The Animalz Content Marketing podcast

21:38

In this season finale, hosts Ty Magnin and Tim Metz reflect on what they've learned from their conversations with seven AI content pioneers. They distill the key themes that emerged, from AI as a writing partner rather than a replacement to the rise of personality-driven marketing, and consider what the next 12 months might bring for content teams adopting AI. The hosts revisit their initial question — "Is there anybody out there creating real value with AI?" — and conclude that yes, there is, though the applications are more nuanced than the hype suggests. They also announce their next season's focus on Enterprise Content. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and season recap question: Is there value in AI for content? 01:00 Key themes from the season's conversations 02:00 AI as a writing partner, not a replacement 04:00 Systems and workflows as the new competitive edge 08:00 The rise of personality as a critical element in marketing 11:00 The changing future of search and discovery 13:00 Predictions for the next 12 months of AI in content 15:00 What the hosts stole from their guests (voice memos, prompt techniques) 18:00 Second-order effects of AI adoption in content 21:00 Announcement of the next season on Enterprise Content Mentioned Links & Resources ChatGPT (02:00): Referenced throughout as the baseline for AI content creation, though with limitations for complex workflows. Lex (02:00): Nathan Baschez's AI writing tool mentioned when discussing AI as a thinking partner. Copy.ai (04:00): Kyle Coleman's platform, referenced for its impact on content workflows and delivering 70% of demand. Daydream (09:00): Thenuka Karunaratne's company, mentioned for insights on programmatic SEO beyond "spray and pray" approaches. Mutiny (09:00): Where Stewart Hillhouse developed integrated campaigns before joining StoryArb. StoryArb (09:00): Content firm where Stewart Hillhouse now serves as VP of Content, implementing his AI team structure concepts. Letterdrop (09:00): Parthi Loganathan's platform that pivoted from SEO to LinkedIn-focused content for the "99%" of professionals. Ali Abdaal (09:00): YouTube creator whose Head of Content, Ines Lee, discussed maintaining authenticity at scale. AirOps (09:00): Alex Halliday's company that builds sophisticated 30-50 step AI workflows for content teams. Cursor (11:00): Code editor with AI pair-programming features that Tim used to build the SEO Forecasting Tool. SEO Forecasting Tool (11:00): Internal tool built by Tim using AI assistance, demonstrating how marketers can create custom solutions. UiPath (21:00): Enterprise automation company where Ty previously led a large content team, mentioned when discussing the next season's Enterprise Content focus. Nathan Baschez's Annual Letter for Lex (24:00): Recommended reading on how AI "coaches" can be tailored to different writing styles. Follow Animalz on Twitter or LinkedIn for updates on the upcoming Enterprise Content season. Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast .…

