From Gerbil Wheel to Flywheel: A Smarter Way to Market Your Writing Business

You know how they say that the wheel was one of the greatest inventions of all time? Whoever came up with a wheel for gerbils to run on may not have gotten the full message. 

Those poor little creatures run endlessly, spinning the wheel but never actually getting anywhere. Worse yet, they don’t even get a nice view for their efforts—just the same old, same old monotonous blur of their cage.

That “gerbil wheel” frustration is exactly how I used to feel about my marketing efforts. I’d write blog post after blog post, expecting some kind of breakthrough, but instead, I just kept spinning my wheels. 

As writers, we often think that simply producing more content is enough. But if that content isn’t strategically serving our business, it’s just another exhausting cycle of effort without results.

The Gerbil Wheel of Content Marketing

At first, I thought I was doing everything right. I was publishing content consistently, writing about topics I knew would be helpful, and doing my best to attract readers. But after awhile, I started asking myself some hard questions:

• Did anyone sign up for my email list because of that blog post?
• Was I getting more sales?
• Did anyone check out any of my other posts after reading that one?

More often than not, the answer was a resounding NO.

So what did I do? 

I wrote more blog posts, thinking that maybe, just maybe, volume was the missing piece. 

Spoiler alert: It wasn’t. 

Instead of moving forward, I was stuck in a never-ending loop of effort with little to show for it—just like a gerbil running on a wheel.  And this is the trap so many freelance writers fall into: producing content for the sake of content, rather than creating content that builds their business.

Breaking Free: The Power of the Flywheel

It wasn’t until I FINALLY stopped, took a breath or two and reevaluated my approach that I found a better way.  It’s called the flywheel approach to marketing (aka writing) about your business. 

Unlike a gerbil wheel, which takes constant effort just to keep going, a flywheel is a massive, heavy wheel. That massive, heavy wheel takes a lot of energy to start spinning, but once it DOES get going, it takes very little effort to keep it going.

For example, have you ever seen business “gurus” who claim they work just 10–20 hours a week and still run million-dollar businesses? While plenty of those claims are exaggerated, the legitimate ones have something in common: a well-built flywheel.

The secret? They’ve put systems in place that fit together like Lego blocks, refining and optimizing their processes over time. Instead of starting from scratch every day, their businesses run with increasing efficiency, making growth easier instead of harder. 

For you as a writer, this means creating systems that make marketing your work seamless.  Things like leveraging old content, repurposing your best writing into multiple formats, and using automation to stay visible without constant effort.

What a Flywheel Looks Like in a Writing Business

So, what does a flywheel actually look like for a freelance writer or content creator? Here’s what my flywheel looks like right now:

1. Connect with other business owners – I make a point of talking to and working with people with interesting stories or expertise that could benefit my audience.
2. Collaborate on valuable content – Then, based on those discussions, I focus on creating content that is useful and engaging.  It might be guest blog posts, courses, videos, podcast episodes, or mini-trainings
3. Promote that content strategically – Instead of just publishing and hoping people will find it, I share all that valuable content through my newsletters and social media channels so that it gets to the right audience.
4. Leverage tools to grow my audience – I use platforms like SparkLoop and Kit (both affiliate links) to cross-promote with other newsletters and attract more subscribers.  For you as a freelance writer, this could also mean creating evergreen content that showcases your expertise and generates leads, rather than only writing for your clients.

The key thing is  … with each cycle, my flywheel gains more momentum. Every new collaboration leads to fresh content. Every piece of content attracts new readers. Every reader who joins my email list increases the reach of future content. And so, the cycle continues—getting smoother and more effective over time.

How to Build Your Own Marketing Flywheel

If you’re stuck in the gerbil wheel of content marketing, it’s time to jump off (without breaking your neck) and start building your own flywheel. Here’s how to get started:

1. Identify What’s Working (and What’s Not)

Stop and analyze where your marketing efforts are actually bringing in results. Look at your analytics—what’s driving traffic to your writing portfolio and/or website? What’s converting readers into subscribers or customers? If something isn’t working, don’t keep doing it just because you feel like you “should.” You want to be looking at what kinds of content bring in inquiries or sales to your business, and prioritizing those efforts.

2. Focus on Sustainable, High-Impact Activities

Rather than chasing short-term wins, your best bet is to invest in strategies that will keep paying off over time. For example, creating evergreen content that ranks well in search engines, building an engaged email list, starting a newsletter or developing a course that provides passive income can be far more effective than constantly churning out new blog posts with no real strategy. 

And by the way, here’s a pro tip:  If you’ve written something valuable, make sure you repurpose it.  It’s very easy to turn a blog post into a lead magnet, a Twitter/X thread, or a LinkedIn article.

3. Create a System for Growth

But here’s the hard, honest truth.  Gerbil wheels can make you feel like all that activity and motion are getting you somewhere…but you’re getting nowhere.

Flywheels don’t get built overnight. It can take a long time to get it working right.  So you need a process that continuously fuels itself. 

For example you could try doing some:

• Content collaboration: Partner with others in your niche to reach new audiences.
• Newsletter swaps: Use platforms like SparkLoop (affiliate link) to get in front of other people’s email lists.
• Email nurture sequence automation: Set up an email funnel that keeps engaging new subscribers without you having to manually send emails every time.  Or even more importantly, automate email sequences that introduce new leads to your best work and invite them to work with you.

4. Refine and Optimize Over Time

The secret to building a flywheel that works is to just start … and then keep going.

Your first attempt won’t be perfect—but that’s okay. The key is to continuously refine and improve your flywheel. See what works, tweak what doesn’t, and gradually build a system that gets stronger with every iteration.

Is Your Business on a Gerbil Wheel or a Flywheel?

Now, it’s your turn to ask yourself the big question: Is your writing business set up to run on a gerbil wheel or a flywheel?

If you feel like you’re constantly putting in effort but not getting anywhere, it may be time to step back and start building a system that doesn’t have you spinning in circles.

And remember, as a writer, marketing isn’t just about getting new client work—it’s about building a brand and audience that can sustain you over time.

And the second big question to ask your:  If you already have a flywheel in place—what’s one thing you could do right now to make it even better?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your experiences in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, don’t forget to share it with a fellow writer who might need to hear it.