Content That Sells: The Difference Between Engagement and Revenue

If you've ever looked at your Instagram analytics and felt proud of your engagement rate, only to realise you haven't made a sale in weeks, this episode is going to completely change how you approach content creation.

You're getting tons of likes and comments. Your engagement rate is solid. People tell you they love your content. But when you launch a course or open spots for coaching? Crickets. Sound familiar?

Here's the uncomfortable truth: you can have amazing engagement and still make no money. That means you're essentially running a free entertainment account, not a business. And the reason is simple—you're creating "engagement content" instead of "conversion content," and there's a massive difference between the two.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why popular content often doesn't generate sales, what conversion content actually looks like, and how to shift your content strategy so you're building revenue, not just vanity metrics.

Engagement is nice. Revenue is necessary. This episode shows you how to create content that does both.

Transcript

Welcome to the new School of Marketing podcast. I'm Bianca McKenzie, and this is the place where we break down marketing strategies that actually work without the overwhelm.

Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land I live and work on, the Palawa people of Lutruica. I pay my respects to elders past and present and I acknowledge the deep connection they have to this land, culture and community.

Now let's dive in and make marketing work for you.

If you've ever looked at your Instagram analytics and felt proud of your engagement rate,

only to realize that you haven't made a sale in weeks,

or if you're getting tons of likes and comments but zero inquiries about your services,

or maybe you're confused about why your most popular content never seems to convert to customers,

then this episode is going to completely change how you approach content creation.

Today we're talking about the critical difference between content that gets engagement and content that actually generates revenue.

Because here's the thing.

You can have amazing engagement and still make no money.

And that means you're essentially running a free entertainment account,

not a business.

So we're going to fix that.

Let's start talking about what I call the engagement trap.

When you're actually creating content that performs well by social media standards, but it doesn't actually grow your business.

And here's what it looks like.

Your posts get hundreds of likes and dozens of comments. Your followers are growing steadily.

Your engagement rate is well above average, and people tell you that they love your content.

But when you launch a course,

you get like three sales.

When you open spots for coaching,

you get crickets.

When you promote your services,

people suddenly go quiet.

So what's actually happening?

You've built an audience that loves consuming your free content but has no intention of buying from you.

You have trained them to expect free value without ever changing them into paid customers.

And this happens because you're creating engagement content instead of conversion content.

And there's a massive difference between the two.

Before we go further,

let's look at what we're actually talking about.

When I say engagement content,

I mean content that is designed to get likes,

comments,

shares, and saves content that performs well by platform metrics.

Content that makes people feel good, inspired or entertained. And examples of this are things like motivational quotes or relatable memes about your industry or, you know, tag someone who needs to see this post kind of content like a whole list of tips without like any depth behind the scenes personal content that is unrelated to your offer or your business or,

you know, inspirational stories with no call to action. So that's engagement content.

Conversion content is content designed to move people towards a purchase decision.

Content that educates people on their problem and then positions your solution. Content that qualifies your audience and attracts buyers.

And examples of this are content that identifies specific problems that your offer solves,

frameworks or methodology previews that show your expertise,

case studies showing transformations,

content that addresses objections to buying,

and educational content that really creates demand for your solution,

and also clear invitations to work with you.

Here's the key.

Both types of content have a place in your strategy.

But if you're only creating engagement content,

you'll have great metrics but no revenue.

Let's talk about why popular content often doesn't generate sales.

The first reason is that it attracts the wrong audience.

Motivational content attracts people who want to feel inspired,

not people ready to invest in solving their problem.

Entertaining content attracts people who want to be entertained,

not people who are looking for a solution.

And generic tips usually attract tire kickers who want free information, not buyers who actually value expertise.

Reason number two is that it doesn't create urgency or desire.

Engagement content makes people feel good in the moment and then they scroll on. There's no compelling reason to take action.

It also doesn't help people recognize that they have a problem that is worth solving,

and it doesn't make them want your specific solution.

Reason number three it positions you as a content creator, not as a solution provider.

