Learn how skincare brand Stratia challenges common content marketing myths by using educational content, authentic production, and email marketing to drive conversions and build customer loyalty.
May 7, 2025
3 Content Marketing Myths Costing You Conversions (And How to Fix Them)
It’s not just dance challenges and funny videos driving engagement on TikTok anymore—educational content is taking center stage, and it’s breaking records.
You might assume 9-minute videos explaining molecular science of hyperpigmentation wouldn’t stand a chance on social media. Yet for skincare brand Stratia, these deep dives are their most shared content—and a key driver behind product sell-outs.
We spoke with Breanna Greenberg, VP of Marketing at Stratia, about how educational storytelling became their growth engine, built a dedicated following, and translated directly into revenue. Her team’s success challenges a lot of what marketers consider “best practices” for social media.
Executive Summary
If you are building or refining your content strategy, watch out for these common myths:
- MYTH: Educational content is too complex for social media
REALITY: In-depth, educational content can drive both engagement and conversions - MYTH: Content needs big budgets and studio-quality production
REALITY: Authentic, low-lift content often performs better than polished ads - MYTH: Direct marketing channels like email are outdated
REALITY: Educational emails remain one of the most cost-effective conversion tools
Let’s take a closer look at how Stratia proves each of these wrong—and what that means for your own content strategy.
MYTH 1: Educational Content Is Too Complex for Social Media
“Keep it short. Keep it simple.” That’s long been the rule of thumb for social content. But Stratia’s success suggests something entirely different.
The skincare brand, founded by a cosmetic chemist who once shared free formulations on Reddit, has built its audience on substance over simplicity. Science-first content isn’t just part of their brand—it’s what drives their most viral posts.
If our founder could, she would just be doing education. That’s her passion! It’s why our entire marketing strategy leans into explanation, not promotion.
Our Skin School blog features detailed articles written by the founder, breaking down complex skincare concepts into understandable information. On TikTok, she creates 7- to 9-minute deep dives on skincare topics, complete with textbooks and citations. The format defies the typical “snackable content” playbook—and yet, the views and shares speak to themselves.
Ingredient Glossary in Skin School blog
More importantly, this approach doesn’t just build trust—it drives sales. One of the most successful cases ended with complete sold out of their vitamin C serum:
First, we explained why vitamin C degrades when exposed to air and light. Most dropper bottles let in air every time you open them, so the product breaks down quickly. Then we showed how our airless pump protects the formula—and how our silicone delivery system helps it absorb into the skin.
The video went viral because people finally understood why other serums failed, and within days, our product sold out.
Key Takeaway: Don’t underestimate your audience. Long-form, information-rich content can thrive on social media—especially when it helps people make better choices. Create a space (blog, channel, or feed) where your experts can share deep knowledge, and let the value of the content do the heavy lifting.
MYTH 2: Content Creation Requires Expensive Production
Many brands believe that producing effective content—especially video—means shelling out for big budgets and studio-level polish. Stratia proves otherwise: their best-performing content is often the most down-to-earth.
Every week on TikTok Live, our team takes viewers behind the scenes of our manufacturing process. They see ingredients being poured, products mixed by hand, and orders packed for shipping. It’s raw, real, and lets customers connect with our team directly.
This unfiltered look doesn't hide their small-batch operation—it celebrates it.The transparency builds trust, and the low-fi format only adds to the authenticity.
With content needs growing exponentially each year, Stratia also leans heavily on repurposing content across platforms to maintain volume without sacrificing quality.
We take one core message and tell it in different ways. It might come through a talk from our founder, a diagram, or a visual breakdown.
This adaptability allows us to reach a wider audience—meeting different learning styles–without constantly starting from scratch.
Key Takeaway: Don’t let production pressure slow you down. Focus on real moments, real people, and transparent processes. Then, extend the life of that content by adapting it across formats—videos, illustrations, captions, long-form posts. The goal is connection, not perfection.
MYTH 3: Direct Marketing Channels Like Email Are Outdated
With all eyes on social media platforms, it’s easy to overlook email. But that oversight comes at a cost—Stratia's experience proves that email remains their highest-converting channel for content marketing.
Email is our most effective channel for driving conversions. While everyone’s focused on social, the rising costs of paid ads makes owned channels like email even more valuable. For us, email consistently delivers higher ROI than many of our paid social efforts.
The difference? Stratia doesn’t use email to push products—it uses it to build understanding. Their content strategy connects seamlessly across social and email to offer real, useful education.
We’re not constantly saying 'buy our product.' Instead, we’re focused on education—helping customers make informed decisions. Our welcome flow actually comes directly from our founder. She wrote the original email, and it links to her real email address where customers can reply. And yes—it really is her.
Fragment of Stratia’s welcome email
That kind of authenticity—combined with valuable content—has helped Stratia maintain high open rates and strong conversions, even as other channels get noisier and more expensive.
Key Takeaway: Use email to teach, not just sell. Build flows that prioritize clarity and connection. When possible, send emails from real people—founders, product creators, experts—and make those contacts feel genuinely accessible. In a world of rising acquisition costs, email gives you a powerful owned channel where educational content can quietly, consistently outperform.
Building Understanding That Drives Conversions
By challenging these three myths, any brand—regardless of industry—can build deeper, more lasting connections with their audience:
- Educational content works—especially when it’s complex.
- Authenticity beats polish—transparency builds trust.
- Email isn't dead—it’s where your most valuable conversations happen.
The real goal of content marketing isn’t just attention. It’s understanding. When people truly understand your product, they don’t just convert—they explain your value to others. And that’s where real momentum begins.
Struggling with delivering the right content to the right audience at the right time? Maestra can help you analyze your customer segments and build targeted content strategies that meet each group where they are in their journey. Book a demo today to see how our platform can transform your approach to audience segmentation and personalized content delivery.