1
Alex Halliday (AirOps) on Making AI Content That’s Impossible to Copy 45:35

7 weeks ago45:35

45:35

Alex Halliday takes us from Silicon Valley's coffee shops to the cutting edge of AI content strategy. He reveals how his company AirOps helps brands build sophisticated 50-step AI workflows that transform basic prompts into high-performing content. As founder and CEO, Alex shares his "treasure hunt" approach to uncovering unique organizational data and explains why the future belongs to content that's "impossible to copy." Drawing on his connections with OpenAI's leadership and experience implementing AI in real business contexts, Alex offers practical advice for content teams navigating the shift to AI-driven search — from optimizing for the "new middleman" of LLM-based experiences to finding the hidden knowledge assets that exist in every organization. About Our Guest: Alex Halliday Alex Halliday is the founder and CEO of AirOps , a platform that helps brands drive organic growth through AI-powered content strategies. The company began in the data space before pivoting to help creative teams get more value from AI than they could achieve out of the box. Before AirOps, Alex worked at Teespring, Masterclass, and Bungalow, building product expertise that informed his approach to AI workflow design. He has maintained connections in the AI world, including with OpenAI's Sam Altman, giving him unique insights on where the real value in AI is accruing: not just in the models themselves, but also in the implementation layer. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI? The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Timestamps 00:00 "It takes 30-50 steps, not 5-10, to create excellent AI content" 02:00 How Alex uses AI for research and information discovery 04:00 Moving into the "perfect information age" with AI synthesis 06:00 AI's impact on learning and creativity: benefits and risks 07:00 Alex's background and how AirOps evolved 09:00 Why human oversight remains essential in AI content workflows 11:00 Alex's connection to Sam Altman and early days in San Francisco 14:00 Where the real value is accruing in the AI landscape 15:00 The new rules of AI content: winning by being impossible to copy 17:00 Three types of content that AI can't easily replicate 20:00 Inside AirOps: How the platform builds sophisticated AI workflows 23:00 Advice for content teams doing "spray and pray" SEO 26:00 Finding your organization's unique "gold veins" of content 28:00 How to optimize content for the "new middleman" of AI search 32:00 Why Alex studies AI search despite leading a content creation platform 35:00 AirOps' strategic focus on content creation despite AI's broader potential 38:00 Alex's AI moonshot idea: context-rich meeting assistants Mentioned Links & Resources AirOps (00:08:00): Alex's platform that helps brands create advanced AI content workflows. OpenAI Deep Research (00:02:00): A research tool Alex uses to discover content he " wouldn't have found otherwise." Teespring , Masterclass , Bungalow , SocialGo (00:07:00): Companies where Alex worked, mentioned when discussing his background before founding AirOps. ChatGPT (00:17:00): Referenced as the foundational AI model that more sophisticated workflows build upon. Claude (00:20:00): An alternative AI model mentioned for multi-model workflows. Schema.org (00:30:00): HTML schemas for information structures to improve AI readability. HubSpot (00:24:00): Referenced in discussion about content that strays from topical authority. ”Everybody Wants Thought Leadership Content” (00:43:00): Animalz article on "earned secrets" mentioned in the wrap-up discussion about finding unique organizational insights. Follow Alex Halliday on LinkedIn or reach him at alex@airops.com to discuss AI content innovations and opportunities. Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast . You can also follow us on X ( https://x.com/AnimalzCo ) or LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/animalz/ ).…

