Why 90% of Content Fails & How to Make Yours Stand Out

In today's digital landscape, a staggering number of content marketing initiatives fall short of their objectives. According to the Content Marketing Institute, only 4% of marketers rate their efforts as "extremely successful," while a mere 23% consider them "very successful."

This means that over 70% of content strategies are underperforming.

Why is this happening?

Despite the massive investments brands pour into content marketing, most fail—not because content marketing doesn’t work, but because it’s executed poorly. As a data-driven content specialist for over 15 years, I’ve seen the effects of both winning and losing content marketing plans and have tracked the common threads for both to determine precisely what makes for a winning content marketing strategy and a losing one.?

To help you discern the difference in your own content campaigns, let’s break down the most common mistakes brands make and why they cost businesses engagement, leads, and, ultimately, revenue.

1. No Clear Strategy—Posting Just to Post

According to the Content Marketing Institute, only 39% of marketers have a documented content strategy. That means the majority of businesses are creating content without a real plan, leading to inconsistent messaging, scattered topics, and zero alignment with business goals.?

In my experience, I’ve found a startling trend in many brands in the B2C space especially—they don’t see the value in content other than to promote bottom-funnel campaigns and sales. This inability to see the untapped potential of content for growth and profits is the very thing stopping these brands from progressing in their industries and gaining/retaining customers.?

Imagine a DTC fitness brand launching a content initiative. They start a blog, create social media posts, and even run some ads, but nothing sticks. Why? Because they lack a content roadmap:

? No clear audience targeting—Their blogs cater to beginners, athletes, and bodybuilders all at once, confusing their core demographic. ? No sales funnel alignment—Content is being produced, but none of it strategically leads prospects to a purchase. ? No consistency—Some weeks, they post daily, others not at all. The result? No trust, no anticipation, and no engaged audience.

?? How to Fix It:

?? Develop a content strategy with well-defined objectives. ?? Align each content piece with a stage in the buyer’s journey (awareness → consideration → conversion). ?? Use modules to craft engaging content with all the correct elements to succeed (hook, proof, CTA, etc.). ?? Create a content calendar and stick to a consistent posting schedule.

Although a good content calendar and strategy varies drastically depending on your target audience, industry, product or service, and brand identity, you can use the same content in various formats to help ensure your posting frequency and quality are respected without doing any more heavy lifting.?

This can look like a longer podcast with a fitness ambassador that then turns into five top-funnel ads, two bottom-funnel ads, a blog post, an infographic, and a content block on your landing page.?

2. Lack of a Strong Hook—Failing to Capture Attention

The average user’s attention span is less than 8 seconds. If your content doesn’t immediately hook your audience, they will scroll past it without a second thought.

Let’s break it down—A B2B SaaS company writes a LinkedIn article about its new AI feature with the headline:

?? “How Our New AI Update Improves User Workflows.”

Sounds fine, right? Except it’s boring, vague, and forgettable. Nowadays, every other post is centered around AI, and thus, their post gets lost in the mix without an effective thumb-stopping design or engaging introduction hook to make an impression in those first 8 seconds.?

?? A Better Hook?

?? “We Used AI to Cut 6 Hours of Work into 6 Minutes—Here’s How” ?? “90% of AI Tools Are Useless—Here’s What Actually Works”

The best-performing content starts with a compelling hook—a question, bold statement, data point, or insight that stops readers in their tracks.

?? Use the “Curiosity Gap”—Tease information without giving it all away. ?? Make it about them—Why should your audience care? ?? Leverage power words—Words like secrets, mistakes, proof, insider, and surprising boost engagement.

As you create content, you need to think about your target audience and what they want/need to hear. A good tip I recommend to clients often is to utilize a tool like SurferSEO to determine the most common search questions in your target audience base. If you are a wedding planner, for instance, you can look up ‘Wedding’ on SurferSEO and find the most common search terms to craft content and campaigns around.?

