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...
30 days ago • 3 min read
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?...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
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...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
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...
2 months ago • 3 min read
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...
3 months 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...
3 months 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...
4 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...
5 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...
5 months ago • 3 min read