1
Ines Lee on Using AI to Grow Ali Abdaal's 6M+ YouTube Empire 38:45

8 weeks ago38:45

38:45

In this episode, Ines Lee shares her journey from teaching economics at Oxford to leading content for Ali Abdaal's 6-million-subscriber YouTube empire. She offers practical insights into how her team balances AI efficiency with human creativity across their content operations. While highlighting various AI-powered workflows — from video editing to content repurposing — Ines emphasizes that AI excels at producing "adequate" content but lacks the personality that makes content truly memorable: "It's like a cover band that really hits all the notes perfectly, but you're never gonna feel that element of jazz." For B2B marketers, she shares valuable lessons from the creator economy, including how to leverage personal brands and treat content as a product itself. About Our Guest: Ines Lee Ines Lee is the Head of Content for Ali Abdaal, a top YouTuber with over 6 million subscribers. Her unconventional path from academia to content creation began with a PhD in economics at Oxford and a postdoc at Cambridge before joining Ali's team in 2021. Ines initially balanced academia with content writing as a side gig. In late 2023, she fully committed to creative work when she stepped into her current role. She now leads a team responsible for YouTube videos, newsletters, and social media content that generate revenue through AdSense, partnerships, and sponsorships. Ines recently launched her own Substack, Side Road 38. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI? The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Timestamps 00:00 "AI is like a cover band that hits all the notes perfectly" 01:00 Introduction to Ines Lee and today's conversation 03:00 Ines's content consumption habits: The Second Mountain and recent films 04:00 From PhD in economics at Oxford to content creation for Ali Abdaal 06:00 How economics training informs content strategy 07:00 The structure of a major YouTube creator's content team 09:00 How the ideation process works for YouTube videos 10:00 When AI first entered Ines's workflow (summer 2023) 11:00 Three main buckets of AI usage: video editing, content repurposing, and analysis 13:00 Using AI to reverse-engineer Ali's voice and build style guides 14:00 Why human judgment remains essential despite AI assistance 16:00 B2B lessons from the creator economy: the power of personal brands 18:00 Treating content as a product: what B2B can learn from creators 20:00 Ali's expansion into AI software with VoicePal 23:00 "AI gives us adequate content but lacks personality and jazz" 25:00 Current limitations of AI-generated video content 26:00 Developing custom AI agents to improve short-form content selection 29:00 Ines's AI prompt methodology: analyze first, then generate 30:00 "75% of good writing is thinking" - setting appropriate AI boundaries 32:00 A day in the life: how AI assists their YouTube content workflow 36:00 Where to follow Ines: LinkedIn and Side Road 38 on Substack Mentioned Links & Resources The Second Mountain (00:03:00): A book by David Brooks on meaning and purpose that Ines mentioned she's reread. Emilia Perez (00:03:00): A film Ines recently watched and enjoyed. The Substance (00:03:00): A film with Demi Moore that Ines and Ty found intense. Ali Abdaal YouTube Channel (00:07:00): Ali's main content platform with over 6 million subscribers. Part-Time YouTuber Academy (00:07:00): An info product by Ali that teaches creators how to grow their YouTube channels. Productivity Lab (00:08:00): A 2023 membership program to help people double their productivity. Fire Cut (00:11:00): An AI video editing tool that has cut Ali's team's editing time in half. Grain (00:13:00): For call recordings/transcripts that feed into AI-driven writing workflows. Adam Robinson (00:16:00): B2B founder ( Retention.com ) with strong LinkedIn presence. Stuart Machin (00:17:00): Marks & Spencer CEO cited for personal brand-led content. Dana Strong (00:17:00): Sky Group executive using personal content and social to boost brand presence. doola (00:19:00): A startup whose founder uses educational content for growth. Founder-Led Content: Blitz-Scaling Social with doola's Arjun Mahadevan (00:19:00): The Animalz interview with doola's founder mentioned by Tim. VoicePal (00:22:00): Ali's new AI app that converts voice memos into content drafts by asking follow-up questions and formatting responses. HeyGen and ElevenLabs (00:25:00): AI tools for creating avatars and voiceovers that Ines mentions when discussing current AI video generation. Stay Strong: Never Let AI Fill Your Blank Page (00:30:00): Tim Metz's article on the Animalz blog that Ines cites as important to her thinking on "human vs. AI tasks" in content creation. ChatGPT and Claude (00:32:00): Language models Ines and team use for brainstorming and drafting. Spotter Studio and 1of10 (00:33:00): AI tools that optimize YouTube content by analyzing historical performance data. Elicit (00:34:00): An AI research tool Ines' team uses to find and analyze scientific papers for evidence-based content. Follow Ines Lee on LinkedIn and subscribe to her Substack, Side Road 38 . Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our pod...…

