I remember when I first moved to Silicon Valley. I noticed people worshipped engineers—and rightfully so. A 10x engineer was the difference between your startup being known or unknown.

But now something is changing.

I went to computer science school, so it hurts me to say this but content marketers are the new engineer. Companies seek attention grabbers instead of the code wranglers. The shift from code to content is undeniable. In an era where every website and app is just a few Claude prompts away from being copied, the ability to grab attention and spread ideas has become the new technical skill.

​Claude changed my view on this. It’s not fully there yet, but the trajectory is clear. We’re seeing a paradigm shift where the barrier to entry for technical replication is lowering, while the ability to stand out and capture attention is skyrocketing in value. And content is how you do that.

Let’s talk numbers. Companies that invest in content marketing see six times higher conversion rates. Brands with strong content marketing enjoy 7.8 times more site traffic. The data speaks for itself. Look at Duolingo. Their quirky TikToks have turned a language learning app into a social media sensation. Earned them 12.5M followers on TikTok. Or Notion, with its community-driven approach, creates content that is so good that people tattoo Notion logos on them.

Content is king, and marketers are the new royalty.

So, what does this mean for you?

First, become a marketer. Ideas matter, but the ability to spread them is transformative. Master this, and you’ll be indispensable. You can hire this out, but until you really understand the ins and outs, you probably won’t be able the right talent.

Been thinking about what makes a top-tier content marketing these days.

The best marketers understand the art of copywriting—saying something simply, beautifully, and persuasively. They know how to use visuals to create contrast, craft a narrative, and speak visually. They get product psychology, knowing who they’re talking to, how to talk to them, and what will get them to spread the message.

The best content marketers are part copywriters/part community people. When they post on social, they have this invisible connection with the audience. They create a feedback loop to give you killer product ideas and keep you business relevant and thriving.

The best marketers build brands. They know how to protect and grow brands. And how to rally your company to support this.

The best marketers are irresistible. They understand the nuances of copy, the power of selfie videos, and the importance of distribution. We all know distribution is more important than the product. The best product in the world means nothing if no one knows about it.

Believing in your ideas and conveying them with conviction is more important than the idea itself. Marketing is an art, while computer science is a science. We’re in an age where the ability to captivate and convey is everything.

Welcome to the age of the marketer, where the ability to grab attention and spread ideas trumps all.

Your moat is your marketing. Never forget that.

Embrace it.

Next up, bookmarks I saved this week worth reading

#1

Dave @php100 It took me two hours to build this with Claude 3.5 Sonnet, very neat. 1,294 lines of code Next feature I want is automated iCalendar ICS files from voice transcriptions. Built with next.js, sqlite, tailwind, shadcn, waveformer.js, groq whisper-large-v3 api, and gpt-4o mini api 5:35 PM • Jul 20, 2024 86 Retweets 1137 Likes Read 34 replies

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This is what I was talking about. This is wild.

#2

Garry Tan @garrytan Underrated trend 2:42 PM • Jul 20, 2024 696 Retweets 7787 Likes Read 230 replies

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Another example of marketers are the new engineers. It's the age of the idea guy/gal.

#3

Pat Walls @thepatwalls $1M/YEAR business that might have you quit entrepreneurship altogether: – Problem: "i think my dog is anxious" – Solution: all day relaxing music YT channel – 2M subs – 800K views/mo – $1M PER YEAR 🤯 10:13 AM • Jul 19, 2024 54 Retweets 1140 Likes Read 54 replies

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Really good idea.

#4

anu @anuatluru the modern allure of books is that — in a world of unlimited ideas, sources, information — a book represents a constraint someone has vetted the quality and content and said there will be no more and no less than this many words on this chosen subject in this unit of consumption 5:3 PM • Jul 20, 2024 41 Retweets 442 Likes Read 16 replies

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Are you reading enough books? Gets you thinking...

Thanks for reading Greg's Bookmarks.

Next up new startup ideas podcasts worth listening to.

New Startup Ideas Podcast (SIP) episodes 🧃 ​Dani Grant (Founder of Jam $9M+ raised) gives us 3 of her best ideas out of 150+. ​Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify​ For those into crypto startup ideas, I sat down with legend Ben Rubin, Co-Founder of Here Not There (formerly of Houseparty) on his favorite crypto startup ideas right now ​Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify​ ​ ​

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Thank you for reading Greg's Letter. I hope you found it valuable.

And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube if this gave you any value. You'll get free startup ideas every few days.​

Until next week.

Be well,

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