You’ve probably heard me talk about “the content treadmill” before. 🏃🏻♀️😮💨
It’s basically when your content is wearing you out more than it’s working for you. And if you’re like, “Yeah, that’s me.” — I wrote this blog post for you!
Because here’s the thing:
Different people mean different things when they say “content treadmill.”
Some folks use it to talk about the volume of content they feel pressured to create. Others use it to describe the time it takes. Or the burnout that sets in when it all starts to feel pointless.
But when I use this phrase inside my business and in High-leverage Content, I have a more specific definition.
So in this post, I want to break it down… Let’s look at what the content treadmill isn’t, what it actually is — and how you can either avoid it, or get off of it for good!
Let’s get into it. 👇🏼
What the Content Treadmill Isn’t
Let’s start by clearing up a common misconception:
The content treadmill isn’t simply defined by how much content you create.
Because here’s the truth — “a lot of content” is going to look different for different business owners, depending on your business model: 👈🏼
✅ A course creator, for example, might spend 50–70% of their time on marketing. And publishing lots of content is normal and often necessary for that kind of business. (Because course creators typically make more sales, but at a lower price point.)
✅ Meanwhile, a 1:1 coach or done-for-you service provider? They’re spending way more time serving clients directly — which means they naturally have less time available for content creation. And really, they don’t need as much visibility as someone who has courses. (For 1:1, you usually need fewer sales, and the price point is higher for each sale.)
So if we tried to define the content treadmill by sheer volume — a certain number of posts per week, or how many platforms you’re on — it wouldn’t hold up. The line would move depending on who you are, how many clients you’re working with, what kind of offer you have, and what season of business you’re in.
It also isn’t about whether you post every day, or once a week.
Some people create 20 pieces of content per week and are not on the treadmill. Others publish things 3x a week and are. Because again — it’s not about the amount of content you publish.
And it’s not just about time spent, either.
It’s easy to assume that people who spend a few hours a day working on their content must be on the treadmill… but that’s not always true. For some business owners, content creation is a major part of their job. (As I mentioned above.) That doesn’t automatically mean they’re stuck in an unsustainable pattern — especially if that content is working, being repurposed effectively, feels fun, and is leading to real results.
So no — being on the content treadmill doesn’t *necessarily* mean:
- You’re showing up every day
- You’re on five different platforms
- You’re spending more than X hours per week on your content
Those things might be present when someone’s on the treadmill… but they aren’t the definition.
To really understand what the treadmill is, we need to go deeper…
What the Content Treadmill Actually Is
In my world, the content treadmill isn’t about how much content you create.
🎯 It’s more about how that content *feels* — and also, how well it’s *working.*
Here’s how I define it:
You’re on the content treadmill when you feel like you’re always behind. Like no matter how much you post or how often you show up, it’s never quite enough. You’re constantly huffing and puffing, trying to keep up — but you’re not gaining ground.
It’s the sensation of spinning your wheels. Even if you’re technically “showing up consistently,” you don’t feel momentum. You feel pressure.
It often sounds like:
😦 “I can’t take a break — I’ll lose traction.”
😵💫 “I’ve got to be on Instagram and email and Threads and Pinterest and LinkedIN…just to make sure that something will work.”
🫣 “Ugh, it’s been three days — I need to post something.”
😳 “What else can I say that I haven’t already said?”
And underneath all of that? Is this quiet (or not-so-quiet) panic:
“Why isn’t this working?” 🏃🏻♀️😮💨
Because here’s the kicker:
The content treadmill is especially brutal when your content isn’t even getting you the results you want.
When your content is working — when you know it’s bringing in clients, nurturing people toward a sale, and making your offers more visible and desirable — it’s energizing. Even if you’re spending time on it each week, it doesn’t feel like a grind. It feels worth it.
But when it’s not working? That’s when it drains you.
That’s when showing up online starts to feel like a job you didn’t sign up for.
That’s when you find yourself triggered or discouraged by other people’s content — especially if you can’t tell what’s working for them and what’s performative.
That’s when your thoughts start looping:
“Should I be saying more? Should I be doing this differently? Maybe I’m just not cut out for this.”
And that’s what makes the treadmill so exhausting. You’re not just tired from the doing — you’re tired from the doubt.
That’s what the content treadmill actually is:
→ Constantly creating new content, from scratch
→ Without clear results to show for it
→ While feeling behind, scattered, or uncertain the whole time
It’s content with no leverage. 😉
(And the opposite of the content treadmill? It’s when your content is leveraged, not just published — doing real work without you constantly churning.)
So…
The goal isn’t necessarily less content. (Though that could be *part* of the solution, depending on your business model and specifics.)
The real goal is to get off the treadmill — and build a system that works on repeat, and doesn’t wear you out.
