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CV MIC: Matt Carnevale, Head of Community at Exit Five

Taylor Moon — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:04:33 +0000

Community isn’t just a buzzword in B2B marketing — it’s a driving force shaping careers, fueling collaboration, and sparking innovation.

On a recent episode of the CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), Matt Carnevale, Head of Community at Exit Five, shared his journey from sales to marketing, the evolution of Exit Five, and why community will continue to play a critical role in the future of B2B.

https://youtu.be/WRvlrw1onpg

From Cold Calls to Community Building

Matt’s career began in sales as a BDR, where he made up to 100 cold calls a day. (Sheeessh!) The role was challenging, but it provided something many marketers never experience: a first-hand understanding of the sales mindset.

This foundation became a kind of superpower in his marketing career. Understanding what it’s like to chase quotas, deal with rejection, and stay laser-focused on short-term goals created an invaluable perspective. For marketers, this kind of insight makes it easier to build campaigns that truly align with sales objectives, strengthen collaboration, and support revenue growth.

It’s a reminder that marketing and sales may operate in different lanes, but they’re always on the same track. The more marketers can empathize with sales realities, the stronger the partnership becomes.

Why Exit Five Resonates

Exit Five has grown into one of the largest and most engaged online communities for B2B marketers. Its mission is straightforward: help marketers grow their careers through content and connection.

On the content side, Exit Five delivers insights across every area of B2B marketing, often by tapping into the knowledge of its members and industry leaders. On the connection side, the community helps members find peers in similar roles, industries, or even local cities, forming relationships that extend beyond the digital space.

This combination is what makes Exit Five unique. Content builds credibility and sparks learning, while connection ensures that the lessons stick through real-world conversations and shared experiences. For B2B professionals, it’s not just another group to join; it’s a resource to grow with.

The Shift Toward In-Person Connection

While digital spaces remain at the heart of Exit Five, the demand for in-person interaction has grown significantly. The Drive event in 2024 underscored this point, showing how eager marketers are to connect offline.

Unlike traditional conferences that often feel transactional, Exit Five events are deliberately different. The venues are chosen to encourage conversation and connection, whether it’s a coworking space with a scenic backdrop or a casual city bar. Attendees can focus on genuine discussion, not sales pitches, and come to the table with shared context as members, listeners, or engaged followers.

Now, through a local ambassador program, members themselves are hosting smaller gatherings in their own cities. These micro-events help the community scale without overwhelming the lean Exit Five team, and they create authentic connections at the local level supported by the larger network.

Content as the Backbone of Community

Content powers Exit Five both inside and outside the community. Free resources like podcasts, newsletters, and LinkedIn posts establish visibility and credibility, drawing in professionals who benefit from insights without needing to become members.

Inside the community, content looks different. It’s member-driven, with questions, discussions, and virtual events happening daily. For example, a member might share how they’ve applied generative AI to streamline workflows, sparking a live discussion where dozens of marketers can learn from real use cases. This peer-to-peer learning is what keeps the community relevant and prevents it from becoming just another Slack group people forget about.

Cutting Through the Noise in B2B Marketing

With access to thousands of conversations, Matt has a unique view into what’s working — and what’s not — in B2B marketing today.

AI is often overhyped. While generative AI has tremendous potential, the quality of output depends on the quality of input. Without thoughtful prompts and human refinement, results often fall flat. AI works best as an accelerator in the middle of the process, with humans guiding strategy and polish at the beginning and end.
Podcasts need a new playbook. Once a breakout channel, podcasts are now oversaturated. Simply recording episodes isn’t enough. Creative distribution, fresh formats, and engaging content are required to cut through the noise.

All B2B marketing challenges aside, the message for marketers: channels and tools matter less than how creatively and thoughtfully they’re used.

Lessons from Building Community

One of the biggest lessons from Matt’s role is that many marketers face barriers outside of their control. Often, the challenge isn’t poor execution but structural issues: misaligned leadership, siloed teams, or unclear product positioning.

Marketers can build flawless campaigns, manage channels, and execute strategy, but if the foundation is broken, results will falter. The most effective organizations recognize marketing as a strategic partner, involve it early in product and business decisions, and empower teams with context and collaboration.

For marketers, it’s a reminder to look beyond the campaign level. Sometimes, the best solution isn’t working harder within broken systems — it’s finding or creating environments where marketing has a true seat at the table.

