GEO & Everything I’ve Learned About It So Far

I’ve been working in content for over a decade now, and search engine optimization (SEO) has been a major piece of that work. If you work in marketing, you’ve heard that things in this space are a’changing. 

AI search is now integrated into Google search results, and that top-of-the-page slot is now occupied by an AI Overview:

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working hard (see also: scrambling) to get up to speed on what this means for folks like me who are tasked with helping companies rank in Google search results 1-3. 

Now, my goal has shifted: I need my content to be the links included in the AI Overview.

As part of that, I’ve been reading, watching YouTube videos, taking courses, and having coffee chats with the smartest people I can find across the internet working on solving for this, too.

I wanted to share what I’ve learned so far…so here that goes.

First: What Is GEO?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the process of optimizing digital content to maximize visibility within AI-driven platforms. 

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search engine results pages, GEO concentrates on ensuring large language models (LLMs) recognize and cite your content when formulating answers.

The trickiest part: No one seems to know exactly what’s happening on the back end of the tool that results in the AI Overview it kicks out. Reverse-engineering the content that is linked in the summary is one way to solve for this, but even that is not a perfect science. 

That said, there do seem to be a few core elements that contribute to how AI Overviews are created.

How People Search Online is Evolving

Here’s what I’m seeing when it comes to the changes around traditional “let me just Google that” behavior.

• AI Overviews dominate screen space. AI-generated summaries now occupy up to 75.7% of mobile screen real estate and 67.1% on desktop, pushing traditional organic listings far below the fold. That is precious, precious screen space.

• Click-through rates are plummeting. Ahrefs data shows a 34.5% decline in CTR for #1 organic results when AI Overviews are present. For news-related queries, zero-click searches jumped from 56% in May 2024 to 67% in May 2025—an 11-point increase in just one year.

• AI search is becoming more mainstream. A recent study found that 71.5% of US consumers have used ChatGPT and similar tools for searching, BUT only 14% use them daily. More importantly, search behavior is shifting from single questions to multi-turn conversations—the average ChatGPT conversation now involves 5.2 turns.

My take: I think it’s still a *very* small group of early adopters who are going to tools like ChatGPT instead of Google to get questions answered at this point.

However, more people are shifting into the habit of asking ChatGPT instead of Google, so we need to be thinking NOW about the future implications of this shift in search behavior.

Why Traditional SEO Metrics Don't Always Apply

Kevin Indig's analysis of over 7,000 AI citations revealed the top 10% of most cited pages across AI platforms "have much less traffic, rank for fewer keywords, and get fewer total backlinks" than their traditional SEO counterparts.

This doesn't mean SEO is dead—many LLM-based tools still rely heavily on web content. But it does mean that strong domain authority and keyword rankings alone won't guarantee AI visibility.

What Actually Works: GEO Strategies

Research from Princeton, Georgia Tech, the Allen Institute of AI, and IIT Delhi identified a few key factors that influence AI visibility. Here's what they found proved most effective:

1. Citations and Quotations

Including references to reputable sources and relevant quotations significantly boosts visibility. This isn't surprising—it mirrors how academic and journalistic writing establishes credibility.

2. Statistics and Data

Hard numbers perform exceptionally well. When you can back up claims with concrete data, AI systems are more likely to surface your content.

3. Authoritative Communication

Content written in an expert, confident tone using industry-specific technical terms tends to rank higher in AI responses.

4. Fluency Optimization

Clear, well-structured writing that's easy to parse helps AI systems extract and understand your key points.

The funny part: These are just SEO best practices!

Brand Awareness Matters 

There’s also a clear connection between brand strength and AI visibility. 

A study of 10,000 LLM queries found brand search volume had a correlation coefficient of 0.18 with AI mentions—the second strongest correlation after domain rank (0.25).

Why? Established brands typically have stronger online presence, higher domain authority, and more publisher mentions. 

Translation: You need more press, to appear in more high-reputation journalism sites, and in general, to keep that press-mention engine going 24/7 (because GEO appears to only care about the last 12 months of press mentions.)

Content Types That Get Cited

Analysis by Profound found that comparative listicles are the most commonly cited asset type, accounting for 32.5% of all sources referenced by LLMs. Blog posts and opinion pieces follow at nearly 10%.

This insight aligns with how people actually use AI search. They're asking questions like:

• "Best [tool] for [use case]"

• "[Product A] vs [Product B]"

• "Top alternatives to [solution]"

Creating dedicated, high-quality pages for these intent types isn't just good SEO—it's important for AI visibility.

Are AI Summaries a Trustworthy Source?

All this said, it would be remiss of me not to mention the fact that people increasingly trust AI-generated answers without verification. 

A Choice Mutual audit found 57% error rates in Google AI Overviews for life insurance queries—yet the summaries still looked convincing. When links or citations are present (even if incorrect), trust increases significantly.

This puts a lot of responsibility on brands and content marketers to make sure their information is factually correct, properly cited, and current. For the user, that means doing your homework before you trust with what the AI Overview has to say.

GEO Best Practices: Take These Steps to Get Started

Research Your Current AI Visibility

Run manual tests by asking AI platforms questions like "What is [your brand]?" and "What are the best [your product category] companies?" See if and how you're mentioned.

Create Intent-Based Content at Scale

Develop comprehensive comparison pages, alternatives posts, and buying guides that directly address the queries people ask AI tools. Structure them with clear headings, focused paragraphs, and FAQ sections.

Implement Strong E-E-A-T Signals

Demonstrate expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness through author bios, citations, case studies, and technical depth. These aren't just SEO best practices—they're what AI systems look for when deciding which sources to trust.

Distribute Beyond Your Website

Publish content on LinkedIn, Medium, Reddit, and industry forums. Execute digital PR activities that position your experts as thought leaders. The more your brand appears on trusted sites, the more likely AI systems will cite you.

Use Structured Data

Implement schema markup to provide context and structure, making it easier for AI systems to understand and index your content.

Monitor and Iterate

Track how AI tools mention your brand over time. Tools like Semrush's AI Toolkit can automate this process, showing you how different platforms describe your brand and competitors.

Clearscope has *brand new* AI features I’ve been using to help with my GEO work, including tools that help me find out when my clients are referenced in AI search results, getting deep insights into contextual search (AKA finding out how, exactly, people are using highly specific search queries these days), and SO MUCH MORE.

In Conclusion, *Shrug*

GEO feels like the next iteration of SEO.

The fundamentals still matter: create high-quality content, build genuine authority, earn credible backlinks, and optimize for user intent. 

There’s no secret sauce or guaranteed method to get your content referenced as the AI Overview. Be leery of anyone who’s selling you something that says there is. 

Until the LLMs give us clear guidelines on what their tools are evaluating, insight into the criteria they use, etc. it is the wild, wild west. The best we can do is work to keep creating high-quality content that keeps the reader front and center and provides relevant, recent, and trustworthy answers to their questions.

Want my GEO Checklist?

I put together a little cheat sheet with GEO best practices, and I make sure I've ticked my boxes before sending a finished piece to clients.

You can have it for free...why not? Here ya go!

If you haven't yet, be sure to connect with me on Twitter and/or LinkedIn.

How to Self-Edit Like Socrates

The first draft of any piece of writing, 99% of the time, is NOT GOOD. Full stop.

From jumbled logic to false conclusions—you need to take a hard look at your writing and get rid of the nonsense. But…how? Today is another moment I’m going to tie a piece of Philosophy into the writing process.

The cure for crappy first drafts lies in an ancient but powerful technique: The Socratic method.

Your First Draft is a Brain Dump

First drafts tend to be a bit chaotic because writing is, at its core, a process of discovery. When you first put those initial words on the page, you’re essentially thinking out loud—trying to make sense of a topic, find connections, and articulate ideas that may not yet be fully formed.

I call this building a “dump doc.”​ This exploratory phase is crucial, but it also leads to common writing pitfalls, including:

1. Generalizations – Broad statements like “People always fear change” or “Technology is making society worse” pop up because our brains prefer easy shortcuts when forming ideas.

2. Unfounded Claims – Early drafts often contain statements that feel true but lack evidence, like “Most businesses fail within the first year.” (Spoiler: They don’t—about 20% fail in the first year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

3. False Dichotomies – First drafts love extremes: “Either you work hard, or you fail.” The reality, of course, is more nuanced.

4. Circular Reasoning – Writers sometimes accidentally assume what they’re trying to prove: “Freedom of speech is important because people should be free to express themselves.”

Enter Socrates

The Socratic method, a form of disciplined questioning used to uncover assumptions and refine arguments, can help writers identify and fix these weaknesses. It’s also something most journalists do well; the name of the game here is being curious and challenging premises.

I have a video lesson available for purchase on how to write like a journalist, by the way.

Here’s how The Socratic Method works:

• Understand the belief: See if your writing clearly states its thesis.

• Reflect: Summarize the thesis and clarify your understanding in simple language.

• Gather evidence: See if you’ve provided solid evidence for the thesis with data, analysis, and facts.

• Challenge assumptions: Question the thesis’s assumptions by asking questions like “why?” and “how?” as you read.

• Repeat: Repeat the process if needed.

Let’s go deeper on each of these steps so you can look at your first draft with clear eyes (and full hearts? Can’t lose??)

1. Question Your Generalizations

A generalization is taking one or a few facts and making a broader, more universal statement. For example, if all the girls you know play with dolls, you might make the generalization that all girls play with dolls. When you find a sweeping statement in your draft, challenge it and ask:

• Is this always true?

• Can I think of counterexamples?

• What evidence supports this?

For example, instead of saying, “Social media is ruining communication,” you might revise to: “While social media has changed communication styles, research suggests it has both positive and negative effects, depending on how it’s used.”

2. Interrogate Your Claims

When you’re self-editing, anytime you make a claim, ask:

• How do I know this?

• What sources or data support this?

• Would an informed reader agree with this, or would they demand proof?

If you write, “Reading fiction improves empathy,” you might pause and ask, “What studies back this up?” (Turns out, there are some. A 2013 study in Science found that literary fiction readers performed better on empathy tests.)

3. Identify False Dichotomies

Binary thinking makes for compelling soundbites but weak arguments. They lack nuance. When you see an “either/or” statement, ask:

• Are these really the only two options?

• Is there a middle ground? (Reader, this is the *one* question I am asking in all areas of my life right now. The answer for everything lives in the middle of two extremes.)

Instead of “You either support free speech or censorship or don’t,” a stronger revision might be: “While free speech is a fundamental right, societies often debate its limits, especially when it comes to hate speech or misinformation.”

4. Spot Circular Reasoning

Circular reasoning is a logical fallacy in which an argument attempts to prove its conclusion by using the conclusion itself as evidence. It essentially states, "This is true because it's true," without providing any real supporting evidence, effectively going in a circle without reaching a valid conclusion.

