Top 5 Common Founder Content Mistakes

Content is one of the most powerful tools a founder has. Most founder led content falls flat not because it’s bad, but because it’s misaligned. There’s not strategy or path. If content is produced, its usually lazy and unplanned.

Here are the 5 biggest mistakes I see again and again (and how to fix each one):

Too many founders play it safe. They recycle generic ideas instead of taking a real stand. That fear of being disliked is keeping you from being known. Its not possible for everyone to like you. Some people won’t even have a reason.

If you can focus on creating high quality content with a strong perspective, you’ll be able to attract more of your people. What does this mean?

Every founder should shoot to have a villain. This is part of your brand story. This makes it a lot easier to attract the people who think like you. For example, I believe in content for founders. The villain for my positioning is advertising because I know most founders don’t have the funding to run continuous ad campaigns.

The better your villain, the easier you can convince prospects.

Content that speaks to “everyone” usually goes nowhere. Remove that fear that you’ll be losing out on prospects by focusing on one area of your market. Fix it: Get painfully specific. Talk directly to a niche customer, investor, or partner you want to attract.

One trick I do with my clients is sit them in front of a camera and talk to them like I’m their ideal customer. It’s incredible how it reshapes their perspective.

One post per month won’t move the needle. Visibility compounds with consistency. A key thing to understand is that consistency isn’t about doing it perfectly everyday. It’s about showing up. You won’t always be at 100%. But showing up will keep you making progress nonstop.

Fix it: Pick one platform, one format, and show up at least once a week. Block time on your calendar like it’s a meeting with your most important investor.

Talking about your big vision is great. But if you never share process, traction, or lessons learned, you’re asking people to take your word for it.

I like to challenge founders to share their thoughts. TikTok is the perfect platform for this. Each time you reach a milestone or surpass a rough point in your business, go and make a video about it. You’ll find that there are usually a ton of other people who have the same issue or ones who might be fighting to overcome it.

Documenting doesn’t have to be pretty. In fact, its better if its not. The authenticity can really shine through and be helpful for your audience.

Fix it: Document your journey. Show what you’re testing, shipping, and learning—even before it’s perfect.

Founders who outsource all their content too early lose their voice—and their edge. This speaks to the AI changes we see happening in the marketplace currently. I mean think about it, you can prompt an app and have it create months of content for your brand in seconds. But that content is rarely good. In fact, its usually some of the worst content we see online.

AI content has its place. It can be useful to a certain extent. But it’s not going to be nearly as helpful as a lot of people think. Research is already showing us that there are more bots online than real people. Thats why you have to relentless about sharing your own content and putting your face out there.

Fix it: Get involved in your early content. You don’t need to write every word, but your fingerprints should be all over it.

You don’t need to be a full-time creator!But in today’s market, the founders who communicate clearly win attention, trust, and capital.

Start small. Start honest. And stay consistent.