The irony wasn't lost on me. Here I was, building AI tools to help businesses automate content creation, and I was completely stuck on my own content strategy. I had the tools. I had the expertise. But when I sat down to create content? Nothing.
The Problem I Couldn't Solve
I'm building Private Content Wizard - a tool that helps small businesses automate their content and sales using AI. The interesting part? I'm my own perfect customer avatar. I share every pain point my audience has:
- No cash to invest in expensive tools right now
- Desire to automate both content generation and sales processes
- Already using local LLMs and Claude Code on Messenger
- Time-constrained and need systems that actually work
Theoretically, I should be able to create killer content that resonates with people exactly like me. But I kept freezing up. Too many angles. Too many possible topics. No clear system.
That's when I decided to do something different. Instead of trying to create content, I'd use first principles thinking to solve the problem itself. And then... document that process.
What First Principles Revealed
I Was Solving the Wrong Problem
I thought my problem was: "How do I come up with content ideas?"
The real problem was: "How do I systematically turn my daily work into customer-attracting content without burning out?"
Totally different question. Completely different solution.
Your Audience Isn't One Person - It's Three
Here's what clicked during the conversation. Your audience isn't homogeneous. They're at different psychological stages:
Stage 1: Problem-Aware (Not Solution-Aware)
They know content is killing them. They're exhausted. But they don't know AI automation is the answer. They think they need better time management or maybe a virtual assistant.
Stage 2: Solution-Aware (Not Product-Aware)
They've heard about AI tools. But they're skeptical. It sounds expensive. It sounds complicated. AI content sounds robotic, right?
Stage 3: Product-Aware (Not Customer Yet)
They know tools like mine exist. They're comparing options, hesitating, or have specific objections. They need proof and hand-holding.
The breakthrough: Each stage needs different content that creates a specific belief shift. Not random topics. Not product features. Strategic content designed to move someone from Stage 1 to Stage 2 to Stage 3 to Customer.
Content Creates Belief Shifts, Not Awareness
Most content strategies start with the question: "What should I post?"
First principles says: Start with "What belief needs to change?"
- Stage 1 → Stage 2: From "I need better systems" to "I need automation"
- Stage 2 → Stage 3: From "AI is complicated/expensive/fake" to "AI is accessible/affordable/authentic"
- Stage 3 → Customer: From "I'm not sure" to "Let's try this"
Every piece of content has ONE job: shift ONE belief.
The System That Changed Everything
Documentation > Creation
Here's the insight that unlocked everything:
Key Insight
You don't create content. You document insights from your actual work.
It's the difference between writing fiction versus keeping a journal. One requires invention. The other just requires paying attention to what's already happening.
I'm already solving AI automation problems daily. I'm already having conversations with potential customers. I'm already testing tools and configurations. That's the content. I just need to capture and package it.
The Capture System
Here's the practical workflow that emerged:
Daily (15 minutes):
- Capture 2 insights via 30-second voice notes
- Trigger: Whenever you solve a problem, have a client insight, or disagree with something
- No processing yet - just capture
Weekly (6-8 hours total):
- Wednesday: Write 1 blog post (document what you worked on this week)
- Saturday: Extract 5-7 short posts from your blog + voice notes
- Sunday: Schedule posts + track metrics
Monthly:
- Create 1 detailed case study
- Review metrics and optimize based on data
Result: Publishing 5-7 times per week while only creating 2 original pieces per week.
Track What Actually Matters
Most people track vanity metrics - likes, views, followers. Those don't tell you if people are moving through your funnel.
Instead, track stage-specific metrics:
Stage 1 (Awareness):
- Profile visits from content
- Quality comments (more than 5 words)
- Shares (people stake their reputation on your content)
Stage 2 (Consideration):
- Email signups
- Click-through to related content
- Direct messages asking questions
Stage 3 (Conversion):
- Sales conversations started
- Replies to implementation questions
- Demo or consultation requests
Each metric gap tells you exactly where the breakdown is happening. Attention but not engagement? Relevance problem. Engagement but not profile visits? Authority problem. Profile visits but not signups? Value proposition problem.
The Meta Lesson (And Why This Post Exists)
Notice what just happened?
I had a real problem. I worked through it using first principles thinking. That conversation itself became this content piece.
I didn't sit down to "create a blog post." I documented solving an actual problem. The content emerged naturally from the work.
That's the whole system.
And now, from this single conversation, I have:
- This blog post (Stage 2 content building authority)
- 5+ short-form Facebook posts to extract from it (Stage 1 content)
- A case study in the making as I implement the system (Stage 3 content)
- A complete 4-week implementation plan
The irony? I solved my content problem by creating content about solving my content problem.
What I'm Doing Next
Starting Monday, I'm implementing Week 1 of the plan:
- Setting up my voice note capture system
- Creating my Content Idea Bank (organized by Stage 1, 2, 3)
- Starting daily insight capture (2 per day, just 30 seconds each)
- Processing my first batch of content on Saturday
By next Sunday, I'll have my first 5 Facebook posts scheduled. And I'll document that process too - which will become next week's content.
The system compounds. Every week I work on my business, I'm simultaneously creating next week's content. No separate "content creation time" required.
Your Turn
If you're stuck on content strategy, ask yourself:
Are you trying to CREATE content or DOCUMENT insights?
Because if you're already doing the work - solving problems, helping clients, building tools, testing strategies - you already have all the content you need.
You just need a system to capture it.
Want to follow along as I implement this system?
Connect with me and let me know your biggest content bottleneck right now. I'm documenting the entire journey - wins, failures, adjustments, and results.
Because that documentation? That's next month's content.
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