Episode #138: 5 Signs You're Stuck in the 'Post and Pray' Content Trap (And Why It's Killing Your Growth)
Ever feel like you're pouring time into your content and hearing nothing but crickets? If you're constantly posting and praying something sticks… you're not alone (but you're also not growing).
In this episode, we’re breaking down the 5 signs that your content strategy is stuck in what I call the “Post and Pray” Trap.
It’s sneaky, it’s exhausting, and it’s keeping your business invisible.
But don’t worry! You’ll walk away from this episode knowing how to shift into a smarter strategy that builds long-term visibility without relying on trends, luck, or burning yourself out on social media.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
➔ The 5 red flags that you’re stuck in the “Post and Pray” cycle
➔ How this approach secretly stalls your business growth
➔ What to do instead for sustainable content that works long-term
➔ A fresh approach to content creation that gets results (without overwhelm)
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
📌 Grab Your Seat in the Free Training – The 2 Hour/Week AI Strategy to Escape the Social Media Grind + Grow Your Business 24/7
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The 2 Hour/Week AI Strategy to Escape the Social Media Grind + Grow Your Business 24/7
Join this free workshop and learn how to build a sustainable, AI-powered evergreen content system that grows your audience, builds authority, and drives sales... without being glued to your phone.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah Baker (00:49):
Hey there.
Welcome back to Tech Savvy 101: AI Automation Made Simple. (00:49):
undefined
I'm your host, Sarah Baker, yourtech savvy bestie, who's here to
help you simplify your business,embrace automation, and save
hours every week.
Alright, real talk time.
Have you ever spent half of yourday editing and reedit the
(01:11):
perfect social media postcomplete with beautiful graphic,
the best hook, a killer trendingaudio, and what you thought was
super engaging copy?
You hit publish, and then youspend the next hour refreshing
to see three likes.
(01:32):
One from your mom, one from yourbusiness bestie, and one from a
random bot account trying tosell you followers.
Womp womp.
If that sounds a little toofamiliar, you are not alone.
You might be stuck in what Icall the"post and pray content
(01:53):
trap".
Trust me.
It's way more common than youthink.
Here's the thing.
This isn't just about hurtfeelings or bruised egos.
This cycle is actually killingyour business growth in ways you
might not even realize.
In this episode, I am breakingdown the five biggest signs that
(02:17):
you are caught in this trap, andmore importantly, why breaking
free is absolutely crucial foryour future success.
By the end of this episode,you'll know exactly whether
you're stuck in this cycle, andspoiler alert if you are, I've
(02:37):
got some good news coming yourway at the end, so let's dive
in.
All right.
Let's start with the first sign.
If you find yourself constantlychasing the latest trends and
viral sounds, and whateverformat is hot this week.
Now listen, I get it.
When you see someone in yourindustry go viral because they
(03:01):
jumped on the latest trend orused that trending audio that
everyone's talking about, it'sso easy to fall into the trap of
feeling like you've discoveredthe secret sauce, right?
But here's what's reallyhappening, and this might sting
a little.
You're essentially playing thelottery with your time and your
energy, and we all know whatthose odds really are.
(03:25):
You are betting everything onthe hope that this trend will
finally be the magic bullet thatgives you the visibility that
you know you deserve.
The problem is that trends comeand go faster than a good sale
at Target.
So what's viral today is thenforgotten Tomorrow.
Everyone has moved on to thenext trend.
I want you to think about this: how much time do you spend? (03:47):
undefined
Last week or last month,learning new formats, figuring
out trending sounds, or tryingto crack the code on whatever
platform algorithm had changedthat week?
If it's more than an hour ortwo, that's time that could have
(04:09):
been spent creating content thatactually lasts for your
business.
When you're constantly trendchasing, you're building your
business on quicksand.
There's no foundation there, noconsistency, and definitely no
predictability.
Sign number two is that yourmood and your confidence and
(04:31):
your business strategy arecompletely dependent on
algorithm performance.
I know that you know what I'mtalking about here.