1
Parthi Longanathan (Letterdrop) on AI-Powered Social Selling for the 99% 43:14

8 weeks ago43:14

43:14

In this episode, Parthi Longanathan explains why his company pivoted from SEO content tools to LinkedIn-focused social selling and how this shift reflects broader changes in the content marketing landscape. After seeing declining demand for SEO services and changing search behaviors due to AI tools, Parthi recognized that AI-assisted, personality-driven content was becoming the clearer path to revenue. Letterdrop now helps companies turn internal expertise into consistent trust-building LinkedIn content for sales and executive teams. Rather than chasing virality, Parthi focuses on helping everyday professionals create content that resonates with the small subset of people who matter: their prospective customers. About Our Guest: Parthi Longanathan Parthi Longanathan is the founder and CEO of Letterdrop. He worked as a product manager at Google on the search team and G Suite (now Google Workspace), giving him unique insights on how search works behind the scenes. After leaving Google in 2019, Parthi founded Letterdrop, initially focused on helping marketers create high-quality SEO content by streamlining research and connecting content to revenue. In 2023, noticing changes in search behavior and declining demand for SEO services, he made the strategic decision to pivot toward LinkedIn-focused content solutions. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI? The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Check out other episodes in the season here Timestamps 00:00 "I think a lot of people just misunderstand how to use LinkedIn" 02:00 Current trends in the RevOps space 04:00 Knowledge work automation and relationship-building 06:00 Parthi's background at Google and Letterdrop's evolution 08:00 Why Letterdrop pivoted from SEO to LinkedIn 10:00 Google search principles from an insider's perspective 13:00 How content marketers should think about search 16:00 The future of search and declining SEO investment 19:00 How Letterdrop's original SEO product worked 23:00 Building the LinkedIn growth engine for sales teams 26:00 Components of an effective LinkedIn strategy 28:00 Focusing on influencing "the thousand people who matter" 31:00 How AI enhances Letterdrop's LinkedIn content system 34:00 The reality about most people's "tone of voice" 37:00 The future of content marketing and knowledge work Mentioned Links & Resources Brian LaManna , Nate Nasralla , and Isaiah Crossman (00:03:00): Sales experts Parthi follows for insights into the sales and RevOps space. Letterdrop (00:05:00): Parthi's company, which pivoted from SEO content tools to LinkedIn social selling systems. Google Workspace (00:06:00): Formerly G Suite, a product Parthi worked on at Google. LinkedIn (00:07:00): The platform where Letterdrop now helps companies build personal brands and relationships with prospects. Google Search (00:10:00): Where Parthi worked as a product manager, gaining insights into how search algorithms evaluate content. ChatGPT and Gemini (00:17:00): AI tools changing Parthi's search behavior that led him to reconsider his business direction. Surfer and Clearscope (00:19:00): SEO tools Parthi mentions when explaining alternative approaches to content optimization. Clearbit and 6sense (00:20:00): Tools mentioned for identifying website visitors and connecting content to revenue. Adam Robinson (00:23:00): Referenced as an example of someone with strong personal brand who receives high response rates. Follow Parthi Longanathan on LinkedIn : "I'm there posting helpful, thoughtful stuff three to four times a week. At least half of it is created by Letterdrop." Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast . You can also follow us on X ( https://x.com/AnimalzCo ) or LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/animalz/ ).…

1
Stewart Hillhouse on the AI Playbook for Tomorrow’s Content Teams 43:08

9 weeks ago43:08

43:08

In this episode, Stewart Hillhouse shares a refreshingly practical perspective on how content teams can thrive in an AI-accelerated environment. Fresh from a three-year run as Head of Content at Mutiny and now heading to StoryArb as VP of Content, Stewart offers concrete workflows, AI prompting techniques, and a clear vision for how content teams should restructure for maximum impact. His approach emphasizes both speed and creativity—advocating for shorter planning horizons, integrated quarterly campaigns, and transparent marketing that acknowledges the audience's sophistication. Most importantly, he provides a framework for the "content team of the future" that leverages AI for operational tasks while positioning humans as strategic directors and personality-driven marketers. About Our Guest: Stewart Hillhouse Stewart Hillhouse has just completed a three-year tenure as Head of Content at Mutiny, where he developed campaigns that generated millions in pipeline while witnessing the company's growth from Series A through the emergence of generative AI. His background is unconventional — he started his career in forestry before making a pivot into content marketing through a self-initiated podcast where he interviewed marketing leaders. Stewart is now beginning a new chapter as VP of Content at storyarb, where he'll focus on newsletter and narrative editorial content. Throughout his career, he has maintained a commitment to experimentation and knowledge-sharing, regularly publishing his techniques and insights for the broader marketing community. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI? The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Timestamps 00:00 "You can't think more than 90 days ahead in today's environment" 02:00 From forestry to content marketing through podcasting 05:00 Building integrated campaigns at Mutiny 07:00 The "Survivor" campaign: 10,000 participants, millions in pipeline 09:00 Why timeliness trumps perfect execution 11:00 Joining StoryArb as VP of Content 13:00 "Don't write your own prompts" - The meta AI hack 16:00 Using AI but owning the final result 18:00 Feeding AI unexpected combinations for creative output 20:00 Three foundational guardrails for consistent AI content 24:00 "I'm no longer a better writer than AI" 26:00 From creation to operations: the changing content role 27:00 The future content team: personality marketers, operators, and directors 33:00 The open source target account list campaign 36:00 Breaking the fourth wall in B2B marketing 40:00 The AI research hack: finding relevant podcast segments Mentioned Links & Resources Mutiny (00:05:00): Stewart's previous company, a personalization platform. Survivor Campaign (00:07:00): Stewart's AI-focused campaign that generated millions in pipeline. Storyarb (00:11:00): The agency Stewart is joining as VP of Content. 95% Content (00:13:00): Podcast where Stewart previously shared AI content tips. DeepSeek (00:20:00): A newer AI model Stewart mentions. Claude and ChatGPT (00:22:00): AI tools Stewart uses with project/memory features. Open Source Target Account List (00:33:00): A groundbreaking ABM campaign where Mutiny publicly shared their 5,000 target accounts and created personalized microsites for each one. Follow Stewart Hillhouse on LinkedIn where he regularly shares content marketing insights. Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast . You can also follow us on X ( https://x.com/AnimalzCo ) or LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/animalz/ ).…

