Effective Content Marketing For Ecommerce

I've been in the copywriting space for 10 years and have generated $100’s of millions of dollars for clients.  Here are the 9 most profitable copywriting lessons I've learned along the way: 1. Most Copy Follows the Same Pattern: Headline → Lead → Body → Offer → CTA. Use this structure for every piece of copy: sales pages, emails, ads—everything. Try this today: Take an existing sales page and rearrange it to follow this flow. Notice how it improves clarity. 2. Stop Selling to Everyone: A hungry niche is far more valuable than a big, lukewarm audience. Identify your top 2–3 customer personas and speak directly to them. Try this today: Rewrite one of your marketing emails to address a single, specific persona’s biggest pain point. 3. Your Headline is King: 80% of your effort should go into writing a headline that stops the scroll. Without a powerful headline, no one reads the rest. Try this today: Write 10 variations of a headline for the same offer. Pick the strongest one (or split-test them). 4. Write First, Edit Later: Separate the creative process (writing freely) from the critical process (editing). More words during writing; fewer words after editing. Try this today: Draft an email or ad in one sitting without stopping yourself, then cut it down by 30%. 5. Make it a Slippery Slope: Headline sells the subheadline → subheadline sells the lead → lead sells the body → body sells the CTA → CTA sells the click. Each section teases the next. Try this today: Structure each element on your landing page to create curiosity for the next. 6. People Care About Themselves: They want to know: “What’s in it for me?” Focus your copy on how your product solves their problems or satisfies their desires. Try this today: Count how many times you say “you” versus “I/we” in your copy. Aim for at least a 2:1 ratio. 7. Embrace the Rule of One: One product, one big idea, one CTA per piece of copy. Avoid confusing your reader with multiple offers. Try this today: If you have multiple CTAs in an email or ad, eliminate all but one to see if conversions improve. 8. Be a Friend, Not a Salesman: Show your personality: use relatable language, humor, empathy. Give value first, then ask for the sale. Try this today: Add a personal anecdote or inside joke in your next email to build rapport and trust. 9. Never Start from Scratch: Use proven frameworks (PAS, AIDA, FAB, etc.) to save time and improve results. Frameworks guide your thinking and help you hit the emotional triggers your audience needs. Try this today: Pick one framework (e.g., PAS) and outline your next sales email before filling it in with copy.

When I started building my brand ecosystem publicly, everything shifted. The traditional advice says, "build it and they will come." But after studying founder brands, I've learned that most founders are stuck choosing between getting attention and maintaining integrity. Last year, I watched a brilliant entrepreneur struggle with this exact paradox. When I shared my Brand Trust Equation with her, something beautiful happened. Here's what I learned about building in public through systematic brand development: 1. Identity System Transparency Share your core messaging, positioning, and values openly. Building your identity in public creates accountability for authentic choices. Your audience connects with the journey, not just the destination. 2. Content System Broadcasting Document your strategic output across all platforms transparently. Sharing your content framework helps others while establishing your authority. Your systematic approach demonstrates professionalism and intentionality. 3. Experience System Documentation Show how people interact with your brand at every touchpoint. Building your customer journey in public creates better experiences for everyone. Your process transparency helps prospects know exactly what to expect. 4. Conversion System Sharing Reveal how attention becomes revenue in your business model. Building your funnel in public demonstrates the value of systematic thinking. Your transparent approach shows prospects the clear path forward. 5. Lighthouse Content Strategy Create cornerstone pieces that attract your ideal audience while repelling everyone else. Building your manifesto, methodology, case studies, and vision in public establishes authority. Your transparent philosophy becomes a filter for quality connections. This approach builds long-term brand equity instead of short-term attention. 6. Platform Synergy Framework Show how different platforms serve different purposes in your ecosystem. Building your multi-platform strategy in public creates strategic alignment. Other founders learn how to maximize impact across channels. This isn't just about building brands, it's about creating beautiful, systemized, and authentic businesses that serve both founders and their communities. When you build your brand ecosystem in public, you're not just attracting attention. You're building trust through the Brand Trust Equation: (Consistency × Authenticity × Value) ÷ Self-Promotion. The solution isn't choosing between integrity and attention, it's building systems that deliver both simultaneously through transparent, value-first brand development. The future belongs to those brave enough to build their brand systems in public. __ Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Curious how this could look inside your business? DM me ‘System’ and I’ll walk you through how we help clients make it happen. This is for high-commitment founders only.

