Josh Tyson

✅ Editorial Calendar for CMSWire 2024 is complete, with the second half of the year launching today. Here’s a sneak peek: July focuses on blending digital and in-store interactions seamlessly. In August, we're diving into the new ROI of UX, showing how to demonstrate value amidst financial cutbacks. September will see us laying down the foundations for a future-ready 2025 digital experience stack. October marks a significant milestone with a reflective look at two years of generative AI in customer experience delivery. Come November, we explore AI tools that are transforming customer agent interactions and tackling privacy-first personalization. And in December, we’re preparing you for 2025 with insights into the evolving roles of CMOs and advances in understanding customer emotions. That's right. We know exactly what's going to happen the rest of 2024 and which month it happens. Well, not really. At least you know where our heads are at. https://lnkd.in/eJZAeUG

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Here's a handy guide to help you navigate Google's latest AI search update. If you want more in-depth info, we have a webinar about it coming up on June 4th. I'll post the registration link in the comments.

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"Your comments are wonderfully detailed.... I'm learning so much!" --a current fiction client As both a writer and an editor, I value author autonomy: the right for the author of a work to make informed choices (grammatical, stylistic, and otherwise) and have the final say in how (or if) something gets changed. That means that my detailed editorial feedback to writers often focuses on why and how instead of "rules."* I particularly love fiction projects in which the author takes chances or wants to learn how they can experiment (more) effectively. Does this sound like you? Let's chat! *"Rules" are valuable for nonfiction work, particularly technical and academic writing; in fiction, though, there is "craft," which is not the same as rules. For a more detailed discussion, check out this Substack post I wrote last year: https://lnkd.in/ggPKr7HV. #literaryfiction #creativewriting #writingcommunity #fiction #flashfiction #writingtips #editor #writer

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There's so much talk about using AI to generate content, especially now that tools like ChatGPT make it look so easy. But is that coming at a cost to the reader experience? I'm a huge fan of (properly using) AI. It's been great at summarizing meetings. I use it sometimes to generate headline ideas or to generate a first draft of social media copy. I'm legitimately amazed at how fast this technology is developing. But as someone who has been "generating content" for newspapers, websites, blogs and social media since MySpace was the dominant social platform, I see far too many companies rushing to adopt AI for content generation without question. It seems so easy — because it is. Upload some reputable, trustworthy data sources (at least, please tell me you're doing this), click a couple buttons and you've got a story ready to go! Unfortunately, going this route ignores a lot of success factors. - Is it going to rank on Google? (No — the algorithm wants human experience and expertise that AI can't magically generate.) - Is it something that will add value for your customers? (People don't really want to read awkward AI copy, and will just bounce.) - Is it going to read well? (Unless you're also a robot ... no.) Instead, use AI to *assist* human writers. It's great at summarizing interviews, gathering key data points and helping you brainstorm. It can generate a first draft that gives you a structure to work with, if you're stuck. AI is a wonderful tool as an assistant, but it's not a long-term content strategy. While the technology changes over time, one thing doesn't — people want to trust that the article they're reading will help them out. Seeing how often people add "Reddit" on the end of their Google searches just confirms this. If you really want to stand out among your competitors and get long-lasting results, don't use AI as a content generator. Use it to help your human writers and editors do their job better.

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I recommend this post by Alexandra Smith on "total journalism reach" -- The 19th's new readership metric. It's full of insights and data wisdom. One takeaway: prioritize consistency across platforms without being overly rigid. For example, #Instagram views get counted because their posts basically republish an abridged version of the story -- an increasingly common publishing strategy -- not just because the machine needs more #data. Above all, this model is attentive to the question of *why* we measure #readership. I've always felt that digital interactions are metaphorical -- as summed up in that now quaint adage: "tweets, not endorsements." What does readership *represent*? Answering that question will help you collect quality, consistent data on #news consumption. And that will bring us closer to the readers we serve. https://lnkd.in/gxn4wmYy

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Substack has a Chief Writing Officer. It’s Substack co-founder and former COO Hamish McKenzie. He said the COO title was getting “absurd because I wasn’t doing anything like what a COO does.” Instead, he’d always helped to bring writers to Substack and “written for the company in an attempt to communicate to the world what we care about and what we see is possible.” Hence, the title shift. The shift isn’t new (it’s almost 2 years old!!) but it was new to me. And no surprise here but I love it. Such a simple way to show that writing is so much more than writing -- it's clarity of thought, and strategy, and building belief, and more. Any other Chief Writing Officers out there? What do you think of the title? #writing

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Publishers and business owners all around the world are worried about the impact #AIsearch will have on their visits, sales and livelihoods. That much is clear from this recent article by #washingtonpost: publishers who rely on Google to deliver customers are already seeing negative impacts from AI changes. We may be entering some of the most uncharted waters ever faced in digital marketing and content creation. It's why agencies like Havas Media Network are full of Paid and Organic search specialists actively developing their expertise in AI search through training, platform experience and investigations into AI Search capabilities. Because it's important to help small and large businesses adapt and not only endure this new AI-powered Search landscape, but capitalise on its opportunities for growth. https://lnkd.in/enGQ5-cM

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The Highwire team put AI writing to the test. Sure, it's fast and easy, but does it deliver the best business results? Spoiler alert - it could be doing more harm than good. Read on for where to use and not use AI in content marketing - https://lnkd.in/gkixqe89 #PR #DigitalMarketing #content #AI

