Content Head

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Aug 2024

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About the show

Content Head is a podcast for B2B marketing professionals on small teams, or at early-stage startups, who want to learn how to create a foundation of world-class content for their organizations. In each episode, Joe Michalowski shares his own experiences as a solo content marketer and pinpoints what it takes to get more done with less. Joe discusses bite-sized topics and provides both tactical and strategic ways to approach your own content strategy. Ultimately, the lessons learned will help you understand how to prioritize and optimize your team's investments in content.

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17 recent

August 28, 202442 min

What brands can learn from creators with Paul Barnhurst, The FP&A Guy

In the latest episode of Content Head, host Joe Michalowski welcomes Paul Barnhurst, also known as the FP&A Guy. Paul shares his journey from a finance professional at American Express to a successful full-time content creator and influencer. With a focus on financial planning and analysis (FP&A), Paul has built a substantial audience through his insightful content, training sessions, and three popular podcasts.Paul discusses the importance of learning from creators to enhance marketing efforts, emphasizing the need for content teams to stay relevant and engaging. He highlights the challenges and rewards of building a personal brand in the finance space, sharing valuable lessons from his own experiences. Listeners will gain insights into the strategies Paul used to grow his audience and the significance of consistency in content creation.The episode also dives into the nuances of creating content for a finance audience, addressing the high expectations and technical nature of the field. Paul offers practical advice for marketers on how to connect with finance professionals and create content that truly resonates. Tune in for an inspiring and informative conversation with one of the leading voices in financial content creation.

August 15, 202412 min

The Thing About Gated Content

In the latest episode of Content Head, Joe Michalowski shares his thoughts and insights regarding the ongoing debate about the value of gated content. While some argue it is no longer effective, his experiences show otherwise. Joe highlights his success with gated content at Mosaic, where a particular asset, the SaaS Metrics Cheat Sheet, significantly outperformed other materials in terms of downloads, pipeline generation, and customer conversions.Joe dives into the specifics of why the SaaS Metrics Cheat Sheet was so successful, attributing its performance to the targeted SEO strategy that brought in a large volume of organic traffic. He notes that while this cheat sheet worked exceptionally well in organic search and PPC campaigns related to metrics, it did not perform as well in other channels like email, social media, or non-metric SEO articles. This discrepancy underscores the importance of understanding where and how to distribute gated content to achieve optimal results.The episode concludes with Joe offering key takeaways for marketers looking to create effective gated content. He advises considering the distribution channels available, matching content ideas to audience expectations, and ensuring the format aligns with the content and distribution strategy. Joe stresses that successful gated content requires more than just replicating past formats; it demands a thoughtful approach to content creation, format selection, and strategic distribution.

August 1, 202413 min

Building Resilient Content Plans

In this episode of Content Head, host Joe Michalowski discusses the challenges content marketers face amid layoffs, hiring freezes, and budget cuts. Joe emphasizes the importance of building resilient content plans that can withstand scrutiny from executives looking for direct ROI. The conversation dives into the frustrations of implementing diverse content strategies—such as blogs, SEO, podcasts, and webinars—only to see unsatisfactory results, and how executives often misjudge the efficacy of these tactics when budgets are tight.Joe highlights the necessity of creating a cascading content strategy that leverages various channels for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By repurposing content and integrating efforts across blogs, podcasts, and webinars, marketers can demonstrate tangible ROI and justify their budgets. He shares practical insights from his experiences at Mosaic, showing how integrated strategies can defend against budget cuts by proving their indirect contributions to revenue generation.Finally, Joe offers actionable advice for marketers to maintain qualitative metrics alongside quantitative data. He stresses the importance of continuously reporting the interconnected value of different content channels, fostering executive understanding of their holistic impact. This proactive approach ensures that when budget cut discussions arise, marketers are well-prepared to defend their strategies and demonstrate their comprehensive value to the company's bottom line.

July 17, 202419 min

Exhausting your topic buckets

In this episode of Content Head, Joe Michalowski dives into the importance of creating comprehensive and meaningful content that goes beyond superficial guides. He shares his personal experiences and insights on how the perspective on content changes as one moves from agency work to in-house roles. Joe emphasizes the need for depth and relevance in content creation, challenging the notion that a business can ever have "enough" content.Joe recounts a pivotal moment in his career when his boss questioned the necessity of further content creation. He uses this experience to illustrate the importance of continuous content ideation and strategy development. Joe argues that content should be seen as an infinite game, where there is always more to explore and create. He highlights the need for content to evolve and adapt to new priorities and market conditions.The episode provides a structured approach to developing an ultimate guide, breaking it down into six steps. Joe stresses the importance of narrowing the scope, mapping out high-level pieces, and digging deeper into each component. He encourages content creators to continuously refine their ideas and leverage their relationships with subject matter experts and customers to ensure their content remains relevant and valuable.

June 24, 202431 min

Planning content for multiple verticals with Jennifer Harris of MindStream Analytics

In this episode of "Content Head," host Joe Michalowski welcomes Jennifer Harris, Director of Marketing at MindStream Analytics, as the first guest. The discussion dives into the challenges and strategies of creating content for multiple verticals. Jennifer shares her approach of prioritizing evergreen content while also addressing immediate trends and needs from various industries. She emphasizes the importance of listening to customer feedback to develop relevant content and highlights the dual strategy of producing webinars, blog posts, and case studies that cater to both short-term demands and long-lasting knowledge resources.Jennifer elaborates on the role of evergreen content in building a repository of valuable information that remains relevant over time. She discusses how webinars, in particular, generate content that continues to attract viewers long after the live event. By creating CPE-certified webinars, Jennifer’s team ensures that their content not only educates but also provides professional value to their audience. This strategy, combined with detailed webinar descriptions and clear agendas, helps maintain high engagement and trust with their viewers.Joe and Jennifer also explore the intricacies of managing a content strategy across multiple verticals, each with unique needs and audiences. Jennifer shares insights into how her team stays agile, adjusting strategies based on real-time feedback from customers and market trends. By leveraging internal subject matter experts and incentivizing their contributions, Jennifer effectively manages the diverse content demands, ensuring that the marketing efforts are closely aligned with the overall business goals.