If you find a sentence that feels redundant in your draft, try asking:

• Am I defining a concept by itself?

• Can I rephrase this in a way that introduces new information?

For example, “Democracy is the best form of government because it allows democratic participation” could become “Democracy is widely valued because it enables citizens to influence laws and policies through voting and representation.”

Let Socrates Be Your Editorial Guide

First drafts are messy because writing is thinking in real-time.

But by applying the Socratic method—questioning assumptions, challenging claims, and considering alternative perspectives—you can transform a weak draft into a strong, well-reasoned piece.

Next time you self-edit, channel your inner Socrates and ask: Is this really true? How do I know? What am I assuming? Your writing (and your readers) will thank you.

Want more writing tips? Check out my eBook with core writing lessons and a workbook section, available for $45.00!

Writing Fiction is a Path to Self-Knowledge

“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking: what I'm looking at, what I see, what it means, what I want, and what I fear.” -Joan Didion

Writing, specifically creative writing, is a path to better understanding yourself and your lens on the world.

I’m sure this has been on my mind lately because of the weekly therapy sessions and the Philosophy classes I’m taking (we’re going full tilt on self-improvement this year, baby!), but in all seriousness, it’s a concept that keeps springing up for me: this idea of lifting the lid on my own brain and seeing what’s really going on in there.

It’s easy to move through the day without thinking too hard about anything. “Ignorance is bliss” is thrown around in jest for good reason. But…think about its context: from the pages of George Orwell’s dystopian book 1984, the depiction of a repressive, totalitarian regime. (Yikes.)

The reality is that you don’t incur much friction when you just let everything slide off the surface of your consciousness, never letting anything really permeate your Awareness.

Some days, I would *love* to be a person whose interior world was far less permeable. But ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been a feeler. Call it being sensitive or over-thinking…whatever label you slap on it, I’m a person whose heightened emotional antennae are up and active. And I think most writers (and artists, in general) have this affliction.

I paint the same way now as I did when I was five. The goal is expression, not mastery!

We evaluate our thoughts in the same way I’d examine an interesting mineral: Holding it in my hand, checking out how the light glints off it at different angles, rotating it, zooming in, zooming out, etc.

We similarly look at situations and ask questions like, “Why? What’s the context? What’s informing my perception here? What does it mean?”

Many days, the inner machinations that come with being *like this* are exhausting. Our minds are meaning-makers, and for a sensitive person who wants to get into the dichotomy of why about…well, everything…that eats up a lot of hard drive space in the ol’ brain.

But you know what works well to offload some of this thought processing? Writing.

Specifically, writing fiction.

It wasn’t until I started working on a piece of fiction a few years ago that I was able to see my own inner thinking play out through the characters I was building in my story. Once they were on the page and depersonalized, becoming decidedly “not me,” I was able to spot patterns and distortions and sometimes surprisingly wonderful facets of my lens on the world through this work.

By making fictional characters think, say, and do things on the page, we can come to understand ourselves better.

It’s easy to say, “I’m not like that” or “I don’t think like that.” But fictional characters don’t lie. We summon them out of our interior worlds, and they can be a shocking window into the reality of who we really are.

I didn’t fully realize this until I had an editor review one of my early drafts and give feedback. One of her notes was: “This female character makes some choices in her relationships that really surprised me...and to be honest, they made her hard to root for and a little unlikeable. She tolerates too much, and those choices aren't very inspiring for a main character.”

Woof. (Who knew writing fiction could provide the honest perspective I needed about myself, but no friend would give without fear of hurting my feelings?)

It’s hard to get perspective on yourself and your way of being in the world because, well… we’re behind the camera. We’re writing the script of our lives in real-time: making snap judgments, ad-libbing dialogue, wardrobing, etc.

But by writing fiction, we get a rare opportunity to hop inside our own minds. It helps us escape the non-stop action of being in the director’s seat, where we’re making real-time choices every second, and drops us into the quiet of the writer’s room, where we can be more deliberate about things like character development.

I share all this to say that it would be silly of me to write all of this, to encourage you to do this work, and to not roll up my own sleeves and get back into my novel.

Because even if it never sees the light of day and no one reads it but my editor, it’s going to pay dividends in better understanding myself and channeling that sensitivity into something productive: an act of humanity. Making art.

Go make art, my friends.

---

Interested in monetizing your writing? This resource from Nathan Barry is worth reading.

How to Go Deeper in Your Writing

My most recent Philosophy course just started, and for the first class, we were assigned a short story to read. From there, we had to write a one-page paper summarizing what we took from it.

Here’s the exact guidance we were given for the paper:

You will give the paper a title to orient the reader from the start, and then introduce your topic clearly in the first paragraph. Keep in mind that a convincing paper needs to be clear and coherent, and exhibit a judicious use of pertinent detail. It should also possess a natural flow from paragraph to paragraph to maintain the reader's attention. The goal of the paper is to help you crystallize thoughts and ideas around a single topic.

I thought, “Okay, I got this. Easy enough; this is pretty much what I do all day for my client work.”

Well, I did the reading and whipped up my little one-pager on the key theme I gathered from it, including how it related to my personal experience and philosophy, and sent it off.

I’d be lying to you if I didn’t give myself a little pat on the back post-submission. “You’re so good at this,” I told myself. “If he pulls a few example papers, one will probably be yours.”

(Ahem, reader: let me tell you, I am very aware of how cringe this little egomaniacal thinking is in hindsight and I already talked about it in therapy so get off my back!)

That said, you can imagine my surprise when, during class, my paper was not chosen as one of the strong examples.

In fact, the two that were chosen took a wildly different approach than I had. They’d gone much deeper on the reading, leveraging their critical thinking skills, whereas my perspective only skimmed the surface of the topic.

A bit of context so you have a frame of reference:

• My paper examined a high-level, fairly obvious theme and then connected it to my personal experience and way of living.

• The example papers took two different approaches:

  • One took a very specific piece of the story and extrapolated how it was a subtle theme throughout the plot, reinforced over and over via metaphor (so, think of how an art historian would look at a painting and call out the historical context and symbolism)

  • The other took a more quizzical approach and went into detail on the questions the story posed for the reader, going into the conclusions he could posit based on what he gleaned from a very close reading of the text, paying attention to minute details like verb tense and emotional adverbs used. 🤯

Read more: How to Take a Stance in Writing​

Now I’m going to say the quiet part out loud.

I was a little nervous I’d missed the mark on the theme I took from the story, so before I submitted it, I prompted ChatGPT with a few questions about the story to see if it came up with similar assessments.

It did. And that is a point I want to make in and of itself. My surface-level assessment was in line with ChatGPT-quality responses. That should’ve been my clue.

ChatGPT doesn’t produce complex, detailed insights, it doesn’t excel at nuance, and it certainly isn’t known for its critical thinking.

As humbling as this experience was, it was a great lesson for any writer: You can (and should!) go deeper. You can read more closely, think more deeply, and write in a way that goes well beyond the obvious surface content.​

So here’s what I want to say to you: If you’re writing at a ChatGPT-equivalent level, that’s probably a sign you need to go deeper.

Go back and read your brief, the source material, the research, whatever supporting documentation you have, and engage your critical thinking skills.

Take a fine-toothed comb to it, and rather than just stating the obvious, engage your humanity by deploying your ability to assess, synthesize information, and draw new connections to share the deeper meanings you discover from that hard work.

​AI-powered writing tools can state the obvious.

But humans have a unique ability to kick our brains into high gear and produce insightful, reflective, and detailed analyses of the things we read, learn, and see.

It’s not easy work, but in a world where, these tools can cover the generic bases, it’s more important than ever to leverage our human advantage here.

Read more: Writing Tips from a College Professor​

Use. Your. Brain.

So. Excuse me while I go start the reading for next week. I’ve got some work to do. 😅

Why writing skills are critical for your career

People regularly assume their writing skills are “good enough” to get by.

But data shows that’s far from the truth: companies spend more than $3.1 billion on remedial writing training yearly. Yikes.

Having a strong foundation of writing skills is essential to building a profitable career as a freelance writer. But, even so–many people pursuing this path don’t feel proficient in their writing abilities (much like those hobbling on limited writing expertise at in-house jobs.)

Writing-focused training gets pushed down the to-do list month after month. It’s easy to think: “Why spend time on my craft when I could be pitching, prospecting, and doing client work?”

The answer, my friends, is that by taking the time to improve your writing skills, you will be more successful.

It’s as simple as that.

The bottom line here: If you feel insecure about your writing skills, you’re not alone.

Whether you actively worry about your grip on the basics, suffer from imposter syndrome while doing work for your clients, or just want to make an effort to improve your skills, there are many ways to do so.

What to do if you worry your writing isn’t “good enough”

Imagine this: you sit down to write a piece for a client only to find yourself entirely overwhelmed by the thought that your writing isn’t good.

• Almost every sentence you type, you immediately delete.

• The cursor blinks at you for an eternity (and it feels like a taunt.)

• It takes you twice as long to write the article as it should.

When you finally knock the piece out, the end result feels off…but you can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong.

Far from a rare occurrence, this is a situation that plagues countless writers around the world. It’s an anxious, emotionally fraught space to exist in, and it can become a self-perpetuating cycle if it’s not broken.

Worse yet: This perpetual state of worry is only the beginning of the insecurity a writer might feel about his or her skills.

“This isn’t on the mark for our brand, please re-work,” is one of the most dreaded and self-confidence-shattering responses for a writer to get.

If you get pieces back from clients full of edit requests, it can feel like confirmation of this insecurity and, thus, the self-perpetuation of the belief that your writing is bad. It’s also not great for business; the extra time you spend fixing that piece will eat into your earnings.

Beyond that, if the client wasn’t happy, they probably won’t re-hire you for future projects. The looming sense of dread that proceeds sitting down to write anything once you start to doubt your work is exhausting and mentally taxing.

But it doesn’t have to be a permanent state.

5 ways to break free from the writing insecurity complex

There are a few things you can do to break free from the thought: “I’m not a great writer.”

• Join a community of writers. Because writers often find themselves alone with their computers day in and day out, finding a supportive group to be part of can help stave off the insecurity that accompanies such an isolated job. A community can help you troubleshoot when you feel stuck or stumped.

• Examine where those internalized doubts might stem from. Writing is quite personal, and by default so is feedback on your writing. It’s natural to take it personally when you get critiques on your writing, but sometimes the doubt stems from a deeper place. Becoming more self-aware through therapy, journaling, etc. is a way to navigate those deep-set doubts about your abilities.