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Was busy doing some research for a writing piece and came across the fascinating story of Spotify's Wrapped campaign. Every year, hours and hours of work and piles of data produce this very exciting piece of virality called Spotify Wrapped. This masterclass in marketing personalisation is not the only takeaway from this work. Their content provides value and messes with our FOMO. A brilliant case study of the intersection of data and modern marketing. #marketing #data https://lnkd.in/d6djaU3v

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A client's spokesperson recently used ChatGPT to help them write responses to a reporter's questions. Here's why that's a no-go (and why I asked them to re-write before I sent it!). ➡ Reporters are REALLY good at Googling and doing online research. They *literally* do this professionally. They don't really need generic quotes from you about information that's already publicly available online (and if it's in a public LLM, likely years old). Plus, in many cases, using AI-generated content violates their editorial or ethical guidelines. If you're stumped at how to respond to a reporter's questions, here are some great ideas for what you might bring to the table that AI cannot: 🌟 Anecdotes/stories that reflect your personal experience with the topic/subject of the interview. 🌟 Unique insights about what's happening behind the scenes - what don't people know or understand about how your industry works? What aren't people paying attention to right now that's going to be huge? 🌟 Stories or examples about your customers - how does this topic impact them? What have you heard from them? 🌟 Advice on who else they should connect with or other potential sources of information that you are aware of as an industry insider. Offering value that goes beyond promoting yourself is a great way to build a strong relationship! I don't believe this spokesperson intended to "cheat" on their media interview - they simply thought they were being more efficient. But just to be safe... I now always use a tool that checks for AI-generated content before I send quotes to a reporter 😁 #PR #journalism #publicrelations #mediarelations

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Today's the day! Join this dynamic panel at 1 p.m. ET for a quick 40-minute lunchtime chat on how local media businesses can use #datavisualization and storytelling to make better, faster decisions that optimize revenue opportunities. Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q02CC3Vs0 and see you soon! #MediaAdSalesSummit #CandidConversations

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Need to catch up on AI? In Nimble AMS by Community Brands' AI success kit, you get four useful resources: two 30-minute webinar recordings about AI for associations and two white papers—an introduction to AI for associations and a guide to developing an AI strategy. https://buff.ly/3V0MYWi #assnprofs #associations

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The latest episode of my podcast is live! Tune in to hear Amy Lewis, a leading product marketer at GitHub reveal her secrets to building a high-performing remote team and share innovative marketing strategies that resonate with audiences.    Top highlights from the episode include: - Building a Collaborative Remote Team: Discover how agile methodologies keep remote teams engaged and productive. Amy discusses the importance of balancing different work styles and fostering trust through team meetings and Slack channels.  - Balancing Art and Science in Marketing: Learn to make marketing both personable and effective. Amy shares strategies to ensure messages hit the right note with your target audience, emphasising the balance between data-driven decisions and creative intuition in crafting resonant messaging.  - The Changing Landscape of Marketing: Explore the delicate balance between data-driven decisions and understanding customer emotion. Amy reflects on historical marketing missteps and underscores the importance of ongoing measurement and adaptation. She also highlights the importance of cross-team collaboration to capture a clear, real-time view of customer sentiment. Tune in now and unlock the secrets to remote team success and marketing innovation here: https://lnkd.in/eDESPRb6 #Podcast #RemoteWork #MarketingInnovation #AgileTeams #ProductMarketing #GitHub #TeamBuilding #CustomerEngagement #MarketingStrategy #LinkedInConnections 

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A silly little project testing out a new AI speech studio from ElevenLabs. I wrote a very simple radio comedy set in an allotment and used AI to voice the parts and generate sfx. This is more a test of the studio than the voices or my lack of skills in comedy writing. What I've learned is it would be a great way for a real scriptwriter to rapidly demo a new project before pitching it to producers or commissioners. AI is bringing a new era of rapid prototyping from something the preserve of tech into the creative industries. Humans will still voice, edit, produce and make the final output — but AI will help get to that stage faster.

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Have it your way. And your way, and your way, and… Truth in advertising: 20 ingredients = a million possible combos   Eugenia Cheng, who writes the weekly “Everyday Math” column in The Wall Street Journal, says she recently saw a sign advertising a new restaurant and “a million burger and topping combinations.” Was this possible?   To the chalkboard.   “For each topping you have a choice of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no,’“ Cheng begins. "So there are two options for the first topping, two for the second, two for the third and so on. To find the total number of possible combinations we multiply all those twos together.”   A logarithm – the “reverse” process of exponentials – finds that a million possible combinations requires a mere 20 toppings. The restaurant’s menu revealed 21 possible toppings.   (“Combinatorics,” Cheng offers, is the mathematical field concerned with the counting of things. Too many things to count, and mathematicians will use logic.)   Cheng says that accounting for different types of burger patty, cheese, spice blend and bun would actually yield 21 billion burger combinations.   She reckons that while it might be strange that an ad would understate the number of possible burger combinations, “perhaps 21 billion sounded too implausible to anyone without a working understanding of combinatorics.”   Eugenia Cheng

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A recent post from N2 Communications’ AI Strategist Das Rush about the essential role that human writers and creatives need to play for Large Language Models to work properly. Put simply, in an AI world, your content is now your data. At N2, we’re betting that the best content creators are going to be key to this new data revolution. Augmented and aided by technology for sure, but never replaced.  https://lnkd.in/eawnkzFu

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Helpful tools or fetish objects? My newest column for It's Nice That unpacks why mockups have become so ubiquitous in the design industry and questions their inflated value 🧢 https://lnkd.in/eCURZdYA

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