I get the aggregated e-mails from 40+ creators' inboxes every day. Yes...I'm reading ALL of your cold outreach. And very few of you are nailing it. I'm sure your response rate confirms this. Some tips (save this post if you reach out to a lot of creators): 1. Don't send from a non-company account. I won't say which one, but there was a Fortune 500 brand that reached out to a HUGE creator from a gmail account. I was about to toss it to spam, but decided to reach out to the person on LinkedIn to see if it was legit. Disaster averted, but barely. 2. Most creators are just looking for real, upfront-paid offers. If you have one, say that in the subject line. Especially if you know the rate and it's at-market. 3. Follow-up steps should NEVER be, "Can we hop on a call to explore?" unless the campaign is at or above rate. Creators are busy. Spending a half hour on a call to explore a potential deal is not a great use of time. 4. Reps trying to poach: probably not smart to reach out to an e-mail that literally has a competitor's website in the e-mail. Should go without saying... 5. There's so much power in a TL;DR. If you have an offer, pop high-level terms up top, then go into detail below. 6. Never, never, never, never tell a creator to follow a link to see a campaign. Do you know how many phishing scams there are? Not only will your CTR be terrible, but you'll only get creators who are notably not careful with their careers. 7. AI creator marketing companies are killing the efficacy of cold outreach. If you are an AI company that automates creator outreach, be a bit more cautious with the number of e-mails you send. Don't have AI in your e-mail or name, as it signals to us that you're farming for sign ups. And if you work at Google, please ban these companies! 8. Be realistic. If you're doing a gifting campaign, don't reach out to MrBeast offering a free battery for a video shout-out. If you're asking someone to attend an LA event, make sure they don't live in the Maldives. It makes you look sloppy. 9. Stop with the 'send me your rate card then I'll tell you my budget' dance. Know what you want to achieve and send a first offer. There will be less back and forth, higher response rates, and it makes you look like you actually value the creator's work instead of trying to milk them for as much work as possible at the lowest possible rate. (Also, creators, you should know your rate too and don't be afraid to tell people what you want) 10. If you really want a creator, go multi-platform. Send an e-mail, then DM saying, "I sent an offer to your e-mail" and if they have a rep, ping their manager saying you'd love to work with their creator. A little additional effort will go a long way.

If your story doesn't hit in the first 5 seconds It's Over You don’t get minutes to earn attention anymore. You get moments. That’s why the best ads today don’t start by selling. They start by storytelling, fast. Take this campaign: It opens like a zombie thriller. Not a product demo. Not a stat dump. Not a polished brand shot. But a story that grabs your brain before it even knows what it's watching. So why does it work so well? 📌 It uses genre to create instant tension Within seconds, we’re in a world. It’s not just an ad, it’s a scene. A story. One you can’t look away from. 📌 It anchors emotion before explanation We feel before we understand. That’s what powerful stories do 📌 It educates through narrative By the time we realize the message (synthetic materials take 200+ years to decompose), we’re already emotionally invested. 📌 It aligns cause with creativity This isn’t preachy. It’s precise. The storytelling is the message. The product is the punchline. Want to build content that hits like this? Here’s a storytelling framework to try: 1️⃣ Hook with conflict Every good story starts with tension. Show us something broken, scary, or just plain weird. Make us lean in. 2️⃣ Introduce transformation What changes? What insight or solution comes next? Keep us moving through the arc. 3️⃣ Reveal your message last Don’t start with “what”, start with “why care.” Let the product or idea emerge from the emotion. 4️⃣ Make it feel cinematic Use sound, visuals, pacing, not to show off, but to bring your audience into the moment. 5️⃣ Keep it short, sharp, and story-first We’re in the TikTok era. But attention spans haven’t died, they’ve just gotten pickier. Stories still win. Always. The best storytelling doesn’t sell the product. It sells the belief behind the product. And if you want your brand to rise above the noise Stop pitching. Start telling better stories. #storytelling #branding #sellwithstories #marketingtips I share storytelling and creativity to help you and your company sell more and grow. Let's Connect! 1. Try my other course on LinkedIn Learning: https://lnkd.in/gTh8R5Mc 2. Join 10,000 others learning weekly growth tips at: https://lnkd.in/eCDKabp2 Use the 3-Act E.P.I.C Structure to turn stories into sales: https://lnkd.in/e9_eczTG 3. 3 Ways To Grow Guide: https://lnkd.in/gZaq56hT (no sign-up needed)

