Hello, fellow content peeps!

Welcome to another week here at Content Forward. After the downtime of the holidays and the excitement of getting back to our desks, this week feels like a ‘get shit done’ kind of week, and I couldn’t be happier.

While resting, downtime, and long walks are great for idea generation and creativity, I can’t wait to get into the implementation phase of any project.

There is a real buzz that comes from doing the thing.

For those who may be stuck in a bit of overwhelmed or strategic analysis paralysis (you know, when you can’t decide on what to do first), here’s my advice:

Remember this. How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

This is something I tell myself all the time when starting something new. We can get so lost in the weeds of planning and figuring out a strategy, but the only way we’ll eat that elephant is to start.

Make a list. Schedule some time in your calendar. Block distractions. Do whatever you need to do to start.

This week, my team and I have also been busy looking for some seriously amazing freelance writers for a partner company of ours.

Getting to talk directly to more writers this week is giving me life! This year, there has been so much negative buzz about how AI is replacing human creators or that companies don’t want to invest in content, but the buzz is largely exaggerated.

Companies are still investing in content.

We still need expert writers and editors in content creation of the human variety.

There are still many amazing freelancers out there killing it.

Lately, I’ve been feeling the new year, new opportunity buzz as I scroll through my LinkedIn or connect with my colleagues.

If you’ve been wondering if there are opportunities in content, either on the publisher + content marketing side or on the content creator side, consider this newsletter today your signal that YES! There’s TONS of opportunities in this content space right now!

The content and SEO sphere is shifting again, and yes, it’s been a tough, rocky 2023, but I’m choosing to see this as a really good thing. I share these sentiments from Cassandra Naji, CEO of Campfire Labs on LinkedIn:

As we head into this next shift in content, let’s remember that there is a lot of gold in the hills for us in content if we’re willing to shift the playbooks!

Don’t believe me? Keep reading…

First, an ad from our sponsor. If you’ve been struggling to find the right writer or editor for your content scaling projects, you might want to try Content Teams. We’ve hired hundreds of content people and know how to find the right people to deliver.

Why I Think There Are More Opportunities in Content Now

1. AI Isn’t As Easy as It’s Sold To Us

While the content world is in a bit of a tizzy over using generative AI to create content, the fears are still somewhat exaggerated for quality content production at scale.

Right now, the barrier to entry to using AI to create content and scale content is pretty easy, but I still don’t think it’s as easy as pressing a big red button.

Case in point. Spencer Haws from Niche Pursuits ran a competition for anyone who wanted to join to see who could grow the most organic traffic for an existing site using AI. Watch the video here to see exactly how this went down!

143 started the experiment.

In the end, only 16 people had stuck it out and reported results.

While this was a small experiment geared towards solo builders, it shows us that building anything of value (even with AI) takes a certain amount of grit and stick-to-it-ness.

Lessons learned from this mini experiment:

• It takes a lot more grit and determination to scale content than just using AI.

• More content does not equal more traffic.

• AI can aid in content creation, production, and, yes, scaling content, but there are still a lot of other factors to see actual results (content strategy, perhaps?).

2. Editorial SEO is Shifting. Yes. But, It’s Not Dead.

Speaking of AI, this week Eli Schwartz asks and answers the question “Is Editorial SEO Dead?” and makes a great case for what we need to do as serious content marketing professionals in this new search landscape.

The BLUF of it all: Editorial SEO is not dead, but we must do better. Do better than AI-created, sub-par content. Do better than what used to work in SEO. As Eli says: “If the content that is being produced can easily be replicated in an AI result, then the marketing team’s value add is minimal.”

As content marketers and content creators, the torch is passed to us. It’s up to us to create better, more helpful content for our publications and businesses.

3. There May Be More Opportunities Coming in Search Marketing As Well

Publishers, companies, brands — we’re all waiting for the SGE shift to happen, but what if we looked at this as an opportunity? As Lily Ray shares, if users actually click the links, this can be a big opportunity to get more eyeballs on our content when Google finally rolls it out.

Marie Haynes shared some findings this week that are encouraging as Google Assistant rolls out, and yep, the search results are more aligned with what Google has been telling us they want from content (think EEAT people). This is potentially some good news as well!

While search may be shifting, I still see plenty of room for those who want to do better to get traffic, build audiences, and serve with SEO.

4. There is a Ton of Talent Out There!

The level of talent we have in this industry is immense. This week, I’ve been blown away by the creative, hardworking, super-talented writers who have graced my Airtable!

When I first started freelancing, there were just not as many opportunities to connect talented writers to companies and publishers online. Now, many freelance writing aggregators and publications are sharing these opportunities. There are more communities of talent, too!

Hearing so many writers talk about their process to create better content has been super encouraging. I think the writers who have stuck it out these past couple of years have embraced their expertise and know they need to do more to produce better work. I think many writers have gotten the message that ‘generalists, SEO writers’ are also a thing of the past.

It makes the content purist in me so happy to really see this! That’s good news for all of us in content.

🤔 Content Musings This Week

🗣️ The busiest freelancers are also the ones who are the most communicative.

🚀 Most people want some growth hack or secret to growing a business, but if we just did the basics (show up, do good work, meet deadlines), we'd be better than 90% out there.

📚 Just because you consume content does not mean you are a content pro.

💡 Not every idea needs to be implemented.

Things to Read, Watch, and Ponder

▶️ Do you ever feel like you’ve tried everything, but it’s just not working? Ready for some tough love? Give Rachel Rodgers 25 minutes this week and listen to this episode from the Hello Seven Podcast. She’s dropping some seriously good truth bombs: Listen Here.

▶️ When was the last time you did a content gap analysis? It’s time. Lizzie Davey put together a smart, actionable, easy-to-follow guide so you can find those keywords you’ve missed. Read it here!

▶️ There is always something to do in content operations. From optimizing to content creation, here are some human' cheat codes’ from Jodi Harris that I absolutely love. Get them here.

▶️ I am still obsessed with content-led growth. Content is still the fastest, leanest MVP for building a product. Before you build, learn how content can validate your next product idea: Learn more here!

Thanks for reading and joining me on my Content Forward journey every week! I’d love some feedback on this edition if you have an extra few seconds.

Cheers! Amy

Some Bonus Newsletters You’ll Love

If you want to get into the weeds on these topics, here are a couple of newsletters to subscribe to.