The Future of B2B Community

Looking ahead, community will continue to evolve in B2B. While digital groups will remain, the greater opportunity lies in small, intentional experiences: micro-events, local meetups, and peer-to-peer conversations that build trust and relationships.

These touchpoints humanize B2B, turning marketing from a transactional process into an ongoing dialogue. And when done right, they not only benefit individual members but also create lasting value for the brands that support them.

Keep the Conversation Going

Community, at its best, isn’t about vanity metrics or quick wins. It’s about creating spaces where marketers can connect, learn, and grow together.

Want to hear more conversations like this one? Explore other episodes of CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation) and see how leaders across industries are shaping the future of content and connection.

And if you’re ready to build stronger connections with your own audience, connect with ClearVoice to see how we can help your brand create content that informs, engages, and inspires.

Catch More CV MIC Conversations

If you found Matt’s insights valuable, don’t miss these other episodes:

The post CV MIC: Matt Carnevale, Head of Community at Exit Five appeared first on ClearVoice.

CV MIC: Tas Bober, Founder of The Scroll Lab

Taylor Moon — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:02:35 +0000

When most people think about B2B marketing, their minds jump straight to metrics: conversion rates, revenue growth, campaign performance. For Tas Bober, founder of The Scroll Lab, success has another dimension. She’s built a consultancy that not only helps companies improve their landing pages but also gives her the freedom to design a workweek that fits her life.

In her conversation with us on the CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), Tas offered an honest (and often funny) take on why optimizing for life and optimizing for marketing aren’t as different as they seem.

Building a Business Around a Three-Day Workweek

Tas didn’t set out to become the “purple landing page lady” of LinkedIn. After leading digital teams in-house for 15 years, she eventually decided to build something of her own. But unlike many founders chasing 10X growth, Tas focused on creating a rhythm that prioritized family, sanity, and balance.

Her solution? A three-day workweek.

At first, it was chaos. Three days of back-to-back meetings inevitably bled into late nights, weekends, and stolen hours while her kids napped. The turning point came when she stopped trying to do everything herself. Instead of hiring “just anyone,” she sought out copywriters who were better than her in specific areas. It stung to send those invoices, but the payoff was enormous: quality work, less stress, and more time back.

As she puts it, her consultancy isn’t designed around ambitious revenue goals — it’s designed around what she calls the trifecta: financial comfort, meaningful work, and time back.

From Conversion Rate Optimization to Consumption Rate Optimization

For years, marketers have obsessed over conversions. (Cough, cough: CRO) But Tas makes a strong case for shifting the focus earlier in the journey. She argues that conversions are a lagging indicator. By the time someone fills out a form, they’ve already done most of their research elsewhere.

Instead, she emphasizes consumption rate optimization: understanding how visitors interact with information before they ever reach the form. Heat maps, scroll depth, and session recordings reveal the moments where people get stuck, skim, or disengage. And those insights often matter more than the final conversion number.

For example, a single FAQ buried on one client’s landing page turned out to be a traffic magnet. Once Tas turned it into a standalone block, conversions skyrocketed by more than 250 percent. It wasn’t a clever new CTA or a flashy redesign. It was simply meeting visitors where their attention naturally gravitated.

The takeaway? Conversions start with consumption. If people aren’t engaging with your story, they won’t take the next step.

Writing for the Mode, Not Just the Medium

Tas has a knack for deflating marketing clichés with humor. Take the idea that “no one has an attention span anymore.” She’ll be the first to point out that people will binge an entire season of Love Is Blind or stay up until midnight reading a fantasy novel. Clearly, attention spans aren’t shrinking; they’re selective.

That’s why she stresses writing for the mode. On LinkedIn, people expect short, punchy posts. On a corporate blog, they expect more depth. On a landing page, they expect clarity and relevance. The medium matters, but the mindset matters more.

And clarity doesn’t mean dumbing things down. Tas encourages writing at an eighth-to-tenth-grade reading level, not because buyers aren’t savvy, but because everyone’s busy and overloaded. As she says, humans are built for efficiency — if there’s a simpler way to consume information, that’s the way we’ll choose.

Cutting Buzzwords and Keeping It Real

One of Tas’ favorite hacks is also one of the most humbling: run a buzzword count on your landing page copy. If the words “innovative,” “synergy,” or “game-changing” show up more often than actual benefits, you’ve got a problem.

The issue isn’t just readability. Buzzwords are a signal that the page was written for the company, not the buyer. Executives and decision-makers want specifics, not slogans. For technical audiences like InfoSec, that might mean more detail and proof points. For marketers, it might mean brevity and storytelling. Either way, jargon undermines trust.

