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⚖️ Earn the time you ask for: the Content Exchange Rate [SAF #145]
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Hey Reader, Before we dig in, want a good laugh? I spent yesterday afternoon designing the FunnelBro 3000, a custom GPT that has a guru-like answer to any marketing challenge — and now I'm laughing and my own jokes. Try it here. [I have weird hobbies, I know.] I think it ties in well with today’s topic because most people want attention but few earn it. Today is about the gap between the time you spend creating and the time you expect people to spend consuming. I call it the Content Exchange Rate. Like me, you’ve probably seen this at play: people spend 30 seconds generating a social media post with AI and demand 1+ minutes of your time to go through it. Is it unfair? Does it work? Does it feel like paying champagne prices for tap water? We’ll unpack all of it today after a quick message about a workshop that I promise will be worth your time: 📣 Brought to you by 📣The Resonance Blueprint Stories That Sell, Newsletters That ScaleMy wicked smart friend Bianca B. King and I are joining hands and methodologies to help you build a profitable newsletter that doesn't drain you or ask that you change who you are to be successful. You'll leave with:
Stop writing emails that disappear into the digital abyss. Start crafting stories that build sustainable revenue streams. The event is 100% free and it's happening on 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁. 11𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 11 𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗧. Join us and bring your questions — we'll have a Q&A session too
Want your name up here? Reserve your slot! The Content Exchange Rate (CER) explainedI got the idea for this framework from Jay Clouse’s regret test: “Was it worth our time and attention?” Passing the regret test makes your audience more likely to consume new content from you. Failing it leads to unsubscribes and unfollows. Jay’s idea resonated with me a lot, so I started thinking about a way to figure out if your content has a solid chance of passing it. No matter how many angles I approached this, I always came back to the effort we put into the content we publish. So the formula became: CER = total minutes consumed ÷ total minutes createdCreation time includes research, outlining, writing, editing, visuals, and QA. Consumption time is how long people actually spend with it, multiplied by how many. For example, if you spend 480 minutes on a deep guide, and two thousand readers invest four minutes each, that is 8,000 minutes of consumption. The CER is 16.7, which means your time compounded into their time. If you spend 40 minutes on a twenty-minute video and fifty people watch for two minutes, consumption is 100 minutes and the CER is 2.5, which tells you the trade is weak and probably misaligned with how people prefer to consume that idea. Typically, your score should be over 5. Treat The Content Exchange Rate like a signal, not a morality score. How to use The Content Exchange Rate frameworkPeople are drowning in content. Thanks to AI, there’s at least 42% more marketing content churned out. Because it got easier and faster. But should you churn out MORE content just because you can? More is more BUT only if it makes sense. Here’s how to tell. Run a CER check before you publishWrite this next to every draft:
Then calculate CER. If the CER is under 5, raise density, change the format to match attention budgets, or right-size the ask. This is a design constraint that keeps you honest. Example: you wrote 1,200 words in 90 minutes. You expect 300 readers and a realistic two-minute skim. Consumption is 600 minutes, so CER is 6.7. Ship it with confidence. If the same draft expects a ten-minute read, the math doesn’t math in your favor because typical engaged time for articles is closer to a minute unless you earn more attention. This is your cue to add summaries, signposts, and a one-page version. Increase signal density without bloating lengthLonger isn’t always better. Aim for roughly one useful thing per 100 words: a decision rule, an example with a number, a step someone can take today, or a template. Do one fast pass that deletes a vanity paragraph, replaces one claim with a receipt, and adds one instruction that starts with a verb. This way, readers scan first, then decide whether to settle in, which is why your opening structure matters more than your adjective count. Micro-example: Caveat: essays are an exception here. While they, too, can offer advice, your signposts change to sound bites, memorable phrasing, innovative ideas, and so on. Publish the same idea three ways: skim, snack, studyThis is how you grow your CER without bloating.
