Stories By Ann Gynn
5 Real-Life Ledes That Kinda Work (and How They Could Be Better)
Next to the headline, the lede is everything. It must complete many tasks — hook the reader, indicate the subject matter, set the tone, etc. To help your intros live up to those weighty responsibilities, read on for real-life critiques.
How To Set Up a Content Publishing Process Worthy of Repetition
Content creation gets a lot of attention. But it can’t attract an audience without all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into content publishing. Walk step by step through a content production process that has worked well for over 10 years.
Want More Referral Traffic? Don’t Overlook These Generous Sites
A new study reveals which sites send generous referral traffic (and which don’t). Google tops the list, but don’t overlook other search engines and social sites where you might face less competition. Here’s how to grab your share of referrals from non-Google sources.
Content Editing: How To Handle Major Rewrites (and Prevent Them in the Future)
The draft is in — and the writer didn’t understand the assignment. Or an executive writes a story and expects you to publish their work, but it’s just not good. When a standard edit isn’t enough, try one of these two approaches to save bad content.
50+ Blogs, Newsletters, Podcasts, and Video Channels Favored by Marketers
You’re busy enough doing marketing. You don’t have time to search for content that can help. So here are over 50 favorite blogs, newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube channels recommended by your content and marketing peers.
Look Inside Your Brand’s Community for People To Help Lead It
Having a thriving online community requires a lot of work by your brand. But what if you could get help? Learn how Intuit’s TurboTax, Women in Tech SEO, and CMI incentivize, hire, and support members as leaders.
Why and How To Add Mentorship to Your Content Career Plan
Professional interest in mentoring is on the rise, for good reason. Mentorship holds short- and long-term benefits for both mentor and mentee, as these stories from content marketers in both roles show.
Crickets? Rethink Your Livestream Strategy
Few may watch your livestreams, but that doesn’t mean only a few can benefit from that content. Discover how to expand its reach across your marketing strategy.
Crack the LinkedIn Code With Advice From Marketers Who Did It
LinkedIn surpassed 1 billion users, throwing growth forecasts in a tailspin. Marketers are the benefactors if you know how to crack the code. Your peers share how they succeeded on the most popular B2B social platform.
Big Brand Content Examples That Shine, Charm, and (Sadly) Bore
Get three hot takes in emoji form about content from Toyota, KitchenAid, and United Airlines. Then, delve deeper into what worked and what didn’t.
How Content Helped ServiceNow Grow From Startup to Global Brand
Six years after Richard Murphy created a thought leadership strategy for ServiceNow, the brand has grown to over $8 billion in revenue. Here’s how the 2023 Content Marketer of the Year and his team helped the brand achieve that.
How This FORTUNE Brand Studio Exec Built a Content Business on Brainstorming, Budget Constraints, and White Glove Service
Megan Gilbert joined as editorial director to launch FORTUNE Brand Studio. Four years later, she's the vice president and has helped grow it to $16 million in revenue. Learn how she leads the agency and why she's a Content Marketer of the Year finalist.