One day your post gets amazingreach and your on cloud nine, it
took off and you are convincedthat you have finally figured it
out, but the next day, when youtry to recreate that magic, your
(04:55):
nearly identical post reachesall of 12 people and you're
spiraling and wondering if thealgorithm hates you personally.
But here's the uncomfortabletruth about this.
When your entire contentstrategy depends on the whims of
an algorithm that you can'tcontrol, you've essentially
(05:15):
handed over your business growthto a computer program that
changes its mind more often thanmy child, changes her mind on
what she's gonna wear to schooltoday.
As the person who does thelaundry in this household, let
me tell you, it's often.
And those algorithm changes,they're not going anywhere.
(05:37):
They're not slowing down.
I.
Platforms are constantlytweaking their systems.
They're often prioritizingcompletely different types of
content without any warning tocreators like us.
So building your businessvisibility solely on algorithmic
reach is like building yourhouse on someone else's land.
(05:57):
You never know when you mightget evicted.
Here's sign number three, andthis one's a biggie.
Most of your content becomesirrelevant within 24, maybe 48
hours.
Think about your last week ofposts on social media.
(06:20):
How many of them would still bevaluable to someone discovering
your account for the first time,six months from now?
If you're being honest withyourself, probably not many.
When you're stuck in the Postand Pray trap, you're creating
what I call disposable content.
These are posts that serve theirpurpose for a hot minute, and
(06:43):
then they disappear into thesocial media graveyard, never to
drive value again.
Rest in peace.
But here's what successfulbusiness owners know, and that's
that the most powerful contentcompounds over time instead of
being buried.
It keeps working for you longafter you hit publish.
(07:07):
Brings in new leads, buildstrust and establishes your
authority and expertise in yourspace.
So if you're spending hoursevery week creating content that
stops working, the moment youpost something new, you're not
building a business asset,you're just doing busy work.
(07:31):
Sign number four is that you'remeasuring your content success
primarily by likes and followsand comments, rather than actual
business results.
Don't get me wrong, becauseengagement feels amazing.
It's very validating, there'snothing quite like seeing those
notifications roll in.
(07:51):
But here's the reality checkthat we all need, and that's
likes don't pay the bills.
I see so many business ownerswho get caught up in the Vanity
metrics game.
They obsess over their followersand their engagement rates while
their actual business metrics.
Things like email subscribers,discovery calls booked, or sales
(08:15):
made, remain flat.
So when you're in the post andpray mode, it's very easy to
mistake activity forachievement.
Likes aren't moving the ballforward in your business.
But if your content isn't movingpeople from social media
followers to actually becomingbusiness relationships or
(08:41):
customers, you are essentiallyrunning a very expensive hobby,
not a business strategy.
The most successfulentrepreneurs that I know have a
completely differentrelationship with their content
metrics.
They're tracking things like,how many people visited my
website from this post?
(09:02):
How many email subscribers did Igain?
How many consultation calls didI book, or how many sales did
this piece of content generate?
Those are the numbers thatactually matter for your
business growth.
And finally, sign number five isthat you consistently feel like
(09:23):
you're shouting into the void,wondering if anyone actually
cares about what you have tosay.
This one is honestly the mostheartbreaking to me, because I
know how much of your heart andyour soul that you put into your
content.
(09:43):
You research, you write, youdesign, you post, and then you
wait and wait.
And wait.
And more often than not, theresponse you end up getting from
what you posted just doesn'tmatch the effort that you put in
because when you're stuck inthis cycle, content creation
(10:05):
starts to feel like pushing aboulder up a hill.
It's exhausting and frustrating,and honestly, it can feel really
lonely.
But here's what I want you toknow.
It's not that people don't careabout what you have to say, it's
that the Post and Pray approachmakes it really freaking hard
(10:29):
for the right people to find youat the right time.
Because your ideal clientsaren't sitting around waiting
for your next social media post.
Now they're searching forsolutions to their problems,
often at 2:00 AM on Google, notscrolling through their social
(10:51):
media feed.