1
Thenuka Karunaratne (daydream) on Building SEO Moats with AI 34:03

9 weeks ago34:03

34:03

In this episode, Thenuka Karunaratne shares how companies can create sustainable competitive advantages ("moats") in SEO as AI transforms search. With extensive experience in programmatic SEO, Thenuka explains why simply using AI to generate content isn't enough — the real advantage comes from proprietary data and strategic implementation. Despite warning against "SEO on autopilot," Thenuka demonstrates the remarkable results possible with thoughtful AI integration. His case study with Twingate shows how programmatically created content quickly generated 50,000 monthly visits, with 20% of their demo page traffic coming from this content. About Our Guest: Thenuka Karunaratne Thenuka Karunaratne is the co-founder and CEO of daydream, a platform that automates programmatic SEO. Founded in 2023 with $3.8M in seed funding, daydream builds on Thenuka's experience creating high-performance programmatic SEO systems. Before daydream, he founded Flixed, a streaming industry lead generation business that leveraged programmatic SEO to send over 100,000 subscribers to services like HBO, Disney, and Hulu. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI? The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Timestamps 00:00 Why most content teams lack visibility in AI-driven search 01:30 Thenuka’s background in SEO and streaming 03:30 From affiliate sites to building a programmatic SEO platform 06:00 The problem with manual approaches to long-tail SEO 08:30 Two major changes in search: AI answer engines and programmatic content 11:00 Tools for measuring brand visibility in AI answer engines 13:00 Why “SEO on autopilot” is a marketing myth 15:30 How AI can automate the strategic aspects of growth marketing 19:00 Why the future of SEO requires more technical expertise 21:00 Twingate case study: using data breaches to drive programmatic SEO 25:00 Why proprietary data becomes your competitive moat 27:30 How SEO is becoming a product function rather than marketing 29:00 The future of search when “computers talk to computers” Mentioned Links & Resources Unbroken (00:01:40): The biography of Olympian Louis Zamperini. Flixed (00:03:00): Thenuka's previous programmatic SEO business. ChatGPT and Perplexity (00:07:30): AI answer engines changing search behavior. Zapier (00:09:10): Tool mentioned in the AI answer engine discussion. Daydream Library (00:12:00): Where Thenuka announced their AI visibility tool. Twingate (00:21:00): Featured in the 50,000-visit case study. Coinbase , Airbnb , and Pinterest (00:26:30): Companies where SEO functions as a product capability. Nexus (00:29:00): A book by Yuval Noah Harari mentioned in the post-interview discussion about finance and AI. Follow Thenuka and daydream at at withdaydream.com or on LinkedIn or X . Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast . You can also follow us on X ( https://x.com/AnimalzCo ) or LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/animalz/ ).…

