Apply This Simple Thought Exercise Before Creating Content

If you’re a content marketer that’s struggling to convert leads to customers, ask yourself a very simple question before creating your next piece of content: “Would I want another company to post this exact content on their own website?” If the answer is no, then the content is not worth creating, and you’re thinking wrongly about content marketing and your company’s value proposition. Here's why convincing customers of your aspirational value is critical.

From the Investors

Jerrod Engelberg and Christopher Steiner of FundersClub draw from their own experiences, and talked to other founders and investors about the terms that are most important, and the ones that should alarm either side in “The Best Term Sheets Align Interests of Founders and Investors”

Fred Destin of Accel outlines what he means by Access, Upside and Impact, and their role in really making money in venture in “Why VC’s are Obsessed with Large Outcomes”

Alon Bonder of Venrock believes today’s multi-billion-dollar market is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possibilities for virtual goods sales in the coming waves of online media in “Virtual Goods: The Next Big Gold Rush”

Tzvika Barenholz of Aleph thinks every organization should strive to erect only one very robust external wall around itself and keep everyone on the inside openly communicating with each other in “To Build an Empire, Tear Down Internal Walls”

Graham Pingree of Cendana Capital discusses how he approaches new manager diligence and Cendana’s thoughts on “pre-seed” as an emerging category of venture firms in “Origins S2-E6” (podcast)

From the Operators

Jeron Paul of Capshare recognizes that coming up with a startup idea that no one else has noticed is daunting, and he goes in detail (4,000 words) to help you find high-potential startup ideas in “Startup Ideas: How the Best Founders Get Them and Why Novelty is Overrated”

Armando Biondi of AdEspresso gives you the insider’s story of the actual mechanics of M&As (Mergers and Acquisitions), or what he calls, “the most obscure process of the startup industry”, in “AdEspresso joins Hootsuite — Anatomy of an M&A”

Janessa Lantz of HubSpot explores the role government funding for STEM research has played in creating the United State’s innovation edge, and the implication this has for innovation in 50 years from now in “The Myth of the Entrepreneur”

Bill Bing of TransLoc provides extensive, unabridged notes from his time at SaaStr Annual 2017, with a full recap of every talk and panel he attended in “Detailed Notes from SaaStr Annual 2017”

Terry Lee of Panacea shares his thoughts on how to take the giant within your industry head-on in “Slay the Giant”