“Your content isn’t a differentiator—it’s a commodity.” a $19M CMO asked me: “how do we stand out in a market that’s flooded with content?” my response? “stop producing content. start producing original research.” most companies treat thought leadership like a volume game— 📌 repost industry benchmarks 📌 repackage someone else’s blog 📌 react to trending news or LinkedIn takes but the best GTM teams don’t just publish. they run GTM like a research lab. they investigate. original research isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s your content moat. if your brand isn’t backed by insight, you don’t have a POV—you have opinions. if your sales deck relies on only internal stats, you don’t have authority—you have dependency. if your marketing playbook hasn’t been updated with real customer data, you don’t have strategy—you have guesswork. when GTM is fueled by research, it becomes a competitive engine. so what does a research-driven GTM system look like? 1️⃣ predictable demand generation → how do we earn attention with insight? ✅ create data your buyers can’t find anywhere else ✅ partner with analysts, customers, or communities to co-produce insight ✅ promote research findings across product marketing, brand, sales, and PR 🚀 example: Gong → turned sales call data into viral content + trust-building insights OpenView → SaaS benchmarks that power the GTM of hundreds of startups 2️⃣ seamless pipeline conversion → how do we enable buyers with clarity? ✅ use research to frame the problem and build urgency ✅ arm AEs with industry-specific insights that shift conversations ✅ ground messaging in data, not just value props 🚀 example: Figma → published research on collaboration gaps to drive adoption G2 → used category data to educate buyers and accelerate decisions 3️⃣ revenue retention & expansion → how do we keep leading with insight post-sale? ✅ host insight-driven QBRs that prove value ✅ share ongoing trend reports with current customers ✅ co-create case studies and benchmarks based on actual usage 🚀 example: HubSpot → publishes “State of Marketing” to upserve and re-engage Amplitude → shares product analytics benchmarks to deepen use cases final thoughts 📌 if your content doesn’t lead with insight, it won’t land 📌 if your GTM isn’t learning—you’re falling behind 📌 if your sales team can’t teach, they can’t sell GTM isn’t about chasing trends. it’s about building trust. so i’ll ask you: 👉 is your GTM guessing—or is it grounded in original research? let’s discuss 👇 — love, sangram p.s. we have written over 30 original research notes and actively working with leaders like Gainsight ZoomInfo Demandbase PathFactory PartnerStack Qualified. DM Sangram Vajre to learn how to power your GTM with research and insights. #gotomarket #gtm #originalresearch #b2b #marketing

If your e-mail and SMS strategy doesn't emphasize content that is meant to educate the consumer, you are likely missing out on a lot of revenue. The truth is, 95% of visitors to an DTC brand's website will not purchase on the first touch, and require some sort of nurturing to make a purchase. Often times that nurturing doesn't need to be a discount or lower price, it just requires education. We've seen significant improvement in performance across all types of flows and campaigns when education has been a primary focus. Yes, education can be done via SMS too, using short, snippy soundbytes that remind the user why they showed interest in your product in the first place, and why they should care about your brand in particular. It matters because messages with educational content simply have higher open rates, engagement, and drive more sales. But first, let's clarify what it's not: • It's not just selling a product • It's not sending boring newsletters • It's not ignoring your audience's needs • It's not using complex jargon • It's not spamming inboxes • It's not focusing only on your brand • It's not neglecting engagement • It's not one-size-fits-all content Here's what it really is about: • Providing value to your audience • Sharing useful tips and insights • Building trust with your readers • Encouraging two-way communication • Creating a loyal following • Making learning enjoyable • Offering solutions to real problems • Keeping content relevant and fresh If you want to boost your email & SMS marketing, focus on educational content. → It increases engagement. → It builds customer loyalty. → It drives conversions. Your business will thrive from it.

The most effective content strategy isn't about creating more content - it's about capturing unique expertise. In every company, there are subject matter experts with deep industry knowledge. Yet most of this valuable insight never makes it into content because experts don't have time to write. I learned this firsthand while building content strategies across multiple companies. The solution wasn't to pressure experts to write more - it was to change how we captured their knowledge. Through structured interviews, we found experts could share complex insights in 10-15 minutes of conversation. This led to developing a methodical process: ↳ Create detailed interview templates ↳ Focus on real customer challenges ↳ Prepare specific talking points ↳ Extract practical examples ↳ Document success stories ↳ Include specific results This approach produced unique content that stood out from AI-generated articles. Google recognized these pieces contained original insights, not just rewritten information. The key was capturing authentic expertise through conversation rather than forcing experts to write from scratch. By making it easier for experts to share their knowledge, we created content that truly resonated with our audience and met Google's EEAT guidelines. What methods have you found effective for capturing expert knowledge in your organization? *** ♻️ Like this? Please repost. ➡️ Follow me for daily coaching.