So now that we've covered thefive signs, let me explain why
staying stuck in this post andpray trap is actually
devastating for your businessgrowth.
First off, you are wasting yourmost valuable resource, your
(11:12):
time, every hour spent creatingcontent that disappears in 24
hours is an hour that could havebeen spent creating something
that works for your business formonths or even years.
Second, you're missing out onbuilding real business assets.
(11:35):
When all of your content liveson platforms that you don't own,
you're essentially buildingsomeone else's empire instead of
your own.
And third, and this is a bigone, you're training your
audience to expect disposablecontent from you.
They're not looking to you asthe go-to expert in your field
(11:59):
because they're not seeingconsistent, valuable search
worthy content that establishesyour authority.
But here's the good news and whyI'm so excited about that free
workshop I mentioned earlier,because there's a completely
different way to approachcontent creation.
(12:19):
There's a way that works withyour schedule instead of against
it, and a way that builds realbusiness assets that compound
over time.
So instead of creating 20 piecesof content that each work for
one day.
What if you could create onepiece of strategic content that
does the work of 20, what ifyour content could be found by
(12:44):
your ideal clients, not justtoday, but six months from now
or a year from now?
That is exactly what I'll beteaching in the workshop.
It's gonna be teaching how toexit stage left from this
exhausting post and pray cycleonce and for all.
(13:04):
And instead, start to build acontent machine that actually
grows your business and allowsyour customers to find you even
at 2:00 AM when they're onGoogle, and when you're sleeping
soundly in your bed.
All right, my friend.
Let's recap those five signs.
One, you're constantly chasingtrends.
(13:27):
Two, you live and die byalgorithm changes.
Three, your content expireswithin 24 to 48 hours.
Four, you're focused on vanitymetrics over business results.
And five, you feel like you'reshouting into the void.
If you're nodding along becauseyou recognized yourself in even
(13:52):
one or two of these signs,you're definitely not alone.
Most entrepreneurs get caught inthis trap at some point because
honestly, it's what we've beentrained and taught to do.
But recognition is the firststep to breaking free from this
cycle.
So once you see the trap forwhat it is, you can start
(14:14):
building something better.
Remember, that free workshop ishappening on Monday.
I'm gonna show you exactly howto build a content strategy that
works for you, not against you.
Grab your seat by registering atthe link in the show notes.
I promise it'll be worth yourtime, and I will see you there.
(14:36):
Thanks for hanging out with metoday on Tech Savvy 101.
If this episode resonated withyou, I'd love it if you could
hit subscribe and maybe share itwith another entrepreneur who
also might be stuck in their ownpost and pray cycle.
I will see you really soon.
Hey there.
Welcome back to Tech Savvy 101: AI Automation Made Simple. (00:49):
undefined
I'm your host, Sarah Baker, yourtech savvy bestie, who's here to
help you simplify your business,embrace automation, and save
hours every week.
Alright, real talk time.
Have you ever spent half of yourday editing and reedit the
(01:11):
perfect social media postcomplete with beautiful graphic,
the best hook, a killer trendingaudio, and what you thought was
super engaging copy?
You hit publish, and then youspend the next hour refreshing
to see three likes.
(01:32):
One from your mom, one from yourbusiness bestie, and one from a
random bot account trying tosell you followers.
Womp womp.
If that sounds a little toofamiliar, you are not alone.
You might be stuck in what Icall the"post and pray content
(01:53):
trap".
Trust me.
It's way more common than youthink.
Here's the thing.
This isn't just about hurtfeelings or bruised egos.
This cycle is actually killingyour business growth in ways you
might not even realize.
In this episode, I am breakingdown the five biggest signs that
(02:17):
you are caught in this trap, andmore importantly, why breaking
free is absolutely crucial foryour future success.
By the end of this episode,you'll know exactly whether
you're stuck in this cycle, andspoiler alert if you are, I've
(02:37):
got some good news coming yourway at the end, so let's dive
in.
All right.
Let's start with the first sign.