Her advice is simple: if you wouldn’t say it out loud without cringing, don’t put it on your page.

Why Content Teams Should Step Into the Conversion Conversation

Landing pages often turn into what Tas calls a “quilt” — stitched together from the opinions of multiple stakeholders. Product marketing adds messaging. Sales adds objections. Content tries to smooth it out. The result is rarely cohesive.

Her solution is to flip the process. Start with a buyer’s business case, not a stakeholder’s wishlist. Ask the questions that matter most to buyers:

What problem are we solving?
Why are we better than alternatives?
What proof supports our claims?
How much does it cost?
What happens after someone submits their info?

When landing pages answer those questions, they become tools buyers can actually use to secure internal approvals, not just placeholders in a campaign. And for content teams, this approach transforms their role from “wordsmith” to strategic partner.

The Future of Landing Pages: Conversational, Not Static

Looking ahead, Tas predicts websites will become less about static menus and more about conversational interfaces. Imagine typing questions directly into a brand’s site — “How do you compare to X competitor?” or “What’s your pricing model?” — and getting an instant answer.

AI will accelerate that shift, but the quality of the output will still depend on the inputs. Companies that document and publish clear, context-rich information will have the advantage. Those who rely on jargon and buzzwords will find their AI assistants sounding just as empty as their web pages.

For Tas, that’s actually good news. It means marketers who do the foundational work, research, clarity, and storytelling will only become more valuable.

Bringing It All Together

Tas Bober blends humor, honesty, and deep expertise to show that better landing pages — and better marketing overall — don’t come from chasing gimmicks. They come from doing the work: researching your audience, simplifying your story, and respecting how people actually consume information.

At ClearVoice, we believe the same. Content is the connective tissue between strategy and outcomes, the glue that holds campaigns together and drives results. If you’re looking to strengthen that connection for your brand, explore more CV MIC conversations or connect with ClearVoice to see how our team of experts can help.

Catch More CV MIC Conversations

If you found Tas’ insights valuable, don’t miss these other episodes:

The post CV MIC: Tas Bober, Founder of The Scroll Lab appeared first on ClearVoice.

The Underdog of Content Strategy: Why Bottom-of-Funnel Assets Deserve More Attention

Jacqueline Zote — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:31:34 +0000

Top-of-funnel (ToFu) content is everywhere — from podcasts discussing the latest industry trends to listicles highlighting the top tools for a certain task. But when consumers are ready to make a decision, bottom-of-funnel (BoFu) content that helps them buy products or services with confidence is surprisingly rare.

The result? Buyers disappear at the last mile. It’s not that people are uninterested in a product or service; they just don’t have the information they need to move forward. In this article, you’ll learn why BoFu content is often overlooked, what it actually does, and how to strengthen your BoFu content strategy and drive conversions.

Why Marketers Overlook Bottom-of-Funnel Content

What’s the reason behind this funnel imbalance? Why is there an overabundance of ToFu content, but scarcely any conversion-driven content? There are three main culprits:

1. Over-prioritization of awareness content

B2B content marketers mostly focus on assets that drive brand awareness. This makes sense because of how impactful content marketing can be at this stage of the buyer’s journey. Someone who’s seeking information about a certain topic could easily discover a new brand through a blog post explaining said topic.

The Content Marketing Institute found that 87% of B2B marketers have used content marketing to generate brand awareness in the past 12 months. In other words, they’re prioritizing top-of-funnel content like short articles and posts, with 92% of respondents producing these content types.

2. SEO-driven culture focused on ToFu keywords

Since B2B marketers are prioritizing content that will improve their visibility in relevant search results, ToFu keywords tend to dominate the SEO landscape. According to Backlinko’s analysis of the most popular Google searches in 2025, most keywords are either navigational or informational. Users are either looking for a specific site or want to learn something.

Marketers will create assets to match user search intent, which means they’re focusing more heavily on ToFu content.

3. Underestimation of BoFu’s role in conversions

Another reason for the imbalance in content funnel stages is that marketers may be underestimating the role of BoFu in driving conversions. They might rely too heavily on other methods, like consultations or cold calls, to convert their leads.

However, B2B buyers are still engaging with online content during their purchase journey. For example:

Marketers are seeing the highest ROI from their website, blog, and SEO efforts.
Thirty-seven percent of B2B buyers engage with a supplier’s website during the buying process.
Thirty-five percent conduct an online search for suppliers.