Brands, we need to talk about the “try our product for free, post about it, and here’s your affiliate link” approach. For creators, this can feel like a one-sided deal. Testing a product, creating thoughtful content, and sharing it with an audience we’ve worked to build involves effort. When the ask is for a free review in exchange for a commission-only affiliate link, it’s one of the quickest ways to get a “no, thank you.” If you’re genuinely interested in partnering with creators, consider approaching things a little differently: 📌 Instead of diving straight into commission details, start by asking if we’re genuinely interested in the product. Have you seen us use it before? What sets you apart from competitor products we already share? Taking the time to connect and do a little research shows you see us as partners — not just promoters. 📌 Real partnerships go way beyond just free products and affiliate links. Compensating creators shows you truly value the time, effort, and expertise they invest in creating engaging content. Expecting a quick product review with deliverables but without any pay? That’s a full campaign, not just an affiliate opportunity. 📌 Focus on genuine connection — it goes a long way. Offering products without expectations builds a foundation for authentic relationships and can lead to rewarding partnerships. Sometimes, that means hopping on a call to understand how your brand fits into a creator’s content calendar. Bottom line? Be mindful in your initial outreach. The creator-brand relationship should be built on respect and mutual value. Lean into creating partnerships that feel like a win-win for everyone involved. #creators #brandpartnerships #influencermarketing 

Last month, Storylane drove over 700,000+ impressions through influencer marketing. And at the start of the year, I had no idea how to make this channel perform consistently. I had no playbook, no proven process, and no ideas. So, I experimented. A lot. And while we’re still figuring it out, here’s what I’ve learned so far: 1. Smaller creators are outperforming larger ones for us Smaller creators often produce better, more authentic content. They’re typically more affordable, work harder, and deliver results with a hyper-focused audience. Larger influencers charge a premium, and the content often feels average. Exceptions exist, but they’re rare. 2. Build a curated influencer portfolio. There are more great influencers out there than your budget can handle. Start small, experiment, and refine a curated portfolio of creators who align with your goals, budget, and audience. This takes trial and error, so don’t rush it. Your “go-to” influencers will emerge over time. 3. Three months is enough to evaluate an influencer. In three months, you’ll know if the partnership is worth continuing. It’s enough time to assess content quality, audience engagement, and impact. 4. Set up clear contracts with influencers Include everything in writing: - Who owns the content? - Can you run ads with it? - Will they engage with your posts? - How many posts will they deliver? Clarity now saves confusion later. 5. Influencer costs vary... a lot. Pricing is all over the place, but here's a starting point. For this platform, expect $500–$2,000 per post for influencers with fewer than 100K followers. Bigger names might quote $5K or more. The highest I’ve seen is $650k per post (no joke). Decide what’s worth it based on your goals and their audience quality. 6. Influencer onboarding matters. Hop on a 1:1 call to align. Share your knowledge, past successes, and internal data. Learn their creative process and set expectations. The better you collaborate upfront, the smoother the partnership. 7. Influencer program management is a full-time job. I tried juggling this alongside my other responsibilities, and it’s a lot. Between sourcing, contracts, payments, content review, and feedback, the workload multiplies with every creator. Bring in outside help if you can afford it or upskill someone internally. 8. Give creators creative freedom. Over-controlling a creator’s content kills authenticity. Work closely on the brief to give them all the context they need, but let their voice shine through. The results are far better when they feel trusted. 9. Ethics build trust (with influencers and your buyers) Always disclose influencer partnerships (FTC compliance isn’t optional). I see a lot of brands and creators not disclose these partnerships (on LinkedIn, in private communities, Slack groups etc.) and it's WRONG. Don't trick your buyers. Be honest. We’re still learning, but this channel is showing promise, and I plan to scale it further in 2025.

A client came to us frustrated. They had thousands of website visitors per day, yet their sales were flat. No matter how much they spent on ads or SEO, the revenue just wasn’t growing. The problem? Traffic isn’t the goal - conversions are. After diving into their analytics, we found several hidden conversion killers: A complicated checkout process – Too many steps and unnecessary fields were causing visitors to abandon their carts. Lack of trust signals – Customer reviews missing on cart page, unclear shipping and return policies, and missing security badges made potential buyers hesitate. Slow site speeds – A few-second delay was enough to make mobile users bounce before even seeing a product page. Weak calls to action – Generic "Buy Now" buttons weren’t compelling enough to drive action. Instead of just driving more traffic, we optimized their Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy: ✔ Simplified the checkout process - fewer clicks, faster transactions. ✔ Improved customer testimonials and trust badges for credibility. ✔ Improved page load speeds, cutting bounce rates by 30%. ✔ Revamped CTAs with urgency and clear value propositions. The result? A 28% increase in sales - without spending a dollar more on traffic. More visitors don’t mean more revenue. Better user experience and conversion-focused strategies do. Does your ecommerce site have a traffic problem - or a conversion problem? #EcommerceGrowth #CRO #DigitalMarketing #ConversionOptimization #WebsiteOptimization #AbsoluteWeb