People have different attention budgets; meet them where they are rather than begging everyone to pay the steepest price. This is a note to self, too. I’ve been meaning to do shorter formats for my essays for YEARS now. Match the effort to the askEvery piece of content makes a request from the consumer, whether it’s engagement or a financial transaction. These requests should feel proportional to the effort and value delivered. For instance, a quick tip earns a light ask, such as a reply or a vote. A thorough how-to with a template earns a subscribe or waitlist. A field guide with fresh examples and a tool can ask for a purchase, a booking, or a registration. Trust is the asset that should compound with every piece of content, and trust grows when your asks feel fair. Make a reader ROI promise and keep itState the time required and the return at the top, then deliver. For example: “Seven minutes to learn the CER formula, a one-page calculator, and a publishing map you can apply today.” Clear promises reduce perceived risk and increase completion. Me taking my own adviceA few bite-sized nuggets you can save and re-use, or your key takeaways from this essay. CER calculatorCreation minutes: ____ If the result is under 5, raise density, change format, or adjust the ask. Signal sensity checklist ☐ One thing taught The three-format pack for this issue would look something like thisSkim is 3 to 4 lines with the core rule and the ask. What if AI can create GOOD content? Is the Content Exchange Rate relevant then?AI made content feel cheap. Anyone can produce a passable paragraph in under five minutes. Do those pieces deserve attention? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Let me give you an example: I’ve been thinking about this formula for months. Once I figured it out, there was still something missing: a name. You may know that I SUCK at naming — I’ve said it many times. AI came up with “The Content Exchange Rate” after a series of long and intricate prompts. Still, I feel like this essay deserves your attention (I’m biased, of course), even though AI helped me spend less time on it. I don’t think ALL AI-generated content is bad. Just like with human-made content, clear thinking breeds clear writing — if you have the right idea, AI might create something decent out of it. However, asking AI to generate a “killer LinkedIn post” and then copy-pasting it won’t cut it anymore. The Content Exchange Rate will be abysmal, deservedly so. ✋ LimitationsCER is a useful compass, but it's far from foolproof. Here is where it bends, breaks, or quietly lies to you. Virality is a power law, not a meritocracySometimes a two-minute rant wins the internet, and the post you polished and agonized over for hours tanks. Platforms reward novelty spikes and social contagion because emotion travels faster than nuance. So don’t over-polish your posts — at least not always. There’s something beautiful about unpolished, raw thoughts, and the internet loves that. When a piece of content tanks, it’s not the endLong-form content often seeds everything else. A 3000-word piece spawns ten social media posts, a webinar, and a checklist. If you calculate CER on the guide alone, it will look inefficient. If you amortise that creation time across the entire content cluster, the number changes. Portfolio math beats piece-by-piece math for cornerstone work. Format bias warps the pictureShort videos and carousels compress ideas into low-friction swipes, so they rack up minutes and shares quickly. Deep tutorials demand more focus and move fewer people, yet they often drive the actions with real economic value. If you only optimise for CER, you drift toward snackable formats and starve the assets that convert. Small audiences look worse than they areIf your audience is small, consumption totals will be low. CER will punish you even when conversion and revenue are strong. So take it with a grain of salt and aim for a growth trend, not a specific number. Don’t change your North StarCalibrate CER with a small set of “moves the business” signals: replies, saves, links, qualified replies or DMs, pipeline created, revenue. Use the CER result to ask better questions about format, density, and distribution. Then decide strategically: do you need to intervene on format or substance? Need help creating profitable content without spending days on a single piece?Yes, effort gets rewarded. But, realistically, how many hours can you put into content creation alone? If you’re ready to trade fewer hours for better results, The Profitable Content Engine helps you design content that respects attention and builds trust over time. Plus, it comes with a custom GPT that helps you ideate and tie your content to specific business goals every damn time.
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That's it from me today! See you next week in your inbox. Here to make you think, Adriana |
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Tired of marketing advice that’s either obvious or outright shady? Strategic AF flips the script. It's the only newsletter that treats solopreneurs, founders, and marketers like grown-ups, not toddlers looking for the next shiny toy. Subscribe to get sharp, no-nonsense strategy advice without the cringe. No bro-marketing, no fluff — just real, sustainable growth tactics. Subscribe if you want results. Scroll past if you prefer gimmicks.
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