Chapter 4: The Content Flywheel
Content is the foundation of a sustainable consulting practice. Done right, it becomes a flywheel that generates leads, builds credibility, and compounds over time.
What You'll Learn
- The "never answer twice" principle
- How content qualifies clients automatically
- The content-to-course progression
- Mining conversations for material
Never Answer the Same Question Twice
If you find yourself answering the same questions over and over, turn it into content.
"I was so tired of answering the same questions that I built the RAG course."
Being paid $1,000 six different times to answer the same questions is not worth it. You're better off answering all those questions once in a blog post or course, then offering something 20x cheaper or even free.
The Conversion
| Instead of... | Do this... |
|---|---|
| Answering the same email question | Write a blog post, send the link |
| Giving the same advice on calls | Create a guide, use as pre-work |
| Explaining the same concept | Build a course module |
| Repeating yourself in Slack | Document in your knowledge base |
Every office hour, every client call, every Slack question is potential content. Mine your conversations for writing material.
If it's relevant for 2 people, it's probably relevant for 10. If it's relevant for 10, it's relevant for 10,000.
Content as Client Qualification
Your content filters prospects before they reach out. If someone reads your blog and still reaches out, they already:
- Understand your perspective
- Self-selected as a good fit
- Know roughly what to expect
- Are more likely to convert
Using Friction Strategically
Display your minimum engagement levels publicly:
"If you see this price and you're shocked, don't email me."
Content sets expectations and qualifies leads automatically.
| Your Availability | Friction Level | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Very free | Low friction | Calendly link on website |
| Moderately busy | Medium friction | Survey form before booking |
| Very busy | High friction | Price displayed prominently, high minimums visible |
Friction is a feature, not a bug. It ensures the people who do get through are qualified and serious.
The Content Creation System
The most efficient content strategy converts your existing work into marketing materials.
The Flywheel Steps
- Have customer conversations (free or paid)
- Record and transcribe these conversations
- Extract insights using AI
- Test these insights as social media posts
- Expand successful posts into blog articles
- Share these articles with prospects facing similar challenges
- Book more calls and repeat
"Content is the sawdust of expertise-based consulting."
Just as lumber companies turned waste sawdust into valuable new products, you can transform the byproducts of your consulting work into valuable content assets.
The Automation Stack
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Circleback/Granola | Record and transcribe calls |
| Claude/ChatGPT | Extract insights and draft content |
| Social media | Test ideas before investing |
| Your blog | Publish validated content |
The Friday Review Process: 1. Review 15-20 blog post ideas from the week's conversations 2. Identify which came up multiple times 3. Test promising ideas on social media first 4. Scale with writers once validated
Practice Writing to Become Eloquent in Sales
You might only do 2-3 sales calls a month, but you can write as much as you want. You can practice positioning yourself constantly.
Writing is cheap reps for sales conversations.
| Writing Practice | Sales Application |
|---|---|
| Crafting headlines and hooks | Opening a sales call |
| Explaining complex ideas simply | Articulating your value |
| Handling objections in text | Responding to pushback live |
| Creating urgency in CTAs | Closing conversations |
The content flywheel generates leads and trains you for client conversations.
Content Investment Portfolio
Think about your content as a portfolio with different investment levels:
Low Investment (Testing Phase)
- Quick tweets to gauge interest
- Short LinkedIn posts
- Comments on relevant discussions
Purpose: Test many ideas cheaply
Medium Investment (Validated Ideas)
- Blog posts based on high-performing tweets
- Detailed technical tutorials
- Case studies from client work
Purpose: Build authority on proven topics
High Investment (Proven Winners)
- Comprehensive guides
- Video courses
- Speaking engagements
- Books
Purpose: Establish definitive expertise
The Portfolio Approach
Some content should be "cheap" to produce so you can test multiple ideas. Other content deserves more investment once you've validated interest. Don't put high investment into unvalidated ideas.
From Consulting to Courses
When you're tired of answering the same questions, package them into a course:
"The first time it took maybe 30 hours to produce an hour of content."
The math works out: Would you rather be paid $1,000 thirty times for the same answer, or invest that time once into something that sells repeatedly?
Courses as Pre-Work
Courses also become pre-work for clients:
"Before we schedule this call, watch this video."
Now they come in educated and the conversation is higher-value. You've: - Filtered for serious prospects - Established your expertise - Saved yourself time on basics - Made the sales call more productive
Code Sharing Guidelines
When creating technical content, be strategic about sharing code:
"I generally advise against sharing code unless it directly proves your expertise. Most people don't want to be taught how to fish; they just want the fish."
The Reality
- People with time to run your code probably aren't in enough pain to pay
- If someone is running your code, they're definitely not paying you
- Focus on outcomes rather than implementation details
- The right code can serve as proof when it demonstrates solving high-value problems
When to Share Code
| Share Code When... | Don't Share Code When... |
|---|---|
| It demonstrates a capability worth paying for | It gives away your implementation secret |
| It's open-source that builds your brand | It's the "how" that clients pay for |
| It proves you can solve the problem | It replaces the need to hire you |
Action Items
-
Audit your repeated answers. List the 5 questions you answer most often. These are your next 5 pieces of content.
-
Set up your recording system. Get a transcription tool (Circleback, Granola, or similar) and start recording client calls.
-
Create your Friday review. Block 30 minutes each Friday to review insights from the week's conversations.
-
Build your content portfolio. Categorize your content ideas into low/medium/high investment. Focus on testing low-investment ideas first.
-
Evaluate course potential. Identify one topic where you've answered the same questions 10+ times. Could this become a course?
Key Takeaways
- Never answer the same question twice—turn repeated answers into content
- Content qualifies clients automatically by filtering for fit and setting expectations
- The flywheel converts conversations into content into more conversations
- Writing is cheap practice for sales—use it to refine your messaging
- Think of content as a portfolio: test cheaply, invest in winners
- Courses become pre-work that makes sales calls more productive