• Establish a daily writing practice. Practice, practice, practice. It’s a cliche because it’s true: the more you practice, the better you’ll get. Implementing a daily writing habit is the key to becoming a better writer. By writing daily you’ll refine your communication skills and exercise the mental muscles you want to strengthen. With time, writing will begin to feel more natural and less stressful.

• Get professional feedback. While not always possible, when you can, ask an editor for the specifics of why they changed your draft. Getting this feedback from those who have interacted directly with your writing and have more experience than you is an invaluable way to improve future work. A patient editor is a Godsend. If that's not an option, you can always hire one-to-one feedback from an editor who can help you work on a specific area of focus (I offer a four-week private intensive for this purpose!)

• Devote yourself to writing training. You'll build confidence and skills within a writing workshop, workbook, or training course like the one below. This is great because you won't just learn the theory, but you'll also put your skills into practice.

The truth is: Writing isn't easy. You have to work at it.

Will you make time for it so you can get ahead at work?

Write more in 2025.

We’re approaching year-end (really only five weeks to go!)...Can you believe it?

If you’re like me, this home stretch is a time for slowing down, thinking about the year ahead, and setting goals.

Will you accomplish all of them? Maybe not. Likely not.

I mean, I’d like to get better at painting, speaking Spanish, and trying new recipes, but if I’m being honest, I’ll be happy if I scratch the surface on any of those activities.

One thing I’d like to ask you to think about today, though, is your personal relationship with writing.

We live in a world where AI-powered writing tools have made it easier than ever to avoid working on improving your writing abilities and to simply outsource that work to the ol’ bots.

But where’s the art in that?

Where’s the humanity?

Where does it leave space for you to crystallize your personal thoughts and feelings into concrete words and sentences you can then share with others so you can be better understood?

The answer is…it really doesn’t.

I think now, more than ever, we need humans to create (and share!) things that are uniquely human. We need to lean into the rote tasks of writing things unassisted and using our imaginations to tell stories (both fiction and non-fiction.)

Because, yes: Technology is great. It’s useful and certainly has a place and time.

But for 2025, I want to encourage you to write more. Maybe even take this to the extreme and do it with pen and paper.

You can still spend a few hours every evening scrolling social media (let’s be honest, we’re not going to stop) and still make space in your day for 20-30 minutes of writing.

The result and impact of that activity has real dividends: You’ll learn more about yourself--and if you share your writing publicly, you may even find a pocket of folks who are excited to read what you have to say.

Writing isn’t an easy thing. For a lot of people, it’s fraught with self-doubt, it feels too challenging to be fun, or maybe it’s something we simply don’t believe we’re good at.

But you know what? Anything worth doing is hard.

I also want to offer to help. If this is something you’re interested in really investing in for 2025 and beyond, I’ve opened back up my one-to-one writing coaching offering.

There’s a four-week option for those who want a writing accountability partner and an editor to offer tips and guidance, but I’m also willing to do a one-time meeting if you just want to troubleshoot and talk through some of your writing-related stumbling blocks. (Just reply to this email if you’re curious about that option.)

Or, if you just want some quick lessons and a more self-directed route, consider my eBook, which comes with a workbook component.

Here’s the bottom line: If you do nothing other than start journaling, that’s a win.

Make writing a priority. It’s a net positive and a skill that you’ll never regret developing.

Why writers should be philosophers

This fall, I signed up for a Philosophy and Ethics class. And now that I’m a few weeks in, I think it’s safe to say: Studying Philosophy can (and will!) make you a better writer.

Why? I have a few thoughts on this. Let’s start at a high level, though.

Writing serves as a bridge between internal thoughts and external communication. It transforms our internal dialogues into something others can access and understand.

Exceptional writing, therefore, is the result of exceptional thinking. To convey ideas clearly and persuasively, writers must cultivate a methodical and logical approach to their thoughts, translating into clearer, more effective writing.

One of the most effective ways to refine thinking is through philosophical study. Philosophy, emphasizing argumentation, logic, and critical questioning, is particularly adept at sharpening our ability to think systematically and coherently. Writers can enhance their clarity and precision by engaging deeply with philosophical methods.

Makes sense, right? Let’s dive in a bit deeper on a few of these points.

Philosophy as a Tool for Refined Thinking and Writing

To write clearly, convincingly, and with structure, writers can leverage philosophical concepts and analytical methods. Philosophy aids in this process by:

• Improving Thinking: Philosophy demands a rigorous approach to thinking. It encourages individuals to examine ideas thoroughly and systematically, transforming disorganized thoughts into coherent and well-structured arguments.

• Enhancing Critical Skills: Philosophy cultivates critical thinking skills through its emphasis on logic and argumentation. This helps writers question and assess the validity of ideas, leading to more nuanced and persuasive writing.

• Encouraging Methodical Analysis: Philosophy's methodical approach to exploring concepts ensures that writers can dissect ideas carefully, leading to clearer and more precise communication.

Applying Foundational Philosophical Concepts to Writing

To elevate your writing, understanding and applying key philosophical concepts is helpful. A few of these include:

• Definition and Essence: Writers must clearly define their key terms and concepts. Understanding what something fundamentally is helps them articulate ideas more effectively and prevent misinterpretation or misrepresentation.

• Appearance vs. Reality: Recognizing the difference between initial perceptions and underlying truths is crucial. Complex topics often appear simpler at first glance, but a deeper analysis can reveal more intricate and insightful perspectives. This approach helps writers avoid superficial treatments of their subjects and seek more profound connections.

• Objectivity vs. Subjectivity: Writers need to be aware of biases and partiality that can influence their work. By understanding the difference between subjective opinions and objective facts, writers can craft more balanced and credible narratives. This awareness encourages humility and precision in writing.

The Relationship Between Philosophy and Writing

Writing begins as an internal thought before it is articulated externally. As a result: Disorganized thoughts lead to disorganized writing, while clear thinking results in clear writing.

Philosophy helps give individuals the necessary tools to critically evaluate and refine their thoughts. It promotes meticulous, analytical thinking that is essential for writing effectively. By demanding a thorough examination of ideas, philosophy helps writers address technical, logical, and ethical aspects of their work more adeptly.

As John Campbell said, "Philosophy is thinking in slow motion." It enables us to analyze our intellectual processes, revealing alternatives and deeper insights. By integrating philosophical methods into their practice, writers can improve their ability to make sense of complex ideas and clearly communicate them.

More Stories, Less Content Marketin

In a world where algorithms and analytics often dictate marketing strategies, I argue that content marketers should embrace a more human-centric approach through narrative-style storytelling.

Sure, SEO plays a role in driving website traffic and visibility. But when we lean on it too heavily, it can overshadow the fundamental truth that content marketing is ultimately about connecting with people on a deeper level.

The reality is: Humans are inherently drawn to stories. Always have been, always will be.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories known to man.

From ancient myths to blockbuster films, narratives have always captivated us because they satisfy our innate desire for meaning and connection.

Unlike SEO-driven content, which can sometimes feel mechanical and transactional, narrative-style storytelling leverages emotions, provokes thought, and forges genuine connections between brands and their audiences.

Why tell stories in content marketing?

When you prioritize narrative over SEO, you can get into character-driven storylines.

Characters are the beating heart of any narrative—they bring stories to life, create empathy, and allow audiences to see themselves within the narrative arc.

Companies are made up of people. People are characters who have experiences: Successes, failures, lessons learned…you name it.

The question is: What stories can you tell, and how can you make readers root for you as a main character in the story?​

When brands weave narratives into their content, they humanize their message and make it relatable on a personal level. This emotional resonance helps create a community of engaged followers more apt to connect to the brand's values and mission.

Moreover, narrative-style storytelling encourages authenticity and creativity in a way that SEO strategies often do not. It's one human telling a story to other humans.

By crafting genuine, insightful, and thought-provoking narratives, brands can differentiate themselves and stand out in a sea of content that looks and sounds the same.

Want to see a home run example? See this founder story from Sarah Moret of bodycare brand Curie on her Shark Tank experience.

Addressing the naysayers

Critics of narrative storytelling may argue that SEO-driven content is more measurable and directly impacts search engine rankings.

While this may be true to some extent, my question is: So what? ​

I once heard clothing designer Johnny Cupcakes say: “My goal as a marketer is to look at what everyone else is doing and then run in the opposite direction.”

Those are wise words.

The truth is that a well-told story has the potential to linger in consumers' minds far longer than a cleverly optimized blog post or landing page.

It can spark conversations, inspire action, and create lasting emotional connections.

Tell more stories, care less about SEO

I’ll say it once more: Content marketers should not overlook the impact of narrative-style storytelling.

By harnessing the power of characters, emotions, and authentic storytelling, brands can transcend the limitations of SEO-driven tactics and create meaningful connections with their audience.

I’d dare to say that in an increasingly competitive digital landscape, the brands that dare to tell compelling stories will not only capture attention but create deeper, more lasting connections with their audiences.

A good angle is hard to find

A great writer is often a great sleuth.

What I mean is: Talented writers have a gift for sifting through large swaths of information and finding an interesting kernel that would make for a great story.

Developing this skill is part of most journalists' training; it goes beyond the basic “who, what, where, when, why, how” that help them nail down the essentials of the story they’re trying to tell.

To find a great story angle, you need skills outside the realm of writing. Skills like:

• Critical and creative thinking

• Ability to research strategically

• Question-asking

If you’d like to improve at this, here are a few tips to help you identify and develop strong story angles.

1. Follow your curiosity.

Great storytelling is typically the product of a writer following his or her natural interests, which is why it’s important to tune into your naturally curious brain when thinking about a topic idea.

​“It has to be fun for you before it’s entertaining for anyone else.”​

When you’re excited about a topic, writing about it won’t feel like work. Instead, it’ll feel more like you’re just explaining something you care about to a close friend. (This is what we should all strive for when writing, yes?)

As you start to formulate an idea and do research, prompt yourself with questions like these:

• What pieces of this topic haven’t been explored yet?

• What new data or research can I synthesize to illustrate a new point?

• How does the topic relate to the current moment and/or pop culture?

• What’s your unique perspective or point of view on the topic you’d like to make a case for?

Try to tackle your subject from a fresh, new angle. Make sure to do your homework, find out what’s already been covered, and then bring something new to the conversation. If you approach angle development through the lens of curiosity, you can truly add to the existing dialogue around your topic (rather than simply re-hash what’s already been said.)

Further reading + additional prompts: Habits of Mind: The Questions Intelligent Thinkers Ask that Help Them Solve Problems and Make Decisions​

2. Conduct interviews.

Having real conversations with experts on your chosen topic is a great way to organically discover interesting sidebars, tidbits, and lesser-known facts. Go into these conversations with a set of questions, but then allow yourself to follow whatever interesting threads present themselves.

