Founders can boost their perceived valuation by increasing visibility, credibility, and value through strategic content. Yes, I know AI can help you create content but it’s probably going to be bad. Let’s breakdown exactly how you can get results from your content to help your startup.
The Equation
Visibility = how often you're seen (socials, podcast appearances, PR)
Credibility = who vouches for you (press, investors, traction, co-signs)
Value = what you're building + how well you explain it
Think of it as a pyramid. You need all three of these elements so that your brand gets the best possible results. Visibility is all about getting attention. Credibility is the proof element. Value is you actually solving someone’s problems.
By the way, you can get your Thought Leadership Scorecard completely free.
Examples from Real Founders
A founder with great product but low visibility = undervalued
A founder with strong content strategy + traction = higher perceived value
a16z and Y Combinator are probably the most popular venture capitalist brands creating content right now. Each week they release videos, tweets, and posts all over LinkedIn. On X, you can follow their founders or brand profiles to see their content.
The Power of Perception
From an investors point of view, if they’ve never heard of you, it’s going to be a struggle to get attention.
Way too many founders believe they’ll be found simply because of the value of their product. That’s not the truth. Marketing requires you to put in work. If you’re an unknown founder, you definitely need to be sharing more and more about your business everyday. And let’s be honest, you don’t have $100 to spend everyday to promote your startup nonstop.
Mini Framework for Founders
Let’s breakdown how you can start getting results for your brand with a simply content strategy today.
Build visibility: weekly video, podcast, or LinkedIn
You don’t need fancy tools. Just record content on camera. Make it simple: set up your phone and talk. Content does really well on TikTok because normal people just record content and keep it basic. You can do the same thing on LinkedIn! I can almost guarantee your audience will love hearing from you.
Build credibility: post results, user stories, traction
When you start recording, just tell stories. These stories can be about building your company, why you started, or even how you’ve failed so far. The more content you release like this, the more of a connection you can build with your audience.
Package your value: founder story + product clarity
Build authority with actually helping people. You can literally match all of your customer problems with benefits of using your product. It’s the easiest type of content you can create. If a customer has an issue with keeping notes on prospects in their CRM, you can make a video about that pain and then provide the solution. Think about how fast you could build a connection with your market!
If you’re a founder ready to create content for your brand, let’s connect. Let’s start with your Thought Leadership Scorecard.