Sales enablement content like interactive tools and product demos play an important role in the B2B purchase journey. Delivering high-quality BoFu content through mediums like these can have a strong impact on conversions.

What Bottom-of-Funnel Content Actually Does

Understanding BoFu’s role in the buyer’s journey is essential to making the most of this content type. Here’s a quick breakdown of what bottom-of-funnel content can do for your content strategy.

Supports late-stage decision making

During the final stage of the buyer’s journey, consumers often want to see how a product works or learn how others have benefited from it. Providing this information through BoFu content fills these knowledge gaps and gives buyers the clarity and confidence they need to make a purchase.

Connects product capabilities to pain points

A BoFu marketing strategy focuses on conversion-driven content that directly addresses specific customer pain points. This type of content demonstrates how your offering solves a problem, helping your audience visualize the value they could gain from buying your product or service.

Functions as sales enablement

BoFu content also supports your sales team, providing the sales enablement resources they need to effectively create conversions. Assets like comparison pages or case studies ensure prospects receive the right content at the right time, increasing the chance of a sale.

How BoFu Accelerates ROI

If you’re still not convinced of the business value of bottom-of-funnel content, let’s explore how it can accelerate ROI for your business.

Quicker time-to-revenue

Put another way, BoFu content attracts high-intent prospects. People at this stage of the sales funnel are very close to making a purchase. Time-to-revenue is much quicker compared with ToFu content, helping you get more value out of your investment.

Stronger attribution and measurability

BoFu content has clear and specific metrics for stronger attribution, which helps you effectively measure the impact of your strategy and find ways to optimize it.

For example, if your landing pages aren’t converting prospects, you may want to A/B test different elements to see what works best.

Higher close rates

Your BoFu content strategy engages audiences who are well aware of their problem and know the solution they need. They’re just looking for a little more information to finalize their decision. If your conversion-driven content is impactful enough, you’re likely to experience higher close rates compared with content from higher up in the funnel.

Common Mistakes in a BoFu Content Strategy

If you’re creating bottom-of-funnel content but you’re not seeing significant results, you might be making one of the following mistakes:

1. You’re treating BoFu like ToFu

If you’re creating BoFu content with the same info as your top-of-funnel content, don’t be surprised if it fails to convert. Educational and informative copy — while helpful — does nothing to answer the kinds of questions these late-stage buyers have. Instead, offer thorough information on why your product is the solution to their problem.

2. You’re not aligned with product or sales

Another common mistake is creating BoFu content that doesn’t align with your product or sales messaging. Sometimes businesses avoid positioning their product because they don’t want to sound pushy. All this does is confuse your audience about which product to choose or whether your product can even solve their problem. At this stage, consumers are looking for clarity, not fluff.

3. You’re underinvesting in BoFu

As mentioned previously, many businesses are investing too heavily in their top-of-funnel marketing strategy and spending most of their marketing dollars on awareness ads. This leaves them with limited resources to spend on BoFu content. Your ads and ToFu content may bring in some prospects, but if those prospects aren’t finding the content they need to guide their purchases, you’ll end up seeing fewer conversions.

Building a Strong BoFu Playbook

Building a strong BoFu content strategy is all about creating the right types of content that address the specific needs and pain points of your audience in the right cadence. Here are a few best practices to get started:

1. Decide on content formats

BoFu content is effective in many formats. Here are a few assets to consider creating:

Case studies
Comparison pages
Customer stories/testimonials
FAQ pages
Pricing pages
Product demos
Product pages
ROI calculators
Webinars or explainer videos

These sales enablement content types showcase the value that your product or service can deliver and help your audience better understand it. Crafting impactful landing page content can also help you drive more conversions.

2. Create persona-aligned content

Each of your buyer personas will have different pain points and needs. For instance, while an individual user may enjoy the time-saving benefits of your product, larger teams may benefit from its collaboration features. Your BoFu content strategy should specifically address what each persona seeks in your product.

3. Collaborate among teams

Writing high-quality bottom-of-funnel content requires cross-team input from the start, not just during the review stage. Without early involvement from your product and sales team, your writers will face major revisions and churn out BoFu content that fails to connect product capabilities with customer needs.

Despite the need for connectivity and integrated knowledge, teams don’t often have the bandwidth to simultaneously tackle BoFu content. Even worse, the necessary information for this content is oftentimes scattered across teams and systems. This challenge is compounded when companies use AI tools in silos, rather than having a streamlined approach to content creation.

