Most B2B marketers spend weeks (sometimes months) creating content, only to watch it flop. Little to no engagement. No leads. No impact. Just another piece floating in the void.
The problem isn’t a lack of B2B content ideas. It’s that most marketers guess what will work instead of testing before they invest serious time and resources.
That’s where Minimum Viable Content (MVC) changes the game. Jess Cook, Head of Content at Island, shared her framework for quickly validating content ideas before going all in. This approach helped her team consistently create content that resonates with the right audience, without wasting months on ideas that don’t.
In this article, we break down her process so you can:
- Test content ideas fast without burning budget
- Spot the winners before you invest in full campaigns
- Avoid the common traps that make B2B content fall flat
I highly encourage you to keep this process in mind when executing our own B2B Demand Gen content framework! This process doesn’t mean to just ‘guess and test’ what works. Even Jess herself says that you need to first base these ideas on real insights from the customers.
Okay, so if you’ve ever wondered why your content doesn’t get the traction it should, this is for you. Let’s get into it.
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Why Most B2B Content Ideas Fail (And How to Fix It)
So why does B2B content fail so often? Often it comes down to marketers guessing what their audience wants instead of testing before they commit resources. Jess Cook summed it up perfectly:
“Most of the measurements you’re looking at in terms of content performance aren’t enough. We need real-world feedback.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
The usual metrics – impressions, clicks, even downloads – don’t always tell you if a piece of content is actually resonating.
Jess and her team at Island learned this the hard way before they switched to an MVC (Minimum Viable Content) approach. One example? Their “Guess the Best Ad” quiz at Marpipe. It was designed to show marketers how creative testing worked. The first time they ran it, the results were incredible – over 2,000 completions in 48 hours. Excited by the response, they ran it again. This time? Only 200 completions.
“I thought we had something big. But when we ran it again, only 200 people took it.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
What happened? The novelty wore off. The concept worked once, but it wasn’t scalable. This is why testing before fully committing to an idea is so important. Instead of assuming an idea will work long-term, you have to validate its longevity before investing more resources.
That’s the entire premise of MVC. The best content teams start small, watch for audience signals, and only scale the ideas that prove themselves. If your content isn’t gaining traction, the issue isn’t just the execution – it’s the lack of testing.
What is Minimum Viable Content (MVC)?
So how do you stop wasting time on content that flops? You test it first. But not in the way most marketers do, by launching a massive campaign and hoping the metrics look good. You need a way to validate ideas before you go all in.
That’s exactly what Minimum Viable Content (MVC) does. Jess Cook describes it as “content that contains just enough value to validate the strength of an idea.”
Instead of pouring hours into an ebook, blog series, or video production, you strip the idea down to its simplest form – a tweet, a LinkedIn post, a basic visual. Then, you see if your audience actually cares before you scale it further.
This approach speeds up content creation without sacrificing quality.
“It’s going to allow you to move fast because you’re boiling an idea down to its simplest version… You’re going to be able to ship it very quickly and start getting feedback on it very quickly.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
The VDI Breakup Letter – A Simple B2B Content Idea That Took Off
Jess shared an awesome example of executing MVC while at Island.
Jess and her team at Island knew that IT professionals were frustrated with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Instead of assuming this pain point was content-worthy, they tested it with the simplest possible format – a LinkedIn post styled as a breakup letter to VDI.
“We understood this from our sales team that VDI is the bane of our buyers’ existence.”
No fancy visuals. No ad spend. Just plain text and an image. They posted it and waited to see what happened.
And it worked. The audience didn’t just like the post—they connected with it.
“This was the first time we saw our audience using the laugh emoji—we knew we hit something.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
IT professionals flooded the comments, tagging colleagues, adding notes like “This is exactly how I feel about VDI.”
Seeing this traction, they gradually scaled the idea. First, they turned the post into a GIF – showing a user trying to type a breakup letter, only for the system to freeze mid-sentence. That worked, too. So they took it one step further, creating a fully produced video with emotional music, leaning into the frustration.
“We took it one step further—turned it into a GIF. That did really well too. Then, we made it a full-blown video.”
This is MVC in action. They didn’t invest in video production from day one. They validated the idea first. Each stage – text, GIF, video – proved that the message still resonated.
