The Context Engine: Jobs To Be Done content, enhanced

Last week, I broke down the Teach & Tilt model for educational content that builds your brand. This week, we're diving into part 3 of The Context Engine series: Jobs To Be Done content, enhanced.

I'm writing a 5-part series on this topic. Here's where we're at:

1. The Context Engine: Keyword-led content era is gone
2. The Context Engine: Guide the reader toward your worldview
3. The Context Engine: Jobs To Be Done content, enhanced ← You are here
4. The Context Engine: How we write the best case studies in the industry
5. The Context Engine: How to zmistify your content (your strategy playbook)

In today's newsletter:

• Why most JTBD content sucks
• The See It Solved method 
• Examples of content that nail See It Solved, and those that don't 
• Types of content where you can apply our framework

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We invented “How to Build X” content. Then it got ruined

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In 2013, when I started my career as a content writer at Yalantis, a software development company, not many companies in that industry were doing content marketing. Most just optimized their landing pages for keywords and called it a day.

We came up with an idea to write about Uber, which was all the rage at the time. Everybody was talking about it. Everyone wanted to build their own app like Uber, but nobody knew how.

So we wrote "How to Build Uber." That article brought us hundreds of leads.

We cracked the pattern of "How to build X" – our Jobs to Be Done content. We wrote How to Build Eventbrite, How to Build Tinder, How to Build Wish – all the popular mobile apps at that time.

But then, everyone in software development jumped on the bandwagon.

Suddenly, our competitors’ blogs had numerous “How to Build X” posts in them. Most of these posts were copycats.

When I wrote that Uber article*, I actually interviewed a bunch of people – developers in our company and outside experts. I dug into the real technical details. I showed exactly how it could be done.

But then everybody just started copying each other. And most of that content is garbage.

*By the way, if you want to check out my original How to Build Uber article, I republished it on Medium years ago.

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Most of Jobs To Be Done content sucks

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What started as genuinely useful content – showing people exactly how to accomplish specific jobs – devolved into generic copy-paste advice.

Everyone learned that JTBD content works, so now we're drowning in:

• "How to" guides that could have been written by anyone
• Advice pulled from other blog posts with zero original insight
• Lists of "best practices" with no proof they actually work
• Content that never shows the product actually solving anything

A reader finishes the article thinking, "Cool, but how do I actually do this?" And more importantly: "How does this company's product help me get it done?"

That's where most JTBD content fails. 

It identifies the job, but never shows it being done.

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So how do you fix JTBD content?

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Quick answer → You stop just identifying the job to be done. You start showing exactly how it gets done – with your product front and center.

At Zmist & Copy, we call it See It Solved method.

It's not enough to write "How to Build Uber." Everyone's doing that. You need to write "How [Company] Ensures Driver-Rider Matches in Less Than 3 Seconds with [Your Method]"

Here's the difference ↓

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See the difference? 

It's story-forward. 

It shows your product solving real problems for real people. 

Most importantly, it can't be copied because it's based on your unique experience and results.

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The See It Solved Framework (5 steps)

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1. Problem – Define a high-intent problem your audience is already searching for.

But don't just state the problem. Make it specific.

❌ Generic: "Content marketing guide”

✅ Specific: "You've been publishing blog posts for 8 months, but you're still not getting any leads from organic traffic"

The problem should be something your target audience immediately recognizes. They should think, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm dealing with."

💡Pro tip: Use real data from your experience. "8 months" is more credible than "a long time" because it shows you understand the specific timeframe when people start panicking.

2. Plan – Provide a plan to solve the problem.

Your plan should be:

• Specific enough to be actionable (not "create better content" but "map content to each stage of your buyer's journey")
• Based on what you actually did (not what you read in other blog posts)
• Tied to measurable outcomes (not "better engagement" but "went from 0 to 47 leads per month")

Example:

"Here's the 3-step content audit process we used:

• Map every piece of content to a specific stage of the reader's journey
• Identify gaps where readers have no clear next step
• Create bottom-funnel content that directly addresses buying concerns"

Notice how specific that is? You could actually follow those steps.

3. Proof – Insert a real mini-case or story from your product in use.

This is what separates See It Solved from generic JTBD content.

Use a real client story:

• What was their specific situation?
• What challenges did they face?
• How did you implement your solution?
• What were the exact results?

Example:

"When B2B software company TechFlow came to us, they'd been blogging for 10 months with zero leads. They had 40+ articles about industry trends, but nothing that helped prospects make buying decisions.

We implemented our 3-step content audit. We discovered they had zero bottom-funnel content – no comparison posts, no 'how to choose' guides, nothing that addressed real buying concerns.

Within 90 days of publishing 8 new bottom-funnel pieces, they went from 0 to 23 qualified leads per month."

4. Product – Tie the solution back to how your product enables it.

Here's where you connect the dots between the successful outcome and your product.

But don't make it a hard sell. Make it a natural bridge.

❌ Salesy: "Our content marketing services are the best solution"

✅ Natural: "The reason we could identify those content gaps so quickly was our proprietary content mapping framework"

Show how your product makes the solution possible, not just how great your product is.

Example:

"Most content audits focus on SEO metrics — rankings, traffic, keywords. Our framework maps content to actual buyer psychology. That's how we spotted that TechFlow was missing the content their prospects needed most: proof that their solution actually works."

5. Playbook – Offer a template so the reader can act immediately.

Don't leave readers hanging with "sounds great, but how do I actually start?"

