Content audit : the method to understand what works (and what your audience is tired of)
Learn how to audit your video content and social media posts to understand what still engages your audience and what’s starting to wear them out.
Introduction : when your audience stops reacting the same way
Between TikTok, LinkedIn, newsletters, and short-form videos, brands are publishing more than ever.
Yet more content doesn’t guarantee more attention.
According to Sprout Social (2024), 66% of users say that content that “educates + entertains” — so-called edutainment — is the most engaging type of brand content.
At the same time, some academic research (Fernandes & Oliveira, 2024) highlights that brand content overload and irrelevance are among the main causes of social media fatigue and user disengagement.
In this context, a content audit becomes a strategic tool to identify what still captures attention, what’s losing momentum, and how to realign your brand storytelling.
Content auditing: more than a performance check
Historically, content audits were mostly about measuring SEO performance.
Today, they extend to all formats:
- YouTube videos and Reels,
- LinkedIn and X posts,
- newsletters, podcasts, blogs, stories, and live streams.
The goal is no longer just to measure traffic or clicks but to assess emotional and narrative resonance:
- What still sparks curiosity?
- Which formats sustain attention to the end?
- Where is your brand voice losing energy?
“Auditing content is not about metrics — it’s about attention.”
— Marta Walsh, Think with Google, 2024
Key Takeaways
- A content audit should cover all formats and channels.
- The goal isn’t volume, but understanding attention.
- It helps redefine your brand storytelling.
The signs of a healthy content strategy (and a tired one)
Raw metrics — views, clicks, likes — are no longer enough.
What separates thriving content from tired content is the quality of interaction.
Healthy content
- High completion rates (videos watched to the end).
- Rich comments, not just quick reactions.
- Visual and tonal consistency across formats.
- Direct feedback (DMs, mentions, citations).
Tired content
- Recycled visuals without context.
- Gradual decline in engagement rates.
- Repetitive storytelling.
- Fewer clicks despite constant publishing.
According to HubSpot Research (2024), brands that regularly adjust their tone and formats tend to see higher engagement across their social media posts.
Key Takeaways
- High-performing content triggers emotion, not just views.
- Declining engagement signals audience fatigue.
- Qualitative feedback matters as much as numbers.
How to conduct a comprehensive content audit
A content audit should be an honest snapshot of your editorial output.
It’s not about judging your team but understanding audience reception dynamics.
1. Centralize all your publications
Gather your videos, posts, newsletters, and articles in one shared space.
Tools like MTM allow you to:
- import all your assets automatically,
- annotate videos and posts,
- collaborate across marketing, social, and creative teams.
This multi-format approach prevents tunnel vision and reveals your brand’s overall coherence.
2. Identify which formats truly perform
Don’t rely only on view counts:
- On LinkedIn: click-through rate matters more than likes.
- On TikTok: average watch time matters more than reach.
- On YouTube: audience retention is the best measure of interest.
To go further, tools like Hootsuite Analytics (for social media) and TubeBuddy (for YouTube) help visualize performance by format.
3. Evaluate your brand voice consistency
Is your storytelling aligned across YouTube, LinkedIn, and campaigns?
Many brands lose impact not for lack of creativity, but because of tone fragmentation.
A content audit should help you rebuild narrative harmony.
4. Turn insights into action
- Update: re-edit a performing video with new subtitles or a shorter cut.
- Repurpose: turn a viral post into a carousel or short video.
- Pause: slow down underperforming formats to rethink them.
Key Takeaways
- Centralize to get a complete view of your brand presence.
- Measure retention and coherence, not just visibility.
- Repurpose smartly: a strong idea can live in many forms.
Best practices for a “post-SEO” content audit
1. Prioritize clarity and authenticity
Audiences no longer want “perfect” formats — they want clear, human messages.
A good audit helps you refocus your tone and publishing rhythm.
2. Build a collaborative workflow
With a solution like MTM, you can :
- assign rewriting, re-editing, or republishing tasks,
- track approvals, versions, and update histories,
- centralize internal comments and team feedback,
- and most importantly, recycle your assets in a structured way through highly organized asset management.
MTM makes it easy to locate your best-performing content (videos, visuals, posts, source files), annotate them, categorize them by project or campaign, and repurpose them into new formats without losing consistency or time.
This approach turns the audit into a collaborative and iterative routine, where every piece of content becomes a reusable asset rather than something to be archived.
3. Listen to the silent signals
Pay attention to what your audience doesn’t say: fewer shares, shorter watch times, neutral comments.
These silent cues are often more telling than explicit criticism.
Key Takeaways
- The audit should strengthen the emotional coherence of your communication.
- Collaborative tools help keep the audit alive over time.
- Silent audience signals often reveal the most.
Interpreting your results over time
A good audit isn’t a “snapshot” it’s a living story.
Top marketing teams track dynamic indicators such as:
- average watch time,
- quality of shares,
- loyalty or repeat engagement rates.
The content that lasts is the content that evolves with its audience.
“When brands focus less on short-term virality and more on building relational value, they create engagement that lasts.” — Harvard Business Review (HBR), Forbes, August 18 2024
Key Takeaways
- Make content auditing a quarterly habit.
- Measure emotional loyalty, not just performance.
- Aim for progress, not perfection.
Conclusion: auditing means listening
A content audit is a mirror, not a spreadsheet.
It helps brands understand what still draws attention — and what exhausts curiosity.
By centralizing insights, feedback, and assets in a collaborative platform like MTM, marketing teams gain clarity and agility.
The most successful brands of tomorrow won’t be those that publish the most
but those that listen, adapt, and tell better stories.
“The best content marketers focus on quality and relevance, not volume.” — Content Marketing Institute, 2024
Content Audit: Marketing FAQ to Improve Attention and Engagement
1. Why audit my video and social content?
Because a brand’s performance today is measured across every format, not just the website.
2. What are the best metrics for video?
Completion rate, average watch time, and qualitative engagement.
3. How often should I conduct a content audit?
Every 3–6 months, depending on your publishing volume.
4. How can I tell if my audience is getting tired?
Watch for engagement drops, repetitive comments, or rapid scrolling through your videos.
5. How can I automate part of the process?
Use collaborative platforms like MTM to centralize your assets, comments, and performance tracking.
Sources
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