Cutting through the content clutter

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Ah, back in the days… When you could write a LinkedIn post, record a YouTube video, or host a podcast, and people would actually take the time to read it, watch it, or listen to it.

How times have changed…

In just 15 years, competition has become brutal. The amount of data generated online has gone up 9,000% (!!!). Every minute, WhatsApp, Netflix, Tinder, TikTok, and good old email are fighting for your audience’s attention.

Using content to guide potential clients through the buyer journey has become harder.

Or, as Pierre Herubel put it: “Content is now a red ocean.” Everybody is doing it. So, you need to do things differently in order to stand out.

And, while I agree, I also believe that a couple of things stay very much the same:

• Success has many friends. Share a career milestone, an award granted, or deal sealed, and thumbs will go up on your LinkedIn post. Everybody loves a winner.
  
• People cling to authority. When your experts are recognized as authorities in relevant industries, it’s a lot easier to raise awareness for and generate an interest in what they’re saying.
  
  The same is true for your brand. When recognized as an authority, people will listen when the brand speaks.
  
  Don’t have sufficient authority within a certain industry? Partner with someone who does.
  
• Fans are indispensable. They can help your content stand out from the noise by being the first ones who interact with it.
  
  Do you have team members with a shared interest? Let them help you break through the clutter.
  
  Don’t have (m)any colleagues? Make sure your content also appeals to your industry peers and embrace them as your fans. 

There are a couple of things that were always important, but even more so in 2025 and beyond:

• Share real-world experiences. There’s enough theoretical information out there. Writing a guide on how to do something won’t get you the attention you’re after.
  
  Especially now that ChatGPT and Gemini will provide individuals with answers that seem perfectly tailored to their needs and sound very plausible in their situation.
  
• Develop a vision. It’s helpful to your audience (and yourself) to understand the bigger picture: where we are headed and how your content ties into that narrative.
  
  Consider the defining trends shaping our world, the economy, and the industries of your ideal clients.
  
  Then contemplate what the best possible future for these clients would look like.
  
• Share more of yourself. Now, I’m not referring to personal stories. It’s more about putting your personality into everything you publish.
  
  Your core values and quirks make you unique. Embrace them and let them shine though in your content.

The content clutter increased. Personality, a clear and distinct vision for the future, and real-world experiences just became more valuable.

Let me know what you think.

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Thank you for reading MBD Spark #91, sent on September 18, 2025.