Hey {{first_name|creator}},
If you’re posting for business but still trying to figure out what to post every day, you’re doing it the hard way.
👋 Welcome to Creators In Business, a newsletter where creators learn to think like CEOs, and businesses learn to move like creators.
A lot of people start with the question:
What should I post today?
This was me for a very long time.
You’re hustling hard, creating content for content’s sake, copying what other people are doing, only to realise it’s not moving the needle in the way that you need it to.
This is because you haven’t defined your why.
Sure, you may know that you want to grow your followers or attract inbound traffic.
But this is purely a metric outcome. Right now, the numbers hold no meaning.
It doesn’t tell us:
What you’re actually trying to build
Who those followers are meant to become
Or what action you ultimately want them to take
“I want more followers” is like saying “I want more people in the shop.”
But what are you selling once they walk in?
Once you define your 2026 goals, your content will start driving real business results, not work to keep you busy.
This playbook I’m about to share with you will help you build a strategy that attracts growth in all aspects and, more importantly, get you closer to helping your audience take action.
I’ll also share a free Notion template I use to track my content plan at the end.
Let’s change how you do business,
Jess Smalley 🔑
But before we do any of that.
You need to
Step 1: Define Your Mission
Before we even consider your goals, ask yourself:
What do I want to be known for?
Example:
my critical thinking in an increasingly AI-driven world.
for having a trusting and transparent relationship with my audience.
What’s my overall mission for this year?
Example:
to empower more women to take action in the creator economy.
This is your ultimate operating system.
By front-loading your mission now, you create leverage.
How?
Every decision you make is filtered through your overall mission.
Instead of saying yes to things that feel good in the moment but pull you off-course, you now know what will serve your goals.
This is how you begin to save yourself time by leveraging strategic focus.
Step 2: Set Your 3 Big Professional Goals for 2026
These are the goals you want to achieve this year. Define them.
Example:
Grow and scale my newsletter, Creators In Business
Speak on 1 stage per month (can be either fireside chat, panel or keynote)
Launch and grow a YouTube channel
By defining your outcomes for the year, your daily content should support them.
Step 3: Think in Terms of Signal, Not Content
Most people spend 30 minutes on social media looking for inspiration on what to post that day.
Not only are you wasting 30 minutes trying to come up with an idea, but it’s also stopping your content from serving a purpose. The point is lost, and so is your afternoon.
Content → Signal
Instead, flip it:
Goal → Signal → Content = Outcome that you want
Before considering your content strategy, think:
What signals do I need to put out in my content to achieve my top 3 outcomes by the end of the year?
What needs to be true in order for my goals to occur?
Content alone doesn’t do the work. The signal you send is what actually moves the needle.
Step 4: Map Content to Goals
Before you start cranking out posts, pause. Your content only works if it’s moving something forward. Ask yourself:
At the end of the year, what do I want to be known for?
Who needs to believe what I stand for for this to happen?
What content is needed to convince them?
These are your breadcrumbs, leading a trail to your goals.
It’s how you create a pre-suasion method that builds belief and authority without overt selling.
Step 5: Build Your Content Plan
Once you know what you’re working toward and what signals actually matter to you, planning your content becomes simpler.
No more opening LinkedIn and hoping a good idea appears.
Once you know your goals and signals:
Decide what content topics support each goal
Repurpose and plan your posts (build a Belly System here)
Track everything in this free Notion template here
Get The 2026 Goal-to-Content Planner here
If, after reading this, your 2026 professional goals are still leaving your content calendar blank -
Reply to this email with your problem, and I’ll get back to you.
Jess Smalley, creator of Creators In Business
Thanks for reading! Say hi 👋 on LinkedIn
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