Val Roskens Tews Talks Content Strategy for Brand Book Authors
Jessica Andersen
June 16, 2025
What if your time on social media could feel more like planting seeds than pushing content?
What if simple, heartfelt actions – connecting, commenting, and creating – could turn your online presence into a true community, and open the door to new clients and opportunities?
In this masterclass, you’ll learn how to use The Butterfly Strategy across whatever platforms you’re already using. You’ll discover how small, intentional steps can create ripple effects: building relationships, deepening trust, and making your message more visible in a way that feels true to you.
This isn’t about spending all day posting and scrolling. It’s about being purposeful with the time you already have – and creating a presence that feels natural, meaningful, and aligned with who you are.
In this masterclass with Val Roskens Tews, you’ll learn:
Strategic connecting, commenting, and content are your transformation superpowers
You don’t need to post every day to see results – and what to focus on instead
Why commenting matters
Ideas for content that deepen connections (hint: it’s not just business tips)
Watch the recording and/or read the transcript below!
And don't forget to download your free engagement guide from Val 👉 Your Social Media Impact Trifecta: Transform Connections into Community and Clients
Jessica Andersen
Hey everyone, welcome back! I am here with Val Roskens Tews, one of my friends with whom I originally connected on LinkedIn via Toni Serofin, a book designer. I wanted to invite Val to give a masterclass to my audience and to my students inside the Profitable Brand Book Program. And Val, you’re one of those students now too!
You have a wonderful, unique way of helping people with their content, and I wanted you to be able to share that with us because I know it's gonna be useful to everybody. So let me formally introduce you, and then I would love to dive in to your presentation.
For anyone who doesn't already know Val, she is a content strategy writer for coaches and authors who want to grow their audience and attract clients without getting stuck in the overwhelm of what to post or how to say it. Through her Butterfly Strategy and Conversation to Connect methods, Val helps clients go from scattered ideas to a clear, authentic presence online. Val's goal is simple: to help people share their message with less stress and more joy… one conversation and one piece of content at a time.
Okay, Val, I'll let you take it away, and at the end, we can share links where people can find you online and get some more resources from you.
Val Roskens Tews
Alright, well I am super excited to be here. Thank you so much, Jessica.
I’m going to share about an idea that I've been working on for a while called The Butterfly Strategy. As an author, I'm sure you know how important it is to create a community of readers—people who will support you, encourage you, and hopefully, buy your book.
But how do you create that community? That's what we're gonna talk about today, because connecting can be hard. And content creation can be stressful.
You wanna grow your audience and attract readers, but without getting stuck in the overwhelm of what to post or how to say it.
You may not know whom to connect with. Or, once you connect, you may not know what to say in the comments, so you don't say anything.
And you wanna be consistent, but you know that there just isn't enough time for everything, especially content creation. When you finally do have time, you may feel stressed or unsure what to say.
If you do post, it may feel like you're establishing a social media presence that doesn't truly reflect who you are. Are you telling yourself, “Oh, I'll post next week”? Or are you waiting for inspiration to tell you what to write? Or posting something just to be posting, but it's not really what you wanna say?
Well, I'm here to tell you that you have transformation superpowers. Strategic connecting, commenting, and content creation are your transformation superpowers. And what do I mean by transformation? When you share your message, you're inspiring people to action. You are helping them change to do something for the better, and you're also helping people make a positive impact.
You're writing your book for a reason. That's your impact, that's your message, that's your transformation. So first of all, you need to create a strategy. Why? Because it's hard to build momentum. It can be hard to build your community. If you’re expecting to come up with ideas through inspiration, or if you’re assuming that extra time will magically appear… it probably won't happen.
A strategy allows you to work smarter because you'll have content already created. Then you can spend your time focusing on other things without the pressure of finding inspiration or willing extra time to appear out of thin air.
It also allows you to borrow a metaphor from the butterfly. Emerge from your cocoon and become strong because you are sharing what's authentic to you.
Butterflies create a ripple effect. As they travel from flower to flower, they don't just take in nutrients—they also give back by pollinating the flowers. And this helps the flowers to bloom. So consider this idea: Look at the social media profiles whatever platform you're on. Start to see those profiles as flowers.
Commenting is like pollinating that flower—that is, if you post content that's sharing something valuable, like the butterfly did. With the Butterfly Strategy, you can be intentional, purposeful, and confident, which can transform your connections into community and into readers.
