Lessons we learned doing our first 100k+ in Content Marketing

There’s something funny about building a business online:

You never quite know when it actually starts working. Until it does.

Business success isn't the “we made it!” confetti-cannon most people expect it to be. But the signals lurk in the quieter moments—the first referral from someone you’ve never met. A stranger quoting your post back to you. An inquiry that begins with, “Hey, I’ve been following your content for a while...”

That was how it started with Magic Media.

I didn’t launch it with a business plan. I didn’t have investors or funnels or a five-year forecast.

It started the way most creative projects do… by accident. 

I just wanted to build a brand to share what I knew. To build in public.

To figure things out as I went.

And for a long time, that’s all it was.

I wrote posts. Made videos. Tried new formats. I hoped for virality. I studied hooks. I tracked impressions like a day trader obsessing over charts. But none of it really ‘worked.’ At least, not in the way I wanted it to anyways.

It wasn’t until years later—a few different people referenced different posts I had long-forgotten about… in the same week. It was as if they had resurrected my content from the graveyard.

After dozens of experiments and a pile of quiet failures, the work started compounding. Revenue came in. Clients found us through our content. Referrals grew. And eventually, we passed $100K in total earnings. 

There wasn't a singular moment that "changed everything." But in hindsight, there were patterns. Lessons. Mindset shifts. And strategy that transformed content from purely an artistic outlet… into a creative sales engine.

This post is about that change.

If you’re in the trenches—creating content that’s not yet landing, wondering if this stuff really works—this is for you.

Here’s what we learned getting to $100K+ with content marketing:

1. Think like a content creator. A hungry one.

Do you treat content like a side hustle? 

I also used to shy away from the obvious question: is this activity actually generating revenue?

Or in other words, and pardon my french, is this sh*t working? 

Take notes from other content creators. Study their frameworks: the timing of their videos, their transitions, their hooks. Learn how they command attention, and bring life to any subject.

Because when even engagement doesn’t keep the lights on, just posting to Instagram and expecting the masses to flock to you doesn’t cut it.

Do you have payments set up? Lead magnets with info collection? Newsletter automations? Do you run ads? Can people buy your sh*t online?

Content is an asset—it compounds slowly, and when it hits, it hits because you stayed consistent, but more importantly because you systematized it. 

You built the processes to create higher columns of content over the long run.You deployed a CMS and content calendar to get organized across a team. You created a web of interlinked content that attacks the problem you solve from all angles. 

2. Build a system where sales & content marketing support one another 

Your content might catch attention, but your sales system needs to catch the outcome.

That means converting those hard-earned views and engagement into actual conversations that lead to more sales. And it looks like having all the right infrastructure in place: Publicly facing calendly links. Proposal templates. Using tools like ManyChat to automate lead magnets. Outreach scripts with different scenarios and follow-ups. Somewhere for interested people to land—and be moved to action.

The point is this: marketing shouldn’t operate in a silo. If your content team and your sales engine aren't in sync, you're losing leads. Ask yourself:

• “What content can we create that further supports a claim we raise in the sales process?”

• “How can I transform my process of turning attention to revenue?”

• “Do our content marketing efforts have clear call to actions?”

Great content pulls people in. But your process is what keeps them there, and moves them forward.

3. Your content isn't about you, it’s about ‘THEM.’

No one is sitting around waiting to hear your life story. They’re trying to solve their own problems.

So flip the spotlight. Take your experience and make it a mirror for the reader. Instead of writing about yourself, write through your own lens to clarify what your audience might be going through.

If they see themselves in your story, they’ll follow the journey to your solution. Answer this key objection everyone has consciously or otherwise, “why should I listen to you? What makes you special? Worthy of my attention?”

4. Specificity is a superpower. Wield it wisely 

The more you zoom in, the more your message resonates.

Specificity doesn’t alienate—it disqualifies. Those are starkly different things. You shouldn't be looking to work with everyone, but that doesn't mean you have to burn any bridges.

