The content shift nobody talks about

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I do not know about you, but I read a lot of content online, and most of it feels like AI-generated copy-paste or recycled versions of other people’s work.

Very little content feels authentic. In the age of AI, authenticity matters more than ever. Even beyond authenticity, playing the content game differently has become far more important.

Today, I want to talk about how Beehiiv grows its audience, so you can take ideas for growing your own newsletter.

Earlier, I used to strongly advocate educational content. I do not say the same anymore.

AI has almost killed SEO driven content production. If you go to Google and interact with AI mode, you will find answers to almost everything instantly.

That was not the case a few years ago. Back then, people actively searched for educational content. Today, they are not doing that anymore.

Nowadays, everyone is an expert, or at least an AI-assisted expert. You will often see someone who just started creating content sharing educational posts with zero months of experience.

Because of this, educational content is losing its impact. The Beehiiv team understands this very well. That is why they focus on creating likeable content instead with humour.

Not every employee is active online, but one of the early members of the Beehiiv core team, Daniel, consistently posts about his podcast, his personal life, and Beehiiv itself.

Most of the time, he and the founder, Tyler, engage in lighthearted banter with each other. This makes the brand feel human and approachable.

On the other hand, very few founders actively create content, and even fewer show up consistently on social platforms. Today, if you want to build an online business, building a founder-led brand is often the first step.

Tyler understands this game well. He regularly posts on social media and through his newsletter.

What stands out the most is user engagement. He replies to Beehiiv users, apologises when something goes wrong, and openly shares updates about his own journey and the company’s growth.

You can see his involvement on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Kanishka is another active employee who frequently talks about Beehiiv and engages with the community.

You might also remember Sam, whom I invited to my podcast. He is another person who consistently posts and interacts with users.

I have been observing posts from many company pages like Buffer, The Nature Conservancy, IBM, and others.

Beehiiv also posts from their company page, but they do it differently, and that difference matters.

They use relatable and meme-driven content, which is easy to consume and widely shareable.

I have repeated this point throughout the email for a reason. Be relatable.

You do not need to constantly publish educational threads or only talk about customer success stories. You can talk about things that almost anyone can relate to.

If people connect with the point you are making, engagement follows naturally. More engagement brings more visibility, and visibility increases the chances of business growth.

You might ask, if the goal is to build a business, can relatable content still work? Yes, it can, and you should use more of it. Attention comes before conversion.

After reading this, you might feel tempted to copy what they are doing. That will not work. You cannot steal credibility or trust. And copying posts word-for-word will not help either.

Instead, build your own style. If you already have one, work on refining it and making it stronger. That is where long-term growth comes from.

Anirban ‘helping you learn the content game’ Das