1
Kyle Coleman (copy.ai) on Building Trust at Scale with AI-Synthesized Content 38:02

10 weeks ago38:02

38:02

In this episode, Kyle Coleman, CMO at copy.ai, brings clarity and practical wisdom to the AI content conversation. His perspective is positive, practical, and backed by remarkable results: over $50 million in pipeline generated for copy.ai with just $37,000 spent on demand generation. Kyle introduces the concept of "AI-synthesized content" as distinct from "AI-generated content" — a framework that maintains human thinking and authenticity while dramatically scaling production. He articulates content's fundamental purpose as "building trust at scale" and demonstrates how thoughtfully implemented AI workflows can create content that remains authentic while becoming dramatically more scalable. About Our Guest: Kyle Coleman Kyle Coleman is the CMO at copy.ai, an AI platform for go-to-market use cases. His career began at Looker, where as the sixth employee he helped grow the company to $110 million in revenue and a $2.5 billion acquisition by Google. Kyle then spent five years at Clari, moving from demand generation to leading all marketing as CMO, helping scale the company 8x in revenue. He's built a significant personal brand on LinkedIn, recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice with over 130,000 followers. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI? The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Timestamps 00:00 "Do your research, know your audience, be a person" 02:00 Kyle's journey from Looker to copy.ai 06:00 Building a LinkedIn audience since 2020 08:30 AI enhances fundamentals but doesn't replace them 12:00 Kyle's voice memo to LinkedIn post workflow 13:00 The difference between AI-synthesized and AI-generated content 19:00 Why content marketers remain skeptical of AI 23:00 Systematic thinking for successful AI adoption 27:00 "People who like writing are people who like thinking" 29:00 $50M pipeline on $37K spend: copy.ai's content flywheel 32:00 "Effective content builds trust at scale" 36:00 The new content culture is a workflow culture Mentioned Links & Resources Clari and Looker (00:02:00): Companies where Kyle built his marketing career before joining copy.ai. Copy.ai (00:03:00): Kyle's company, providing AI tools for content marketing and sales workflows. Founders (00:04:00): A podcast Kyle recommends that offers summaries of founder biographies. Acquired (00:04:00): Long-form podcast Kyle recommends with episodes on Mars, IKEA, and Sony. Outreach and Salesloft (00:07:00): Sales platforms Kyle references when discussing outbound tactics. LinkedIn Top Voice recognition (00:10:00): Kyle's 2020 recognition for sales content. ChatGPT and Claude (00:19:00): AI tools Kyle mentions when explaining content creation limitations. Nathan Thompson (00:28:00): copy.ai's Head of Content Strategy and former Animalz strategist. Devin Reed (00:32:00): Kyle's colleague who coined "effective content builds trust at scale." Follow Kyle Coleman on LinkedIn. Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast . You can also follow us on X ( https://x.com/AnimalzCo ) or LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/animalz/ ).…