When you’re detailed and articulate about who you serve and how you serve them, it signals that you know exactly what you’re talking about, and more importantly that you understand your audience’s world view. You’re not just an authority; you’re relatable. You're real.

Instead of “We help founders grow,” try “We help early-stage SaaS founders struggling with pre-seed traction and no in-house design team.”

Suddenly, you’re not just another voice. You’re their voice.

5. Speak directly to your reader/viewer

Remove the wall between you and them.

The best content feels like a direct conversation. Ditch the performance voice and write the way you’d explain something to a smart friend.

This doesn’t mean being casual just for the sake of it—it means being clear, human, and intentional.

Ask questions. Use “you” more than “we.” Treat your writing like a dialogue, not a Ted Talk.

6. People can sniff bs out from a mile away. Storysell 

Today’s audiences are too smart—and too 'been burned before'—for sleazy sales tactics.

That’s why “Storyselling” works. It doesn’t pitch. It invites. 

It helps you build relationships before ever making an ask.

When you can share lessons from your own stumbles, reflect on real challenges, and show transformation (not just results), you build credibility without bragging.

Walk your talk. Tell your story.

7. Stop obsessing over optimization until you actually have sh*t to optimize

Perfect is the enemy of done.

There’s a time to test thumbnails and tweak SEO—but not if you’re still struggling to post consistently.

Focus on message-market fit before you worry about format. Prioritize clarity before you obsess over click-through rate.

Consistency beats cleverness until you’re seeing enough data to improve something real. And we’re talking heaps and heaps of data, not just a week of posting. The numbers can’t speak for themselves if you’re not actually doing the volume to collect an honest sample size worth measuring. So get to that first (and don’t be too hard on yourself in the process).

8. Think in terms of leverage. From 1:1 to 1:many

Not all content has the same job.

Some content is built for relationships: a thoughtful reply, a personalized Loom, a warm intro in the DMs. This is your 1:1.

Other content is designed to scale: a podcast appearance, a thread that teaches something at scale, a carousel that gets shared among teams. That’s your 1:many.

Don’t over-index on one or the other. Layer both. That’s how you build reach and trust at the same time. Especially when you ask for referrals - y’know, the #1 method for scoring new clients.

9. If it were easy, everyone would do it…

This sh*t’s hard. Period.

Content is emotionally exhausting.

You pour effort into posts that completely flop.

You might doubt your own voice.

You wonder if anyone’s even watching.

And yet—you keep showing up. Because the alternative is being invisible.

The consistency itself becomes the signal. It builds momentum others can’t replicate.

And lets be real for a second. Anyone that says “do what you love and you never have to work a day in your life” is full of sh*t. The work we love still involves work we don’t love so much. Just keep going.

10. ‘Just start’ is sh*tty advice. Be methodical

Yes, starting is important. But random acts of marketing won't get you anywhere.

Have a plan. Have a vision. Have a Content Ecosystem.

Connect all the dots between:

• Content and conversions,

• Story and strategy,

• Posts and pipeline.

A Content Ecosystem isn’t just a collection of posts. It’s a strategic infrastructure that ties your thought leadership, offers, and audience-building efforts into one cohesive whole.

Know who you’re speaking to, what you’re leading them toward, and how all your content ladders up to that goal.

Your content is your digital legacy

We didn’t hit $100K in content marketing because we went viral.We hit it because we showed up. Even when no one was listening. Even when nothing seemed to be working.

We wrote. We tested. We refined. We built in public. And slowly, things started clicking.

Not all at once, and not even consistently.We hired wrong once, we created too many bottlenecks, but we treated every failure as a lesson for the future.

If you’re deep in the content grind and wondering if it’s worth it—keep going.You’re not failing. You’re compounding.

Your voice is your edge.Your story is your leverage. And your content is the engine.

Build it well, and it will work for you, long after you post.

Just do me a favor and diversify your basket over time. Don’t rely on a single platform to stay running forever.

Want help building your own content engine?

Shoot me a message. I’d love to help you shortcut the process.

Ido Lechner

Founder & Contentpreneur @ Magic Media