For this to work, your interviews need to be real-time. I don’t mean to send an email with your questions. No! Pick up the phone, meet someone face-to-face, or do a Zoom call.

Having these conversations in real-time allows you to “double-click” on questions as they arise. Actively listen as you record the conversation, take notes, and allow yourself to dive deeper when natural questions are prompted in your mind. (There are no stupid questions here; ask them all.)

Further reading + additional resources: How to Write Like a Journalist​

3. Be flexible.

This may be the most important piece of the puzzle here: You need to be willing to be flexible with your angle. While you may go into research thinking you’re clear on how you’ll tackle the topic, your research and interviews may take you in a completely new direction (and that’s okay.)

Example: I once conducted an interview with a footwear brand, thinking the story was going to be about their product design. However, during our chat, I learned they had an interesting approach to returns and sizing issues: They automatically sent all customers two pairs of the same shoes but in their normal size and the next half size up or down, based on where the customer usually fit size-wise.

The customer then returned the pair that didn’t fit as well and kept the one that did. This was a way more interesting angle than just talking about the product, so I scrapped that and went all-in on the unique returns strategy.

The lesson: Listen, be willing to adapt, and always follow the most compelling thread you find while researching. You may discover an angle you weren't expecting along the way.

Storytelling: Are you good at it?

I just finished a complete series re-watch of the TV show Mad Men, and the thing I was struck by most in this viewing was that Don Draper’s character was a masterful storyteller.

Yes, he works in advertising, and it is *his job* to know how to tap into those human emotions, motivations, and aspirations. But he does it with such…finesse.

The thing is: Lots of people tell stories. But few do it well.

I was going back through the interviews I conducted with writers and editors for Yeah Write Club (the much-neglected side project I haven’t revisited in a while because, well, time), and a quote from Bobby Kim, author of This is Not a T-Shirt, reinforced this idea:

Q: Do you think that writing (and writing regularly) has been part of the success you've seen with your entrepreneurial projects? What impact has it had?

A: Of course it has! Everything comes back to the way I communicate and tell stories. Brands and businesses are just conduits for us to connect as human beings. I have an advantage as a writer and as a fan of writing because I can relate to our audience even more effectively.

Makes sense, right? Here’s what you need to know about good storytelling.

Editing is critical.

Have you ever been trapped in a conversation with someone who does not edit him or herself? They share every detail, no matter how non-essential. They go off on tangents. What should be a two-minute anecdote becomes an hour-long epic.

Good storytellers know that in order to capture and hold an audience’s attention, one must edit. This means cutting away all the non-sequiturs and trivial details that distract from the story’s climax and theme, so it only retains the core elements.

When storytelling, ask yourself:

• Is this detail an essential building block for the story arc I’m building?

• Will the storyline suffer or become disorienting if I leave/add this detail?

Emotion is required.

Don Draper’s top skill as a storyteller is knowing how to tap into human emotions while telling a story. Time and time again, when pitching an advertising angle, he paints a picture for the client that plucks emotional strings like nostalgia, romantic or parental love, heartbreak, and longing. Why? Because it connects with audiences on a deep, meaningful level.

Stories that tap into emotion and make us feel something register much differently than a quick ad pitch. They make the listener/reader introspective, reflective, and slightly vulnerable. They sometimes even cause a bodily response (like a racing heartbeat, tears, or sweating.)

When storytelling, remember:

• A good story makes the audience feel something, so if your storyline lacks emotion-based language and scenarios about how you felt in the moment, it will likely fall flat.

• Your audience should be able to relate to the emotions in your story. If your plotline is too extreme, they may feel out of their range. Adjust as needed.

Tone is everything.

This tip is more related to verbal storytelling, but important nonetheless. Part of Don Draper’s gift when it comes to storytelling is his body language, his facial expressions, and his timing. This clip below shows exactly what I’m talking about.

Notice how he pauses between key words. How he touches his chin and uses his hands to reinforce certain lines. How he crinkles his brow when he’s thinking. The personal anecdotes he ties into his pitch that humanize the experience. You can do this in writing with formatting tricks and by developing your personal writing voice.​

When storytelling, remember:

• Pauses, line breaks, and formatting help reinforce main ideas.

• Inflection and emphasis drive home key emotional aspects of your story.

Good storytelling = engaged audiences.

With social media, millions of newsletters, and the non-stop flood of information that’s hurled at people every single day, strong storytellers are the ones who stand out from the noise. They capture our goldfish-level attention spans and keep us engaged.

A couple of resources I can recommend to help you improve your storytelling abilities:

• ​Write Better Right Now (writing lessons + workbook)

• ​Writing to Drive Sales (video lesson)

• ​How to Write Like a Journalist (video lesson)

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Quick parting announcement: A new season of the Freelance Writing Coach Podcast has begun! You can listen anywhere you listen to podcasts. New episodes will roll out every Monday for the next few weeks, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any!

How to Pitch Journalists + Get Featured in Major Publications

Fun fact: The email address I use for my reporting work receives somewhere between 50-200+ pitches EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I’ve been contributing to online publications like Forbes, Vogue Business, The Quality Edit, and others since 2016, so I needed a separate inbox for the flood of PR folks who help their clients get coverage. That many emails every day was just too much!

But you know what? Despite those hardworking people’s best attempts at crafting a compelling pitch for me as a journalist, I almost never even bother to open most of the pitches that come my way.

The reason: So many of them miss the mark. Here’s an example of a pitch I was sent this week:

See the problem here?

• There are misplaced apostrophes

• There’s a comma splice

• I don’t write about celebrity makeup looks (not relevant)

Over the years, I’ve had lots of folks ask me about how they can get their company, founder story, marketing strategy, etc., spotlighted in business publications (like the ones I write for.)

So today, I’m going to share a few tips and tricks in case this is a goal you have for 2024.

Tip #1: Be RELEVANT.

If you’re pitching a contributing freelance writer or full-time journalist, you need to do your homework first. Figure out what their “beat” is, the topics they typically cover, their go-to niche angles within that vertical, and study the types of stories they like to tell.

For my work with Forbes, for example, I often write about direct-to-consumer brands transitioning into brick-and-mortar stores, brands tackling sustainability issues in a meaningful way, compelling founder stories within the retail arena, and clever marketing tactics brands find success with.

So…as you can see, a pitch about a celebrity red-carpet makeup look is…not super relevant to the work I do. If the pitch had been about how a makeup brand works with celebrities and stylists to build brand awareness on social media, that’d be something I’d take note of. But… “Hey, look at this celebrity wearing makeup!” is not it.

Tip #2: Be CONCISE.

When you consider the volume and noise of the average writer’s inbox, you quickly begin to understand why brevity is essential. A good rule of thumb is to keep your pitch under 200 words, call out key points or statistics by putting them in bold font, and explain WHY your idea is worth delving into. Not why it’s a good idea for YOU, but for the WRITER.

Speak to the value this storyline would bring to the writer/publication’s audience, what they would learn by reading it, and how it relates to the industry or vertical as a whole.

Tip #3: Be AVAILABLE.

Timeliness is crucial for reporters, so if you’re sending out a pitch, make sure you and whomever else you’re offering up as a source is available to either hop on a call, answer questions over email, or turn around a quote request with speed. Most writers don’t have the bandwidth to play schedule tag, so be responsive if you get a reply from an interested journalist.

So many times, I’ve been sent a strong pitch, scheduled a phone call for the next day or two, and then had the person either cancel or ask to reschedule at the last minute. This is a waste of time for everyone involved, so consider offering asynchronous communication options if that’s more convenient and realistic.

Want more advice on this?

These three tips are my high-level advice for landing media coverage in 2024, but if you’d like a deeper dive, good news: You can get that right here.

In this video lesson, I cover:

1. How to come up with relevant story ideas for pitches

2. Nuts and bolts of crafting a strong pitch

3. Finding and connecting with the right people to pitch

4. How and when to follow up

5. General pitching best practices

6. Advice from established writers and editors at publications like Entrepreneur, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and more!)

7. Frequently asked questions (submitted by attendees during the live session)

Getting featured in a publication builds ethos with your audience, establishes a powerful form of social proof you can showcase on your website/marketing materials, and gives your parents something to brag about on Facebook.

If this is your goal, check out the in depth video lesson to eliminate much of the guesswork around this process.

Why should we bother to write?

I’ve been a long-time reader of the bi-monthly magazine Philosophy Now, but there was a piece in the most recent edition (written by George Sher, Professor of Philosophy at Rice University in Texas) that stood out to me as useful for fellow writers.

In his article, he explains why one should bother to write about philosophy. But I think many of his ideas are applicable to any type of writing. He put words to a lot of things I’ve felt before but couldn’t articulate as well.

If you, too, wrestle with the concept of "why bother?" when it comes to writing, this is some excellent food for thought.

Why should we write?

1. Simple curiosity.

One of Sher's first claims is that writing is a process that cultivates our natural sense of curiosity and provides a medium through which we can sort out our opinions, stances, and reasoning around various topics and ideas.

“The written word is useful because it preserves complex thought sequences for further examination…when we think on paper or the screen, our thoughts record themselves. Thus, when we are drawn into the questions that define our field, developing our answers (through writing) is often a natural way of scratching an itch,” he writes.

I think many times, humans have a tendency to overthink their writing, especially when it’s shared on a blog, in a newsletter, or even in a tweet. (Public forum = scary! Risk!)

We get in our own way, make it a very big deal, and talk ourselves out of publishing or sharing our work.

“One way to justify publishing essays that we don’t expect to make a lasting impression,” Sher writes, “Is to see them not as original or enduring contributions to human thought, but simply as an intellectual activity.”

Want to write more? Frame it as a way for you to get curious and sort through your opinions, thoughts, and feelings.

2. The act of making.

No matter how un-creative you feel as an individual, there’s a human urge in all of us to make things. We like to create! It feels good to create something with your hands that’s totally, uniquely you.

Aside from the curiosity “itch” writing scratches, it also does something for our soul/spirit/whatever-you-want-to-call-that-thing-that-makes-us-indidivuals. When we write, our brains get that sparkly feeling. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Sher went on to explain that by editing, finishing, and publishing those thoughts (in the form of writing), we create a jumping-off point for discussion, feedback, reactions, etc. (as all good art does.)

Writing and sharing it publicly makes our learning process more interactive, and I love that he called out how this can even happen at a very small scale (maybe only one other person reads and reacts to your writing) and still be impactful. To write is an act of humanity.

“Even if the product is mediocre or worse (and even if it doesn’t endure beyond the moment), the process of producing it has independent value,” he wrote.

Want to write more? Write for an audience of one. Forget that feeling of looking out at a crowd from the stage and approach the activity as if you would only ever show it to your best friend.

3. “Enriching the mulch.”