Real Example: I Put Out a Lot of Content — But I’m Not on the Treadmill. 🧘🏻♂️
Let’s use me as a concrete example —
Hi, it’s me! My own business. 🙋🏻♀️
There was a time when I had very limited capacity for content creation. I was in what I call my “booked-out era” — doing done-for-you marketing work for lots of clients. I always had a full plate, and most of my time was spent serving them directly. I was on calls with them, and I was working on their deliverables.
(You may remember hearing about my ‘booked-out era’ from my free blog strategy training, where I describe how I stayed booked out with only one day per month for my marketing!)
During that season, I didn’t have hours each week to spend on content. I had one day per month carved out to focus on my own marketing. That was it.
And from that one day, I’d walk away with at least 4 emails, and a month’s worth of repurposed content — all from a single high-leverage blog post I had already written months before.
And I kept things streamlined. I wasn’t on every platform. I focused on creating a small amount of highly-strategic content that I could repurpose well. And I wasn’t on the content treadmill.
Because the content I was putting out worked.
It got me known and trusted. It brought in leads. It generated sales.
It gave people what they needed to say yes to my services — without me needing to show up constantly.
These days, my business model looks wayyyyyy different. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
I’m primarily a course / program creator now. My offer (High-leverage Content) is more curriculum-based. (I do provide support to HLC-ers too, but the curriculum does most of the teaching.)
And that means marketing is a much larger part of my role now.
As a course/program creator, I need to make more sales, but at a lower ticket — and to do that, I need to reach a larger audience. Which means I’m creating more content, across more channels.
(Whereas, most of my High-leverage Content students don’t need to put out as much content as I do, because they sell higher-ticket done-for-you or 1:1 coaching offers. They make fewer sales, but each sale is a higher amount. Their marketing can look much more like mine did during my ‘booked-out’ era!)
These days, I show up a lot online… But I’m not exhausted by it at all.
I write blog posts (my blog is the foundation of my marketing system). I write close-to-daily emails to my list… I post and engage on Threads… I share on Instagram… I co-host a weekly YouTube show with my friend Heather… I do a lot!
In terms of output, I’m doing more than ever.
And the truth is, I don’t need to be in this many places to sign clients — I do it now because {a} I enjoy it; {b} I like to experiment with different platforms so I can help HLC students with their visibility plans, and {c} because my system makes it easy!
But I’m not on the treadmill — not even close. 🤣
Why?
Because I’m not constantly reinventing the wheel. I’m not scrambling to keep up. I’m not chasing the algorithm or churning out reactive content.
Instead, I’m always drawing from my capsule blog library — a bank of blog posts that hold the key messages my audience needs to hear, learn, and understand to be ready to buy. (This is the system I teach inside of High-leverage Content.)
I repurpose the heck out of these blog posts. I trust the system. And the content is working — it brings in leads, it nurtures buyers, it sells the program.
So even though I’m creating and publishing regularly, my business — and my life — are quite spacious… 🧘🏻♂️
I have time to think deeply about my offers.
I have time to connect with my students, reflect on what they’re struggling with, and refine my curriculum to support them better.
I have time to write. Time to rest. Time to pursue hobbies. Time to just be.
So if you’ve ever looked at my business and thought, “Wow, she puts out a lot of content — I could never do that”…
Let me lovingly stop you right there. ✋🏼
If you’re a coach or done-for-you provider, you don’t need a massive volume of content. You don’t need to be on five platforms. You need content that’s strategic, repeatable, and repurposable — the kind of content that gets your clients ready to work with you, even if you’re only creating it once a month.
So your first goal should be to create the right foundational content — and then you’ll be able to leverage it. Which brings me to…
How You Can Get (and Stay) Off the Content Treadmill, with a Capsule Blog Library:
I’m sure this blog post has helped the options come into sharp focus for you:
👉🏽 The impact of being stuck on the content treadmill is real. It’s draining. It makes marketing feel heavier than it needs to be. And it leads to that nagging question — “Is this even working?”
👉🏽 But life off the treadmill? It’s spacious. It’s strategic. It’s rooted in a system that lets your content do the heavy lifting — so you don’t have to.
And that’s exactly what we create inside my signature program, High-leverage Content.
Inside HLC, I’ll lead you through every step of creating your own capsule blog library — the same kind I’ve used in both seasons of my business:
✔️ When I was booked out with 1:1 clients and only had one day a month to do content…
✔️ And now, as a course creator with a more leveraged offer who needs a bigger content presence
In both seasons, the blog library was the foundation.
Because it gives you what you need to:
- Say the things in your content (consistently) that your audience needs, to feel ready to buy
- Repurpose your best ideas into emails, posts, and other content (without starting from scratch every time, and while keeping all your marketing cohesive)
- Build trust and move your audience toward a “yes” — without the scramble
This is how your content becomes low-lift and high-converting.
This is how you get your time back — and still sign clients regularly — without the content treadmill!
If you’re ready for that kind of marketing rhythm — click below to learn more and join us!
