How I address the issues from The State of (Dis)Content by Tommy Walker

Content marketing is stuck between progress and problems. A 220-page report, The State of (Dis)Content, breaks down where the industry stands right now. Pulling insights from 545 marketers, it sheds light on the realities of content creation today — everything from AI’s growing role to leadership’s lukewarm support.

As I promised (and then forgot, until now, sorry for that), I’ll break down the report’s key findings — what’s working, what’s not, and a few steps we can take to start closing those gaps.

Overview of "The State of (Dis)Content"

Tommy Walker from The Content Studio digs deep into the ups and downs of content marketing in this report, pulling insights from 545 marketers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key takeaways: what’s going well, where things are tough, and ideas to move the needle.

Positive trends

Compensation satisfaction

Nearly half (49.24%) of content marketers are happy with their pay, with service providers topping the charts thanks to the high-risk, high-reward nature of their work.

Leadership buy-in

On the leadership front, about 72.1% are on board with content marketing, showing growing recognition of its value.

Collaboration and AI adoption

Collaboration is also a bright spot, with over half of in-house marketers reporting good teamwork across departments.

AI gets a thumbs-up too, with 67.2% of marketers saying it’s boosting productivity, streamlining workflows, and helping them work more efficiently.

Challenges

Leadership skepticism and limited understanding

8.6% of leadership still doesn’t buy into content marketing, and 17% couldn’t care less. Moreover, many decision-makers just don’t see the bigger picture or understand how content can drive long-term results.

Resource constraints

Over half (55.8%) say they don’t have enough resources, and nearly half (48.5%) struggle to get access to experts when they need them.

Creative dissatisfaction and burnout

Over half (53.1%) feel disconnected or unsure about their work, and 37.6% say they’re not creatively fulfilled. Burnout and worries about how AI will shape the future are dragging morale down even further.

Audience research neglect

Finally, over 41% admit they’re falling short on audience research, which is hurting leadership support, job satisfaction, and the quality of their content.

What Vlada Korzun found

After digging deep into the report and attending a webinar, Vlada Korzun ????? shared a no-nonsense take on content marketing’s current state. She pointed out a big issue: there’s often a gap between the best practices we talk about and what actually happens on the ground.

The ideas behind good content marketing are easy enough to understand, but putting them into action is where it gets tricky. Here are the issues that Vlada highlighted:

• Leaders often question whether content marketing is worth the investment, which makes getting their support and resources an uphill battle.
• Stronger leadership backing tends to lead to better audience research and customer insights, but without that initial buy-in, progress slows to a crawl.
• Content teams frequently face roadblocks when trying to connect directly with customers, often due to restrictions from leadership or other departments.
• Rather than being viewed as strategic contributors, many content teams are treated like task-doers, focused on execution instead of driving long-term goals.
• A lack of understanding about content’s long-term value means leadership often underfunds the resources needed to create truly impactful content.
• Even though old strategies are losing their edge, leadership is wary of trying new ones, leaving teams stuck in outdated approaches.

My take on these challenges

Disclaimer: I’m approaching this as an independent marketer, and I recognize that for those working in-house, the challenges can be even more overwhelming. Some of the issues highlighted here are ones I’ve personally managed by parting ways with certain clients or teams. I understand that this option isn’t always available to everyone, and the reality for in-house professionals may feel much more restrictive.

1. Leadership skepticism about content marketing

To tackle leadership’s skepticism about content marketing, start by showing the numbers. Compare its ROI and CPA to other channels to highlight its value. Point out how content supports SEO and overall marketing efficiency. For example, businesses using content and SEO often see lead conversion rates of 14.6%, compared to just 1.7% for outbound strategies.

If leadership raises concerns about the slower results of content marketing, have data on hand to counter. Share case studies that show how it lowers customer acquisition costs or boosts brand awareness. Highlight measurable wins like traffic increases, lead conversions, or lower cost-per-lead to address their doubts.

Instead of talking in broad terms, share specific examples, like how a blog post brought in X leads or how a case study sped up the sales cycle. Walk them through the content’s role in each stage of the customer journey to help them see its impact firsthand.

2. Leaders' buy-in vs. Audience research

If leadership isn’t sold on the need for audience research, try starting small and taking the initiative yourself. Use free tools and public data to get the ball rolling. Build basic audience personas by analyzing insights from platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, Quora, and Twitter, especially by focusing on key influencers who share valuable signals about your target audience.

Once you’ve done some research, show how it ties directly to results. For example, highlight how audience-driven content aligns with SEO goals or keyword strategies. If your data shows a strong link, like an 80% correlation between audience insights and keyword performance, share that to make your case stronger.

To push for ongoing research, demonstrate the impact of what you’ve already done. Share how content based on audience insights improved engagement or relevance and tied back to business goals. Showing the tangible benefits of continuous research can help win leadership over.

How I conduct audience research:

I start by segmenting my audience based on general demographic or interest-based categories that align with the product or service of my client. Use broad criteria like industry, age group, or common challenges they face.

Then I build detailed personas for each segment. These personas should include hypothetical characteristics such as their goals, pain points, and potential behavior patterns.