“We put our words down in order to make contact with other minds; to expose our thoughts to others…By simply injecting our ideas into the wider thought stream, we are contributing to the larger intellectual background against which all future thought takes place,” Sher writes.

I like this idea of “enriching the mulch” as a reason to write: That is, when we put our thoughts into writing in an easily sharable format, we add to and deepen existing conversations with our own unique points of view.

Sure, our original idea may get mixed in and blur into the homogeneity (like an egg yolk in a mixer that dissolves into the cake batter), but without said “egg”, the batter suffers.

That’s a whole lot of metaphor, but hopefully you get what I’m saying here.

Want to write more? Remember that sharing your thoughts, ideas, and unique perspectives adds richness and texture to conversations that are already happening. Chime in!

Bottom line: 2024 can be the year you write more, open yourself up, and share your ideas. I hope you do! If you need more help getting started, be sure to check out The Writing Lab.​

Do you need a writing coach?

A few weeks back, I asked a question in my newsletter. I wanted to know what people *really* needed help with writing-wise.

Common themes emerged: Accountability. Encouragement. Guidance.

Writing...it isn't easy for most people. Pair that with busy schedules, being our own worst critics, and not knowing what to write about, and it's easy to see why so many people opt to *NOT* write anything at all.

So, here's a question: Do you need a writing coach?

Or, maybe the better question is: Would you benefit from working with one?

This type of arrangement comes in many forms, but in this instance, I'm referring to a guide and accountability partner. Someone experienced in writing often and writing well who can help you establish and maintain a practice of your own.

These efforts might become a newsletter, regular blog articles for your website, or even a creative writing project, like a book or a short story.

Here are a few thoughts if this is something you're mulling over.

What kind of writing coach do you need?

Coaching works best when people know their ideal learning styles.

There are different ways to go about coaching, so it's important to figure out how YOU best learn.

Ask yourself:

• Do you want a coach who offers a firehose of information, answers to all your questions, and plenty of resources to explore?

• Or do you need someone who is more of a listener and can help you improve and troubleshoot as you go?

Other things to consider:

• Some prefer self-directed online courses, which allow you to work at your own pace without being on a specific timetable. The course route also allows you to study a very specific subject matter (like "how to write like a journalist" or "writing to drive sales") rather than something more open-ended.

• Others like the accountability factor of having to check in with somebody once a week for feedback and guidance on homework or to-do list items.

Pro tip: Ask to speak with past clients. Talking to those who've already worked with this person can help you get honest feedback. The last thing you want is to get on board and find that you don't relate with the coach or don't like his or her communication style.

You know you. What's ideal? What's realistic for you?

How much can you afford to spend on a coach?

A writing coach whose sessions cost you $1,000 total is a smaller-scale investment in the scope of coaching offerings.

• If said coach helped you launch and get consistent with a newsletter that now gets supported by sponsors, it paid for itself many times over.

• A writing coach who helped you start publishing articles that helped you land new clients was worth its weight in gold.

On the other hand, if you're considering a writing coaching program asking for a one-year investment of say, $12,000, you'll need to vet it extremely carefully.

This is a huge commitment, and you'll want to ensure you're at the right point in your business to earn back that money and gain maximum value from it. 💸💸💸

How do you get the most value from a writing coach?

Before investing in coaching, have a clear idea of the outcomes you can expect.

The writers who fare best with a coach are those who have a clear idea of their goals. This helps the coach offer better, more relevant recommendations to help their clients get where they want to be.

Here's a surprising truth: Writing coaches often find people paying for coaching just because they want some human contact. 😱

While it's up to each person to decide if that’s a good use of their time, it's may not the best use of their money. Instead, finding writing communities, making friends where you live, or going to therapy could be better alternatives. (Not sarcasm!)

Similarly, be wary of writing coaches advertising things they can't deliver. No one can guarantee you'll land a book deal or become a newsletter millionaire; that's not the purpose of coaching.

A realistic outcome is to help you navigate roadblocks and guide you in your writing journey, helping you expand and improve your skills along the way.

🎙️Listen: My co-host and I discussed this topic at length here.

Invest in a writing coach for the right reasons

If you're struggling with your writing efforts, you're not alone.

Coaching can help you with accountability, spotting and improving your weaknesses around your writing work, and building up your confidence as a writer.

Coaching is not a perfect science. It's a way to offer advice, insight, and perspective.

When you're stuck, confused, and ready for some writing guidance from an experienced pro, it can be a step in the right direction.

Want me to be your writing coach?

It's been several years since I've offered my one-on-one coaching sessions, but I've decided to open a few slots starting this month.

OR: If you don’t need a four-week intensive but want help troubleshooting a few things around your writing work, I also have one-time calls available.​

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Repurposing a Blog Post Into New Formats

If you have long-form blog content, guess what?

You also have:

• A roadmap for an interesting podcast episode

• A script for a YouTube video

• Talking points for a training session or course

• A chapter of a book

• Data for a slide deck or infographic

• Pieces of a Twitter or LinkedIn thread

The thing people forget about writing long-form blog posts is that in doing so, they've already completed the heavy lifting when it comes to creating something valuable.

Think about it: Writing a high-quality evergreen blog post is much like writing a solid research paper. It requires a lot of time and effort, several rounds of edits, and if you’re a good writer, some elements of fun that make the piece enjoyable to read.

Once completed, you’ve done the research, gathered the key data/research/stats, tied in visuals, and created a helpful walk-through on a certain topic. That content you worked so hard to put together shouldn’t just sit there and collect digital dust after the initial publish promotion.

This is the era of repurposing content. So…why not do that? Use your blog post as the framework/script for your next iteration in a different format.

Repurposing in action

I’ve used this repurposing approach many times and in many different ways. Here’s what it looks like in action:

• My newsletter articles sometimes get compiled into eBooks, like this free one and this premium one. (Note: If that content gets turned into a paid resource, I remove it from my archive and site so it’s only available to those who’ve purchased so it can’t just be dug up and read for free!)

• Some of my top-performing blog posts have been turned into YouTube videos (this one has almost 7,000 views, which is big for me!)

• Emma and I often pull from topics we’ve written about for our own blogs/newsletters when prepping for our podcast, and it speeds up the production process a TON by giving us comprehensive talking points to cover when we sit down to record

• I’ve pulled from several long-form blog posts I’ve written as the road map for paid training sessions, like this one on how to write an About page​

• I’ve done private workshops and speaking gigs where I pull much of my talking points from pieces I’ve reported on for business outlets, like this one I wrote for Vogue Business​

Now, you and I both know this idea of content repurposing is not a new one. It’s been a best practice in the marketing world for many years.

But I wanted to talk about it today because so often, marketers and writers forget to do it. Life gets busy, and this practice often gets pushed to the back burner. “I’ll get to that later,” we tell ourselves. But then…we never do.

In doing that, however, we’re forcing ourselves to work harder, not smarter. With a little bit of tailoring, you can take a piece you worked hard on and make it shiny and new for a whole new platform and audience. It just makes sense, you know?

So this is your reminder to do it. Put it on your to-do list.

The Future of Content is Parasocial

Think about the content you seek out in your free time.

The newsletters you read.

The podcasts you listen to.

The YouTube channels you subscribe to.

The influencer accounts you check in on even if you don’t follow the person because you don’t really need them in your feed, but you like to know what’s going on with them from time to time. (Wait…does anyone else do this? Just me?)

There’s a shift happening, and it’s been happening for a while now.

For years, companies and content marketers have been approaching content creation from topic-first angle. They say, “We’re going all in on X topic to be the authority on this particular subject matter!”

For many, it’s a search engine optimization play.

For others, it’s because of direction from leadership, which, is logical, because if you’re selling something, you should probably create content related to the thing, right? To educate your customers, help them use the product, etc.

Of course this type of content creation still has its place. It’s not going away.

But here’s the thing.

People trust people. People trust recommendations from people they know, even if they only know them in the context of a para-social relationship. And this is how sales are made. This is influence.

A few data points to back this up:

• 37% of consumers trust social media influencers over brands

• 28% of consumers discover new products and brands through influencers, with Gen Z most likely to discover products and brands this way (32%)

• 84% of Gen Z has purchased products in direct response to social media content

Influence is no longer limited to celebrities, to brands with enough money for TV advertisements, and to other traditional media outlets (magazines, movies, radio, etc.)

Social media has made influence far more accessible. And people with influence often don’t restrain themselves to a single theme or category.

Think about public figures like Emma Chamberlain. Charli D'Amelio. Logan Paul. They’ve drawn massive audiences with their personalities and the signature style in which they create. People seek out these creators not because they’re teaching them how to 10X their ecommerce revenue or because they’re experts on email marketing. They seek them out because they like them, they like the stuff they create, and they feel a sense of friendship with those people, even if only in an online context.

The truth of the matter is: The future of mass-influence in the content creation space isn’t going to be niche. It’s going to be parasocial.

Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships where one person spends emotional energy, interest, and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other’s existence.

Despite the one-sided nature of parasocial relationships, they’re very real.

I mean…have you ever listened to a podcast and felt a sense of friendship with the hosts? Watched a vlog from your favorite YouTube vlogger and felt personally invested, maybe even rooted for the “main character” there?

I bet you have.

Studies show parasocial relationships are voluntary, provide companionship, and are influenced by social attraction. Viewers experience a connection with the media user and express feelings of affection, gratitude, longing, encouragement, and loyalty toward them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, as my friend Ronnie Higgins, Director of Content at OpenPhone brought up the topic, saying this:

“This trend towards seeking people (not faceless brands or other entities) is driven by the underlying need to connect with other humans. We crave lived experiences and the perspectives shaped by them. It’s much more relatable. I think this current trend is exasperated by the abundance of content. Humanity publishes an unfathomable amount of content each day—something like 375 billion gigabytes of data per day. That's more than anyone of us can ever consume in our lifetimes (or multiple), so we need to rely on social cues to offset the high search and opportunity costs (AKA the time/effort required to find and consume content). It's a shortcut to avoid misinformation or being influenced by an entity with opaque goals.”

The bottom line here: People with true influence don’t limit themselves to a category or topic. They follow their interest and let their personalities lead the way. And that’s the future of content.

Some companies are already realizing this and are acquiring creators/shows/audiences built by these types of creators.

• Some Good News, a media company founded by actor John Krasinski, was acquired by ViacomCBS.

• Hubspot acquired Sam Parr’s newsletter The Hustle.

There are a lot of examples of big companies buying up personality-driven media outlets as a play to acquire their audiences. The problem, however, is that if the people fronting this content duck out after their payday, the magic often drains away.

Why? Because it wasn’t the content the audience really cared about. It was the host, the creator.

So what can we learn from this?

