As a content marketer, I absolutely NEVER feel like my team and our resources is enough to do what has to be done. So how does a nonprofit organization like Slow Food USA stay on message and create a vibrant community across hundreds of local chapters, and pull together an event like the recent Terre Madres America with only two staff members, neither of whom is a content person? That was the biggest question on my mind as I volunteered at the content-rich, exceptionally inspiring event a...
19 days ago • 4 min read
I've got some big news to share: my book, Content Foundations, is Coming Soon! After years of helping content teams and thought leaders go from content chaos to clarity, I’ve woven together my most essential frameworks, templates, and hard-earned lessons into one place: a book! I’m thrilled to officially announce that Content Foundations will launch in early 2026! This book is your guide to building a content engine that scales—with both AI and human creators—without losing your brand voice...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
When I attended CEX (the Creator Economy Expo) last year, I had Ruth Carter be my witness that I was committing to writing a book before the next year's conference. Spoiler Alert: I did it! And I'll be publishing it through Tilt Publishing. But that is a story for the next edition of the newsletter. Because right now, I want to share some of the conversations and presentations from CEX that I believe are critical for all content marketers — not just creators — to hear as we enter the 2026...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
It can be fun to break the mold—to try something new and unexpected in your content marketing program. But there is one mold you shouldn’t try to break: your brand’s voice. Yet, it seems to be the one standard that most frequently does get broken. But why is that? Unfortunately, there isn’t any one answer to that question. The many reasons why brands have inconsistent voice include: No defined brand voice chart for content creation Multiple freelancers creating content you haven’t explicitly...
3 months ago • 3 min read
SEO has never felt like a content marketer's BFF. Rather, it's been more like that annoying relative who follows you around at family events, making sure you don't forget about them. Which is why it seems unlikely that its cousin—generative AI optimization (GAO)—should even be allowed to sit at our lunch table. But here's the thing: GAO, unlike SEO, is actually all about context. And when we are creating content, it's the context that other people always try to take out in the name of shorter...
3 months ago • 3 min read
I once had a manager who would send back documents I'd emailed for their review with dozens of revisions in the copy, some of them IN ALL CAPS, others with a yellow highlighter background, and a good number of the words I'd written newly formatted with strikethrough. You know—strikethrough. For those of you about to close this email because you think I'm being a sensitive artist whose precious about her words—that's not it at all! I like edits. I appreciate comments that help me understand...
3 months ago • 4 min read
I had a boss whose first quarterly goals for me were to publish 12 blog posts and acquire 30 demo signups. Somehow, we managed to publish a blog post every week and cranked out a whole slew of social content in pursuit of those "goals". Unfortunately, we could only prove that we were the source for 29 demo signups, so I didn't get my bonus. The lack of a bonus was definitely a bummer. But, more importantly, because we had to publish a blog post every week, and spend most of our time creating...
4 months ago • 4 min read
For the past month, it's felt like Summer here in Sacramento, California. I've been walking to my local library branch and spending afternoons reading on the patio while the bulldogs soak up the sunshine. It's nice to change things up and enjoy the slower pace Summer brings. Last night, after seeing the wonderfully funny and smile-inducing film, The Phoenician Scheme, I had a brain wave. Why not put our weekly #ContentChat livestream into Summer Camp mode for the next couple months? I've...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Back when #ContentChat was still a Twitter chat, every 6 months we did a community check-in where I asked everyone to share their wins, their biggest challenges, and what they wanted to learn about in the months to come. It was a great way to bring the community together and help me identify great guests and topics for the upcoming months' chats. As much as I love the livestreams we do now, I miss those check-ins! So, in that spirit, I give you a poll: What is the one thing you want to learn...
5 months ago • 3 min read