Give them something they can use right now:

• A template
• A checklist
• A framework
• A free tool
• A diagnostic

Example:

"Want to audit your own content? Download our 'Content-to-Conversion Mapper' – it's the same spreadsheet we used with TechFlow to identify exactly which content was missing from their funnel."

The playbook serves two purposes:

1. It provides immediate value to the reader
2. It captures leads for your business

The magic happens when all 5 steps work together:

You've identified a real problem

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Shown a working solution

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Proved it with a real story

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Demonstrated how your product enables success

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And given readers a way to get started immediately.

See It Solved content model takes readers from "I have a problem" to "I know exactly what to do about it" to "I want to work with these people."

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Let's see a few examples – some nail the See It Solved approach, others... not quite

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Here are three strong examples of JTBD content (not the copycat fluff). While they don’t all fully follow the See It Solved model, they come close. Let’s break them down so you can see what sets See It Solved apart.

1. Great match: HubSpot’s SERP Secrets: How The HubSpot Blog Is Combatting SERP Volatility – HubSpot

This is an excellent example of See It Solved content:

• ✅ Problem: High-intent problem - organic traffic crashed after Google's M23 update
• ✅ Plan: Actionable strategy - E-E-A-T framework with "Experience Soup" recipe
• ✅ Proof: Real mini-case with specific results - +251% signups, +26% CVR on the website builders post
• ✅ Product: Shows HubSpot's expertise and positions their content approach
• ✅ Playbook: Gives readers the exact framework to replicate (Experience Soup recipe)

This article perfectly demonstrates the product (HubSpot's content strategy) in action while solving a real problem their audience faces.

2.  Partial match: Playbook: a step-by-step guide for creating data-led thought leadership content – Beam

This article has some See It Solved elements but misses key parts:

• ✅ Problem: Content marketing authority challenges
• ✅ Plan: Step-by-step playbook for creating research reports
• ✅ Playbook: Actionable templates and frameworks
• ❌ Proof: Missing the mini-case showing their product in action
• ❌ Product: Doesn't tie back to how BEAM enables this process

It's more of a comprehensive guide than "See It Solved" content.

3.  Partial match: The MKT1 Guide to positioning – MKT1

This is educational content with a unique perspective, but it's not See It Solved:

• ✅ Problem: Positioning confusion
• ✅ Plan: 4-step positioning process
• ❌ Proof: No real story or case of the method in use
• ❌ Product: Doesn't show MKT1's services solving positioning problems
• ❌ Playbook: More theoretical framework than actionable next steps

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What these examples tell us

See It Solved content isn’t about sharing knowledge. It’s more about showing your product or expertise in action, solving a real problem.

• HubSpot nails it: they tell a real story, tie it back to their approach, and give readers a repeatable playbook. That’s See It Solved at its best.
• Beam shares a strong framework, but misses the chance to ground it in proof and connect it to their product.
• MKT1 offers sharp insight, but it stays too theoretical. There’s no real-world application in their piece.
  
  

The takeaway?

If your content doesn't include a problem, a plan, proof it worked, and a link to your product, you're not making See It Solved content.

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Ways to apply See It Solved

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"How [Company] Solves [Pain Point]" Series

This is the most straightforward application. Pick a specific customer type and pain point, then walk through how you solve it.

Example → "How B2B SaaS Companies Solve Low Trial-to-Paid Conversion"

"How We'd Solve It" Scenarios

Use realistic but hypothetical scenarios to showcase your problem-solving approach. Great when you can't share client details.

Example → "A fintech startup comes to us with 40% user churn in month one. Here's exactly how we'd diagnose and fix their onboarding problem."

Then walk through your actual methodology using a realistic scenario.

Problem/Symptom Spotters

Start with symptoms people recognize, then show how you solve the underlying problem. Structure: Symptom → Diagnosis → Our Solution → Real Example → What You Can Do

Example → "Why Your Sales Team Hates Your Marketing Leads (And What We Do About It)"

"Before and After" Transformations

Lead with dramatic results, then show exactly how you achieved them. Structure: Result → Context → Process → Proof → Playbook

Example → "This Single Blog Post Brought in 23 Enterprise Clients"

"Lessons From the Trenches" Content

Share what you've learned from failures and successes across multiple clients.

Example → "What 4 Failed Content Strategies Taught Us About B2B Buyer Behavior"

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Why See It Solved works in AI era

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See It Solved content gives AI models the context they need to reference your product or company, along with citation-worthy stories and examples. It’s harder to replicate than typical JTBD content and takes more effort…but that’s the point.

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Try this with a piece of JTBD content 

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Audit your current JTBD content and identify opportunities to add the "Solved" element.

• Does it include a mini-case with specific results?
• Is the solution tied back to how your product enables it?
• Are you offering your readers a framework or playbook they can replicate?

Let me know how it goes.

Next week, we’ll explore the Results Forward model, a framework for writing bottom-of-funnel case studies that lead with outcomes and close with credibility. Don't miss it.

P.S. This is part 3 of my 5-part The Context Engine series, where I explain the three content models we use at Zmist & Copy to help our clients get visibility on search and in AI conversations. If you missed parts 1 and 2, catch up by clicking the links below:

Here's what's coming next:

1. The Context Engine: Keyword-led content era is gone
2. The Context Engine: Guide the reader toward your worldview
3. The Context Engine: Jobs To Be Done content, enhanced
4. The Context Engine: How we write the best case studies in the industry
5. The Context Engine: How to zmistify your content (your strategy playbook)

P.P.S. We use the See It Solved method for all our clients' MOFU content at Zmist & Copy. If you want help building a product-led content strategy that actually gets noticed, get in touch.