If you find yourself constantlychasing the latest trends and
viral sounds, and whateverformat is hot this week.
Now listen, I get it.
When you see someone in yourindustry go viral because they
(03:01):
jumped on the latest trend orused that trending audio that
everyone's talking about, it'sso easy to fall into the trap of
feeling like you've discoveredthe secret sauce, right?
But here's what's reallyhappening, and this might sting
a little.
You're essentially playing thelottery with your time and your
energy, and we all know whatthose odds really are.
(03:25):
You are betting everything onthe hope that this trend will
finally be the magic bullet thatgives you the visibility that
you know you deserve.
The problem is that trends comeand go faster than a good sale
at Target.
So what's viral today is thenforgotten Tomorrow.
Everyone has moved on to thenext trend.
I want you to think about this: how much time do you spend? (03:47):
undefined
Last week or last month,learning new formats, figuring
out trending sounds, or tryingto crack the code on whatever
platform algorithm had changedthat week?
If it's more than an hour ortwo, that's time that could have
(04:09):
been spent creating content thatactually lasts for your
business.
When you're constantly trendchasing, you're building your
business on quicksand.
There's no foundation there, noconsistency, and definitely no
predictability.
Sign number two is that yourmood and your confidence and
(04:31):
your business strategy arecompletely dependent on
algorithm performance.
I know that you know what I'mtalking about here.
One day your post gets amazingreach and your on cloud nine, it
took off and you are convincedthat you have finally figured it
out, but the next day, when youtry to recreate that magic, your
(04:55):
nearly identical post reachesall of 12 people and you're
spiraling and wondering if thealgorithm hates you personally.
But here's the uncomfortabletruth about this.
When your entire contentstrategy depends on the whims of
an algorithm that you can'tcontrol, you've essentially
(05:15):
handed over your business growthto a computer program that
changes its mind more often thanmy child, changes her mind on
what she's gonna wear to schooltoday.
As the person who does thelaundry in this household, let
me tell you, it's often.
And those algorithm changes,they're not going anywhere.
(05:37):
They're not slowing down.
I.
Platforms are constantlytweaking their systems.
They're often prioritizingcompletely different types of
content without any warning tocreators like us.
So building your businessvisibility solely on algorithmic
reach is like building yourhouse on someone else's land.
(05:57):
You never know when you mightget evicted.
Here's sign number three, andthis one's a biggie.
Most of your content becomesirrelevant within 24, maybe 48
hours.
Think about your last week ofposts on social media.
(06:20):
How many of them would still bevaluable to someone discovering
your account for the first time,six months from now?
If you're being honest withyourself, probably not many.
When you're stuck in the Postand Pray trap, you're creating
what I call disposable content.
These are posts that serve theirpurpose for a hot minute, and
(06:43):
then they disappear into thesocial media graveyard, never to
drive value again.
Rest in peace.
But here's what successfulbusiness owners know, and that's
that the most powerful contentcompounds over time instead of
being buried.
It keeps working for you longafter you hit publish.
(07:07):
Brings in new leads, buildstrust and establishes your
authority and expertise in yourspace.
So if you're spending hoursevery week creating content that
stops working, the moment youpost something new, you're not
building a business asset,you're just doing busy work.
(07:31):
Sign number four is that you'remeasuring your content success
primarily by likes and followsand comments, rather than actual
business results.
Don't get me wrong, becauseengagement feels amazing.
It's very validating, there'snothing quite like seeing those
notifications roll in.
(07:51):
But here's the reality checkthat we all need, and that's
likes don't pay the bills.
I see so many business ownerswho get caught up in the Vanity
metrics game.
They obsess over their followersand their engagement rates while
their actual business metrics.
Things like email subscribers,discovery calls booked, or sales
(08:15):
made, remain flat.
So when you're in the post andpray mode, it's very easy to
mistake activity forachievement.
Likes aren't moving the ballforward in your business.
But if your content isn't movingpeople from social media
followers to actually becomingbusiness relationships or
(08:41):
customers, you are essentiallyrunning a very expensive hobby,
not a business strategy.
