“What should I post today?”
It’s probably one of the most common content questions.
And I think it’s often the wrong place to start.
Because as soon as you begin with the format — a post, a Reel, an email, a carousel — you’re trying to create content before deciding what the content actually needs to achieve.
A better question is:
What does my audience need to understand, believe or do next?
Then decide what to create.
Content should come after the objective
Imagine you’re a consultant.
You know potential clients often look at your service and think:
“Couldn’t I just do this myself?”
You could sit down and try to invent an interesting LinkedIn post.
Or you could recognise that there’s a specific belief you need to address.
Your content could explain the difference between doing something yourself and bringing in specialist support.
Now there’s a purpose behind the post.
Or perhaps you run a training business and people repeatedly ask:
“Is this suitable for beginners?”
There’s your content.
You don’t need a brainstorm.
You already know what the audience needs to understand.
Your customers are giving you content ideas all the time
Some of the best content ideas are already sitting inside your business.
Look at:
- questions customers ask before buying;
- objections that come up regularly;
- things people misunderstand about what you do;
- questions asked during sales calls;
- emails you find yourself answering repeatedly;
- conversations with existing customers;
- things people need reassurance about before taking the next step.
Those are not just customer-service questions.
They’re marketing insight.
And they tend to produce much stronger content because you’re responding to something real rather than trying to invent something because your content calendar says Tuesday needs a post.
Think about where your audience is
Different people need different things from you.
Someone discovering you for the first time might need to understand the problem you solve.
Someone who has followed you for six months might already understand that. They may need proof that you can solve it.
Someone who is nearly ready to buy might simply need reassurance about price, timing or how the process works.
That means “What should I post?” becomes much easier when you start thinking about the audience’s next question.
For example:
They don’t understand the problem yet.
Create something that makes the problem visible.
They understand the problem but don’t know their options.
Explain the different approaches.
They’re considering you but aren’t sure.
Share a case study, example or answer a common objection.
They’re ready.
Give them a clear next step.
Suddenly your content has somewhere to go.
You also stop creating content for the sake of it
This matters because creating content takes time.
And when you’re running a business, there is always something else you could be doing.
If you’re going to spend that time making videos, writing posts or sending emails, they should contribute to something.
That doesn’t mean every post needs to sell something.
Far from it.
Some content exists to educate.
Some builds trust.
Some creates awareness.
Some reassures.
Some encourages people to take action.
But there should still be a reason for it.
Your action
Before creating your next piece of content, write down:
Then create the content around that.
Not around the algorithm.
Not around the fact that you haven’t posted since Tuesday.
And not around what everyone else seems to be talking about.
Start with what your audience needs.
Then choose the content that does the job.