When all of your content is tips and inspiration,

people see you as someone who gives free advice.

They don't think of you. When they're ready to invest in solving their problem,

you basically become their favorite follow,

but not their go to expert.

Reason number four is it doesn't qualify your audience.

Engagement content casts a wide net.

You get followers, but you don't know if they're actually your ideal customers or just people who like your vibe.

Your audience grows, but it's not filled with potential buyers.

Now you might be thinking,

but I know people who just post fun content and they make tons of sales.

Let me explain what's actually happening here.

They have massive audiences.

If you have 100,000 followers,

even a 0.5% conversion rate on a course launch is 500 students,

but at 2,000 followers,

that conversion rate would be 10 students.

So numbers matter.

They're also using other channels for conversion.

Their Instagram might be all engagement content,

but their email list is conversion focused.

They use social media for discovery and email for sales.

Also,

they have strong brand recognition already.

If they've been around long enough that people know what they sell without being reminded constantly,

that is super helpful and and you're not there yet.

Also, they're strategically using engagement content.

It looks random, but it's actually designed to build trust before they launch.

Then they shift to conversion content during promotion periods.

The bottom line is,

don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle.

They probably struggle with this same issue until they figured out the balance.

So what is the right mix of engagement content versus conversion content?

And for most businesses, especially when you're growing,

that looks like this 40% educational and authority content. So this is teaching something valuable that relates to what you sell.

30% conversion content.

So really directly related to your offers, where you address objections, showing transformations,

20% engagement content.

And this is really to build connection, to show the behind the scenes,

relatable moments, that kind of thing.

And then 10% promotional content where you really give clear CTAs to work with you, buy your course, join your membership, all of those things.

I want you to notice though that only 20% is pure engagement content.

70% should be moving people towards understanding their problem and your solution.

So that 40% educational and authority content and 30% conversion content,

that should all be moving people toward understanding what their problem is and then what your solution is.

And as you grow and your audience knows you better, you can shift that to 50% educational,

20% conversion,

20% engagement, and 10% promotional.

But when you are building,

you need more conversion focused content to actually generate sales.

Otherwise people don't know that they can work with you. You're not just there to give out free advice.

So let's get specific about how to create content that actually drives revenue.

Conversion content strategy number one is problem identification.

You need to help people recognize that they have a problem worth solving.

So for example, if you're a course creator,

instead of saying five tips for better productivity,

you can try saying if you're working 50 plus hours a week but still feel behind your problem isn't time management,

it's priorities.

And here's how to tell the difference.

Can you see the difference? Like rather than saying five tips for better productivity, you're actually Helping people find out that there is a problem and this content helps someone realize their real problem,

which you know your course solves instead of just giving them quick tips that they'll forget.

Conversion content strategy number two is framework preview.

Share your methodology or your framework,

but not the complete implementation.

So for example, if you're a coach,

instead of saying you know how to set goals,

you can share your framework and your framework is the clear framework.

C, L, E A, R, as in, you know, using that word. And you can say, try the clear framework I use with clients.

Compelling,

linked to values,

evidence based,

actionable,

and reviewed weekly.

And those letters make up clear.

So actually showing and sharing your framework positions you as having a system which shows that you have expertise and it gives them a taste without giving everything away.

Conversion content strategy number three is case study content.

So show transformations that your clients or your students have achieved.

And you don't even have to name names, you can actually share that kind of thing.

So example,

if you're a service provider, instead of saying, you know,

here's some client work that I did this week. No, instead say something like,

client Sarah came to me stuck at 3k months despite working 60 hours a week.

We restructured her office and she hit 10Ks in 90 days working 35 hours.

Here's what we changed.

Using something like this shows what's possible, and it also positions your servers as a vehicle for that transformation.

Conversion content strategy number four.

Objection. Handling.

Address the reasons people don't buy without them having to ask.

And this is literally where your FAQs often come in.

Because people will have objections.

And yes, you can have a call with them and they can ask the things, but a lot of people won't do that.

