Real Results from a 6-Month B2B Content Marketing Challenge

Publishing 13 articles every 13 weeks sets the tone for consistent content marketing, especially when starting from scratch. Over the last six months, weekly activity is gradually building a following on both my website and LinkedIn profile. It’s early days but it shows why sticking with content pays off—especially for B2B tech companies. If you’re starting out, expect a slow burn. If you already have an audience, you’ll see faster gains.

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Takeaways

Publishing weekly helps build momentum, even when starting at ground zero.
Keep content on your website while sharing it on LinkedIn and other platforms for maximum reach (and insurance).
If you have an established following, you’ll see growth faster than those starting fresh.
Focus on staying consistent rather than perfecting each post; improvement comes with practice.
Building a foundation is slow, but compounding results will come with patience.

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The 13-in-13 Challenge

Six months ago, I set out on a simple mission: to walk the talk.

I tell my clients—and former employers—to post a new blog every week for one quarter. That’s 13 articles in 13 weeks.

Then I tell them to do it again… and again… and again.

Why? To get into a rhythm. See where I’m going with this?

It sounds easy, but it takes discipline—kinda like going to the gym every day.

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Let me be super-clear: This recap is NOT about me or patting myself on the back. It’s about showing YOU what can happen when you’re committed to weekly activity—even starting from scratch.

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Some of the results you’ll see are OK, some are meh. But it’s only six months, not six years.

Stay with me.

If you’re in B2B tech, especially in the early stages and starting a B2B tech blog from scratch, you’ll see why sticking with a weekly publishing schedule is worth it.

Like you, I started at ground zero. I still have a ways to go before things really take off. I’m good with that. You should be too.

Ready? Let’s go!

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Website Performance

There’s no overnight miracle or earth-shattering results here. We all start from the same spot. This is about gradual growth and the long-term benefits of consistent content marketing in B2B tech.

Here’s what my first six months looked like:

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Total Active Users

I created about 490 active users on my website (I know… wow…). Each new visitor, each engagement, is a step up from zero. Sure, the numbers are less than stellar, but for a one-man show, it’s still encouraging.

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Engagement Time

The average engagement time sits at around 3 minutes. That’s not bad for long-form content in B2B tech—enough to signal people aren’t just bouncing after a few seconds. They’re actually sticking around and reading.

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Google Analytics 6-months average engagement time

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Traffic Sources

Direct traffic leads by a mile, with organic search trailing behind (so, yeah, I got some SEO work to do). Most visitors find the blog via LinkedIn, newsletter subscribers, or existing connections. That’s good news: once SEO catches up, organic reach will boost results further. Time will tell.

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Google Analytics 6-months traffic sources

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Growth Over Time

There were a few spikes, notably one in June (around the time of the Product-Led Growth Trap article) and another in early September. These surges appear to show certain content may be capable of attracting more eyeballs when it strikes a chord. It also has the potential to let me know what my audience cares about. Again, time will tell.

The good news is that the weekly activity led to an invitation to appear on the StrategyCast podcast, where I discussed many of the topics I write about—the importance insight, positioning, and design in B2B tech marketing.

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LinkedIn Insights

Publishing on LinkedIn added a whole new layer of reach.

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Total Engagements

My LinkedIn edition of Achim’s Razor racked up over 1,700 engagements over this period, which gave the content a much-needed boost in visibility. Each article is starting to get in front of more people in my network.

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Impressions

I’m getting roughly 60K impressions on LinkedIn. That adds scale compared to organic website traffic alone.

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Follower Growth

A steady climb in followers over the six months shows the content is being seen and consumed. Sure, I have lost subscribers and followers over this period. That’s par for the course. It’s not for everyone. That’s OK.

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As I head into the next 13-in-13 cycle, I’ll keep honing my writing chops and building momentum.

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Lessons Learned

After six months of consistent publishing, a few key lessons stand out:

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Own your content. Period. Replicating it on platforms like LinkedIn gives you extra reach, but make sure it lives permanently on your website. Third-party platforms will help get your content in front of a broader audience without sacrificing control. It’s a simple way to expand reach, build traction faster, and let each piece of content pull double duty. But if things go sideways, you won’t lose what you own.
Get Going, Get Consistent
Don’t obsess over creating perfect content. Just get started, get into a rhythm, and keep publishing every week. Yes, you’re going to miss more than you hit early on. But over time, you’ll get better, more confident, and you’ll hit more than you miss. Keep going. Don’t stop. In B2B tech, weekly content marketing builds momentum, especially when you’re starting out. Remember: Progress, NOT Perfection.
Established Audience? Expect Faster Results
If you already have a following, expect better, faster results. Typically exponential growth starts to kick in for those with an established base around the 6-9 month mark. Even though I’ve been in the marketing game for over 20 years, I only started actively promoting my consulting business six months ago—so I’m essentially a startup. For anyone who’s already built a following and decent brand reputation, publishing weekly can multiply your visibility and engagement.
Be Patient and Stick with It
Content marketing is a long tail—like losing weight, you gotta stick with it. Six months in, the numbers aren’t setting any records, but there’s growth—step by step, the foundation is building. It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when traction doesn’t happen when we expect it to. But the beauty of publishing and sharing weekly is that it compounds. The wins will come, and when they do, they’ll be from seeds you planted months before. Just… be… patient…

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Final Thoughts

B2B content marketing is like building a fire: it starts small, requires constant tending, and takes time to grow. Six months in, the results are modest, but the foundation is there. The numbers may not be anything to write home about, but the signs of growth are there.

For anyone starting from scratch—whether you’re a B2B tech startup or, like me, building a consulting business—the biggest takeaway is this: stay consistent.

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Keep publishing, even when it feels like you’re wasting your time, because many “lurkers” are watching you from the sidelines.

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Each post is another log on the fire, and with time, it’ll catch. In fact, Achim’s Razor has already led to opportunities, like my guest spot on the StrategyCast podcast.

For those with an established audience, leverage your foundation. You’ll likely see faster results, but the discipline of regular posting is the same. The 13-in-13 challenge is a marathon, not a sprint.

The next 13-in-13 is already underway, and I’m excited to see where it leads. I look forward to sharing the results of the next six months with you.

Thanks for sticking with me through this journey so far! Let me know if you have any topics you’d like me to write about.

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Cheers!‍

This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!