If you find that a lot of your target audience is looking up ‘Wedding Checklist,’ you may want to consider a lead magnet campaign that uses a checklist you create to get emails and, thus, warm leads.?

3. No Data or Proof—Relying on Opinions Instead of Facts

Content that lacks data-backed insights is just another opinion piece in an ocean of noise. Brands that fail to provide proof, case studies, and statistics are easily ignored in today’s crowded content landscape. If I tell you that content marketing is good for boosting ROI, that is a nice sentiment, but if I show you that content marketing can produce three times the leads at 62% lower cost, the value becomes far more apparent through data and proof that back it.?

For example, a marketing agency writes a blog titled:

?? “Content Marketing Helps Businesses Grow.”

We already know that—but where’s the proof?

?? How to Fix It:

?? Back up claims with hard data—For example, HubSpot found that marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI. ?? Use case studies—Real-world examples build credibility and show; don’t just tell. ?? Include visuals—Charts, infographics, and screenshots make content more digestible and persuasive.

If you’re a brand with many testimonials or case studies, your bottom-funnel proof can center around these reviews and perhaps awards you’ve won with your product. Meanwhile, your top-funnel proof can center around data in the industry that proves your value or case studies that show how people have improved when using products like yours. In this way, you strengthen your campaigns through data that persuades your target audience for you.?

4. Content Without a Clear Purpose—No CTA, No Next Step

If your audience doesn’t know what to do next, they’ll do nothing at all. A massive content marketing failure is publishing content without a strategic call to action (CTA). You can have the most compelling hook, proof, and value points throughout and ad and then lose them in those final moments solely because you didn’t encourage them to learn more, buy now, or get started.?

Here’s a great example:

A tech company writes a guide on cybersecurity risks, but at the end of the article, there’s… nothing. No CTA, no link to their security software, and no way for the reader to take action.

?? Here’s the solution:

?? Every piece of content should have a next step—Do you want them to download something, book a call, or sign up for a newsletter? Make it clear. ?? Use compelling CTA language—Instead of “Learn More,” try:

• “Get Your Free Security Audit Now”
• “See the Full Strategy That Increased Conversions by 218%”
• “Don’t Put Your Company at Risk—Secure Your Assets Now”

?? Use CTA placement strategically—Don’t bury your CTA at the bottom of the page where most readers won’t reach. Place it above the fold and use multiple CTAs throughout longer content. For an ad, place your CTA in a prominent place and use stand-out colors like orange, red, or green to attract the reader’s eye.?

5. Writing for Everyone Instead of a Targeted Audience

If you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one. A huge content marketing mistake is creating generic, broad content that lacks specificity and depth. One of the first things I do when taking over a content marketing department is creating strong buyer personas that are clearly defined. Moving forward, when we create content, we must focus on a persona and not try to appease all our personas at once.?

This strategy helps us to ensure our content is driven, focused, and guaranteed to appeal to our target demographic without losing sight.?

Here is a common mistake made when creating targeted content:

A real estate company writes a blog titled: ?? “How to Buy a House.” Who is this for? A first-time buyer? An investor? Someone downsizing? The lack of specificity makes it irrelevant to everyone.

?? Fortunately, this is an easy fix: ?? Narrow your focus. Instead of trying to speak to all audiences, craft content tailored to specific segments. ?? Use niche-specific language—Instead of “How to Buy a House,” try:

• “The First-Time Buyer’s Guide to Homeownership (Without Overpaying)”
• “How Real Estate Investors Can Find Off-Market Deals in 2025”
• “The Ultimate Guide to Homeownership for Retirees”

By honing in on a specific audience, you increase relevance, engagement, and conversions.

So, how can you ensure your content stands out and delivers results?

Just as I tracked the mistakes companies make, I also determined patterns in their successes. Content marketing, while creative, should focus heavily on data, honing, strategic messaging, and structure. A good content specialist pushes a product. A great content specialist sells a solution.

