There’s a lot of pressure in marketing to prove performance. Especially when budgets are tight, leadership wants numbers: leads, conversions, revenue.
But what happens when the most impactful marketing doesn’t come with a click?
That’s the reality Amanda Natividad lives and breathes every day as VP of Marketing at SparkToro – and the reason she’s on a mission to reframe how we think about content ROI.
“You can’t reliably count on the click anymore,” she explained. “And even when you get it, you won’t always see it.”
Why Zero-Click Content Works
Amanda was the first to identify the shift towards zero-click content and give it a name. Using a zero-click content approach, she built her own Twitter following from ~1000 followers to over 10,000 in about a year and a half, and her newsletter list from zero to 8k subscribers in a year.
So she knows what she’s talking about.
Amanda defines zero-click content as any content designed to deliver value without requiring a click – things like:
- Social posts
- Email or SubStack newsletters
- Community engagement
These formats are more visible, get better reach, and build familiarity over time, even if your analytics dashboard can’t trace a straight line back to pipeline.
“You accrue algorithmic capital by posting zero-click content,” Amanda said. “And every now and then, you burn a little of that capital to post a link.”
The Real ROI: VOI > ROI
Rather than chasing clicks, Amanda focuses on Value on Investment (VOI):
- Is the content building trust?
- Are people mentioning your brand?
- Is it making your sales cycle easier?
She isn’t ignoring performance – but she’s also not limiting SparkToro’s marketing to what’s measurable. Amanda uses consistent signals like increased direct traffic, newsletter replies, demo requests, and social mentions to guide the strategy.
And she’s careful to build internal buy-in – by meeting with teams like sales and legal to identify the content that will meet their needs.
“If it's not ROI or VOI, it's at least showing you value their time and their partnership. And that will take you places.”
What This Looks Like in Practice
So what does this zero-click strategy actually look like – from the one who coined the term and started the movement?
For Amanda, it’s about crafting content that delivers value the moment it’s seen – no extra click required. But that doesn’t mean she’s winging it.
- Use links sparingly and intentionally: Amanda explains that you build visibility by giving the algorithm (and audience) what they want, but that doesn’t mean never posting a link.
- Build a strong newsletter list: Amanda dedicates significant effort to crafting her newsletter, another zero-click strategy. When asked to describe her “dream dashboard,” tracking newsletter impact was #1. (see an example in the playbook)
- Stakeholder buy-in: Amanda talks about working with key teams like Sales and Legal to identify their content needs. Not only does this build goodwill, but chances are, your audience is highly interested in this content, too.
- Sustainable content: Amanda prioritizes what she calls content sustainability – creating assets that can be repurposed into many different (zero-click) formats and channels.
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