Jessica
I just love that metaphor, that analogy. I think where a lot of people get stuck on that one, Val, is if they are present on social media and they're not seeing results, oftentimes they're doing a lot of posting and they don't understand because it's like, “I'm feeding the algorithm so much stuff, but I'm not getting a lot of engagement on my posts, and therefore I'm not seeing the ultimate outcomes that I want from social media,” which in many cases for authors is sales of their book or clients for their offers.
The important piece is commenting and “pollinating” other people's profiles. The more you give, the more you get back. It's not all about throwing stuff up on your profile and expecting the algorithm to just magically do its job, but it's lending a helping hand to other people on their profiles as well. And then everyone gets to reap the benefits.
Val
Yes, exactly. That perfectly leads into The Butterfly Strategy. There are 3 parts: the body is connecting, the left wing is commenting, and the right wing is content. So let's talk a little more about each.
Think of the body as the connecting part. What you wanna do is create a ripple effect through making meaningful connections. Just like the butterfly helps flowers bloom, you can help other people thrive by connecting with them, by supporting them and encouraging them, by leaving positive comments on their page.
The left wing is commenting. That's like pollinating your network. And the key is through positive commenting. Spark conversations by engaging with other people's posts through thoughtful comments. Your comments can be the seeds of a new conversation, the beginning of a connection with incredible people. You comment on someone's post and they answer, or someone comments on your post and you answer them. That's how I met you, Jessica! That's how I've met a lot of people.
You start commenting, you start going back and forth. You see what that other person is posting. You're like, “Oh, I wanna get to know that person. ‘Hey, can we get on a 15-minute coffee chat?’” That's how you get to know people, and it starts with commenting.
The way I look at it, commenting is just as important as posting content. In some cases, if you have to choose between the two, go with commenting, because people notice when you do that. That puts the spotlight on the other person, and they're gonna look and see what you said.
Finally, content is important because the transformation we talked about starts with your message. It starts with what you're posting. You can start small with what I call micro content, which is a short post with one main idea.
You can choose between what I call business posts and personality posts. Personality posts are just about things you like to do. For instance, recently I talked about how I had gotten a new donut pan. I said, the first time I made them, they turned out okay. The second time I made them, they totally failed. In fact, my husband said, “Give 'em to the birds.” That's how bad it was. And the third time I tried it, I got a new recipe. I followed it, and the donuts came out great.
That's what I mean by personality posts, and that's a silly example, I realize, but the point is, your content doesn't have to be all about business. It's a way for people to get to know who you are.
How do you apply the Butterfly Strategy? I'm gonna share 3 tips to help you get started, and there are more tips in my engagement guide which you should be sure to download.
For connecting, concentrate on the who rather than the numbers. I didn't do that when I first started! But it's the people who make the difference. This will help you create your community of readers: think about a new skill you wanna learn and find people you'd like to learn from—maybe adjacent to your field, maybe not—but that's how I've met some really neat people.
You might also want to find people who could potentially become a business friend. Why do I say that? Well, friends know, like, and trust you. If you have people on LinkedIn or Facebook or whatever social media platform you're on, and they are your friend, that means they know what you do. That means they know who you are. They could be a referral source for you, or a resource.
As an example, I wanted to learn about networking. When I first got on LinkedIn, I started following Wendy Caverly. I followed her, I connected with her, I attended her webinar. I got on a Zoom call with her. She offered a group coaching program, which I participated in, and now she's become a business friend, and I've learned a lot from her.
As for commenting, be generous, be kind, give lots of praise, highlight others. Start creating a positive community because it's the people who make the difference and will impact your business. If you're having trouble knowing what to say in someone's post, here's my best tip, and it helped me so much, especially when I first started because I was thinking, “Who am I? I'm a nobody. Why does anybody care what I put?” So to psych myself up, I started pretending they were already a friend, and I asked myself, what would I say to that friend? “Oh, well, I'd say this,” and the neat thing is that some of those people became friends. For example, I started commenting on Claudia Wyatt's posts 'cause I really liked what she said, her content was excellent. She started commenting on my posts, and what she said was, “I wanna get to know you.” So we connected on LinkedIn, then we connected offline, and then I was blessed to be able to meet her in person. But the thing is, it started with a comment. Now granted, most people will stay as connections, but some will become business friends, and some may even become personal friends.