So if you're a membership owner, instead of, you know, saying, join my membership, blah, blah, blah, you can try saying,

I hear I don't have time for another membership all the time.

Here's why my members spend less time on marketing after joining, not more.

You see the difference.

It's going to move people closer to buying by removing their mental blocks.

Conversion content strategy number five,

demand creation.

You need to help people understand why they need what you offer.

So here's an example for a course creator. Instead of saying something like, my course teaches email marketing because, you know, boring, right?

Change that to saying,

if you're relying on social media,

you're building on rented land.

Here's what happened to three businesses when Instagram changed its algorithm.

You see the difference?

This creates desire for the solution, which in this case is email Marketing before you even mention your course.

It's not just about topics,

it's about how you frame them.

And I want to show you the difference.

If we're using engagement content framing, you would say something like feeling overwhelmed by your to do list. Remember, you're doing amazing. Take a deep breath and tackle one at a time.

And this will get you likes because it's comforting,

but it doesn't help anyone.

Or it doesn't position you as a solution either.

Like, it feels warm and fuzzy because you know it's engagement content, but it doesn't do anything.

If you used conversion content framing,

here's what we would say.

Feeling overwhelmed by your to do list?

That's a symptom of a deeper problem.

You're treating all tasks as equally important.

Here's the framework I use with clients to identify what actually matters and what to delete entirely.

You see the difference.

It educates. It shows expertise, and it positions you as someone who can help solve a real problem. It's not just warm and fuzzy.

Engagement content soothes. It makes someone feel you know better.

Conversion content educates and positions.

So let's do a quick audit of your recent content. Right now,

look at your last 10 posts and I want you to categorize each one.

We're going to look at engagement,

educational, conversion, and promotional because, you know, that's what we talked about earlier on in terms of division.

So look at your posts and see if they're engagement content, which, you know, makes people feel good, but it doesn't really relate to your offers or help them recognize a problem.

Educational content,

which teaches them something valuable that relates to problems you solve.

Conversion content, which directly addresses problems that you solve shows a transformation or it handles objections.

And promotional content is literally a clear invitation to work with you or buy from you.

Now look at the 10 posts, put them in the categories, and then tally them up.

If you have, you know, seven to eight engagement posts and one of one to two of everything else,

you found your problem.

If you have eight or nine educational posts but zero promotional,

you're not asking for the sale.

If you have balanced content but zero revenue, the issue might be your offer or your conversion path, not your content.

So doing this little audit is going to tell you what to adjust.

Now let's create a content plan that actually generates sales.

You might want to grab pen and paper for this, or if you're driving or whatever, you might have to do this a little bit later.

All right, week number one,

we're going to focus on educational and problem Identification content.

So I'm going to do three posts. I'm going to just keep it easy for you, like no over posting three posts, your first one is to teach something valuable.

So it's an educational post.

Post number two, I want you to help identify a deeper problem.

So this is a conversion post.

And then post number three, I want you to share a behind the scenes moment,

an engagement post.

Then week number two, we're going to focus on authority building and social proof.

So post number one, I want you to share your framework or your methodology,

which is a conversion focused post.

Post number two is a case study or a testimonial. Again,

conversion focused post.

Then post number three is your perspective on an industry topic. And this is an educational post.

And then in week number three we're going to focus on objection handling and an invitation.

So post number one,

address a common objection and this is a conversion post.

Post number two,

share a transformation story. Again,

conversion focused.

Post number three,

a clear invitation to work with you. A promotional post going all in.

Then week number four,

value and connection.

So post number one,

some, you know, deep educational content.

Then post number two, a relatable moment or a story, which is an engagement type of content.

And then post number three,

a preview of your offer's value. And that's a conversion focused.

I want you to notice the pattern.

Every week has mostly conversion or educational content when engagement sprinkled in because you're consistently moving people towards understanding their problem and your solution.

I will pop this,

you know, schedule in the show notes so you can look at, you know, what you need to post and things like that before you think I'm saying to never create engagement content, let me clarify its role.