If you're thinking about launching a new newsletter, a podcast, a YouTube channel, etc., consider not limiting yourself to a theme. Consider NOT talking about what you do for work. Consider being yourself and talking about the things you think are interesting, unique, and noteworthy through your unique lens on the world.

If your company is considering doing the same...maybe take that off the in-house team's plate. Is there an external creator who'd be a better fit? Someone with taste, a unique POV, and proof of product in the audience they've already built?

It might be a better investment, and you'll have a competitive edge.

I think this quote about the future of influence from Brent Leary at CRM Essentials sums things up nicely:

"Millennials and Gen Z create and extend relationships in a completely different way than their parents' generations did, and that impacts who they trust, and how that trust translates into basic activities like learning, shopping and relationship building. It's time for brands to rethink how they connect with customers outside of the traditional or controlled marketing channels. By building out a strong and authentic online presence, businesses have an opportunity to collaborate and leverage creator communities and social platforms that are equipped to provide more genuine buying and service experiences."

What People Look for When Hiring Writers

TechCrunch reports that so far in 2023, there have been 121,205 employee layoffs at tech companies.

Freelancers are feeling this belt-tightening, too. Client workloads are down, contracted budgets for content are getting cut, and in general, people working in the professional content marketing world are feeling…uncertain.

That’s a nice way to put it, eh?

My workload in 2023 has volleyed around a lot in these first three months. For three weeks I’ll be swamped, then it’s crickets. Then busy again. This is part of the ride I signed up for; it’s always been this feast-or-famine dynamic over the 10 years I’ve been doing this.

But since I know folks are getting back into the swing of applying for jobs, pitching new clients, etc., it felt like the right time to dive into some anecdotal insights around the question:

What are the indicators/characteristics/qualities of a great candidate for a writing-related role, in-house or freelance?

I posed this question over on Twitter and got some excellent responses from people in the hiring seat, so I wanted to share those here. Hopefully you’ll find it as useful as I did.

1. Ability to handle edits/feedback gracefully

This was a theme I heard from two top-notch editors, Tommy Walker and Ryan Law. Both indicated they look for writers who handle topics and feedback without inserting their own egos.

I’ve written before about not taking edits personally, although I get it: We all feel a personal connection with the work we produce, so when you get a doc back that’s full of comments and edit requests, the immediate reaction is to either 1) shit your pants, or, 2) be defensive. It’s human nature, baby! We self-protect at all costs.

But, when you feel this way—especially in the context of a trial post or a first-time assignment, remember: It’s business. It’s not personal.

Tommy said, “I want writers that care about the work and can write without ego. So many folks are just in the hamster wheel and turn out meh work, then take it personally when you go to critique.”

Ryan added that having defensible opinions about what makes writing great is a fight that doesn’t need to be picked. “I don't need to agree with their opinions,” he said. Instead, he looks for:

• A systematic approach to problem-solving (they can reason by analogy, knowledge of useful models or frameworks)

• A general nerdy passion about writing and sense of play

Makes sense to me.

2. Responsiveness and communication skills

When I co-taught the Creative Class (an online course for freelancers), one of the big themes we emphasized was: ‘do what you said you would do when you said you’d do it.’

It’s not hard, nor is it rocket science…yet so many people can’t do it! As a result, they fall into the category of “flaky.” They go missing for days, deadlines get thrown out the window, and/or they are unresponsive when there needs to be some back-and-forth to finish out a project.

​Riley Kaminer said: “I need writers who are responsive. It doesn’t matter how good the content is if we can’t communicate about it.”

This is the first part: Responding to emails and requests in a timely manner, meeting deadlines, etc. But it’s more than that, too. Many people hire writers who can write well, but they also want a team player willing to chime in with their expertise.

If you can come to the table with suggestions and feedback on how to take a piece from good to great, you’re far more valuable than the writer who can’t (or simply doesn’t.) When you don’t, you’re just a cog in the content machine, cranking out assignments. A lot of people can do that. Now, so can AI-powered writing tools.

Some food for thought.

3. Analysis and synthesis

Building on that last theme of taking a piece from good to great, Tracey Wallace said this:

“I look for a writer with the ability to connect the dots for readers. I can provide the brief, the research, the company’s point of view, but the writer needs to tie it all together in a way that illuminates the issue for the reader. This usually requires industry expertise.”

In this world of AI-powered tools, now’s the time for us human writers to step our game in the specialization category. By building up industry and subject matter expertise, working hard to stay on top of emerging trends in the space, and building up a network of fellow smart people talking about what’s happening in said space (via social media, subscribing to newsletters, joining a community…whatever!), you become far more marketable and valuable.

And in doing this, it’ll be easy to tick someone like Tracey’s boxes re: connecting the dots, synthesizing the information to illustrate the big picture. If you haven’t yet, consider specializing further than you already do.

Be the GO-TO person for one very specific thing.

4. Writing chops and voice

Obviously, solid writing skills are a must-have. If you feel this is an area you could use some work, make sure you’re reading regularly and practicing writing daily, even if it’s just a journaling exercise. In my experience, these are the two most surefire ways to improve your writing skills. Grammarly Premium doesn’t hurt, either.

But voice is a little bit trickier to nail. When we talk about voice, we’re referencing the style in which a writer adds personality, a conversational tone, and a “human element” to a piece.

​Viktor Nagornyy said, “I look for writers with a signature writing voice. It's easy to fix grammar, but to give a bland story personality requires a lot of rewriting. I might as well write it myself in that case.”

There’s a chapter on this in my book, which also has a workbook section with some practice exercises if you’re feeling stuck on where to look for information on this.

5. Other key traits

In the screening and hiring work I do for Content Remix, where we turn podcasts into narrative-style blog posts, there are a few things I look for as I review applicant info and later evaluate who to keep on after the first paid trial piece.

• Attention to detail. If I see grammar/spelling errors, notice a writer isn’t following the directions provided in a brief, etc., that person probably won’t get a second assignment. Again, this seems basic, but so many people get sloppy here.

• Curated portfolio samples. I’ve reviewed a lot of portfolios over the years, and so often what I find there is a collection of hodge-podge work with no common theme. I want to see two or three examples of a writer’s best work, not all of their work. Portfolio curation is key.

• Curiosity and question-asking. Some freelance writers get caught up in worrying that asking questions will make them look inexperienced. Not the case! I love candidates who are curious and have lots of questions about the work, the role, the process, and general expectations. It not only shows engagement, but also an understanding that “there are no stupid questions.”

Final thoughts

Whether you’re applying for a new job or working to book more freelance projects, remember that at the end of the day, there’s another human being in the hiring seat.

Be the person you’d want to hire if the roles were switched.

Writing Tips From a College Professor

So often, we tend to take advice from the noisy marketers on social media (disguising themselves as expert writers) who really just want you to buy their course or training or whatever-the-hell.

That's why today, I wanted to bring you some advice from someone who is truly *in it* every single day.

• No ulterior motive involved.

• No course to sell.

• No lead magnet to promote.

Just...knowledge.

Allow me to introduce you to Professor Laura Bandy.

Laura is currently a member of the English faculty at Spoon River College where she teaches creative writing, composition, and literature courses.

She received her MFA from the University of Illinois and attended the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Writers PhD program from 2009-2013, where she received the Joan Johnson Poetry Award. She has had work published in Soft Skull's Saints of Hysteria: A Half-Century of Collaborative American Poetry and Ninth Letter, among others, and currently has work in Alluvian. Her chapbook, Hack, was published in August 2021, and her full-length poetry collection, Monster Movie, will be published by Gold Wake Press in spring 2023.

Here's what she had to share in response to the questions I asked her (allowing us ALL to get inside her brain! Yay!)

If someone came to you and said, “I want to be a better writer, but don’t know where to start,” what would you advise?

Well, I’m never sure this will be a popular answer, but it is tried and true—read. Read everything.

Read widely, read deeply, read passionately, and read across genres (including writing guides and essays on craft, such as Ruefle’s “Madness, Rack, and Honey” or Addonizio’s “Ordinary Genius” for poets, and King’s “On Writing” and Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” for fiction and creative nonfiction).

I also really like the textbook I use for my creative writing classes, The Practice of Writing by Heather Sellers (herself an accomplished essayist, poet, and professor at the University of Florida).

And read for pleasure, of course.

How will you know what you want to write if you don’t know what you like to read? There are no shortcuts if you really want to improve your writing; you must read to see how the greats do it and how you might be great yourself.

But how amazing is that? YOU GET TO READ! It’s a gift, truly. Reading will make you a better writer and a more empathetic and interesting human (studies show that reading literature is akin to an empathy machine)—win-win!

Many writers know how to crank out a basic article, but they don’t know what differentiates GOOD writing from GREAT writing. And that is becoming more vague with AI-powered writing tools. What, in your mind, makes for a great piece of writing?

For me, great writing is that which lingers long after I’ve put the book down. Am I still thinking about the story/poem/essay days, weeks, even months after I read it? Am I still marveling at the structure of the thing?

As Toni Morrison said: "Writing has rules, conventions, and requirements. There is form and it matters. Did you feel you were in expert hands as you read the piece? That’s a sure sign of greatness—when you can relax and enjoy the ride—there’s a pro at the wheel."

And, to borrow from Emily Dickinson, “If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”

She was speaking specifically to poetry, of course, but I believe her words apply to all great writing. That, at least, is my litmus. (If it’s good enough for Ms. Dickinson, then it’s good enough for me!)

For writers who feel stuck creatively, what can they do to reset?

I know that different folks have different reset methods and whatever works for you, awesome! DO THAT! For me, when I get the blahs about what I’m writing, I usually switch to a different genre for a spell.​

For example, I was burned out after finishing a poetry collection last year, and the thought of starting a new manuscript of poems made me feel peevish and fussy. I felt as though my poetry spring had stopped burbling, perhaps forever. And so, I started writing a murder mystery novel with a dark academia vibe, and…presto! Like magic, the fun was back.

I had no attachment to the genre for my own writing, so the pressure was off—I could just have fun. I’m at 45,000 words and still loving it. I also try switching up my media diet when I’m in a writing rut. If I’ve been binging rom-coms, I switch to documentaries and foreign films, and if I’ve been reading deeply from the fantasy or sci-fi wells, I move over to essays and theory.

John Jeremiah Sullivan’s book of essays, Pulphead, was a great find when I was in a reading rut, and Eula Biss, On Immunity. Currently, I’m reading a book on film theory by Quentin Tarantino, and it is igniting creative possibilities by moving me over into a more cinematic head space—I can feel it coming out in my writing.

Listening to new types of music shakes me up in productive ways, too. A writer I admire, Alexander Hemon, mentioned in a recent NY Times interview that his ideal reading experience included Bach’s cello suites and Miles Davis’ “Sketches of Spain” playing in the background.

