a Hamster Wheel (And How to Break Out)

Every week, I talk to founders who create thoughtful posts, send valuable newsletters, and publish sharp takes… and yet they feel stuck in a loop:

🔁 Create content → Post it everywhere → Hope it brings customers.

But instead of conversions, they get silence.

Here’s the truth: content without connection is just noise.

In the early stages, when you don’t yet have product-market fit, your goal isn’t traffic, virality, or building a huge audience.
It’s clarity.

Clarity about who feels the problem.
Clarity about how they describe it.
Clarity about how they’re already solving it.

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Stop speaking to everyone.
Start speaking to one person.

✨ One person who reads your email.
✨ One person who comments on your post.
✨ One person who replies to your poll.

That person? They’re a goldmine. Because they’re giving you what no analytics tool ever will: context.

Treat every content interaction like the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one. Because that’s where product-market fit lives, not in dashboards, but in DMs.

Step-by-Step: How to Turn Content Into a Customer Discovery Engine

This isn’t about growing fast. It’s about growing right, with the right people, the right message, and the right feedback loop.

1. Spot the Engaged Few

Forget viral growth. Look for consistent signals.

• Who always likes your posts?

• Who opens your emails?

• Who replies to your polls?

👉 Action: DM or email them. Try this:

“Hey! I noticed you’ve been following along. Curious, what made this post resonate with you?”

This single message has opened doors to new users, discovery calls, and even first customers for founders I’ve worked with.

2. Use Your Content to Start Conversations

Instead of ending your posts with “Subscribe” or “Follow,” try a human prompt.

Examples:

• “What’s your #1 struggle with [problem]?”

• “How have you been solving this?”

• “Have you ever felt stuck like this?”

This signals you want to listen, not just promote. People respond when they feel seen.

3. Write to a Real Human, Not a Persona

Think about one person who would benefit most. Not your whole market. One actual human.

When you write to them, your language gets sharper. Your story gets clearer. Your message resonates more.

I once worked with a founder whose posts were technically strong but emotionally flat. After coaching them to write to a real founder they knew, their content instantly connected, and triggered 3 qualified leads in a week.

4. Follow the Trail of Resonance

Watch for signals:

• Comments like “This hit home”

• DMs saying “This is me”

• Replies saying “I’ve been thinking about this”

👉 Ask: Why did this work?
What words, examples, or stories hit a nerve?

Then, use that to shape your next post. That’s how you build content that compounds.

5. Measure Conversations, Not Clicks

Here’s how I help early-stage founders shift their metrics:

• 1 DM > 100 impressions

• 1 user call > 10 new followers

• 1 email reply > 20 likes

Because if 10 people truly understand what you do and why it matters, you’re 10x closer to your first 10 customers than if 10,000 people scroll past your viral post.

Why This Approach Works (Especially Before PMF)

When you don’t have product-market fit yet, your biggest currency isn’t traffic or brand awareness.
It’s insight.

Insight into:

• Who really feels the pain?

• What words do they use?

• What have they tried (and failed at)?

• What would make them pay for a better solution?

And you won’t get those answers from analytics. You get them from conversations, often triggered by content that connects.

From Lurkers to Paying Users

A founder I worked with was stuck at 200 impressions per post and feeling discouraged. But she noticed three people who consistently liked her content.

She messaged them. Got on Zoom calls. Turned those chats into deep user insights.
That led to a refined value proposition, a pivot in product positioning, and, within 4 weeks, her first 2 paying customers.

All from three people.

I helped her set up a lightweight Notion system to track conversations, pain points, language, and patterns.
That became the foundation of a go-to-market strategy that actually worked.

Download the Notion System from here.

How I Can Help

If you’re an early-stage founder trying to:

• Find your first 10 customers

• Turn content into real conversations

• Build a go-to-market strategy without paid ads

• Validate your product with your users, not in isolation

Then I can help you cut through the noise and build something that sticks.

I’ve built a proven system that helps you:

✅ Identify the right users
✅ Create content that resonates
✅ Start real conversations
✅ Turn feedback into product clarity
✅ And most importantly, start getting users who pay

Final Word: Build Trust Before You Scale

Founders often chase reach.
But trust is what converts.

And trust starts when your content makes one person feel seen, heard, and helped.

Start there.

And if you’re ready to build a low-BS content engine that grows with clarity, customer feedback, and conversations, I’d love to help.