Four steps. They are the same in all three cases, and that is why I call it a method and not luck.
Not “taking inspiration from competitors”: I build a list of fixed dimensions and apply it identically to everyone. For the LinkedIn engagement that meant 13 dimensions across four profiles — headline, frequency, length, format, hashtags, tags, comment handling.
A constant grid is what turns a comparison into a decision instead of an impression.
It is the mistake I learned the most from. At the first padel tournament I produced content for the people who were there, not for the people who were not: anyone landing on the page without knowing the event found strangers playing a sport and had no reason to stop.
Now it is the first filter. If I cannot say who a piece of content speaks to, it is not ready.
Under constraints — of time, budget, permissions — the right question is not what would have the most impact, but what can I change without having to ask anyone for anything.
In the newsroom the answer was the video format: no approvals, no extra time, no cost. And +47% reactions with the same channel, page and people.
Two tournaments seven days apart gave me the rare chance to get it wrong and correct it in the same week: from 21 to 38 reactions between the first and the second, and from 9 to 38 on the same page compared with the previous edition.
Measuring does two things: it tells you what worked, and it gives you an argument when you need to ask for more resources.