#ContentChat

Defining your brand voice is no longer optional—especially if you’re using AI to create or scale your content.

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald walks through Chapter 1 of her book, Content Foundations: Defining Your Brand Voice. You’ll learn how to move beyond vague brand traits like “innovative” and “professional” and create a documented, scalable brand voice that works across humans and AI tools.

Whether you’re sta...

Are you creating tons of content—but not seeing the strategic impact you want?

The problem isn’t your ideas or your AI tools. It’s your content foundation.

In this kickoff episode of a 12-week #ContentChat series, host Erika Heald breaks down the core ideas from her book Content Foundations and explains why content governance is the missing link between strategy and execution.

Think of this series as an “audiobook-plus” version of the...

Content strategy often looks great in the deck—but falls apart in execution. In this #ContentChat conversation, host Erika Heald talks with Maliha Khan, founder & CEO of Khanect the Dots and Khancepts Studio, about how to bridge the “messy middle” between strategy and execution and bring AI into the mix without creating generic, soulless content.

You’ll learn how to operationalize content strategy across teams, use AI as a colla...

AI can supercharge your content… or quietly blow up your copyright and compliance.

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald sits down with Kerry O’Shea Gorgone—a recovering attorney turned marketer and AI power user—to unpack the real risks content marketers face when using AI tools. You’ll learn what you can’t copyright, how AI training data and “plagiarizing the internet” can land you in trouble, and how to buil...

Looking to get more business (not just impressions) from LinkedIn in 2026?

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald sits down with LinkedIn expert, author, and fractional CMO Neal Schaffer to unpack what’s actually working on LinkedIn right now for B2B marketers, founders, and thought leaders.

You’ll learn:

• Why LinkedIn is still the #1 platform for B2B despite TikTok, Instagram, and everything else
• How the algorithm and en...

Feeling burned out by content creation—or overwhelmed by your own endless scrolling? 

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald talks with Sarah Parker, Editorial Director at Manychat and creator of the Chronically Online magazine, about fresh insights from Manychat’s new Creator Report on content fatigue, burnout, AI, and community.

You’ll hear what 51% of creators are saying about burnout, how audiences really feel about AI...

How can B2B marketers stay discoverable in an AI‑first world? 

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald talks with Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, about how Best Answer Marketing helps brands win visibility and trust across fragmented channels.

You’ll hear how Lee’s team uses original research, influencer collaboration, and experiential content to create “best answer” resources that show up in Google search, AI search t...

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald sits down with marketing consultant and fractional CMO Robert Rose to unpack how content strategy is changing in the age of AI—and what that really means for content marketers, strategists, and brand leaders.

They explore why the old playbook of pumping out SEO‑optimized content is failing, and what it looks like to build a strategy around outcomes, trust, and real relationships inst...

Your customers are locked in a scroll battle with a sea of misleading, low-quality AI-generated content. That’s why trust has become the one real differentiator content marketers need to prioritize. 

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald talks with Jessica Head, CEO of Ratio, about how experiential marketing is reshaping B2B content strategy, especially in complex, high-risk industries like healthcare and finan...

Erika Heald and Catara Lane discuss leveraging YouTube for content marketing and selling books. Catara emphasizes the importance of playlists, which act as sales funnels, guiding viewers through a series of videos. She advises authors to create original content, optimize titles and thumbnails, and use tools like Canva and Riverside. Catara suggests starting with a personal brand channel and focusing on consistent posting, aiming fo...

Marketing teams across industries face similar challenges in reaching their audiences with relevant, timely offers that support overall acquisition and retention. Some organizations, however, face additional hurdles because their audiences are savvy to marketing tactics and may have an especially high standard for what it takes to truly grab their attention and earn their trust.

In this #ContentChat conversation, Erika Heald was joi...

What is content governance, and why is it essential for scaling content operations—especially with AI in the mix?

In this #ContentChat episode, host Erika Heald and guest Maureen Jann explore how content governance bridges strategy and execution, ensuring consistency, compliance, and brand alignment. Erika shares lessons from her earliest governance experiences through to her success at Charles Schwab, and previews her new book, Con...

In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald is joined by marketer Maureen Jann to explore how B2B brands can craft and maintain an authentic brand voice. They discuss why many companies overlook documenting brand voice in their guidelines—and why that’s a costly mistake. Erika shares how AI can support voice consistency, while Maureen brings real-world insights from the IT space, including how humor and empathy can make conte...

Erika Heald and Maureen Jan discuss the importance of using data-driven content strategies to create unique, relevant content. Maureen, with extensive experience in marketing and tech, emphasizes the abundance of data available, including product usage trends, support tickets, and AI-transcribed sales calls. 

They highlight the value of proprietary research and anonymized case studies in building trust and engaging audiences. Erika ...

In this edition of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald is joined by Maureen Jann to discuss how content marketers can create trusted, human-centered content in an AI-saturated landscape. They explore how to differentiate your brand through empathy, transparency, and audience-first strategies while still benefiting from AI tools.

Key conversation highlights:

• 01:50 Using AI for Supporting an Authentic Brand Voice
• 03:41 The Problem with G...

In this edition of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald is joined by guest Phyllis Davidson, VP and principal analyst with Forrester, who explains how to create an AI-led content strategy. They explore the evolution of AI tooling and how AI has become a competitive essential for content marketing teams, and AI use cases you can implement to improve your workflows.

Conversation highlights:

AI's Role in Content Stra...

As content teams have started incorporating AI into their workflows and strategies, however, many are missing a critical foundational element they need: A documented brand voice.

Without a distinct brand voice, your generative AI outputs—or human-created content, for that matter—will lack consistency and likely miss the mark on your brand identity. This also means AI will give you the same content it’s giving every other marketer in...