How to turn a voice memo into a useful content workflow

Your most useful marketing material may be a question you answered yesterday. The challenge is remembering it, explaining why the answer mattered and giving it a form someone else can use.

Matt Gray describes a monthly voice memo as the starting point for his content. That is a useful principle to adapt: begin with what you actually know. For a small team, I would test it with a 20-minute recording and one focused subject.

Record one question with enough detail

Choose a question connected to the work you want to be known for. Explain who asked it, what made the situation difficult and how you approached the decision. Remove identifying details you do not have permission to share.

Use these five prompts while recording:

• What did the person want to accomplish?
• What were they doing when the problem appeared?
• What options did you consider, and why?
• What happened, or what still needs to be tested?
• What could another person try this week?

Specific decisions make stronger source material than a list of broad tips. If you have no measured result, explain the reasoning and label the outcome as unknown.

Make a source sheet before generating drafts

Transcribe the recording and mark verified facts, personal opinions, examples and statements that need checking. Keep the original recording or transcript available during editing. An AI summary can omit the qualification that made a sentence accurate.

Try this prompt: “Use only this transcript to prepare a source sheet. List the main question, the author's reasoning, concrete examples and statements needing verification. Preserve uncertainty. Do not add statistics, customer results or experiences. Quote the supporting passage for each proposed factual claim.”

Then review the source sheet yourself. It becomes the reference for every format that follows.

Build one complete answer

Write an article or newsletter that answers the question from beginning to end. Include the situation, your reasoning, a usable example and one next step. A reader should leave knowing something specific they can do.

For example, a recording about slow lead follow-up could become a guide to mapping the path from inquiry to first response. The practical element could be a checklist for testing the form, confirmation and assignment process.

Adapt the teaching for each channel

Turn one decision from the article into a LinkedIn post. Use the checklist as the structure for a carousel. Record a short video showing the confusing part of the process. Each piece should make sense on its own and invite the next useful action.

Begin with an article, two posts and one short video. Expand only when the material supports it and you have time to edit. One recording may supply many ideas, but production is still work. Count the time spent transcribing, correcting, designing, publishing and answering replies.

Measure what the content helps people do

Choose a purpose before publishing. You might want readers to complete a diagnostic, reply with a relevant problem or ask about a service. Use campaign links where helpful and ask prospects what brought them to you; neither method will capture every influence.

Review qualified visits and meaningful actions alongside reach. A post with modest distribution may deserve another version if it starts the right conversations. A popular post may need a clearer connection to the offer.

Give the workflow an owner and a recurring review date. The routine should help your experience reach the people who can use it, while leaving you enough time to keep doing the work that generates that experience.

Use the weekly marketing review