I’d never listened to either, but have been blasting them at full volume during my writing time lately, and the music is definitely rearranging my brain in strange and possibly productive ways.

How can writers infuse a human touch/make their writing more engaging for the reader?

The robot overlords arrived so much more quickly than I expected with ChatGPT. I hope they will be benevolent when their rise to power is complete!

But seriously (I was actually being serious there) in terms of worrying about AI supplanting human writing, I tend to fall in with the great science fiction writer Ted Chiang’s take on the topic:

“Think of ChatGPT as a blurry jpeg of all the text on the Web. It retains much of the information on the Web, in the same way that a jpeg retains much of the information of a higher-resolution image, but, if you’re looking for an exact sequence of bits, you won’t find it; all you will ever get is an approximation.”

Yes, what AI can do now is amazing, astounding even, in its writerly competence. But that’s just it—it is merely competent, a faint reflection of the real thing. When it comes to writing creatively, there is simply no substitute for the human touch.

Infusing the human touch in your writing/making it optimally engaging requires your most definitive humanness to be infused in the writing. This, to me, speaks to specificity.

An example:

What was the rock you picked up on the beach that time you walked at sunset on Lake Michigan when you were sixteen and had just met a boy named Jay while vacationing at the Jolli-Lodge with your family in August of ‘99? Was it a Petoskey stone, all gray and whorled and fossilized? Was the water warm that summer? Did it lap around your feet while you slowed your pace, trying to make the stroll last forever, laughing a little at Jay’s description of his school in Grosse Pointe and the strange teacher with a lisp and how he wished he didn’t have to go back at the end of the week, wished the vacation would last just a little longer, and you wished the same, wished also that when you bumped against each other navigating the dips and swirls in wet packed sand, that he would take your hand and hold it for the rest of the evening as the sun set a spectacular technicolor explosion of pinks and oranges in the endless sky, maybe hold your hand even for the rest of days?

Have you ever felt that way, Mr. Robot-AI-ChatGPT-whatever? Have you ever felt anything truly human? I didn’t think so.

What you don’t feel, you can’t write—I believe that with everything in me. And by that I don’t mean that you must only write about lived experience (I enjoy writing about space aliens and have never been to Mars—maybe someday?)

I mean you need to feel emotions as only humans can—the joy, the love, the illness, the grief, the suffering—you feel it and you write the feelings, that’s it.

Everyone has a million things on their daily to-do lists, and if writing is something they’re working on on the side, it often gets pushed to the back burner. How do you encourage your students to make it a priority?

I tell students (and myself) that, if they’re crunched for time (as are we all) then start small. Set aside an hour a day for writing. Heck, set aside a HALF hour! But make it count and make it non-negotiable—that hour or half hour is completely and totally dedicated to writing, full stop.

No scrolling, no puttering, no cleaning the house first. WRITE.

I was lucky enough to take a workshop with the stellar poet Victoria Chang last summer. During our week of the workshop, she would set aside half-hour chunks of time and give us prompts for our writing.

I was astounded at what I was able to accomplish in those short bursts— usually rough, but always interesting, and I came away with several new drafts of poems from those isolated and dedicated 30-minute bundles.

I remember Victoria smiling at me with quietly knowing air when I exclaimed at the volume of writing I accomplished by week’s end. “It’s amazing what you can do in 30 minutes when you don’t allow for distractions, isn’t it?” she said.

I would add: there are sometimes pockets of time that open up in our lives out of nowhere—a second job falls through, a child goes to camp, a planned getaway is postponed, a GLOBAL PANDEMIC OCCURS…when those time-gifts present themselves, accept them as the miracles they are and don’t waste them.

When I had unexpected time on my hands last summer due to a summer class I was meant to teach not making enrollment, I averaged around five hours a day on my writing, sometimes more. I knew it was a miracle, I knew it might not happen again for a long, long time. I closed the door to my office and wrote greedily, selfishly, voraciously. I loved it.

Any general writing wisdom you’d like to close with?

As the great Clive Owen once said in his terrific film Croupier: “Hang on tightly, let go lightly.”

Give your writing everything you’ve got—hold nothing back.

When I complained once to my poetry professor that I wanted to hold my favorite poems back and only send them out for publication to a couple of top-tier journals, she laughed (politely) in my face.

“If you’re holding poems or stories back, that means you’re not writing enough. You should be writing every day, generating new work every day. You should ALWAYS have a new poem to send out.”

I can’t always follow that advice (life gets in the way) but when I do sit down to write, I go for the throat. And then, I revise ruthlessly—those words on the page? They’re not precious yet. Prune them ‘til they are.

And when the inevitable rejections come in? You start all over again and you thank your lucky stars that you get to do this thing, this solitary, sometimes lonely, rarely triumphant, always worth it, thing—this writing life.

Rising to High Editorial Expectations as a Writer

In this new era of AI-powered writing tools, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about quality when it comes to writing.

• Are we generally satisfied with “done, and good enough”?

• Or are there still publications and organizations out there dedicated to producing top-notch, highly researched, funny, culturally relevant writing?

The latter is a LOT of work. It’s expensive. It takes time. It’s a team effort, with various experts (or one person with a lot of varied expertise) weighing in on different aspects of the piece.

So I understand why so many organizations shy away from it.

But over the course of my (almost) decade of full-time freelance writing, I’ve written for a handful of places that maintain extremely high editorial expectations. And every time, those expectations have pushed me (and other contributors) to rise to the high bar they set.

These are the pieces I’m most proud of. They rank well in search results. They’re still useful YEARS after publication. They make readers laugh while they learn.

A few examples so we’re on the same page about what this actually looks like:

• ​Empathy in Marketing​

• ​Scarcity Marketing Tactics​

So what do they do that’s so different from the status quo?

Well, let me break it down for you.

Maybe you’ll find a thing or two you can add to your own editorial process. I can 100% guarantee that your content will be better (and perform better!) because of it.

The Screening Process

​Quality control is the name of the game, and screening is the first quality control filter.

Not any Joe Schmoe who wants to write for a publication gets to; he or she has to make it through a filtering process to ensure there’s a good fit.

The process usually goes like this:

A writer fills out a form indicating he/she would like to contribute a piece, sharing basic info on their experience level, expertise with the subject matter, and a few writing samples.

Along with this info, they pitch a potential topic. The pitch helps the editors screen writers based on a few key indicators:

• Is the pitch relevant? If a writer has done his/her homework, the subject matter will be relevant to the publication’s target audience.

• Is it specific? Specificity is critical. If the topic is too broad, the writer won’t be able to drill down into the details. Sites that value high-quality articles go deep, not wide (as it makes them more valuable for the reader.)

• Has it been covered before? Again, a good writer will check and ensure the idea they’re proposing hasn’t been covered and is a fresh topic for the publication.

• Is it interesting? A good article pitch grabs the readers’ attention. While an idea might tick the boxes for specificity and relevance, if it’s not very interesting, no one will read it. The subject matter should add something new and compelling to an existing conversation.

The screening process helps the editorial team gauge a writer’s skill level and attention to detail. It’s a test for the writer, too: He or she has a chance to show they understand what the publication wants and needs topic-wise.

Once a writer makes it through the screening process, the topic is often slightly tweaked and assigned. The next phase is onboarding.

The guidelines

High editorial expectations are laid out before a single word is written.

In these instances, there’s a formal onboarding process where the writer is expected to get familiar with the organization and how things work when working on and submitting a piece.

During this process, the writer dives into a few key resources.

(Pssst! If you're someone hiring writers, I have templates for these assets you can purchase that speed this process up and keep you from starting from scratch.)

The onboarding guide. This is usually either a slide show, video, or written document that explains the publication’s high-level expectations. It includes information about the organization, its audience personas, expected minimums (word count, read time, or some other scope boundary), objectives for content, and successful article examples to study.

It also explains any material that isn’t up to par will not be published. Setting this tone right off the bat makes a writer sit up a little straighter; no one wants to spend hours working on a piece that never sees the light of day.

A writing brief. Rather than being highly prescriptive on what to write/include, publications with high expectations use writing briefs more as a reference point for key resources like their style guide, relevant case studies, etc. These are not documents that tell the writer what to cover and examples to include. Instead, it’s a resource hub the writer can refer back to as he or she works.

Workflow info. This piece defines draft deadlines, expected turnaround times, and information on the editing process as the piece progresses (such as how many versions the average writer produces from start to finish.) This sets the writer up with clear expectations around what will be an intensive and iterative writing process.

After a day or two, the writer and point person (usually the editor) schedule a call to get acquainted, review the timetable, and answer any remaining questions.

From there, the outlining process begins.

The Outline

The outlining process, when writing long-form/evergreen content, is a heavy lift.

Here, the writer is expected to build an extremely thorough outline for the piece (to the point of it essentially being the first draft in abbreviated/bulleted form.)

This means including all research, data, quotes, examples, and expertise that will appear in V1.

Once the outline is complete, the editor will review and leave detailed notes within the document. There’s a lot of back-and-forth during this phase.

• Sections are re-arranged, cut, and/or additional sections are recommended

• Requests made for greater relevance within examples given

• Greater depth is encouraged; points will have comments like "say how" and "explain this"

The outline typically goes through one or two rounds of review and tweaks before the writer gets approval from the editor to proceed to the full first draft.

Building the first draft is really just a matter of fleshing out the outline and following the requested article format, so let’s fast-forward to the next phase.

Editing

Once a draft is done, the editing process is INTENSE.

Sometimes, a single editor handles a variety of editorial reviews; other times the draft gets reviewed by several people with different types of expertise.

This phase often takes weeks, sometimes months, depending on the article's length. It's not a quick turnaround process. Editors are diligent and rigorous.

NOTE: Sometimes, if an editor gets the first draft and it’s wildly sub-par, the editor will shelve the draft, pay the writer for work completed, and part ways. Despite the screening process and collaborative outline work, this can happen if the delivered draft requires too many edits to get it where it needs to be. This is an editor’s judgment call to make, and it sucks for both parties. It’s happened to me before, and it sent me into a panic about my writing not being “good enough.” But it also pushed me to keep working at it, and in that instance, I was able to get the piece published elsewhere once I reworked it.

However, if things proceed normally, there are typically three main types of edits drafts go through (in this order):

1. Content and context. This is the most intensive edit, wherein an editor does a review of the entire draft to make sure it is as thorough and complete as possible. The purpose of this type of review is to poke holes in the content and to make sure it has all the important context it needs to be nuanced and balanced.

This editor works to ensure a reader’s potential questions are answered, to eliminate any instances of opinion or bias, and to ensure all points are backed with reliable and current research. It’s not uncommon for a first draft to be sent back to the writer with many suggested edits, comments, and markup (which can feel overwhelming for the writer at first glance.)

