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Four weeks ago tomorrow, my partner brought home a one-week old kitten that had been found abandoned at the elementary school where he is a school nurse. When we couldn't find him a placement with any local rescues, he brought the little one home to me. The kitten was so small you could close your palm around him, and his eyes were sealed shut. But man, could the little fluff ball scream! I've never raised a kitten (though a childhood kitten had kittens, but Flossie did all that hard work herself). So I did what anyone else in my situation would do: I went to the Kitten Lady's YouTube channel and watched a video on bottle-feeding kittens. But wait a minute, Erika—you might say—how did you know about her? I'm so glad you asked! I didn't ask ChatGPT or any other AI platform how to take care of a newborn kitten or to find me a kitten video. I also didn't use Google search. Instead, I went to the source my peers at the SPCA mentioned, and which every single rescue had mentioned to my partner. The Kitten Lady didn't need search and AI optimization for me to find her—because she had trust. She built her brand on being outrageously helpful and relentlessly focused on helping people help kittens. It helps that she is a New York Times best selling author. But that didn't come out of thin air either. It came out of building trust with her audience, one tiny feline life saved at a time. I know that most of us aren't out there saving the lives of tiny furry babies with our content. But we are striving to be relentlessly helpful to someone specific about something only we can help with, right? Right? After all, the robots don't care about the people using them to create content, and people don't trust them when it matters to get it right. So what can you do to become the most trusted source of information for the people you serve? Lean into that, starting now. 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.
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How Scalable Is Your Content Program—Really?To celebrate the pre-launch of my book Content Foundations: The frameworks you need to scale your content with AI (and humans) without losing your brand voice., I’ve updated my Content Governance + Scalability Assessment. This 2-minute quiz reveals how ready your content operation is to grow without you and your limited time becoming a bottleneck. You’ll walk away with a quick self-assessment and some pointed ideas for what to fix next. 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. ICYMIMarketingProfs B2B Forum Volunteer Sign-Up. Until next time, stay safe and be well! Cheers, Erika |
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.
One of the recurring themes I heard at MAICON last week was presented in Paul Roetzer's opening remarks: “Within 1–2 years, AI model advancements and agent capabilities will force a radical transformation of talent, teams, and organizational structures. Leaders face conflicting pressures to take a responsible, human-centered approach to AI adoption, while leveraging AI for near-term gains in efficiency, productivity, creativity, and profitability.” While many organizations have focused on the...
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...
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...