We talk a lot about getting our audience onto our list, but not enough about what happens after.

If you’ve worked in marketing, then you’re probably familiar with the marketing funnel (awareness, consideration, decision). It’s typically called the buyer’s journey. 

Creators need to think the same way, in what I like to call the content journey. 

This is where, as a creator, you need to put on your marketing hat and think about the path your audience takes, from the second they discover your content to advocating for your work to their network. 

In the content journey, every piece of content and every platform has one job: move people to the next trust state. 

Let’s map what this looks like in practice: 

At this point, your audience has a problem they’re searching for advice to solve. They may have actually searched the question in an AI engine, on a search engine, or in a search bar on another discovery platform like Reddit, YouTube, or TikTok. In other words, they have a need. They stumble across your content mid-scroll, and it immediately catches their eye because it’s naming their exact problem. They resonate with it and think, “OMG, this is me!” 

Now that your audience has found you, they go to your profile to binge your content. They like what they see and wonder what else you have to offer. At the same time, they assess your body of work to see if it offers enough value to subscribe. At this point in the journey, your existing content proves your depth and is something your audience keeps returning to.

Once your audience has binged enough of your content, they decide they want to subscribe or follow you. You’ve officially captured their interest, which now means you have more direct access to them. And in some cases, if your audience is obsessed with you and your work, you might capture them not only on one touchpoint, but on multiple (i.e., a newsletter signup and downloading a freebie). 

Now that your audience is officially on your list, it’s your job to nurture them. This means continuing to give them content that keeps them engaged and coming back. Your content builds credibility, teaches your lens, and shows proof that you are the expert in your field. At this stage, your audience is evaluating your voice and the value your content continues to provide.  

Once your audience trusts you enough and finds enough value, they’re ready to commit financially. In this stage, your content makes the offer and removes the risk. At this stage, your audience realizes they want deeper support from you beyond what they can get from your free content. This might look like reaching out for 1:1 support, buying a course, joining a cohort, joining your membership community, or becoming a paid subscriber. 

This stage differs from Nurture in that you’ve already earned your audience’s trust. Now, it’s about keeping your audience in your brand world but offering them different ways to experience it. This is where you start to expand your IP and develop a media ecosystem around your flagship content product: 

The goal here is to deepen your relationship with your audience so they want to stay in your brand world by giving them something else to explore.

At this point, you don’t just have a passive audience member; you have a super fan. These are the folks who are obsessed with your work. They’ve consumed everything you’ve ever produced, participated in every webinar, downloaded every freebie. They may have worked with you. More than that, they have become advocates for your work. These are the people who will tag you, shout you out, repost your content, and share it in their circles. 

This creates a loop: new people discover your work and start the process all over again! 

So how can you put this in practice? 

Here are some questions to consider: 

With that, you can map out your full content journey, from first touchpoint to amplification.