Engagement content is valuable when it builds likability and trust.

People need to like you before they buy from you, so some connection content will help with that.

It's also valuable when it keeps you top of mind. When someone's, you know, having a rough day and your relatable post makes them smile,

they remember you.

It's also valuable when it balances the promotional content.

If every post is, you know, buy my thing,

people are going to tune out and engagement content is going to provide some breathing room.

And it's also valuable and it shows your personality.

Buyers want to know who they're actually working with and some personal content helps them feel connected.

But engagement content should support your conversion content, not replace it.

Think of it like, you know, seasoning.

It's going to spice up your meal a little bit, but it can't be the whole meal, right?

So if you've built an audience on mostly engagement content,

here's how you can switch that without losing them completely.

Firstly,

you need to gradually change the ratio.

Don't suddenly switch from, you know, 90% engagement to 70% conversion. Your audience is going to get a whiplash.

So literally just scale it back like little by little, just a little bit.

Step number two is educate your audience on the shift.

So say something along the lines of, hey, I've loved sharing.

And then, you know, whatever content you're sharing with you, I'll still do that. But I'm also going to start sharing more about and then whatever problem you solve because I realize many of you are struggling with this and I can help.

So literally, just tell them, take them on the journey.

The next step is to connect engagement content to your expertise.

So when you do post engagement content,

occasionally just tie it back to your office.

So say something along the lines of, you know,

behind the scenes of my morning routine and you can end it with this is why I teach my course students to patch content.

Mornings are for creative work, not scrambling to post whatever. Like tie it back to what you're already doing.

Step number four is watch your metrics.

You might lose some followers and that means that they're only there for the entertainment. And that's okay. They weren't going to buy anyway.

You might see lower engagement initially, and that is okay too,

because you're attracting a different audience now.

You should start seeing more meaningful conversations and inquiries and that's the signal that you're on track. But give it time.

It's not going to happen overnight.

Now let's make sure that your content is actually connected to your sales process,

because your content should lead somewhere specific.

Every piece of content or conversion content should have a next step.

Either something like join my email list, download a resource, book, a call, watch a masterclass, something that moves them closer to buying.

It also should address stages of awareness.

Some of your content should be for people who don't know they have a problem.

Some of your content should be for people who know they have a problem,

but they're not aware of solutions.

Some content should be for people who are comparing solutions so they're problem aware and solution aware. And some content should be for people who are ready to buy.

Your content should also support your sales conversations.

When someone books a call with you,

they should already understand their problem and your approach and why you're different because your content has educated them.

And your content should create demand for your offers. If you sell email marketing courses. Your content should make people realize they need email marketing and they want to learn it.

So here's your test.

Can you draw a line from your content to your sales?

If someone consumes your content for a month,

are they more likely to buy from you? And if not, your content isn't conversion focused enough.

So there you have it, the critical difference between content that gets engagement and content that actually generates revenue.

The key takeaway of this episode is that you need both.

But if you're only creating engagement content,

you're basically running an entertainment account, not a business.

So here's what I want you to do.

Do your little content audit that I talked about,

look at your last 10 posts and categorize them and then adjust your content plan for the next month so that you have that 40302010 ratio that I shared.

You don't have to do this overnight, but you do need to start shifting intentionally towards content that converts.

And if you want help creating content that actually drives revenue with frameworks for conversion content templates feedback,

that's exactly what we do Inside the Marketing Momentum membership.

You get a full 12 month curriculum and coaching calls so that you can get feedback on your specific content.

And you also get a community of business owners who are testing out what's working accountability to really change things.

It is designed for business owners who are tired of creating content that gets likes to but doesn't generate sales.

Remember,

engagement is nice,

but revenue is necessary.

So create content that does both, but prioritize the one that actually grows your business.

Thank you so much for tuning in to the new School of Marketing podcast. Remember, likes don't pay the bills. Conversions do. I'm Bianca McKenzie and I'll catch you next week.

Until then, keep making marketing work for you.