But it really helped me to pretend that we were already friends. So I hope that helps someone else.
Jessica
That's so true. I've experienced that as well many times as an entrepreneur. Like you said, many of them just stay connections, and that's okay. But they might pop up again later. You'd be surprised that in six months, a year, or more they say, “Hey, I saw your post recently about XYZ. I'm thinking about you for this other person I know who needs your services.” You just never know. The most satisfying thing ever is meeting up in real life with people you originally connected with online. Some of those people have become clients of mine and vice versa, and we refer clients to each other.
If you're holding yourself back and you're maybe a bit shy like I am about what to say online, you have to trick yourself into getting over that fear for a minute so that you can comment on someone's page because slowly you're going to build a habit of telling your brain that this is a safe action for me to take, going out of my bubble and seeking conversation with people that I don't know, random strangers on the internet.
For me, it always helps me to ask not “Are we connected in some way?” but rather “How are we connected?” Because if you look for the right threads, you can find a connection point with anyone.
Val
Yeah! Comments can lead to conversations. Conversations can lead to 15-minute coffee chats. Our conversations led to doing this masterclass together. It all started with a comment, really, because I was watching a workshop that you had done with Toni Serofin, and I went, “Oh, I wanna get to know Jessica!” So I started following you and commenting on your posts.
Jessica
And because you did that, because I did a series of workshops and you commented on every single one, I said to myself the same thing! I thought, “Who is this Val who has appeared in my network? And I want to get to know her because it seems like she's really enjoying my content.”
Your method is so validating for someone like me who constantly feels like I'm talking about myself, which is uncomfortable at times. I feel like I’m trying to show up and give value and create content that people like. But sometimes I just get crickets. Sometimes with email marketing or social media posting, it's often feels like shouting into the void, doesn’t it?
Val
That’s why it's so important, even if you make it simple. Be kind, acknowledge them. Because you never know where it's gonna lead to. I've met some incredible people, and they all started with a comment.
Now for my tip on content creation. Creating content is another opportunity for you to soar, but in a different way. It gives people a chance to get to know who you are, what you believe in, what your message is. And so my tip for this one is consistency over quantity.
And what I mean by that is consistency does not mean posting every day. That’s just exhausting, and in my opinion, not productive. So I try to post two or three times a week with a mix of business and personality posts. Here, consistency just means that you make a commitment to yourself and follow through, whether it's once a week, twice a week, three times a week, whatever it is that fits your schedule.
Something else to think about: If you don't like writing social media posts or you don't have time, find someone who can create the content for you, someone who's going to make sure the content's in your voice, and dare I say, not an AI version. Outsource that to a human. Have someone help you with your content so you can focus on building relationships, because that's how you're gonna create your community of readers.
You are going to have to be the one starting to build that, starting to comment, starting to find the connections like we talked about. And by the way, that's what I love to do. I love to help people shine through writing. One of my favorite things to do is to create content that's tailored to that person.
You might be really good at creating content for yourself, but you might not have time to do it anymore because your capacity has changed due to personal circumstances, or because you’re scaling your business and you realize you no longer want to create your content yourself. Or maybe you just don’t like writing social media posts. In those situations, you need to outsource your content strategy.
A lot of people have told me, “I have so many ideas, but I don't have time.” Then find someone who can help you. Pick your zone of genius and focus on that, and ask for help in the other areas. It makes a huge difference, and it will decrease stress immensely.
I know it can be hard to delegate. But you have to recognize when you can’t do a task, and ask, “Who can help me to do it?” For example, I realized I needed help setting up my email newsletter. I found an incredible VA who was able to do it for me. I now have a newsletter, which I would not have had otherwise because I don't know how to do the tech. Now, I give her the copy, and she sets it up for me. It's still my IP. I just don't know the tech part of it.
And the same thing goes for content creation. If you don't have time, or if you don't like writing social media posts—which is very different from writing a Brand Book—then find someone who can help you.
Choose to be a butterfly. Emerge from your cocoon, believing in yourself. This is really important. Believe in yourself because you can do it. Ask others for help, and then take flight.
Choose to serve others. Ask yourself, “How can I help someone else?” Start your ripple effect through creating connections. Support them, encourage them. It will help you pollinate your network through positive commenting. Transform others by your message. You're writing your Brand Book for a reason. Share it. Strategic connecting, commenting, and content creation are your transformation superpowers to help you make the biggest impact.
