3 reasons why your content isn’t ‘working’

Let me guess.

You're showing up. You're posting. You're trying really hard to be consistent, to vary your content, to keep up with whatever the algorithm seems to want this week.

But something still something feels off.

The enquiries aren't coming. The engagement is patchy. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice keeps asking:
is any of this actually working?

But before we go any further, I want to ask you something: What does "working" actually mean to you?

Because I think this is where most founders get stuck, and it's also where the unhelpful comparison spiral begins. Someone else's social media is "working" because they've grown their following by ten thousand people. Yours is "working" if it brings you two new clients a month. Someone else needs visibility. You need conversions. Someone else is building a community. You're building a personal brand.

Your benchmark for success is yours alone. And until you get clear on what you're actually trying to achieve for your business, you have no real way of knowing whether what you're doing is working or not.

The second thing I want to say - and I mean this kindly - is that organic growth takes time, effort and patience. Real patience. You cannot make a handful of changes and expect overnight results. Yes, some content goes viral - but that doesn’t necessarily lead to the outcomes needed. Social media is a long game and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.
What you can do is make sure the effort you're putting in is pointed in the right direction.

Which brings me to what I actually want to talk about.

The gap I see again and again

When I work with a new client, one of the first things I do is take a proper look at their social media. Not just a quick scroll - a detailed, strategic assessment of how they're showing up, whether their profile is doing its job, and what their content is actually saying.

And almost every time, I find the same three things missing.

1. The first is the audience piece.

Most founders - completely understandably - create content that talks about what they do. Their services, their offers, their achievements, their process. And while that information matters, it's often missing the most important ingredient: the reader.

In communications we talk about "what's in it for me" - and it's the question your audience is asking every single time they stop on your post. Your content needs to speak directly to where they are right now. The challenge they're facing. The thing keeping them up at night. When someone scrolls past your post and thinks "that's exactly how I feel" - that's when the connection starts. That's when they begin to trust you. And trust is what turns a follower into a client.

2. The second is story.

The founders I work with almost always have brilliant, specific, genuinely interesting stories to share, about who they are, why they do what they do, and what they've been through to get here. And they're not sharing any of it.

Sometimes it's because it feels too personal. Sometimes it feels irrelevant. Sometimes they just don't know where to start.

But there’s one thing I really stand by: the belief that people choose who they want to work with based on a feeling. A sense of connection. Shared values. A personality that resonates.

Your story isn't a distraction from your business - it's one of the most powerful tools you have to grow it.

3.The third is the link back.

I see this constantly - a genuinely great post that just... ends. There’s no direction, no invitation, no clear next step.

I understand why. Asking people to do something feels pushy. Salesy. Like you're using your content as an advert.

But the thing is - social media is a marketing tool. You are there, at least in part, to grow your business. And there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, your audience needs that clarity. They need to know what to do next.

Always ask yourself: what do I want someone to know, feel or do at the end of this post? And then make it easy for them to do exactly that. Whether that's visiting your website, sending you a DM, saving the post for later - give them somewhere to go. Don't leave them hanging.

So is your social media working?

Maybe it is and you just don't have the right benchmark yet.

Maybe the effort is there but one of those three pieces is missing.

Maybe you've been measuring success by the wrong things entirely - chasing likes and follower counts when what you actually need is saves, shares and DMs.

Here's what I want you to take away from this: the problem is rarely that you're not posting enough. It's almost never about the format. And it's definitely not about you being boring or having nothing interesting to say.

It's about strategy. And story. And making sure the two are working together.

I've spent the last few months building something new - a way of working with founders that addresses exactly this. It's launching very soon and if you're on my mailing list, you'll hear about it first.

Watch this space.

Emily x