Stop Writing "We're Market Leaders" — Name What Your Reader Actually Gets

The Useful Action Concept

A useful action answers one question: why would anyone read this?

Not "what our blog is about." Not "how great we are." A useful action names the specific problem your content solves for a specific person. The formula starts with "my content helps..." — and you finish that sentence.

Say you're a marketing consultant. Your newsletter's useful action might be: help freelancers and solo consultants land clients without cold outreach or an ad budget. Specific. Measurable. Clear who it's for. Or maybe you're a beauty creator on Instagram — then the useful action sounds like: help busy women do a simple 10-minute makeup routine that looks as good as a professional shoot. Not "talk about trends." Not "inspire people." Solve a task: 10 minutes — done.

A useful action works as a filter. If the beauty creator's useful action is "simple 10-minute makeup," then a post about lovely spring weather and good vibes doesn't belong in that feed. It doesn't solve the reader's problem. That's it.

Write one sentence: "My content helps [who] [do what]." If it contains the word "everyone" or "anyone" — narrow it down. If you can't end with a concrete action — you don't have a useful action yet.

"Inform" and "teach" are not useful actions

Two trap phrases that kill your useful action before it starts: "inform" and "teach."

Your reader doesn't care that you want to "inform" them about something. They didn't show up for a briefing. They showed up to solve their own problem — get clients, raise their rate, stop sitting around with no projects. And thinking a series of posts can "teach" someone? That's naive. You're not a university. You help a person take the next step.

Check your formula. If it contains "inform," "teach," or "tell people about" — rewrite it as a concrete outcome for the reader.

Five statements that say absolutely nothing

A useful action isn't about you, your company, or your product. It's about the client: what problem they'll solve through your content. Here are five statements I hear all the time — and how to fix them.

"We're so cutting-edge." A freelance developer writes about using the latest tech stack. The client doesn't care. The client wants to hear something else: "I'll ship your MVP in 3 weeks, not 3 months — because I use pre-built components and automate the boring stuff." Technology is the means. Speed and savings are the result. Write about the result.

"Our service is amazing." A virtual assistant helps entrepreneurs with admin work. You could praise the service. Or you could dig deeper: the client doesn't want to "delegate tasks" — they want to stop drowning in email, invoices, and scheduling so they can finally focus on growing the business. The real motivation isn't the process. It's freedom from it.

"We're market leaders." Cross this one out. When you say that, you're looking at competitors. Your client isn't looking at competitors. Your client is looking at their problem. Whoever solves it — that's where they'll go.

"You should trust us." A marketing consultant says: "You should trust me, I have 10 years of experience." What does the client actually want? To stop burning their ad budget and start getting clients predictably. Rewrite it: "I help you stop wasting money on ads that don't convert — and bring in 3–5 qualified leads per month." Trust grows from results, not from claiming you're trustworthy.

"We deliver high quality." A freelance designer writes: "My designs are high quality." That means nothing to the client. But this does: "Your landing page will look like a five-person studio built it for $15,000 — and you'll pay $2,000." Quality is an abstraction. A specific result for a specific price — that's a useful action.

Take your current statement. If it contains words like "innovative," "quality," "leader," "trust," or "service" — ask one question: "What does the client get as a result?" The answer is your useful action.