Most B2B marketers do it backwards. They create something big and polished first, then hope it lands. But the VDI breakup letter proves that starting small and scaling based on engagement is the fastest way to create content that actually connects.
Here’s another example of Jess and her team scaling up a piece of content that clearly resonates with their audience:
How to Measure Whether Your B2B Content Idea Is Working
Coming up with great content ideas is one thing – knowing if they actually work is another. Too many marketers focus on vanity metrics like impressions and clicks, assuming high numbers mean success. But those numbers don’t always tell the real story.
Jess Cook put it nicely: “If you’re only looking at impressions or clicks, you’re missing the bigger picture. You need signals that show real engagement.”
A post with 10,000 views but no conversions isn’t as valuable as a post with 500 views and three ICPs reaching out.
“One post had 10,000 views but no conversions. Another had 500 views, but 3 people from our target accounts reached out. Which one do you think was more valuable?”.
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
Sales Team Feedback is a Key Validation Signal
One of the strongest validation signals isn’t in your marketing dashboard – it’s your sales team. If they start sharing your content, using it in conversations, or asking for more of it, that’s a clear sign that it’s hitting the right mark. “If your sales team is sharing your content, that’s a great sign.”
That’s exactly what happened when Jess created a simple one-pager about ad creative testing at Marpipe. She didn’t need to analyze CTRs to know it worked—her proof came when the sales team said, “This is really helpful.” That kind of feedback means your content is directly impacting pipeline, not just racking up engagement numbers.
Track Who Engages, Not Just How Many
Another key metric? Who engages with your content, not just how many. Jess’s team tracks new commenters, high-value personas, and whether their Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) are engaging.
“We look for the little things—new people commenting, high-value personas engaging, our ICP sharing the content. That’s how we know an idea is resonating.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
And sometimes, the biggest indicator of success happens off-platform. When Jess’s team put out the breakup letter to VDI, the engagement was great—but what really proved its impact was when IT teams started sharing it in their internal Slack groups. “That was when we knew we had something. The conversation wasn’t just happening on our post—it was happening in their internal channels.” ([00:12:30])
If you’re still measuring success by likes and impressions, you’re missing the bigger picture. The real test of a content idea isn’t just how many people see it—it’s how many of the right people care enough to act on it.
The 3 Essential Ingredients of High-Performing B2B Content (MVC Must-Haves)
Now let’s get into what your Minimum Viable Content must have.
Jess Cook breaks high-performing B2B content down into three essential ingredients:
1. A Mind & Heart-Changing Point of View
Great content challenges the way your audience thinks or feels about a problem. If your content isn’t shifting perspectives, it’s just adding to the noise.
“It has to challenge an assumption or reinforce a belief they’re already forming. Otherwise, it won’t stand out.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
Take the VDI breakup letter. IT professionals already hated Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, but Jess’s team made that frustration relatable and emotional. The breakup letter wasn’t just funny – it made IT teams feel seen, reinforcing their dissatisfaction with VDI in a way they hadn’t expressed before.
👉 Tip: Find the unspoken frustrations, biases, or beliefs your audience already holds. Then, either challenge or validate them with content that triggers a reaction.
2. A Simple, Digestible Version of the Idea
If your content requires too much effort to consume, it won’t land. People skim, scroll, and move on. That’s why high-performing content gets straight to the point.
“Minimum Viable Content is about stripping an idea down to the simplest version that still carries its full weight.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
The breakup letter post was just text and an image—but it still captured the full idea. Only after proving it resonated did Jess’s team invest in a GIF, then a video. Each step built on the previous one, without overcomplicating the process too early.
👉 Tip: Before creating long-form content, test the simplest version of the idea first. If a tweet, LinkedIn post, or static image gets engagement, it’s a green light to expand.
3. A Format That’s Easy to Execute and Share
Even the best ideas won’t gain traction if they’re too complicated to produce or difficult for the audience to share. The best-performing content is easy to consume, easy to share, and repeatable across formats.
“The simplest formats often get the best engagement because they remove friction—both for the creator and the audience.”
Jess Cook – The B2B Playbook
The Marpipe ad testing one-pager is a perfect example. Instead of a 10-page report, Jess’s team created a single-page asset with quick, visual insights. Sales teams immediately started using it, which was a clear sign it was working.
