Erika Heald is the host of the weekly #ContentChat LinkedIn Live video podcast for content marketers, held Mondays at noon Pacific. As a B2B marketing consultant, she helps organizations define and execute content marketing strategies that drive business and professional growth. As a creator, and gluten-free blogger helping people discover gut-friendly farm-to-table food. She frequently speaks at B2B marketing industry events on employee brand advocacy, content strategy, customer experience, AI readiness, and social media topics. You can find her on her blogs erikaheald.com and erikasglutenfreekitchen.com.
The #ContentChat Bulletin: AI Can’t Fix Broken Content Foundations
|
Does this sound familiar? "We're creating more content than ever with the help of AI… but it doesn't get any easier." More channels. More contributors. More AI-assisted drafts. More pressure to publish faster. AI was supposed to lift us out of our never ending list of low-value to-dos. And yet, here we are struggling with more friction, more rework, and more "this doesn't sound like us" conversations. That's not a creativity problem. It's not a tools problem. And it's definitely not an AI problem. It's a content governance problem. Content governance isn't about control—it's about clarityWhen people hear "content governance," they often picture approval bottlenecks, rigid rules, or brand police with red pens. In reality, effective content governance does the opposite. It gives teams shared answers to everyday questions like:
Governance isn't a document that lives on a Sharepoint site no one visits. It's the operating system behind your content—embedded in the tools, templates, and workflows your team already uses. Why governance matters now more than everAI didn't create the need for content governance—I've been creating governance tools and systems for 15+ years. But AI *did* make the absence of governance painfully obvious. AI is incredibly good at producing something. It's terrible at knowing whether that something:
Without governance, AI simply accelerates content chaos. With governance, AI becomes a force multiplier—helping teams:
The difference isn't the model. It's the foundation underneath it. Governance shows up in the workStrong content governance is visible in everyday practice:
When these essential elements are in place, content creation stops feeling haphazard. It becomes repeatable. Resilient. Scalable. This is what Content Foundations is aboutI didn't write this book to convince people that content governance matters. Most marketing teams already feel the pain when it's missing. I wrote it to show:
Content Foundations is for anyone who's tired of duct-taping processes together—and ready to turn content into a true business asset. January 13, 2026, seemed so far off when I was finalizing my book copy. But now, we're just one week away from its launch! I can't wait to hear what you think of it. Coming Up on #ContentChatContent Chat is my weekly LinkedIn Live video chat focused on sharing expertise and ideas amongst the content marketing community. Join the conversation on Mondays at noon Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern. RSVP for our upcoming conversations by clicking the chat date below to get a reminder and to access the chat.
Until next time, stay safe and be well! Cheers, Erika |
The #ContentChat Bulletin
Erika Heald is the host of the weekly #ContentChat LinkedIn Live video podcast for content marketers, held Mondays at noon Pacific. As a B2B marketing consultant, she helps organizations define and execute content marketing strategies that drive business and professional growth. As a creator, and gluten-free blogger helping people discover gut-friendly farm-to-table food. She frequently speaks at B2B marketing industry events on employee brand advocacy, content strategy, customer experience, AI readiness, and social media topics. You can find her on her blogs erikaheald.com and erikasglutenfreekitchen.com.
It's been a heck of a year, which makes it even more essential to pause and reflect on our intentions for next year. No, I'm not talking about setting New Year's resolutions—it's about using reflection as a strategic checkpoint to assess what's working, what's not, and how to align your 2026 content strategy with your brand's evolving goals and voice. For the past 15 years, I've made a point of walking through a set of intentional reflection prompts to help me enter the new year with focus...
If there’s one thing the MarketingProfs B2B Forum reinforced this year, it’s this: community isn’t just a byproduct of great content—it is the strategy. Yes, the sessions were outrageously insightful. But it was the hallway chats, the LinkedIn follow-ups, and the in between times that turned insight into action. Those real-time conversations sparked ideas I’m already building into my 2026 content plans and governance materials. When your community actively shapes your voice, priorities, and...
I recently hosted a really fun and empowering webinar for the MarketingProfs team on how to use AI to personalize content without losing your brand voice, as part of their Marketing Writing Bootcamp: AI Edition. I received my best-ever rave reviews from attendees who felt that it really connected with them and their significant challenges at work. I mean, one attendee wrote, "It was the most helpful, actionable webinar I have ever attended." Can you imagine how wide my smile was reading that?...