You’re posting consistently. Your reels are getting 1k+ views. People are liking, saving, even commenting.
But when you check your sales? Zero.
You’re doing everything the modules told you to do: posting multiple times a day, using trending audio, following the advice down to the letter.
So what’s missing?
Engagement measures interest. Sales require trust.
And most affiliates never build the bridge between the two.
Let’s see what that bridge actually looks like.
The engagement trap (why likes don’t equal sales)
People assume: “If I just get enough eyes on my content, the sales will come.”
Well… that’s not how it works.
You can have 10k followers, reels hitting 50k+ views each, comments saying “this is so good!” or “saved!” — and still make $0.
Ouch.
Someone can find your content interesting, valuable, even save it for later, and never once consider buying from you.
There are levels to this:
Level 1: Entertainment (they watch, they scroll, they forget)
Level 2: Education (they save it, think “that’s useful,” still don’t buy)
Level 3: Conversion (they think “I need help with this exact thing, and she might be able to help me”)
Most creators and affiliate marketers are stuck at levels 1 and 2.
They’re creating content that gets engagement but doesn’t shift beliefs or address objections.
Let me show you what I mean.
Educational content looks like: “5 ways to write better hooks”
You get saves, likes, “thanks for this!” Needless to say these don’t pay bills. They take the tips and keep scrolling. No sale.
Conversion content sounds more like: “You spent 20 minutes writing that hook. 45 more minutes for the caption. One hour later, you posted the reel. Got maybe three likes and zero comments. You’re starting to wonder if you’re just bad at this. You’re not. You’re trying to be clever instead of specific. Clever gets ignored. Specific gets remembered. Here’s the shift…”
Now they’re thinking, “She knows exactly what I’m dealing with. Maybe she can actually help.”
The difference?
One teaches. The other moves.
The missing bridge (from content to conversion)
What actually shifts someone from “following you” to “buying from you”?
Three things.
Belief shifts (not just information)
People don’t buy purely because they lack information. They definitely didn’t wake up this morning thinking “oh my, let’s buy some courses today and get learning!”.
They buy because something they believed changed. Or more accurately: they buy on emotion and justify it with logic after.
You feel the pull first — relief, hope, fear of missing out, frustration with where you are now. Then you rationalize why it makes sense.
“I need this because my current approach isn’t working.”
“It’s only $X and if it saves me three months of trial and error, it’s worth it.”
The emotion drives the decision. The logic seals it.
Common beliefs that block sales:
“I can figure this out on my own” (they don’t see the value)
“It probably won’t work for me” (they don’t believe in the outcome)
“I’m not capable of actually doing this” (they don’t trust themselves to follow through or apply it)
“I’ll do it later when I have more time/money” (an urgency problem usually)
“This seems too good to be true” (trust issue)
Your content needs to shift these.
Not by arguing with them. Not by listing features and modules. But by showing them why the belief doesn’t hold and tapping into the emotion underneath it.
Compare these two:
“This course teaches you how to write better copy”
vs.
“You’ve been writing captions for three months. You’re posting consistently. But nobody’s clicking your link. You think you need better hooks. What you actually need is to stop sounding like the 147 other people saying the same thing. That’s what gets fixed here.”
See the difference?
The first one is just information. The second one taps into frustration (nobody’s clicking), self-doubt (am I doing this wrong?), and hope (there’s a fixable reason this isn’t working). You’re not just describing the course. You’re dismantling the belief that “better hooks” is the problem while making them feel understood.
Objection handling (before they voice it)
By the time someone considers buying, they already have all sorts of objections running through their head:
Is this a scam? Will this actually work for me? What if I waste my money? Do I even have time for this?
If your content doesn’t address these objections, they’ll just keep scrolling.
Where do you handle those objections?
Besides the obvious place (the sales page, which you have no control over if you’re promoting an affiliate digital product):
In your captions — casually, not defensively.
In your stories — FAQs, testimonials, behind-the-scenes.
In your emails — the automation that’s triggered once they download/access a lead magnet. (This is top tier, by the way.)
In your DMs when they ask questions — but always aim to craft content in such a way that it attracts more silent buyers, so you don’t drown in the DMs.
“Look, I get it. You’ve probably already bought two or three courses these past 6 months alone. You’re wondering if this is just another thing you’ll buy and never finish. Fair question. I’ve bought courses I barely opened too. The difference with this one? It’s not about adding more to your plate (or just pumping up the number of Skool communities you’re in). It’s about fixing the one thing that’s keeping everything else from working. Your messaging. If that’s not your problem, don’t buy it. But if you’ve been posting for months and nobody’s biting, it probably is.”
See what I mean? No hype or fake urgency. Just addressing the objection they’re already thinking.
Safety
If you’re selling info-products to beginners (non-marketers) in the make money online space, they’re not just skeptical.
They’re downright scared.
They’re often thinking:
What if this is a scam and I lose money I don’t have?
What if I fail again and feel even worse?
What if my husband or family judges me for trying?
Your content has to create safety before it creates desire.
So how can you build safety through your content?
Show small wins, not just huge transformations that look unattainable. Use relatable language, not hype or jargon. Be vulnerable about your own struggles, your lessons learned. The “building in public” angle beats guru bro-marketer making $17k/mo just from IG & Canva aaaanytime, I guarantee that.
And address their fears directly.
Compare these:
“Make $10k your first month!”
vs.
“What if you could just cover your grocery bill this month without asking for help? Not some massive income goal. Just… relief. A little breathing room. That’s where most people start. And for me? That’s enough to keep going.”
Miles apart.
Small wins, real business opportunity, and safety.
That’s what resonates most with complete beginners in this space.
Stop organizing by funnel stages (nobody actually moves that way anymore)
For years, people have been organizing content into TOFU (top-of-funnel, awareness), MOFU (middle-of-funnel, consideration), and BOFU (bottom-of-funnel, conversion).
It made sense when marketing was linear. When people discovered you, learned about you, then bought from you in neat little stages.
But that’s not how it works anymore.
One reel can hit someone who’s never heard of you and someone who’s been following you for three months and is ready to buy. Same piece of content. Two completely different stages.
The algorithm doesn’t care about your funnel. It cares about engagement and relevance.
And here’s what I noticed: many big brands don’t even do this.
Nike isn’t posting “5 tips for better running.” They’re not doing awareness content. Every Nike ad assumes you already know Nike exists. They’re selling identity, belonging, a feeling. Not shoes.
Rolex doesn’t have “how to choose a luxury watch” blog posts. They don’t educate. They’re pure aspiration, heritage, scarcity. You either want a Rolex or you don’t. They’re not trying to convince you.
Even Hormozi — who does teach — compresses the entire funnel into one piece of content. His YouTube videos simultaneously make you aware you have a problem, teach you a principle, and subtly point you toward his offers. One video does three jobs.
If you’re a small creator selling info products, you don’t have Nike’s century of brand equity or Rolex’s status symbol power. Nor their marketing budgets.
But you also don’t need to waste time on pure “awareness” content. At least not if you need to sell your offers anytime soon.
Look, if you’re in a brand new niche where people don’t even know the problem exists yet, sure, you might need some awareness stuff. But most info-products affiliates? You’re selling solutions to problems people already know they have. They know their content isn’t converting. They know their DMs go nowhere. They don’t need you to tell them they have a problem. They need you to reframe what the problem actually is.
Same goes if you’re a coach or creator in a different niche.
If you’re a business coach, you’re not educating people on “what is business coaching”, you’re speaking to founders who are already stuck on revenue, team issues, or burnout.
If you’re a fitness coach, you’re not convincing people they should care about health—you’re talking to people who’ve already tried three programs and are frustrated they’re not seeing results.
The awareness part? That’s been done. Your job is to reframe what they think the problem is and position yourself as the person who can fix it.
So talk to people who already know something’s wrong and are hunting for answers. You don’t have the resources to educate the entire internet on why they need what you’re selling.
Problem-aware content
This is for people who already know something’s off, even if they’re not actively searching for a solution yet.
On social media, they’re still doomscrolling most of the time. They stop when something makes them think, “Wait, is she talking about me?”
They know their content isn’t converting. They know their DMs go nowhere. They know they’re stuck at zero sales.
Your job? Help them see what the real problem is.
Not the surface symptom (bad hooks, low engagement), but the core issue (wrong positioning, unclear messaging, offer to audience mismatch).
“You think you need more followers. What you actually need is better positioning.”
“You’re not bad at sales. You’re just talking to people who were never going to buy.”
“The problem isn’t your hooks. It’s that you sound like everyone else.”
This content does two things at once: it creates demand (by reframing their problem) and captures it (by positioning you as the person who can solve it).
Belief-shifting content
This is where you take a commonly held belief and flip it.
Most people think they need X. You show them they actually need Y.
Most people think the solution is more followers. You show them the solution is better messaging.
Most people think they’re failing because of the algorithm. You show them they’re failing because they’re attracting the wrong audience.
“Everyone’s telling you to post 3x a day. But if your positioning is off, posting more just means more people scrolling past you.”
“You scale faster when the right people listen, not just more people. Forget the crowd; speak to your buyers.”
“Views are nice, but they don’t pay the bills. Optimize for action, not attention.”
This content creates demand (makes people realize they have a problem they didn’t know they had) and positions you as the solution.
Trust-building content
This is the behind-the-scenes, building-in-public, lessons-learned stuff.
It’s not trying to convert. It’s trying to deepen trust with people who are already paying attention.
“I analyzed 310 viral posts on Threads. Here’s the pattern I noticed…”
“I spent six hours rewriting my lead magnet and it flopped. Here’s what I learned.”
“Three months ago I couldn’t get anyone to click my link in bio. Here’s what changed.”
“I wasted $13k on ‘guru’ business coaches so you don’t have to. Here’s the one thing they all got wrong.”
This content turns followers into believers and buyers into advocates.
The jobs your content should actually accomplish
Instead of beating yourself up wondering “is this TOFU or MOFU?”, just ask yourself: what job is this content doing?
Clarify the problem. Not “you need better content” but “you’re attracting followers who will never buy because your positioning signals ‘fellow marketer’ not ‘credible guide.'” Name the real issue, not the surface symptom.
Lower the activation energy. Not “implement this entire 47-step system” but “change one line in your bio and watch what happens.” Make it feel small enough to actually do.
De-risk the decision. “This works if you’re posting consistently and getting some engagement. If you’re at zero followers, start there first.” Be honest about fit and prerequisites. If it’s not for them, say so.
Reveal the method. “I stopped trying to go viral and started speaking to one person. My DMs changed overnight.” Show enough to build trust without giving everything away.
Make progress visible. “Two months ago my link clicks were in single digits. Last week I got 47. Here’s the one thing I changed.” Proof matters. Show the movement, not just the result.
Create belonging. Weekly behind-the-scenes. Transparent updates about what’s working and what’s flopping. Build rituals that keep people around between launches.
Bridge to purchase. No six-step process. No hunting for links. Make it stupidly easy to take the next step.
What to create instead of rigid funnel stages
Signature formats that people recognize
These are repeatable series or shows that your audience knows to look for. The algorithm learns to distribute them, and you build momentum.
Modular stories with flexible CTAs
One core narrative that you repurpose across different platforms. The context determines whether it’s acting as awareness, education, or conversion. Your “how I finally got my first sale” story works as a reel, a thread, an email, and a lead magnet intro. Same story, different jobs.
Outcome-first proof
Stories centered on transformations and lessons, not features or hype. Show the result, then explain the process. “I went from 8 story views to 200+ in three weeks. Here’s what I changed” beats “7 ways to boost story views.”
Contextual guides tied to moments
Content that maps to situations that trigger buying intent (not arbitrary funnel stages).
Someone just posted for three months straight and got zero sales? That’s a moment. Create content for that moment. “If you’ve been posting for 90 days and still haven’t made a sale, the problem isn’t effort. It’s this.”
Evergreen clarity assets
A small set of posts that answer “Is this for me?” and “What happens next?” that you can relink over and over. Pin them. Reference them. Include them in emails. Make them work harder than your viral reels ever will.
Community touchpoints
Little rituals that keep people engaged between launches. Weekly check-ins. Behind-the-scenes updates. Transparency about what’s working and what’s not. “I tried this thing everyone’s talking about. It flopped. Here’s why.”
My take? Keep TOFU/MOFU/BOFU as shorthand if it helps you plan. But don’t let it dictate what you create or how you distribute it.
The reality is messier and more fluid than that.
One piece of content can do multiple jobs for different people. Let it.
For affiliates specifically, focus on the pre-framing you control (your content) and align it to the buyer’s actual journey. By the time they land on the actual sales page that you have no control over, your content should’ve already done the heavy lifting.
Think in jobs, not just stages.
Create content that helps people recognize their problem, see you as credible, and move toward a decision.
Then let distribution and context determine what “stage” each piece fulfills.
Fancy a DIY mini content audit? Here are some pointers for what you should check
If you’re getting engagement but no sales, take a closer look at your content and ask yourself:
Is the content addressing specific problems, or generic pain points? Or just symptoms?
Generic: “Struggling to grow your account?”
Specific: “You post every day, get decent views, but your follower count hasn’t moved in two weeks. That’s a positioning problem, not an algorithm problem.”
Symptom: “Not getting enough engagement”
Core problem: “You’re attracting the wrong audience (not buyers)”
Symptoms are the entry point. They get the scroll-stop. Core problems are what you reframe them to — that’s when Jill pauses and thinks ‘oh shit, that’s actually me.’
Are you shifting beliefs, or just giving tips?
Tips: “Here are 5 ways to write better hooks”
Belief shift: “You think you need better hooks. But your hooks are fine. The problem is you’re not talking to the right people.”
Are you handling objections, or ignoring them?
Ignoring: “This course is amazing! Link in bio!”
Handling: “I know what you’re thinking. You’ve already bought two courses this year and barely touched them. I get it. I have a folder full of PDFs I’ve never opened and three courses I can’t even find my logins for, not that I’d even need them anymore. So why am I telling you about this one? Because if your problem is messaging — if people scroll past your content or follow you but never buy — this is the only thing that fixes it. If that’s not your problem, don’t buy it.”
Are you creating safety, or just hype?
Hype: “Make $10k your first month!”
Safety: “Forget $10k months for a sec. What if you could just cover your electric bill without stress? That’s a win.”
Are you talking to buyers, or just collecting followers who never convert?
Likes are nice. Sales are much better.
Your content should move people toward a decision, not just get saved to a folder they’ll never open again.
Start building the bridge, instead of chasing vanity metrics
The bridge between “this is interesting” and “I need this” is built with belief shifts (not just information), objection handling (before they ask), safety, and specificity (core problems, not vague symptoms).
Your messaging is the bridge.
If your content isn’t converting, it’s not because you need more followers or just better hooks.
Your words aren’t doing the work they’re supposed to.
And that’s totally fixable.
Take the quiz to see if your messaging is getting nods or actually driving sales.
Quiz: Is Your Content Training Your Audience to Ignore You?