A lot of the startup marketing advice out there is either too vague (just build a brand!) or too expensive (run Google ads). If you’re running lean—and what startup isn’t—those options feel out of reach. What you need is something that works without draining your entire runway.
That’s where content marketing comes in. Focus on sharp, strategic content built to earn trust and traffic over time, because content is the only marketing asset that gets more valuable the longer you have it.
You may also be interested in: A beginner’s guide to content marketing (that won’t waste your time)
The problem with traditional startup marketing
As a startup, you’ve often got limited cash and even less time, so you look for marketing tactics with fast results, like ads, partnerships, and cold emails. These tactics can work, but they usually stop working the minute you stop paying for or doing them.
What content marketing actually does for startups
If you’re building something new and don’t have the luxury of a huge budget, content is how you punch above your weight. Results can be slow at first, but over time, your content becomes the tactic that brings people in, earns their trust, and keeps them coming back.
Startups fail for all kinds of reasons. But the ones that understand their audience and connect with them early are the ones that tend to stick around.
Here are three reasons why content marketing is important for startups:
1. It teaches you what your audience actually wants
Content tells you what people care about enough to click on, which can help inform and fast-track your approach to product development, sales, and marketing strategy.
2. It builds trust before you talk to someone
Imagine this: A potential client hits your site, finds a guide that speaks to his exact problem, and sees that you get it. By the time he books a demo, he already trusts you more than the competitors he Googled five minutes ago.
We’ve seen it with a client of ours that uses software to track every activity a potential lead takes on their website. Often, a user will read multiple blog posts before eventually clicking the “get in touch” button.
3. It keeps working while you sleep
You write something once, you hit publish, and that same post might drive traffic for years, even if it takes some time to gain momentum. One of our client’s most-read pieces is several years old and still brings in a significant amount of traffic every month:
You won’t see that kind of longevity with ads or social media. Good content pays off like compound interest.
Content marketing tips for startups
Hopefully by now, you’re sold on the value of content. Here are a few content marketing tips that can help you get results faster:
Avoid these common startup content mistakes
Mistake #1: Writing for everyone
Fix: Pick a niche and own it. You don’t need a massive audience; you need the right one. Here’s why everyone’s not your customer.
Mistake #2: Chasing traffic instead of conversions
Fix: Know what you want the reader to do next (book a call, download a lead magnet, subscribe to emails, etc.) and use a call-to-action that tells them to do just that.
Mistake #3: Publishing and praying
Fix: Content needs distribution to work, so don’t be shy about making the most of it. Promote it via multiple channels, repurpose it, and repeat it.
Content formats that work (even if you’re a tiny team)
You don’t need a podcast, a YouTube channel, and a 20-page white paper. Pick what fits your audience and your team. For most startups, that means:
- Blog posts: Especially ones that answer niche questions your audience Googles at 2 a.m.
- Case studies: Real stories of how you helped someone like them.
- Email newsletters: Concise, useful, and consistent.
- LinkedIn content: Share your unique perspective and show up regularly. Get 30 days of LinkedIn content ideas here.
And, remember, one piece of content can be adapted to all the formats listed above in multiple ways.
For example, we recently blogged about a client that’s pursuing a marketing maintenance strategy:
Shared the story in our newsletter:
And we have some social posts coming up. Depending on how the content performs, we’ll decide whether to republish it later with a different angle or title.
When to DIY vs. hire a content marketing agency for startups
In the early days, it’s fine to DIY your content, especially if the founder has strong opinions (and a decent writing voice). But eventually, you’ll hit a wall. Either you run out of time and steam, or your content isn’t doing enough to justify the effort behind it.
That’s when an agency can help write and guide the whole strategy: what to write, when to post, how to optimize, and make sure that your precious resources are going toward content that actually moves your business forward. (Yes, this is the part where we’d be happy to help. But only if it makes sense for you. Let us know!)
