This week’s briefing takes a critical look at outdated marketing habits (like avatars and funnels), as well as other ways that might disrupt connections between brand and audience.

You’ll hear:

• Phil Treagus Evans shares an “EMPATH Framework,” designed to go beyond avatars and one-dimensional demographic labels and build deeper, human connections.

• Michael Maximoff shares a perspective that cold outreach doesn't work the way it did in 2010, and how to reframe it for your prospects and audience today.

• With new research showing that listeners give new podcasts very little time to impress them, I'll share some mistakes to avoid at the start of an episode.

This episode is all about breaking out of old habits for the better of your business and your audience. Sometimes you just need to tweak it. Other times, you may need to scrap the whole thing!

Full show notes with links - https://www.yourcontentbrief.com/is-it-time-to-replace-funnels-customer-avatars-and-cold-outreach/

This week’s briefing examines the issue of templated thinking, ranging from copy-and-paste posts on LinkedIn to the striking example of 7,000 white papers that were almost entirely unread. Both highlight what happens when marketers repeat tactics without critical thought.

Then we’ll preview the latest Orbit Media Blogger Survey (releasing on August 28) with Andy Crestodina, which reveals what’s really working (and not working) in blogging today.

You'll hear:

• Krista Mollion’s critique of “copy-and-paste culture” and why it signals a deeper critical thinking problem.

• Lindsay Tjepkema and Ian Faison discuss the lesson behind the creation of 7,000 white papers and what it says about chasing quantity over value.

• How creative approaches to podcasting can help businesses stand out from the usual corporate formats.

• Andy Crestodina’s highlights from the 2025 Blogger Survey: what strategies deliver results, how AI is being used effectively, and more!

Full show notes with links - https://www.yourcontentbrief.com/can-blogs-succeed-where-templated-marketing-fails/

This week, we break down a real example of transforming generic marketing language into meaningful content, explore how gated content barriers have spread beyond contact forms, and I share an AI mistake I made that others can learn from.

You'll hear:

• A step-by-step transformation from generic marketing language to meaningful language using a fake company and product - but a real audience.
• How gated content hurts connection and why this barrier mentality has spread into uncomfortable sales tactics and even YouTube content.
• My confession about an AI mistake I caught myself making and how it applies to recent AI content and cognitive research.
• Research insights from Neil Patel about human-written content still wins, plus Ann Handley's post about an upcoming blogger survey, and a gated content analysis from Impact Plus's Kaityn Petro.
• A conversation clip from my conversation with Michael Stelzner on the Social Media Marketing Podcast about breaking free from outdated processes and dangerous assumptions

This episode challenges the templated approaches that make brands sound identical, shows why removing barriers to create stronger relationships, and exposes the critical thinking skills we risk losing when we lean too heavily on speedy technology.

Show notes with links - https://www.yourcontentbrief.com/are-we-drowning-in-our-own-marketing-language/