1
AI as a Personal Trainer for Writers: A Conversation with Nathan Baschez of Lex 39:00

10 weeks ago39:00

39:00

In this episode, Nathan Baschez offers a refreshing perspective on AI writing tools. He explains we're still at "the very bottom of the S-curve of adoption" for writers embracing AI. Meanwhile, programmers have rapidly integrated these tools into their workflows. This gap represents both challenge and opportunity. Instead of getting stuck in the typical AI debate ("Is it a threat to writers or just a shortcut?"), Nathan has a different take. He argues that neither outright rejection of AI nor complete surrender to it serves writers well. Instead, he shares a compelling framework: think of AI as a personal trainer for your writing process rather than a replacement. About Our Guest: Nathan Baschez Nathan Baschez is the founder and CEO of Lex, a tool that reimagines writing for the AI era. His unique perspective comes from a career spent in content, media, and tech. He was previously VP of Product at Substack, Head of Product at Gimlet Media, and co-founder/president of Every, a business and technology publication bundle. About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: AI & Content "Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI?" The AI conversation in content marketing has become deafening — skeptics shouting from one side, shallow tips from enthusiasts on the other. But somewhere in this noise, there must be pioneers who've actually figured something out, right? We've gone on a search for the real pioneers — the ones who've ventured beyond the hype to succeed (or fail) spectacularly. Through their hard-won insights, we'll discover if there's actually something of value hiding in the noise, or if we're all just shouting into the void. Timestamps 00:00 "We're at the bottom of the AI adoption curve" 01:16 "Pioneers in AI content creation" 02:04 "What content have you been consuming?" 04:02 "Lex: AI-enhanced writing for better results" 06:14 "Lessons from Gimlet, Substack and beyond" 08:38 "The birth of Lex as a side project" 11:00 "From 25,000 signups to company spinout" 15:05 "Why don't more writers use AI?" 17:23 "AI as a collaborator, not a replacement" 19:37 "The fear of being judged for using AI" 24:00 "The masochism in writing culture" 26:39 "Nathan's AI writing workflow" 28:00 "Reverse outlining and canvas features" 30:00 "The ABCD feedback framework" 33:00 "Proving reading still matters today" 34:38 "AI can't lead - that's what people do" 35:25 "Where to follow Nathan and Lex" 36:40 "The visual rhythm of good writing" Mentioned Links & Resources Art of Accomplishment (00:02:04): A podcast/newsletter by Joe Hudson, former venture capitalist turned coach, mentioned by Nathan as content he's been consuming lately. Lex.page (00:35:03): Nathan's AI writing tool that looks like Google Docs "but on steroids and cleaner." Cursor (00:08:30): An AI-powered code editor that Nathan mentions using instead of VS Code. Nathan's career journey (00:06:14-00:09:00): Before founding Lex, Nathan was president and co-founder of Every (a publication bundle), VP of Product at Substack , and Head of Product at Gimlet Media . Alex Blumberg's media projects (00:06:14-00:07:00): Nathan mentions Blumberg's work at This American Life , Planet Money , and especially the Startup podcast at Gimlet as some of his favorite media and influences. Zapier , GitHub , Linear , and Notion (00:14:00): Companies Nathan mentions as models for sustainable growth. Lex’s Annual Letter (00:14:39): Nathan's thoughtful exploration of the AI adoption gap between writers and programmers. MUST READ if you enjoyed the episode. Follow Nathan and Lex: @nbashaw , @lexdotpage , or email hello@lex.page Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to https://animalz.co/podcast. You can also follow us on X ( https://x.com/AnimalzCo ) or LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/feed/ ).…

1
AI & Content: Where’s The Value? 15:45

11 weeks ago15:45

15:45

“Hello... is there anybody out there creating real value with AI?” Welcome to a new season of the Animalz Podcast, where hosts Ty Magnin (CEO) and Tim Metz (Director of Marketing and Innovation) go on a quest to cut through the AI noise and find the real pioneers creating value with AI. In this season introduction, Ty and Tim explain why they've chosen to focus on AI and content — a topic consuming "at least half" of their work-related brain space. While everyone talks about AI, few share what's genuinely working (or spectacularly failing). Looking ahead at their expectations for the season, they voice both excitement and skepticism: Will they discover spectacular use cases in SEO? How will AI reshape content creation teams? And what counterintuitive "second-order effects" might emerge as everyone adopts the same AI tools? The hosts share their current AI workflows, from using AI as a "sparring partner" for writing to leveraging it for sales processes and data analysis. They confess where they're finding value and where the technology still falls short. This season aims to separate hype from reality by speaking with the people actually pushing boundaries in AI-powered content: Nathan Baschez - Founder at Lex (March 4th) Kyle Coleman - CMO at Copy.ai (March 6th) Thenuka Karunaratne - Co-founder and CEO at Daydream (March 11th) Stewart Hillhouse - VP of Content at Storyarb (former Mutiny) (March 13th) Parthi Loganathan - Founder and CEO at Letterdrop (March 18th) Ines Lee - Head of Content at Ali Abdaal (March 20th) Alex Halliday - Founder and CEO at AirOps (March 25th) Season close - Reflections with Ty and Tim (March 27th) For more info, head over to https://www.animalz.co/podcast/ .…

