Effective content marketing is about finding which formats work best on which platforms. This can take time and often means stepping out of your comfort zone and taking strategic risks.
We decided to showcase this by running our own experiment to determine how one insight performs across three formats on three platforms. Here’s what we learned and what it means for your content marketing strategy.
The Goal of the Experiment
We wanted to challenge ourselves to think outside the box, not by coming up with a brand-new topic, but by changing the way we deliver it and seeing what happens.
It’s easy to jump to conclusions when content underperforms, and you might think the topic is the reason it didn’t do as well as you hoped. Maybe the idea wasn’t strong enough. Maybe the audience just didn’t care.
But what if it’s not the insight that’s the issue, but how you presented it to the audience? Or maybe it was the platform you chose. Either way, the way you package your message matters.
This experiment wasn’t about proving which platform is best. It was about isolating key variables. We kept the core insight unchanged and only adjusted the format and distribution channel.
The Three Formats We Tested
Here’s how the experiment worked–we took one core insight: How We Run Creative Work Fully Remote, and packaged it in three different ways:
LinkedIn Carousel
A swipeable, easy-to-follow breakdown focused on key processes and structure. We’ve been experimenting with carousels on LinkedIn already and wanted to see if this one sparked any engagement.
Instagram Video
Short reels have performed well for us in the past. Usually, fun, culture or community-based content performs best for us on this platform. We wanted to give this insight a fair shot at performing well, so a video was a no-brainer.
Facebook Blog Posts
We went with an in-depth blog for Facebook. Generally, we don’t see much on the platform compared to LinkedIn or Instagram, but it still serves as a place where longer-form content can live and be shared.
If the insight was going to be presented in any detail, this felt like the right home for it.
The Results at a Glance
Here’s what we saw across the three platforms:
- Fairly moderate reach
- Light engagement (a handful of likes and one share)
- No comments
- No meaningful audience growth
- The majority of views come from existing followers
On Facebook, the blog generated 255 impressions and 206 reach, but only a few reactions and no comments.
On Instagram, the video performed similarly, with a handful of likes, one share and no conversation.
On LinkedIn, impressions were slightly lower than in previous periods, and follower growth remained flat.
No dramatic difference between formats. And honestly? That’s what made this experiment valuable.
What This Experiment Actually Revealed
Changing the format didn’t dramatically change the outcome. The topic was solid. It clearly resonated enough for people to consume it. But it didn’t create meaningful conversation.
It reinforced our authority and supported our existing audience, but it didn’t meaningfully expand our reach. As a company, we’re heavily focused on finding ways to help our existing client base. This insight was meant to help them.
Not every piece of content is built for growth. Some content builds credibility. Some content nurtures trust. Some content creates awareness. This one leaned heavily toward reinforcement which is one of our goals.
The Bigger Takeaway
It’s easy to jump to conclusions when something doesn’t perform how you expect. We don’t think the insight was weak or that any of the formats were necessarily wrong, but we could’ve done a better job of sparking conversation.
Finding ways to be more direct and opinion-driven is one of our biggest goals for 2026. Perhaps we should have framed this topic differently to spark conversation. Instead of “How We Run Creative Work Fully Remotely,” we could have said:
- “Most Remote Creative Teams Are Structured Wrong.”
- “Remote Creative Work Fails Without This One Thing.”
- “Why ‘Flexible’ Remote Agencies Often Lack Real Structure.”
- “If Your Creative Process Only Lives in Slack, You Have a Problem.”
Same insight but framed in a different way that’s more interesting and sparks conversation. Hindsight always provides clarity, but this experiment has been a nice learning experience for us.
Next Steps and Final Thoughts
This experiment isn’t over; we can still test this same concept with different formats and framing. One insight isn’t enough to get a clear picture of which formats work best for us, but it does give us a starting point.
Stay tuned for more updates as we test additional formats and continue experimenting with our content. If anything meaningful happens as we continue this experiment, we’ll update this blog or create a new one detailing our findings.
Effective content marketing requires you to think outside the box and try new things within the systems and strategies you already have in place.
