There’s a special kind of self-deception that lives in the heart of every marketer. The kind that convinces you a three-minute explainer video will “crush it” on LinkedIn, or that a ten-part thought leadership series will go viral on a channel your buyers haven’t touched since the Obama administration.
We tell ourselves that publishing content is the same as connecting. That if we just get it out there—wherever there may be—someone will click, engage, convert, and send a handwritten thank-you card.
And yet, here we are: 46 impressions, 2 likes (both employees), and a sad little PDF guide titled “5 Ways to Optimize Your Funnel” that will never see the inside of a prospect’s inbox.
It’s not that you’re not working hard. It’s that you’re publishing in the wrong places. And whether you realize it or not, that says something about you.
When Content Strategy Becomes Self-Therapy
We like to think of content strategy as an informed, buyer-first endeavor. In reality, it’s often therapy for the marketing team.
You prefer podcasts, so you start one. You hate TikTok, so your brand “doesn’t see value there.” You write 2,000-word essays because someone once told you SEO loves long-form, even though your audience hasn’t read anything longer than a tweet since 2014.
Meanwhile, your buyers are on Reddit threads dissecting your competitors, DMing each other links on Slack, and ignoring your lovingly crafted SlideShare like it’s a group text from their HOA.
Publishing content in the wrong place is like performing slam poetry at a monster truck rally. Passionate, yes. Strategic? No.
Your Audience’s Habits Are a Mirror (And It’s Not Always Flattering)
Here’s the truth: where you publish content reveals how well you know your audience—or how far off the mark you are.
If your buyer is reading niche newsletters at 6 a.m. while sipping coffee brewed by a machine smarter than you, and you’re sending them Instagram Reels with lo-fi beats and buzzwords, congratulations: you’ve just told them you don’t know them at all.
And buyers, much like toddlers and TSA agents, are very good at sniffing out insincerity. Misaligned content doesn’t just get ignored—it undermines trust. It says, “We’re more interested in talking than listening.”
And when your publishing strategy ignores actual audience content habits, it sends the message that you’re creating for yourself—not for the people you supposedly want to reach.
The Lie We Tell Ourselves: “Everyone’s on LinkedIn”
Bless LinkedIn. The land of humblebrags, listicles, and job changes you feel obligated to like. It’s the default for B2B marketing, and for good reason—it works. Sometimes.
But here’s the thing: your audience might not live there. They might visit, like tourists stopping by a monument, but their real hangouts—the places where they consume, consider, and click—might be very different.
They might be on Discord, discussing tools you’ve never heard of. They might be reading Substack newsletters you’d never subscribe to. They might still be on Twitter, furiously refreshing for hot takes and threads.
If you’re publishing content based on what’s comfortable rather than what aligns with your audience content habits, you’re not just missing opportunities—you’re missing the point.
What Your Publishing Choices Say About You
Imagine going on a first date and insisting on talking only about your favorite niche hobby—say, 19th-century Belgian canal systems—while completely ignoring what the other person is interested in.
That’s what most marketing looks like.
When you publish without knowing your audience’s habits, you’re saying one of three things:
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“We’re stuck in 2019.” Your distribution strategy is based on platforms that were hot during the last presidential election. You still think SlideShare is a thing.
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“We don’t care where you are—we’ll just yell louder.” This is the digital equivalent of shouting from a moving vehicle.
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“We think we know our audience, but we’ve never actually looked.” You built personas in a brainstorming session, then assumed they’d never change.
None of these are good. All of them are fixable.
So… Where Should You Be Publishing?
Here’s the wildly uncomfortable truth: you don’t know until you ask. Or observe. Or—better yet—listen.
Start by identifying actual audience content habits:
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What sites do your buyers visit before making decisions?
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Are they sharing YouTube demos or quoting G2 reviews?
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Do they prefer dense whitepapers or 90-second TikToks?
Are they the kind of person who reads the terms and conditions or the kind who Googles “Can I get sued for not reading the terms and conditions?”
These aren’t small details. They’re behavioral breadcrumbs. Follow them.
BuyerTwin Knows Where the Bodies Are Buried (Metaphorically)
This is where BuyerTwin steps in—calm, confident, and creepily insightful.
Our Sources & Channels feature doesn’t guess where your buyers are. It knows. By mapping actual behavior, BuyerTwin helps you see what platforms your buyers trust, where they consume content, and how they prefer to engage.
Not based on clickthrough rates or likes—but based on real audience content habits. The stuff they don’t put in surveys because they don’t want to admit they spend their afternoons reading Reddit flame wars about SaaS pricing models.
BuyerTwin tells you if your audience prefers newsletters to webinars, or reviews over blog posts. It turns assumptions into strategy, and strategy into results.
Stop Publishing into the Void
Look, content is hard enough. You’ve got formats to juggle, stakeholders to appease, and deadlines that only get more unrealistic with each passing Monday. The least you can do is make sure the right people are seeing it.
So stop publishing just to check a box. Start publishing in places that reflect your audience content habits—and signal that you actually understand who you’re talking to.
Because in the end, publishing content is like telling a story at a dinner party. If no one laughs, claps, or looks up from their phone… maybe you’re at the wrong party.
Want to Know Where Your Buyers Hang Out?
Explore BuyerTwin’s Sources & Channels insights and stop guessing where to publish—start knowing.
Sign up for a free account and let BuyerTwin map your buyer’s real journey—so you can stop performing for empty rooms.