👉 Tip: Prioritize formats that are low-effort but high-impact—something that can be created and shared quickly while still delivering value.
How to Prioritize the Best B2B Content Ideas
Not every content idea is worth pursuing. Some might seem exciting but don’t align with your audience’s needs. Others might get surface-level engagement but fail to drive meaningful conversations. The key is knowing which ideas to invest in and which to drop before you waste time and resources.
Jess Cook lays out three key factors that determine whether a content idea is worth scaling:
1. Your Product Was Built to Solve This Problem
The best content ideas are directly tied to the pain points your product solves. If an idea doesn’t connect back to your product in some way, it might generate engagement, but it won’t drive business impact.
“If your product wasn’t built to solve this problem, you’re just creating content for the sake of it.” ([00:38:10])
For example, Island’s VDI breakup letter worked because their product eliminates the need for VDI. The message wasn’t just relatable – it positioned their solution as the obvious alternative.
👉 Tip: Before running with a content idea, ask: Does this highlight a problem our product solves? If not, it’s probably not worth prioritizing.
2. Your Audience is Actively Searching for Solutions
If people aren’t aware of the problem or aren’t actively looking for solutions, your content will struggle to gain traction. The best content meets your audience where they already are – in conversations they’re already having.
“You need to hit the right level of awareness. If they don’t know the problem exists, your content won’t resonate.”
This is why timing matters. If an industry shift or a common frustration is top of mind for your audience, creating content around it will be far more effective than pushing an idea they aren’t thinking about yet.
👉 Tip: Look at trends, customer conversations, and sales objections to identify problems your audience is already talking about.
3. There is Market Urgency Right Now
Even if an idea aligns with your product and audience needs, it won’t work if there’s no urgency behind it. The best B2B content ideas address problems that feel pressing and time-sensitive.
“If there’s no urgency, your content just becomes ‘nice to have.’ But if there’s urgency, it becomes essential.”
For example, security and compliance updates in SaaS often drive high engagement because businesses need to act fast. When new regulations roll out, content that explains what’s changing performs well because people are searching for answers.
👉 Tip: Ask yourself: Why does this matter right now? If there’s no urgency, the idea might not be a priority.
The Sweet Spot: When to Invest in a Content Idea
For a content idea to be worth scaling, it needs to check all three boxes:
✅ It highlights a problem your product solves
✅ Your audience is already aware of or searching for a solution
✅ There’s urgency that makes them care right now
If it only checks one or two? It might not be the best use of your time. The best B2B marketers prioritize ruthlessly, ensuring that every piece of content they create is positioned to drive real impact, not just engagement.
Putting This Into Action
Most B2B marketers waste time on content that never goes anywhere. Not because their ideas are bad, but because they don’t test before they invest. Instead of creating content based on assumptions, you need a system that helps you validate ideas early, scale the winners, and ditch the rest.
Jess Cook’s Minimum Viable Content (MVC) framework is exactly that—a way to test content in its simplest form before committing resources. Her team at Island proved this with the VDI breakup letter, which started as a basic LinkedIn post and only evolved into a full-blown campaign after it was validated by real engagement.
So, how do you start applying this to your own content strategy? Here’s your action plan:
- Stop guessing—test small first. Before investing in blogs, videos, or long-form reports, try the simplest version of the idea—a LinkedIn post, a tweet, a one-pager. Look for real engagement signals before scaling.
- Measure the right things. Impressions and clicks don’t tell the full story. Instead, track whether your ICP is engaging, your sales team is using the content, or real conversations are happening.
- Prioritize the best content ideas. Before going all-in, ask yourself:
- Does this problem directly connect to our product?
- Are people already searching for answers?
- Is there urgency that makes this matter now?
If an idea doesn’t check all three boxes, it’s probably not worth the effort.
- Iterate based on feedback. If an idea works, find new ways to expand on it. If it flops, figure out why and tweak your approach. The best content marketers aren’t just creators—they’re testers, listeners, and problem-solvers.
The goal isn’t to churn out more content. It’s to create high-impact content that resonates, drives conversations, and moves buyers closer to a decision. If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: start small, track engagement, and let your audience tell you what’s worth scaling.