May 30, 202417 min

Navigating from Why to How: Involving Experts in Content

In this enlightening episode of "Content Head," host Joe Michalowski dives into the crucial shift from discussing the "why" to exploring the "how" of integrating subject matter experts into marketing content. Inspired by a LinkedIn post from Haris Spahic, Joe challenges the common stagnation in the why phase and pushes towards actionable strategies for content enhancement.Joe introduces four distinct strategies for successfully involving experts, drawing on his extensive experience at New North and previous roles. He shares insights on leveraging founder networks, collaborating with sales and customer success teams, and the simple yet often overlooked tactic of directly asking potential guests to share their expertise. Each strategy is tailored to different organizational contexts, emphasizing practicality and accessibility.The episode wraps up with Joe reinforcing the value of persistence and personalized outreach in building a successful content series. He stresses that genuine interest in guest expertise over their follower count or clout can significantly enrich content and resonate more deeply with audiences.

April 11, 202414 min

Getting Content Fundamentals Right

In the latest Content Head episode, Joe Michalowski takes listeners on a journey through his transition from an in-house content role to agency life. He shares an enlightening view on the common pitfalls of content creation, emphasizing the importance of starting with actionable steps rather than getting lost in grand aspirations. Joe highlights the need to focus on solving immediate customer pain points, laying a foundation for content that genuinely resonates.Joe candidly discusses the allure of becoming a content giant, citing examples like The Ringer and HubSpot, and the unrealistic expectations they set for newcomers. He stresses the significance of mastering content fundamentals before aiming for monumental success. Through his experiences and observations, Joe underscores that starting small and iterating is key to content excellence.Finally, Joe outlines his five content fundamentals, including the essence of producing over perfection and deeply understanding customer challenges. He advocates for a strategic approach to content, where value leads and quality varies. Joe's call to action is clear: create, learn, and evolve without fear. His insights serve as a guide for anyone looking to make meaningful strides in content marketing.

February 5, 202413 min

“More” May Actually Be a Strategy

The episode begins with a reflection on content strategy, particularly the long-held belief that "more is not a strategy." However, the speaker, Joe, begins to reconsider this stance. He emphasizes that the debate isn't about quantity versus quality but how to integrate both effectively. Joe recalls his experience starting at Mosaic in October 2020, where he was part of a small team challenged with creating impactful content in a new market space. He describes the initial struggle to balance the demand for increased content production with maintaining high quality.In the second part of the episode, Joe discusses the pressure of constantly producing more content, as dictated by their bosses, and how it led to a mindset of doing everything for a reason. The team focused on creating content that would resonate with their audience, even if it meant satisfying the demand for increased quantity. Joe acknowledges the common advice in content marketing to not create more just for the sake of it and to focus on repurposing content. He then admits that the feedback they received indicated that their strategy of producing more content was working, as their audience felt they were seeing the company everywhere.In the concluding segment, Joe circles back to the quality versus quantity debate, asserting that quantity is meaningless without quality. He advises against perfectionism in content creation, advocating for useful content for the target audience. Joe also stresses the importance of foundational content that integrates into a larger system, allowing for the repurposing and reiteration of core ideas.

January 3, 202413 min

You're More than the Words Guy/Gal

In the latest Content Head episode, host Joe Michalowski discusses the challenges of explaining the role of a content marketer to family and friends, especially during the holiday season. He shares a personal anecdote about his family's long standing joke regarding the ambiguity of his father's job, drawing a parallel to his own experiences in content marketing. Joe reflects on his initial simplistic explanation of his job as "the words guy," a phrase that, while effective in avoiding lengthy discussions, eventually became a limiting self-identification.Joe then dives into the importance of understanding and articulating the value of one's work beyond basic tasks. He encourages listeners to reflect on the impact of their work and to recognize the broader contributions they make to their organization. This reflection is not just about what they currently do but also about their aspirations and future goals within their career. Joe emphasizes the significance of viewing one's role through a lens of strategic contribution rather than just task completion.In conclusion of the episode, Joe advises listeners on how to communicate their job roles and values effectively. He suggests developing a concise yet substantial "elevator pitch" that encompasses both current responsibilities and future ambitions. This approach aims to present a more complete and aspirational view of one's professional identity, moving beyond oversimplified job descriptions. The episode is a blend of personal insights and practical advice, aiming to empower content marketers to better articulate the depth and value of their work.

December 18, 202311 min

Did You Do Your Homework?

In this episode of Content Head, the host, Joe Michalowski dives into the critical aspect of understanding your audience in content marketing. The episode begins with a personal story, illustrating the profound impact of audience awareness and the importance of doing thorough homework. The narrative emphasizes how well-researched content can significantly enhance audience connection and engagement.The discussion shifts to the concept of Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) expansion, particularly in startup environments. The host explains how expanding your ICP can bring new challenges and opportunities for content strategists. The key takeaway is the necessity of adapting content strategies to align with new market segments, focusing on specific customer pain points, and linking these to the product's features.Finally, the episode highlights the vital role of product marketing in content strategy development. It underscores the need for a content strategy that resonates deeply with the target audience while keeping the product's relevance at the forefront. This comprehensive approach ensures that content not only engages but also effectively converts and drives revenue.