Forbes Communications Council: How To Choose The Right Creative Formats To Cut Through Content Overload
In a world where every scroll surfaces a new reel, story, livestream or immersive experience, the real challenge isn’t producing content. It’s choosing the creative formats that actually break through. With attention more fragmented than ever, brands must decide not only what to make, but where to show up—and why.
That’s the focus of my latest Forbes Communications Council feature, “How To Choose The Right Creative Formats To Cut Through Content Overload,” where communication leaders explore how to evaluate new formats, avoid trend-chasing, and ultimately invest in creative choices that generate meaningful ROI.
Here’s what I contributed:
Deeply understand your ideal customer persona.
Everything starts with your ICP—their motivations, behaviors and what they’re actually paying attention to. When brands build content around the world their audience lives in, rather than the world they want to push forward, formats stop being shiny objects and start becoming strategic choices. The more a format reflects your audience’s reality, the more effective, authentic and worth the investment it becomes.
Why this matters to me:
At Grounded Growth Studio, I help founders and growth leaders cut through the noise by building marketing systems grounded in clarity. When companies deeply understand their audience, every creative decision becomes simpler: which stories to tell, which formats to use, and which channels actually move people closer to action.
Content overload isn’t going away. But brands that root their creative choices in real audience insight build trust, relevance and momentum—while everyone else cycles through trends that fade as quickly as they appear. Knowing your ICP isn’t just a research exercise. It’s the backbone of strategic, high-ROI content.
This Forbes piece reinforces that truth. It highlights the shift from chasing formats to choosing intentionally based on audience behavior, message needs and business goals. In a crowded ecosystem, alignment becomes a competitive advantage.
The takeaway:
Great creative doesn’t start with the format. It starts with the audience. When you understand who you’re speaking to and what they care about, the right formats reveal themselves—and the return becomes obvious.
Let me know if you want a LinkedIn version, a shortened version, or a more editorial version for your website.