And the best way to create your community of readers—and I know you agree, Jessica—is to start building your community NOW.
Jessica
Yes. I've seen so many authors make the unfortunate mistake of thinking too sequentially, almost like it has to be, “First I write the book, and then I work with an editor, and then I take it to a designer, and then I launch it, and then I market it.” What I'm trying to show people is that we need to collapse the timeline. Before you start, as soon as you decide you’re going to write a book, get in touch with an editor like myself so that they can help you structure it from the beginning stages. Ultimately that’s gonna save you fees in editing! Then, once the manuscript is written and the editor is just doing a lighter edit—the copyedit and the proofread—you can already contact the designer and get started working on concepts for the cover art.
The entire time, you should, like you said, be building your community so that once the book is all ready to go, it launches itself because you have already been talking about. You've been growing your audience, you've been hyping them up.
When done that way, you don’t have to be like, “Okay, now how do I launch it?” You already know because you've been working on it little by little instead of it being this huge, overwhelming task to do at the end and you're rushing it because you know you have to launch it. Does that make sense?
Val
Yes, absolutely. You said it perfectly. Start building your community of readers now so that when you do launch, you already have support and they will keep encouraging you after it's published.
I'll give an example. When I was a little girl, I loved to read, and I thought it would be so neat to meet authors. When I was growing up, they didn't have self-publishing, so you had to go through a traditional publisher. The chance of meeting an author was slim to none. Well, now, being on LinkedIn with self-publishing and independent publishing, I have met a number of authors! Every time, I celebrate. I think it's so cool. When someone in my network publishes their book and tells me about it, it's like, “Yes, I wanna support you.” With the key being: I knew them before the book came out, so that when the book did come out, I wanted to support them. I wanted to encourage them.
I’ve often purchased books as gifts. I would tell the person I'm giving the book to “I know who wrote this book!” because we had already established a business relationship before that. So that's why establishing this community of readers is so important. I will get emails from people saying, “Hi, buy my book!” But if they’re not already in my network, I’m like, “Hi, who are you? I don't know you. Why should I buy it? What's it about?” So establishing that community is essential to having a successful book launch.
Again, think of your connections as your friends. Friends know, like, and trust you. You don't have to explain it because they already know you. That’s how you can create transformation through your book: create your community before your book comes out.
Jessica
I actually just experienced that exact example with one of the other subscribers in my audience. I had sent out an email whose call to action was “Reply to me about such and such thing,” and she replied back. It was Becky Bayne, a book designer. We started going back and forth, and I asked her if she was planning on writing a Brand Book.
She said, “Actually, I've already written it, and I’m about to launch it.” Right away, I was like, “Great, let me help you! Tell me anything and everything about your book so that I can support you during the launch.” And I was able to get on her list. In fact, I just did an interview with Becky for my blog, also partially to help her launch her book.
Once her book launched, I bought a copy on Amazon and wrote my verified review for her. I'm not necessarily the target audience for her book, but like you said, because we had had a conversation, I knew her, liked her, and trusted her by the time her book launched, and then I was only too happy to support her.
Val
You know, people very seldom buy something sight unseen if they don't know the person. And I'll add: When you're on whatever social media platform, you don't know who sees your content. They may not comment, they may not react, but they're seeing it.
I've had people come up to me and say, “I really liked that post you did.” But they didn't comment. They didn't react to it. “Oh yeah, I saw it though!” But they don't say anything publicly, and so you never know who might come up from your content. I've heard this story more than once from other people: Somebody's been following them for a year or more, and then they come out and say, “Okay, I'm ready for your help now!”
That's why your content is so important: it says who you are. But the commenting is so important too because it creates your community. That's how you start the conversation. That's how you meet people.
Thank you so much for your time and thank you, Jessica, for this opportunity. Please feel welcome to connect with me. Jessica will include the link to the engagement guide. You will notice it says LinkedIn, and that's my specialty, that's my platform of choice. But the principles inside this engagement guide can be applied to most social media platforms.
Jessica
Thank you so much, Val, for all the really useful information about your Butterfly Strategy. Thank you very, very much for putting this presentation together exclusively for my audience for the first time. This is hot off the press, people! And I'm very much looking forward to reading about it in Brand Book form!
Val
Yes, it’s coming!