The heart of connection marketing is focusing on genuine relationships instead of surface-level reach. When your content sounds like a conversation instead of a pitch, people lean in. They stay because it feels like you created it just for them.

Let’s be real. We’ve all poured time into a post or resource we knew was going to hit… only to hear crickets. But more often than not, it’s not the algorithm. It’s the approach.

Connection isn’t something you cross your fingers for. It’s something you create with intention. Today is the day you stop spinning your wheels and start creating content that actually lands. With real people, not just metrics. These are the 5 questions that will help you do it.

Because content isn’t about going viral. It’s about building trust. One meaningful moment at a time.

1. What Is My Audience Googling At 11 P.M.?

Picture them: slumped on the couch after a 12-hour day, laptop glowing, heart heavy. They’re not searching for vague solutions like “how to increase student engagement.” They’re Googling things like:

• “How do I handle the student who won’t stop calling out when I’m already on edge?”
  • What they mean…No one told me that classroom management would make me question my calling.
• “What do I do when my resource room schedule makes me feel like I’m failing everyone?”
  • What they are really saying…I’m exhausted and I just want my classroom to feel peaceful
• “How can I get through tomorrow when I barely got through today?”

These aren’t content prompts, they’re calls for help.

When your blog post, reel, or caption mirrors their midnight spiral with compassion and clarity, you stop being just another voice online and start becoming a trusted one.

When you speak to the actual problem. Not the surface symptom, your content becomes an anchor. Your reader feels seen, safe, and understood.

Ready To Create Content That Connects? 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start by listening harder. Scroll through your DMs, check your blog comments, and hang out in Facebook groups, and take notes. Write down the words your audience is already using.
2. Spot the patterns. What’s coming up again and again? What’s being said between the lines? This is where their real need lives.
3. Speak to the root, not just the request. When you write content that answers the question they’re too tired to articulate, that’s when they feel seen. Speak to that pain point they are too tired to explain. That’s when they’ll start to trust you.

2. Get Inside Your Audience's Head (In A Non-Creepy Way) 

You might call it “differentiated instruction.” They’re saying, “I’ve got five reading levels in one class and 30 minutes to teach a standard.” They’re not using jargon, they’re using emotion. Stress. Exhaustion. Hope.

They say, “I just need more structure.” But they mean, “I want to stop dreading Monday morning.” They say, “Do you have a resource for this unit?” But they mean, “I’m overwhelmed and need something that won’t take me three hours to prep.”

Your content shouldn’t sound like a textbook. It should feel like that deep sigh of relief when a friend finally gets it. Mirror their language. Honor their exhaustion. Answer the question they didn’t quite know how to ask.

What Does Connection Marketing Look Like In Practice?

Connection marketing means moving beyond strategies that chase numbers, and leaning into ones that create belonging. Instead of asking, “How do I get more followers?” ask, “How do I create something that makes someone feel seen today?” Whether it’s a story on Instagram or a downloadable PDF, your goal is to foster trust, not just traffic. That trust? It’s what turns a casual follower into a lifelong fan.

They say they need more time, but they mean they need systems, confidence, and peace of mind. The resource might be the thing they download. But the transformation? That’s what they remember. That’s what keeps them coming back. Your job is to translate your expertise into their everyday words. Ditch the buzzwords and teach like you're talking to your colleague in the workroom after a rough day. Real talk builds real connection.

3. Shift From “What Should I Post?” To “This Will Land.”

Your resource might be a classroom job chart, but what they're really buying? Is a tiny slice of sanity in the 8 a.m. chaos. It's that first moment of calm when students know exactly what to do, and you’re not fielding twelve questions before your coffee hits the halfway mark.

Your offer might be a PD session on writing IEP goals, but what they’re investing in is so much more than a checklist. It's the confidence to walk into an IEP meeting, speak with clarity, and finally feel like their input matters, without the shaky voice and second-guessing spiral.

Because here's the thing: the product is the package, but the feeling is the value.

When you're writing sales copy, don't stop at the bullet points. Don’t just list “3 editable templates” or “PDF and Google Slides included.” Instead, paint the before and after. Tell the story of the teacher who opens that file and finally feels like she can breathe again. Who hits print and feels a little more like the educator she set out to be. Who finds herself actually enjoying the work again because your resource gave her back time, clarity, or hope.

That’s what your audience is really buying:
→ Relief.
→ Confidence.
→ A better Tuesday morning.

You might be selling a behavior support bundle. But what they’re buying is:

• Less anxiety before morning announcements
• More control during high-stress transitions
• A smoother day that doesn’t leave them emotionally drained

Your resource might be a data tracker. But what they want is:

• To walk into an IEP meeting without panic
• To feel competent, not behind
• To finally sleep the night before a parent conference

People buy feelings. Safety. Clarity. Energy. When you sell a product, speak to the transformation it brings, not just what’s inside the PDF. When you lead with that, your content connects, and your impact multiplies. Because you're not just creating products. You’re creating possibilities.

4. What Tiny Win Can I Give Them Today?

You don’t need a 90-day content calendar to be helpful. You need one clear takeaway that moves your reader from “Ugh” to “Oh, I can do that.”

Forget the big transformation for a second. What’s the next right step they can take after reading your post or watching your video?

• A one-liner transition cue to use during a noisy hallway shift.
• A reminder they can copy-paste for that parent who always emails last-minute.
• A three-minute mindset reset they can replay before walking into a tough meeting.

These little gifts build trust. Trust builds the kind of community that lasts longer than any single viral post. It’s trust that makes someone stick around. You don’t have to be an expert on everything. You just have to be the person who gave them one moment of calm when they needed it most.

5. What Do I Wish Someone Told Me Five Years Ago?

This is where your teacher heart shines. Because someone out there is in the season you fought through, and they need your voice. If you’ve been through it, share it. Because someone is walking into the same fire you just walked out of.

• What advice would have saved you?
• What truth would have helped you breathe?
• What tool would have helped you feel less alone?
• What did you wish someone had whispered to you in the teacher’s lounge?
• What resource do you wish existed when your caseload doubled and your support didn’t?
• What phrase would’ve kept you from sobbing in your car after open house?

That’s the content that resonates. Not because it’s shiny. But because it’s real. This is the kind of content that builds communities. That starts memberships. That leads to businesses with heart.

So if you're feeling the pull to create, do it from that place. The best content doesn’t come from strategy decks or hashtag audits. It comes from empathy. From remembering what it felt like to be in the thick of it. From offering the hand you wish someone had reached out to you.

Build Trust And Connection That Leads To Actual Growth

So, what do I wish I had been told way back when? 

What I really needed was to see another teacher doing what I dreamed of. But there wasn’t anyone else in the teacher business space to support newbies like me. But what I really needed to hear, “Hey, I’ve been in the faculty meetings, the fluorescent-lit classrooms, the post-observation spiral… and here’s how I built something more.” I wish someone had said: “You don’t need a giant audience. You need the right tools, a teacher-aligned plan, and a few people in your corner who get it.” 

Not advice from a random biz influencer telling me to go viral. But from a former kindergarten teacher explaining how she launched her membership in the afterschool margins between nap time and dinner prep. So I took everything I learned and created that space for YOU. The teachers' lounge where everyone supports everyone else, and realizes there is room for everyone on the playground. 

If you’re still wondering how to take your content creation and build something that gives back to your life? It starts here: Grab your free copy of The Not-So-Fabulous Life of a Teacher. And when you’re ready to go deeper, we’ll show you how to turn your content into community, clarity, and recurring revenue, inside the From Lessons to Lasting Impact Summit.

Because you don’t need more ideas. You need content that connects.