1. Define Clear Objectives

Every piece of content should serve a specific purpose, whether it's to educate, entertain, or convert. Establishing clear goals ensures your content aligns with overarching business objectives.?

When I begin a project for a client or as a director, I look at the brand as a whole and determine what the purpose of their content should be, how to improve upon their current campaigns, and how to fill in the gaps their campaigns are not touching on.?

For instance, for a marketing agency, I may find that their main objective is to position themselves as authorities in the TikTok marketing space. Looking at their current campaigns, I may also find that their current ads for this service lack eye-catching visuals and proof of the results of the TikTok campaigns they run. Lastly, I’d recommend that they use actual metrics and conversions to guide their target audience and help them see the clear connection between strong TikTok campaigns and increased revenue.?

2. Understand Your Audience

Dive deep into audience research to uncover their needs, preferences, and pain points. Tailoring content to address these aspects fosters genuine engagement. When I begin a content project, I take the time to develop strong buyer personas for us to target and emphasize their pain points, wants, needs, and interests using data to back my strategy.?

This process ensures that the content we create attracts the right audience and generates more leads, conversions, and engagement as a result.?

3. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity

It's tempting to churn out content frequently but focusing on creating valuable, well-researched pieces will yield better results than a high volume of mediocre content. Develop a content schedule that you know you can commit to and use this structured plan to create assets that have impact over ones that just fill the calendar.?

This approach will guarantee success for your content marketing campaigns and help you analyze the success of your different ads, LPs, videos, blogs, and lead generators to hone and grow accordingly.?

4. Leverage Data and Analytics

To make content actually perform, you need to track meaningful metrics beyond vanity numbers like likes and shares. Engagement metrics like click-through rates (CTR), time on page, and bounce rate show how well your content holds attention, while conversion metrics—lead form fills, demo requests, and purchases—reveal if it’s actually driving action.?

SEO data like keyword rankings, search traffic, and impressions ensures that your content is even being discovered in the first place.?

And finally, retention metrics like return visitor rates and email open rates measure whether you’re building long-term brand loyalty. Without tracking these key insights, you’re essentially throwing content at a wall and hoping something sticks.

5. Stay Adaptable

Data isn’t just about tracking—it’s about optimization. The best content marketers analyze what’s working and what’s not, then iterate. For my teams, I like to say, ‘metrics matter most.’ I tailor our content around the metrics and adapt to ensure every piece of content is a powerful asset.?

High bounce rate? Your hook isn’t strong enough. Low CTR? Your headline needs to be more compelling. Short time-on-page? Your content isn’t engaging or scannable enough. By continuously testing, refining, and adapting based on real performance insights, you move from creating content blindly to crafting content that actually converts. Beyond that, predictive analytics and AI tools can help brands stay ahead of trends, adjusting strategy in real time instead of reacting too late.?

The takeaway? If you’re not using data to improve your content, you’re not using content marketing to its full potential.?

Furthermore, the digital landscape is ever-evolving. Being open to experimenting with new formats, platforms, and strategies can keep your content relevant and impactful. I am always searching for new tools, innovations, and ways to optimize/streamline content and my work. Learning and advancing should never stop as a business leader—this is how your brand withstands the test of time.?

The Brands That Win Are the Ones That Adapt

At the heart of every successful content strategy is a clear purpose, data-driven decision-making, and relentless optimization. Content that engages, converts, and retains audiences isn’t created by accident—it’s intentional, structured, and continuously refined.

The difference between content that gets ignored and content that drives real business growth comes down to execution. Brands that fail to plan, track, and iterate will continue creating content that disappears into the void, while those who leverage data, understand audience intent, and align messaging with strategic goals will stand out, build trust, and drive revenue.

The takeaway? Content marketing is not just about producing content—it’s about producing results. If your content isn’t delivering, it’s time to rethink, refine, and realign. The brands that survive the digital noise are the ones that strategize, optimize, and never stop evolving. ??