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Hey - it's Saturday.

I just spent 20 minutes explaining to Inge why I call today "Straturday." She looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

Fair.

Switzerland Called, They Want Their Content Strategy Back

Let's talk about neutral content.

You know the type.

"10 Ways to Improve Your SEO."
"How to Write Better Headlines."
"The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing."

All technically correct. None memorable. The plain chicken breast of content marketing.

For years, this was enough.

But something changed.

The Neutral Content Apocalypse Is Here

I realized it last week when I asked ChatGPT to write me a guide on content marketing.

It was good.

No, it was perfect.

Comprehensive. Well-structured. Factually accurate.

And utterly, completely forgettable.

Here's the thing about neutral content in 2025:

If AI can write it in 15 seconds, why would anyone remember yours?

The internet is drowning in "7 Tips for Better X" articles, all saying the exact same things, all blending together in a beige soup of adequacy.

Neutral content used to convert because it was scarce.

Now it's abundant. And abundance kills value.

Switzerland Has Nothing to Offer (Other Than Chocolate, Sorry Switzerland)

Switzerland stays neutral. They don't pick sides.

But your content can't afford to be Switzerland anymore.

Because neutral content:

• Never makes anyone feel anything
• Never changes anyone's mind
• Never gets remembered, shared, or acted upon
• Never builds true fans

Being inoffensive is the same as being invisible.

So What Actually Works Now?

Last month I A/B tested two pieces of content:

Version A: A comprehensive, balanced, "ultimate guide" to content strategy.

Version B: "Why Most Content Strategies Fail (And How I Almost Bankrupted My First Business Following Expert Advice)"

The results?

• Version A: 1.2% conversion rate
• Version B: 4.7% conversion rate

That's not a typo. The content with a clear point of view converted 4x better.

This isn't about being controversial for shock value.

It's about having an actual perspective.

Three Ways to De-Neutralize Your Content

1. Take the unpopular position (if you believe it)

Everyone says "post consistently." I say quality trumps frequency every time.

Everyone says "optimize for SEO." I say optimize for humans first, algorithms second.

Everyone says "stay professional." I say be a real person with real opinions.

What "best practice" do you secretly think is BS? Say it.

2. Tell the uncomfortable truth

What's the thing everyone in your industry knows but nobody talks about?

That thing you're afraid to say because it might offend someone?

That's your next high-converting piece of content.

3. Show your scars

Nobody connects with perfect people. We connect with people who've failed, learned, and are willing to show the messy middle.

I spent three years creating neutral content before realizing it was getting me nowhere.

I've made every mistake in this newsletter. I've tried to please everyone.

The result? I pleased no one and wasted thousands of hours.

The Big Human Connection

The irony is painful.

Just as AI makes neutral content infinite and worthless, the value of human connection in content skyrockets.

AI can write a technically perfect guide.

It can't:

• Share a unique perspective based on lived experience
• Tell you what really happened behind the scenes
• Make you feel less alone in your struggles
• Make you laugh at an inside joke

These human elements are now your only competitive advantage.

While everyone else is racing to create more generic content, your job is to create braver content.

Content with fingerprints on it.

But What If People Disagree?

Good.

If no one disagrees with you, you haven't said anything interesting.

I'd rather have 100 people who love what I create and 100 who hate it than 1,000 who feel nothing at all.

The great irony: Taking a stand attracts your perfect audience and repels everyone else.

Which is exactly what effective marketing is supposed to do.

Time To Choose

So here we are at the fork in the road.

Path 1: Keep creating safe, vanilla content that offends no one and inspires no one.

Path 2: Develop an actual perspective. Say what you really think. Show what you really know. Be a real human being.

Remember: Switzerland might be beautiful, but nobody talks about it at dinner parties.

✌️ Tim "Choose Violence or Choose Irrelevance" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

P.S. I have called a prospect's content "aggressively mediocre" on a discovery call. They became a client. Turns out people value honesty more than we think.