This is an excellent learning experience for the writer, wherein he or she can observe and note the editor’s recommendations for building a stronger piece.

2. Style and format. Once the basic content of the piece is sound, the next edit focuses on consistencies across style and format. This means reviewing the writing voice and tone while also tweaking headings, pull quotes, images, and examples, so they are consistent with the publication’s standard formatting. This is also where the fact-checking and basic grammar review happens.

3. Search engine optimization (SEO.) In this final phase of the review, a team member with SEO expertise will review and tweak the draft to be sure it’s optimized for relevant keyword phrases, thus helping boost the likelihood it will rank well in organic search results.

Distribution

Once a draft has made it through the editing gamut, the final stage is planning its publication date and distribution plan. After all, what good is all this effort if just a few people read it?

This often includes a few different waves of promotion.

Phase one: Date content goes live

This phase is about announcing the piece (and all the hard work that went into it) to the world.

• Notifying any sources that were cited or quoted within the piece when it goes live and providing a link to the said piece (in hopes of some added organic distribution via those individuals)

• Writing copy for the organization’s various social media platforms

• Developing teaser content, such as short-form videos, Twitter threads, or visual snippets

Phase two: 1-3 weeks post-publish

This phase is focused on getting a little extra mileage out of the material once the excitement about the initial release has died down.

• Resurfacing the content across owned social media channels, sometimes with advertising dollars behind them

• More teaser content, pulling different quotes and snippets from the piece

• Community seeding (promoting the material on Quora, Reddit, and other relevant forums where the target audience spends time)

Phase three: 3-6 months post-publish

If the piece performs well and drives noteworthy traffic to the site, it’s a good candidate for revisiting. Updating and repurposing help ensure the article continues to be a useful traffic driver to the site.

• Content repurposing (taking the original content and repackaging it into new formats like YouTube videos, infographics, audio, etc.)

• Updating content to include new data released since the original publish date, fresh examples, etc.

Whew, that was a lot!

​Blogs and publications with extremely high editorial standards are NO JOKE. The process isn’t for the average writer who isn’t up for a challenge.

However, if you’re a writer who wants to push the limits of your skillset, opting into this process has a few major benefits:

• You’ll get to learn from a top-notch editor who pushes you to do your very best work.

• You’ll get an end product that you’re proud to share and spotlight within your portfolio (and usually a great byline you can tout as a proof point, too.)

• You’ll have gained some major patience and persistence when it comes to your writing practice (‘cause handling all those edits is…a lot.)

All in all, it’s a great challenge. It's a little stressful, a little intense, but if you make it out to the other side, you'll have a whole new worldview when it comes to writing.

AI-Powered Writing Tools & Implications for Freelance Writers

The internet is flooded with headlines about Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered writing tools and how they’re going to eventually replace writers.

But…will they, though?

I have a lot of thoughts on this, so let’s start at the beginning.

The rise of AI-powered writing tools

AI-powered writing is nothing new. In fact, the first AI-written poem dates back to 1967, when artist Alison Knowles used a programming language called FORTRAN to write poems. They…weren’t very good. 🤔

“A house of steel / Among high mountains / Using candles / Inhabited by people who sleep almost all the time.”

We’ve come a long way since then. Today’s tools use a combination of AI, predictive analytics, and Natural Language Processing to generate original content.

Then we have the rise of Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), which rolled out a whole new chapter for AI-powered writing tools. Launched in May 2020 by OpenAI, GPT-3 uses deep learning to produce human-like text.

Today, many AI-powered writing tools deploy ChatGPT to help users create ad copy, article titles, social media copy, blog posts, job descriptions, and more. Playing around with them, you see how they can be deployed in many different contexts…and they’re actually pretty advanced!

In fact, I spoke with a fellow freelancer last week who shared that by using one of these tools, he was able to cut down a writing process that would normally take six hours to a mere 45 minutes. 😲

That’s…worth paying attention to, yes?

However, maybe you’re thinking: “Okay, cool. But how long before these tools put me out of work?”

The question remains whether or not AI writing tools will threaten content marketers' jobs. So let’s talk about that next.

Will AI-powered tools be the death of freelance writing?

Here’s the thing: AI writing tools are great for help generating ideas for social media and website copy, titles, and breaking through writer’s block. They can add a ton of efficiency to writing processes. They do WONDERS for folks who are not native speakers of the language they’re writing in.

But when it comes to long-form content, we still need our specialized writers with deep subject matter expertise. AI-powered tools can only do so much. They’re still incapable of creating thought leadership pieces and understanding the nuance around complex topics. The content they do generate often needs quite a bit of editing to get it publish-ready.

AI-written content also often lacks authenticity and a personal narrative (obviously), and it can’t understand complex human sentiments, which makes it hard to emulate human writing. Will we get to a point where this isn’t true? Honestly, probably sooner than we’d all like to admit.

As a result, the tools we have right now have their places. They’re well-suited for short pieces of copy, headlines, and very rough drafts. They help generate ideas. They give you something to work with on the page. Several of the more advanced offerings are also priced for enterprise-level use cases, which means they may be out of the price range for smaller-scale operations (so...most of us.)

If anything, we, as writers, can use these tools to our benefit. We can use them to write more efficiently (which is great, because often time = money.) Anything that helps free up more time is good news, right?

The future of AI-powered writing tools

As part of this conversation, we of course have to look ahead and think about how these tools will continue to evolve in the future.

For one thing: OpenAI’s next release is just around the corner, and new iterations will bring significant improvements to these tools.

While writers don’t need to worry about a career change any time soon, I think the emergence and growing popularity of AI tools make a strong case for specialization and niching down. The more specialized you can be in your skills, subject matter expertise, and the industry you serve, the more valuable you'll be with a unique, highly marketable skill set.

If you’re wondering where to start, think about the qualities that make great writers irreplaceable:

• Original research

• Data storytelling and synthesis

• Counter-narrative opinions

• Bringing new viewpoints to a topic

• Sourcing fresh expert quotes

Think about how you'll cultivate a signature style, voice, tone, and point of view as a writer.

AI-powered writing tools still don't have that edge on real, human writers...so now is the time to think seriously about what you'll do to put a stake in the ground and cultivate what makes you worth investing in as a writer.

Instead of spending too much time worrying, focus instead on sharpening your writing skills by learning to break the fourth wall in writing, writing in a reader-friendly way, and understanding the secrets to writing great copy.

There’s no doubt AI-powered writing tools will shift the role of content marketers. But maybe not in the way you’d think. This actually may be good for all of us. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Leveraging Internal Dialogue in Writing

Lately, the books I’ve picked up to read all have a common theme: They have a narrator or character who allows us deep inside his or her mind.

I’ve been drawn to this writing style because it’s one of the few environments in which we, as readers, get to hear another person’s inner dialogue, thoughts, worries, and authentic assessments of the world around him or her.

• Movies/TV give us visual cues, but we don’t get much context as to what characters think as they move through different situations.

• Podcasts are usually shorter-form and topic-based, so the format doesn’t often lend itself to this type of insight-sharing.

Books, however, have pages upon pages in which a writer can pull back the curtain of their characters’ minds (and, more accurately, their own minds. After all, their lives and experiences are often the source material.)

Here are some examples of what I mean:

“Look what can happen in this country, they’d say. A girl lives in some out-of-the-way town for nineteen years, so poor she can’t afford a magazine, and then she gets a scholarship to college and wins a prize here and a prize there and ends up steering New York like her own private car. Only I wasn’t steering anything, not even myself. I just bumped from my hotel to work and to parties and from parties to my hotel and back to work like a numb trolleybus. I guess I should have been excited the way most of the other girls were, but I couldn’t get myself to react. I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.” -Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

“There is something about looking into someone else’s mirror, something that always gives me more information than I need. In the past three years I have tried to turn lemons into lemonade by reciting old Tumblr affirmations into these mirrors, but it hasn’t helped.” -Raven Leilani, Luster

“Epiphanies aren’t lightning bolts. They are a hummed note, a prayer mumbled constantly, brought to the surface given the right conditions. It’s as if I am always hearing three ways, first shallowly, collecting, then one level deeper as I’m processing, and finally, I am hearing with my body, which is when I’m hearing myself. That’s one way, for me, information combines with experience and becomes knowledge. I wish there were a shortcut.” -Stephanie Danler, Stray

You’ll notice a few commonalities here.

1. This is private inner monologue put onto the page and laid bare. We all have rich interior lives, but we keep them to ourselves. Our inner thoughts, feelings, judgments, etc. are kept private. Why? Often they’re too honest. They’d hurt feelings, make us look petty, or feel too vulnerable to put “out there.” So we keep them locked up and stick to the socially-acceptable rules of engagement.

When writers put this on the page, though, we get to see that other people do think/feel/experience similar things (and it can be cold comfort.) It makes us feel more connected, more seen, and more understood as human beings when we know other people deal with some of the same things or think similar thoughts.

2. Female writers seem to do this particularly well. I haven’t quite nailed down why that is, and it very well could just be that my personal preferences lean toward female authors. It could also be that men aren’t as often raised to be emotion-centric in how they think and communicate the way women are. An exception to this that comes to mind, however, is J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield character in The Catcher in the Rye:

“I was trying to feel some kind of good-bye. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-bye or a bad good-bye, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t you feel even worse.”

It’s a bit of that inner thought-style writing, but it’s still pretty surface-level, you know?

Often these reflections are almost philosophical, in that the writer is ‘thinking about thinking.’ By taking a step back and observing their thoughts and feelings once removed, the author builds a sense of empathy with the reader. It’s a way of saying: “Here’s what happened, and here’s how I thought about and processed it.” Doing so also encourages the reader to do the same in his/her own life, and can improve emotional intelligence (which is a nice plus.)

So what can we take from this, and how can we work it into our writing?

There are a few takeaways that I think writers should consider as they keep honing their craft.

Reading is great practice for writing.

The more you consume and internalize, the better prepared you are to wield words in similar, but unique ways. Stephen King puts it nicely:

“Good writing teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth-telling. A novel like The Grapes of Wrath may fill a new writer with feelings of despair and good old-fashioned jealousy – “I’ll never be able to write anything that good, not if I live to be a thousand” – but such feelings can also serve as a spur, goading the writer to work harder and aim higher. Being swept away by a combination of great story and great writing – of being flattened, in fact – is part of every writer’s necessary formation. You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.”

Honest, reflective introspection adds depth to your writing.

It doesn’t matter what format you’re writing: A novel, a blog post, whatever it is…adding your authentic inner dialogue to your writing is effective storytelling 101. Don’t be afraid to be transparent and share the good, the bad, and the ugly with your readers. They’ll like you more for it.