1
Hyper-Competitive Content Marketing With Buffer's Ash Read 47:00

4 years ago47:00

47:00

Ash Read, Editorial Director at Buffer, talks through: how to compete in an industry saturated by content marketing; finding your unique differentiator; the power of brand and vision in content; how to create and update “topical” content; and the content strategy he used to grow his side project’s traffic from 0 to 130,000 monthly pageviews. --- Hosts Ash Read is the Editorial Director at Buffer , and the founder of modern homeware directory, Living Cozy. Ryan Law is the Director of Marketing for Animalz , an agency that delivers high-quality content marketing to enterprise companies, startups, and VC firms. Mentioned in the Episode Ash's side project, Living Cozy Webinar, How to Manage Big Blogs (feat. Buffer, Zapier & Amplitude) Breaking Brand , a Buffer podcast series The Animalz article about "content whales," Here’s How to Handle a Wildly Successful Article That Makes the Rest of Your Content Look Bad Connect Connect with Ash on Twitter and LinkedIn Connect with Ryan on Twitter and LinkedIn…

1
AI, Twitter Marketing & The Creator Economy with Blake Emal 44:52

4 years ago44:52

44:52

Blake Emal, Chief Marketing Officer at Copy.ai, explains how AI can help small content teams, how to get great at Twitter marketing, and why Copy.ai encourages its team to embrace side projects. --- Hosts Blake Emal is the Chief Marketing Officer at Copy.ai , and the founder of Float , an online course creator for Notion. Ryan Law is the Director of Marketing for Animalz , an agency that delivers high-quality content marketing to enterprise companies, startups, and VC firms. Mentioned in the Episode GPT-3 is the Sparring Partner You Didn’t Know You Needed Connect Connect with Blake on Twitter and LinkedIn Connect with Ryan on Twitter and LinkedIn…

1
Product-Led Content & Thinking Like a Strategist with Dr. Fio Dossetto 51:10

4 years ago51:10

51:10

Dr. Fio Dossetto, editor-in-chief of contentfolks and former Senior Editor at Hotjar, talks through "product-led" content, writing search content without becoming a copycat, and levelling-up your career by thinking less like a writer, and more like a strategist. --- Hosts Dr. Fio Dossetto is the editor-in-chief of contentfolks , and the former Senior Editor at Hotjar. Ryan Law is the Director of Marketing for Animalz , an agency that delivers high-quality content marketing to enterprise companies, startups, and VC firms. Mentioned in the Episode Fio's newsletter, contentfolks Fio's talk for Wynter: Product-LED Content: A Powerful (& Under-utilized) Approach to Content Examples of product-led content Ahref's free course, Blogging for Business Animalz's article, Copycat Content: SEO Tools Got Us Here, Humans Will Get Us Out Animalz's article, You’re a Content Marketer, Not a Writer Connect Connect with Fio on Twitter and LinkedIn Connect with Ryan on Twitter and LinkedIn…

1
Content Marketing Benchmark Report 2020 53:13

4 years ago53:13

53:13

In this webinar recorded for Superpath, Ryan and Andrew talk Jimmy Daly through Animalz's first annual Content Marketing Benchmark Report. They explore six key findings from the data; cover the methodology and process behind the report; and share stories and experience from working with the 70+ SaaS companies analyzed in their research. --- Mentioned in This Episode: The Animalz Content Marketing Benchmark Report 2020 Read the deck that accompanied the webinar Visit Superpath…

1
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: One Content Team’s Journey 27:52

5 years ago27:52

27:52

In today’s episode, Animalz's COO Haley Bryant talks with Sydney Carlton, Director of Brand Marketing at Storyblocks, a stock videos, images and audio provider. In October, Storyblocks launched Re:Stock, a campaign to more than double the representation of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC content in their library from 5% to 10% by 2021 and 20% by 2022. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked unprecedented focus on the Black Lives Matter movements. Diversity, equity and inclusion transcends this moment, and to make significant progress, our focus has to be evergreen. As companies are challenged to figure out how to improve internally, some companies are taking their commitment to DEI a step further by sharing their action plans externally to challenge themselves, their customers, and their competitors to step up. --- Mentioned in the Episode Storyblocks Storyblocks’ Re:Stock Campaign Seeks To Boost Diverse Stock Content Follow Sydney: Twitter LinkedIn Follow Haley: Twitter LinkedIn…

1
How to Become a Thought Leader 42:31

5 years ago42:31