Content that converts: why yours isn’t and what you can do about it

Ana Rabaça
May 23
4 min read

You're publishing content, checking all the boxes and expecting results, but it’s just not doing its job. You’re putting out blogs, writing newsletters, posting on different platforms. The consistency is there. But the leads? Not so much. Sales? Quiet. Conversions? MIA.

You’re not alone. Most companies are wasting time and money creating content that looks good on the outside but does nothing to actually move people.

That’s the gap we want to close, and it starts with understanding what’s going wrong. Here’s why your content isn’t converting and how to fix it so it finally works for your business.

a laptop and phone displaying Estoria Lab's website on a cloud background

You’re writing for peers, not buyers

One of the most common issues, especially in B2B, is content that’s written for peers and not actual decision-makers.

It’s very easy to fall into that trap. You want to show your expertise, gain respect in your field, and sound smart and confident. So you start loading up your content with industry terms, abstract concepts and clever phrasing. The result? Instead of being impressed, your buyer is just confused, or worse, indifferent.

And to put it bluntly: your audience doesn’t care how smart you sound. They care whether you understand their problem and can actually solve it.

So, instead of overusing jargon and posting about topics that would impress your competitor, not your customer, write like you’re in a sales call. Talk directly to the person who has the problem using plain, direct language. Get to the point and show them you get it. Then show what happens when they work with you.
There’s no clear call-to-action (CTA) or purpose

Let’s say someone reads your article, start to finish. Great. That’s a flex. Now what?
If your content doesn’t tell people what to do next, they won’t do anything.

One of the fastest ways to kill your conversions is to create content that doesn’t have a job. Creating for the sake of creating. To meet a schedule or check a box on your list. Too many posts are already being written because “we need a blog this week” or “we need to work on our SEO”. That kind of content isn't tied to an outcome, and so it won’t produce one.

The two big culprits for all this:
- Content for content’s sake. No goal, no direction, just meh.
- CTA confusion. No next step, or too many.
To fix this problem you should ask yourself three simple questions before you write and publish any piece of content:
1. Who is this for?
2. What problem are they dealing with right now?
3. What do we want them to do next?
And if you make the CTA specific, contextual and easy to take action on, your results will be even better. Don’t just say “contact us”, say “download the checklist”, “book a 15-min call” or “see how we did this for X company”.
It doesn’t match where the buyer is in the funnel

Here’s where things can get a bit messy: you create an exceptional blog post, but it’s doing its job all wrong. Maybe it’s an awareness-level piece that sits at the top of the funnel, but you were still hoping it would generate leads. Maybe it’s a deep dive, late-stage guide that assumes your reader is an expert with all the knowledge, and so people bounce.

These are some common misalignments frequently seen during content audits. Top of the funnel (ToFu) content that is trying to close sales, and bottom of the funnel content (BoFu) that fails to address any objections. And educational content with no tie-in to offer.

Instead of continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results, here is what you should do: think of your funnel as a real conversation.
- At the top: focus on empathy and understanding.
- In the middle: help them evaluate options.
- At the bottom: address objections and show proof.
When you map content to funnel stages on purpose, it performs better. It also becomes sales-ready content that’s reusable by your sales team because now it actually fits into their process.
You’re not showing proof

Content without proof is just noise. You can say you’re the best all day long, but no one believes it until you show them.

Proof that will help you drive conversion:
- Case studies
- Results
- Screenshots
- Testimonials
- Customer quotes
- Data that connects to pain points
This is especially relevant and true in B2B, where buyers are skeptical and decision-making involves multiple people. Proof earns trust. Trust leads to action.

Start treating content like sales material. Show before and afters with real quotes and metrics. Even if you're at an early stage, you can show the thinking, explain the why, not just the outcome.
You’re not writing like you’re selling

Good content doesn’t just share ideas. No one wants to read something and feel like they’re reading a school book. Good content moves people.

That doesn’t mean hard selling at every sentence or shouting in all caps. It means clarity, structure and direction. It means choosing your words with a purpose in mind, stripping the fluff and replacing it with something that makes your reader say “Oh, that's me!”

This is what we do at Estoria Lab, and why we call it content that converts.

So, how do you create content that converts?

Here’s the short version:

Speak directly to the buyer, not your peers
Map content to real stages in the funnel
Give each piece one clear job
Show proof, not just promises
Write like you’re talking to a person who needs to make a decision

This isn’t about perfect grammar, fancy words, or an impressive framework. It’s about delivering clarity. Direction. Relevance. Because at the end of the day, conversion starts with the right communication that is actually useful for the buyer.

Our approach at Estoria Lab

We don’t do fluff. We don’t do generic playbooks or pretty but empty content. The aim of your content shouldn’t be to just fill a calendar. We create sharp, sales-aligned content that supports your sales team and business growth. That means: