Content Strategy
How we approach content at Hardal - what we write, why, and how we decide what's worth making.
We don't create content to hit a posting schedule. We create content because we have something specific and useful to say to a specific person who's trying to solve a real problem.
The question before any piece of content is: who is this for, what do they need to know, and why are we the right people to tell them?
What we're building toward
We want to be the most useful resource for marketers and engineers navigating server-side measurement, privacy-first tracking, and mobile attribution.
That's a specific position. It means we don't write generic marketing content. We write content that's only useful if you're dealing with the exact problems we solve: iOS 14 data loss, sGTM setup, Meta CAPI implementation, first-party data strategy.
The right reader for our content is:
- A digital marketing manager at an e-commerce company dealing with disappearing conversion data
- A frontend engineer who's been handed the task of setting up server-side tracking
- A data analyst trying to understand why their GA4 numbers don't match their backend numbers
If content isn't useful to at least one of those people, we don't publish it.
Content types
Blog and technical guides
Our blog is primarily a technical and educational resource. Best-performing content tends to be specific, problem-oriented, and honest about tradeoffs.
Works well:
- Step-by-step implementation guides (sGTM setup, Meta CAPI, first-party domain configuration)
- Explanatory posts on regulatory changes (iOS ATT impact, KVKK requirements, Chrome Privacy Sandbox)
- Honest comparisons and tradeoffs (server-side vs. client-side, when to use each)
- Case studies with real numbers from customers who've given permission
Doesn't work:
- Generic "why analytics matters" posts - anyone can write these
- Trend-chasing posts ("5 marketing trends for 2025") - no differentiation
- Content that exists purely to rank for a keyword but says nothing new
Podcast - How We Measure
Our podcast is different from the blog. It's more personal, more reflective, and doesn't need to be evergreen. We use it to share how we're building Hardal, talk through industry problems in a conversational format, and interview people doing interesting things in measurement.
Episodes work best when they're honest - including about things that aren't going well. The podcast is partially a public record of building a company, not just a marketing channel.
Video
We produce video primarily to support other content - tutorials that are easier to follow with a screen recording, podcast clips for social, event recap content. Standalone video works when the topic benefits from demonstration (live product walkthroughs, conference talks).
We don't produce video to fill a YouTube channel.
Open data and transparency content
Our open dashboard and monthly investor update excerpts are content. They attract a specific type of reader - founders, operators, investors, people who value transparency. This content builds the kind of trust that takes years to build through conventional marketing.
SEO
We approach SEO pragmatically. We care about organic search because it's a high-ROI channel for B2B SaaS, but we don't let SEO drive content decisions in a way that produces mediocre content.
The rule: write the best possible piece on a topic, then optimize for search. Not the other way around.
Topics worth targeting are the ones where:
- There's genuine search volume from our target audience
- The existing results are generic or outdated
- We can write something meaningfully better
"How to set up server-side GTM" is a good target. "What is analytics" is not.
Who creates content
Content at Hardal is everyone's job, not a marketing function. The best content comes from people who are closest to the problem - engineers who built a feature, account managers who explained something to a confused customer, founders who've been in a hundred sales calls.
If you have something useful to say to our audience, write it. If you're not sure whether it's worth publishing, share it in Slack first.
We edit for clarity, not voice. Your perspective and specific knowledge are what make the content valuable.
What we don't do
- We don't buy backlinks
- We don't publish content we'd be embarrassed to put our names on
- We don't repost generic industry content with our logo on it
- We don't guest post on content farms for SEO
- We don't run ad-gated lead magnets for content that should just be free