After that, I use LinkedIn to identify Champions — socially active individuals who represent these personas. Champions should be the users who frequently engage on the platform. I aim at 50+ Champions per segment — to ensure my findings are robust.

I collect publicly available data from these Champions, first of all their comments. I also use additional sources of data like Reddit, Quora, Twitter, Hacker News, Slashdot, etc. The goal is to gather authentic, unfiltered opinions and discussions.

When the data is gathered, I use AI tools to process this data and identify recurring themes, sentiments, and patterns that align with your objectives. For instance, look for signals around customer pain points, desires, or trending topics relevant to your industry.

Finally, I take the findings from the AI analysis and refine my initial audience segmentation and personas. This iterative process helps ensure my understanding of the audience stays accurate and actionable.

3. Bosses and colleagues hindering access to customers

If you can’t get direct access to customers, open data can be a great fallback. Use social listening tools and platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, or industry forums to pick up on what your audience is talking about. These conversations can give you a solid idea of their pain points and preferences. From there, you can build audience personas that represent your target market.

Share these findings with leadership to show that even without direct access, you’re able to gather meaningful customer insights. It’s a simple way to prove that you can create informed, effective content strategies using the data that’s already out there.

4. Content teams viewed as service providers, not as strategic partners

To change how content teams are seen from task executors to strategic partners, start by showing how content directly supports business goals. Tie your efforts to things leadership cares about, like lead generation, brand growth, or long-term revenue. Regular updates that connect content to key metrics, such as leads, sales, or engagement, can help underline its strategic value.

Start with small, focused projects that are easy to measure. For example, create a blog post aimed at generating leads, and use its results — say, 200 qualified leads — to show how content can drive business outcomes. Once you’ve proven success on a small scale, use those wins to push for more involvement in strategic initiatives.

5. Your decision-makers don't have a clue in content's long-term impact

Lay out a simple content roadmap to help them realize the long-term value of content marketing. Show how creating content pays off over time with benefits like SEO growth, stronger brand recognition, and lead nurturing. For example, share metrics that highlight how evergreen content keeps driving traffic and leads months or even years after it’s published.

It’s also worth showing how content can be repurposed to extend its lifespan. A blog post could become an infographic, a video, or even a series of social posts. This demonstrates how a single piece of content can deliver value in multiple ways over time, making the investment go further. This kind of approach can help leadership see content as a long-term win, not just a short-term effort.

6. When old tactics stop working, but bosses won't change

When rolling out new content strategies, start small to keep your bosses comfortable. Try testing new ideas, like interactive content or A/B testing, in a controlled way. By running these small-scale experiments, you can show results without requiring a full shift away from traditional methods. Side-by-side comparisons of old versus new tactics can also highlight how outdated approaches might be holding things back while fresh ideas can drive growth.

It’s also helpful to share examples from other companies or industries that have successfully made the leap to modern content strategies. Real-world success stories can help leadership see both the potential benefits and the manageable risks of trying something new.

Tip 1: Help colleagues understand AI as a data processing machine that still needs their expertise to guide it. This perspective keeps expectations realistic and shows AI as something that amplifies their work rather than replacing it.

Tip 2: Instead of showcasing how well you can manually refine AI outputs, focus on how good the AI content could be even without manual edits. This shows its potential without making it seem like AI creates more work than it solves.

Tip 3: Encourage colleagues from other depts to share their expertise in whatever format suits them — whether that’s text, audio, or video. Show them how AI can handle these formats just as easily, making their input valuable and the process stress-free.

7. Lack of resources for effective content creation due to short-term mindset

If your bosses are stuck on cranking out a high volume of content, it’s worth starting a conversation about shifting to quality over quantity. Show them how fewer, well-thought-out pieces can deliver better results over time. Use metrics like longer dwell times, higher engagement, and more qualified leads to back up the case for prioritizing quality. Explain that focusing on short-term volume often leads to diminishing returns, while high-quality content aligns better with long-term business goals.

Getting buy-in for more resources can be easier if you show how they lead to better results. Share case studies or examples of companies that invested in dedicated writers, tools, or analytics and saw long-term payoffs. This can help make the case that putting more into quality content is a smart move for sustained success.

Sometimes I agree to the requests for doing more than the resources can afford, but I always make it a point to highlight the trade-offs. For example, you can object in a way "To meet your output expectations, I can exclude the XXX stage. But the result will be ...". One of the easiest ways is by extending delivery timelines — this subtly shows that cutting resources or pushing limits has real consequences, like slower turnarounds or potential dips in quality. It’s a way to meet the ask while keeping expectations grounded in reality.

Wrapping up

Yes, the situation is tough, but it’s far from hopeless. Challenges in content marketing are real, but with the right strategies and mindset, they can be tackled head-on. While I approach these issues as a freelancer, most of the tips I’ve shared can easily be adapted for in-house roles too: they’re not exclusive to one way of working.

And honestly, this is just a glimpse into the strategies and tricks I’ve gathered over time. There’s so much more to explore and experiment with to navigate this tricky situation. The key is to stay adaptable, keep learning, and always be ready to try something new.