The most successfulentrepreneurs that I know have a
completely differentrelationship with their content
metrics.
They're tracking things like,how many people visited my
website from this post?
(09:02):
How many email subscribers did Igain?
How many consultation calls didI book, or how many sales did
this piece of content generate?
Those are the numbers thatactually matter for your
business growth.
And finally, sign number five isthat you consistently feel like
(09:23):
you're shouting into the void,wondering if anyone actually
cares about what you have tosay.
This one is honestly the mostheartbreaking to me, because I
know how much of your heart andyour soul that you put into your
content.
(09:43):
You research, you write, youdesign, you post, and then you
wait and wait.
And wait.
And more often than not, theresponse you end up getting from
what you posted just doesn'tmatch the effort that you put in
because when you're stuck inthis cycle, content creation
(10:05):
starts to feel like pushing aboulder up a hill.
It's exhausting and frustrating,and honestly, it can feel really
lonely.
But here's what I want you toknow.
It's not that people don't careabout what you have to say, it's
that the Post and Pray approachmakes it really freaking hard
(10:29):
for the right people to find youat the right time.
Because your ideal clientsaren't sitting around waiting
for your next social media post.
Now they're searching forsolutions to their problems,
often at 2:00 AM on Google, notscrolling through their social
(10:51):
media feed.
So now that we've covered thefive signs, let me explain why
staying stuck in this post andpray trap is actually
devastating for your businessgrowth.
First off, you are wasting yourmost valuable resource, your
(11:12):
time, every hour spent creatingcontent that disappears in 24
hours is an hour that could havebeen spent creating something
that works for your business formonths or even years.
Second, you're missing out onbuilding real business assets.
(11:35):
When all of your content liveson platforms that you don't own,
you're essentially buildingsomeone else's empire instead of
your own.
And third, and this is a bigone, you're training your
audience to expect disposablecontent from you.
They're not looking to you asthe go-to expert in your field
(11:59):
because they're not seeingconsistent, valuable search
worthy content that establishesyour authority.
But here's the good news and whyI'm so excited about that free
workshop I mentioned earlier,because there's a completely
different way to approachcontent creation.
(12:19):
There's a way that works withyour schedule instead of against
it, and a way that builds realbusiness assets that compound
over time.
So instead of creating 20 piecesof content that each work for
one day.
What if you could create onepiece of strategic content that
does the work of 20, what ifyour content could be found by
(12:44):
your ideal clients, not justtoday, but six months from now
or a year from now?
That is exactly what I'll beteaching in the workshop.
It's gonna be teaching how toexit stage left from this
exhausting post and pray cycleonce and for all.
(13:04):
And instead, start to build acontent machine that actually
grows your business and allowsyour customers to find you even
at 2:00 AM when they're onGoogle, and when you're sleeping
soundly in your bed.
All right, my friend.
Let's recap those five signs.
One, you're constantly chasingtrends.
(13:27):
Two, you live and die byalgorithm changes.
Three, your content expireswithin 24 to 48 hours.
Four, you're focused on vanitymetrics over business results.
And five, you feel like you'reshouting into the void.
If you're nodding along becauseyou recognized yourself in even
(13:52):
one or two of these signs,you're definitely not alone.
Most entrepreneurs get caught inthis trap at some point because
honestly, it's what we've beentrained and taught to do.
But recognition is the firststep to breaking free from this
cycle.
So once you see the trap forwhat it is, you can start
(14:14):
building something better.
Remember, that free workshop ishappening on Monday.
I'm gonna show you exactly howto build a content strategy that
works for you, not against you.
Grab your seat by registering atthe link in the show notes.
I promise it'll be worth yourtime, and I will see you there.
(14:36):
Thanks for hanging out with metoday on Tech Savvy 101.
If this episode resonated withyou, I'd love it if you could
hit subscribe and maybe share itwith another entrepreneur who
also might be stuck in their ownpost and pray cycle.
I will see you really soon.
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