The Minimum Viable Content Strategy: How to Do More With Less for Early-Stage Startups
What would you do if I told you that you're probably creating 3x more content than you actually need?
I can hear the panic from here. "But Amelie," you're thinking, "everyone says content is king! We need to be everywhere! We need to post daily! We need to—"
Stop. Breathe. Put down that 47-page content calendar.
You're running a startup. Your team's stretched thinner than your patience during a Zoom call that could've been an email. Your budget's tighter than skinny jeans after Christmas dinner.
Welcome to the minimum viable content strategy, where doing less isn't just smart – it's profitable. Because here's the dirty little secret: most startups are drowning in content they don't need while losing time for the stuff that actually moves the needle.
Let's fix that, shall we?
The brutal truth about startup content marketing
Listen up, because this might sting: 90% of the content you think you need to create? You don't.
That daily blog post? Unnecessary. The 17 social media platforms you're trying to juggle? Exhausting. The podcast you started because everyone has one?
Here's what actually matters: 47% of buyers consume 3-5 pieces of content before talking to sales. That's it. Not 300 pieces. Not 30. Just 3-5 really good ones.
Your job isn't to create a content factory. It's to create the right content for the right people at the right time. Everything else is just expensive noise.
The minimum viable content formula (or: How to be everywhere without being anywhere)
Ready for the secret sauce? Here's your minimum viable content strategy in a nutshell:
1 Core Piece + 5 Derivatives + 3 Platforms = Maximum Impact
That's it. That's the tweet.
Now let me break it down for you...
Step 1: Create your content cornerstone
Start with one meaty piece of content each month. This is your cornerstone content – the good stuff that actually solves problems for your ideal customers.
Think:
In-depth guide
Original research
Comprehensive how-to
Industry analysis
Case study with actual results
This isn't some 500-word fluff piece. This is the content equivalent of a three-course meal. It's got substance. It's got value. It's got the answers your audience is desperately Googling at 2 AM.
Step 2: Slice and dice like a content ninja
Now comes the fun part. Take that cornerstone content and repurpose it like your business depends on it (because it does):
LinkedIn carousel: Pull out the key stats
Twitter thread: Break down the main points
Instagram stories: Create visual snippets
Email newsletter: Share the executive summary
YouTube short: Record yourself explaining the key takeaway
Boom. One piece of content, six different formats. You've just created a week's worth of content in the time it takes to watch a Netflix episode.
Step 3: Pick your platforms (and stick to them)
Here's where most startups go wrong: they try to be everywhere and end up being nowhere.
The minimum viable approach? Pick three platforms maximum:
That's it. No TikTok dances. No Pinterest boards. No Clubhouse rooms (is that even still a thing?).
The 80/20 rule of startup content
Time for some maths that'll make your CFO smile: 80% of your results will come from 20% of your content. So why are you spending time on the other 80%?
👀 Read this blog post if you want to find out more about the 80/20 rule
Focus on these high-impact, low-effort content types:
Customer success stories (The social proof goldmine)
Nothing sells like success. Get your happy customers talking, record it, and turn it into:
Written case studies
Video testimonials
Quote graphics
Before/after comparisons
Product tutorials (The "show, don't tell" approach)
Stop explaining what your product does. Show it:
Screen recordings
Step-by-step guides
Feature highlights
Common problem solutions
Industry insights (The thought leadership play)
Position yourself as the expert without the fluff:
Data visualisations
Trend analyses
Prediction posts
Myth-busting content
Behind-the-scenes content (The authenticity card)
People buy from people they trust:
Team introductions
Product development updates
Company culture snippets
Founder stories
The content creation sprint
Forget the always-on content treadmill. Try content sprints instead:
Week 1: Research and outline
Week 2: Create cornerstone content
Week 3: Repurpose and schedule
Week 4: Engage and analyse
Rinse and repeat. You've just created a sustainable content rhythm that won't burn out your team or your budget.
Tools for the resource-strapped startup
You don't need a fancy content stack. You need:
Google Docs: For collaboration
Canva: For visuals (the free version is fine)
Buffer: For scheduling (again, free tier works)
Total cost: £0. You're welcome.
The measurement metrics that matter
Stop obsessing over vanity metrics. For early-stage startups, focus on:
Lead quality: Are the right people finding you?
Conversion rate: Are they taking action?
Customer acquisition cost: Are you spending efficiently?
Time to conversion: How long is your content journey?
Everything else is just numbers to make you feel good (or bad) without actually telling you anything useful.
When to break the minimum viable rules
Sometimes you need to go big. Save your resources for:
Product launches
Major company announcements
Industry events
Crisis management
Seasonal campaigns
The rest of the time? Stick to the minimum viable approach.
Common minimum viable content mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Thinking "minimum" means "mediocre": Quality still matters. Less content, better content.
Ignoring SEO completely: Basic optimisation is non-negotiable. Keywords still matter.
Never updating old content: Your best content deserves regular refreshes.
Forgetting the CTA: Every piece needs a next step. Always. Here’s a list of 26+ blog post CTAs you can steal.
Not tracking results: If you're not measuring, you're guessing.
The minimum viable content calendar
Here's your plug-and-play monthly calendar:
Week 1:
Research trending topics
Survey customers for pain points
Outline cornerstone content
Week 2:
Create cornerstone content
Design supporting visuals
Write email copy
Week 3:
Create social derivatives
Schedule posts
Set up tracking
Week 4:
Engage with comments
Analyse performance
Plan next month
Total time investment: 20 hours per month. That's less than one hour per working day.
Ready to do more with less?
Building a startup is hard enough without drowning in content creation. The minimum viable content strategy isn't about doing less work – it's about doing smarter work.
Start with one piece. Make it brilliant. Repurpose it ruthlessly. Measure what matters.
Need help building a content strategy that actually fits your startup's reality? Let's chat about creating maximum impact with minimum resources.
Book a no-pressure discovery call with me
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