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: Making 'Limitade' Out of Our Limitations
|
While watching the Oscars last night. I quickly spotted Isabella Rossellini in a prime aisle seat. The best supporting actress nominee for her role in Conclave was all smiles, seated with Laura Dern. My first thought was, "OMG! Are they doing a David Lynch tribute?" But almost as quickly, I dismissed that thought. And I got it. They weren't presenting a David Lynch tribute; they WERE the tribute to David. It starts with Isabella's dress. She wore blue velvet, as all mentions of her would inevitably note, immediately conjuring up the notes of the song and visions of her in that other, Blue Velvet, dress. For those of you who aren't avid red carpet fashion watchers, let me explain. As nominees in the major categories walk the red carpet before the event, reporters always ask them about who or what they're wearing. As reported by Vogue, her fashion choices were deliberate—honoring both her late mother, the actress Ingrid Bergman, whose earrings she wore, and Lynch. The cherry on top, so to speak, was her walking the red carpet and then sitting with her Wild at Heart co-star. In just a few simple camera shots, she gave us a master class in how to make a situation's limitations work to your advantage to get your message across. It can be so easy to get caught up in feeling overwhelmed by our limitations as content creators. No budget. Too few resources. Not enough time. Lack of C-Suite support. I get it. We've all been there and felt that. (I've even been referred to as an Eeyore!) But we've got to get past feeling sorry for ourselves and dwelling on what we can't do. Instead, why not ask:
So, the next time I find myself having a sad about something I can't quite pull off, I'm bookmarking this as a reminder to ask myself, 'What would Isabella do?' and 'Who's my Laura Dern?'—and you should too! P.S. For those of you (I see you, Maureen!) who just aren't that into David Lynch and wish I'd moved on already, this is probably the last time I'll write about him—pinky swear. 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.
Get Involved with #ContentChat
Please take my content scalability assessment!Thank you so much to the 150+ folks who've already taken the assessment! Content Marketing + Related Jobs
Send Us Your Content Jobs!If you have a content marketing contract position, full-time job, or freelancer opportunity, reply to this email and let us know. We are always happy to share jobs with the community at no cost. ICYMISpeak at Content Marketing World (CMworld) 2025 State of Create 5 Gen AI Myths Holding Sales and Marketing Teams Back TA #182: 🧟 The zombie test; 3 approaches to great writing 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.
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...
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...
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...