Lashay Lewis, founder of BOFU.ai, emphasized the importance of information consolidation — via a dashboard or some other framework — to organize the vital product or service information writers need. Gathering assets like product capabilities, customer pain points, sales insights, and competitive positioning before writers begin writing could significantly streamline the content creation process as a whole and create more effective BoFu content.

Bringing Balance to the Funnel

Balancing your content funnel stages is all about reassessing your current strategy and filling in the gaps. Are you missing out on opportunities to create BoFu content that seamlessly aligns with your other content funnel stages? If so, ramp up your content creation efforts to focus on strategic, conversion-driven content.

If your funnel feels top-heavy, ClearVoice can help you rebalance with a strategy tailored to conversions. Our managed content creation services help you scale your content production while aligning it with your business goals at every stage of the funnel.

Connect with a content specialist today to get started.

The post The Underdog of Content Strategy: Why Bottom-of-Funnel Assets Deserve More Attention appeared first on ClearVoice.

CV MIC: Kristina Keene, Director of Brand and Content at Flip

Taylor Moon — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:10:58 +0000

When you think of brand building, you might picture long timelines, endless approvals, and polished campaigns that take months to launch. But for Kristina Keene, Director of Brand and Content at Flip, building a bold, human-centered brand meant moving fast, experimenting openly, and making room for creativity that doesn’t always play by the book.

In this episode of CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), she shares how she led Flip’s transformation, why B2B brands can’t afford to be boring, and what it means to keep humanity at the center of automation.

From Nonprofit Roots to Startup Agility

Kristina began her career in nonprofit arts fundraising during the Great Recession, a role that demanded resilience and creativity. Transitioning into marketing, she carried those same traits into startup environments, where adaptability and quick skill-building became her edge.

For marketers, her journey highlights the value of versatility. The skills she built across industries — fundraising, writing, design, and community engagement — became a unique advantage when shaping strategy at a fast-moving startup. Instead of following a rigid career ladder, she built a “creative toolkit” that allowed her to step confidently into brand leadership.

The Three-Month Rebrand That Set the Tone

When Kristina joined Flip (then RedRoute), the brand didn’t reflect the company’s strengths or its product-market fit. She pushed for a rebrand before building any content engine, an ambitious move that leadership approved, with one caveat: she had just three months.

A project that normally takes a year turned into a summer of quick decisions and rapid iteration. The results weren’t flawless, but they established a clear, approachable brand identity that finally matched the product’s value. The biggest lesson was that a brand doesn’t have to be static. Iteration is part of the process.

This approach is worth remembering: sometimes, speed and decisiveness matter more than polish. A clear direction can unlock momentum, even if you need to refine later.

Building a Voice That’s All Caps, All Heart

Instead of adopting the overly polished tone common in tech, Flip’s brand voice became playful, bold, and unmistakably human. Their mascot bot on LinkedIn yells positive, silly messages in all caps, creating a presence that’s both fun and memorable.

In a market full of AI companies trying to sound sleek and futuristic, Flip chose to sound approachable and human. That deliberate contrast made the company stand out. The decision also underscored something many B2B brands miss: voice is one of the most powerful ways to create an emotional connection, especially when the product itself is technical.

Personal Brands as a Growth Engine

Rather than chase every channel, Kristina narrowed Flip’s focus to LinkedIn, where their buyers actually spend time. She also leaned into her personal brand as a driver of awareness, posting consistently and authentically to attract attention and spark conversation.

The impact was twofold: her own presence built credibility, and it funneled visibility back to Flip. In many ways, her LinkedIn activity became a more powerful growth lever than the company page itself. This reflects a growing trend in B2B: people trust other people more than they trust logos.

Brands that empower their teams to show up authentically online tap into a reach and resonance that polished company posts can’t match.

Rebranding Without Losing the Foundation

Rebranding can feel intimidating for companies with deep roots or legacy baggage. Kristina emphasized that success starts with alignment at the top. Leaders must be on board, or the effort won’t hold. From there, brands should define the personality they want to project and how that connects with customer needs.

Importantly, a rebrand doesn’t always mean new names and logos. Sometimes, the most powerful change is rethinking the way you talk about your product or adjusting tone to better reflect the customers you serve. The visual identity may follow, but the foundation is always rooted in how you make people feel.

Why B2B Doesn’t Have to Be Boring

Many companies are still stuck in a 2015 playbook: gated white papers, long eBooks, and polished but forgettable campaigns. Buyers today don’t want to fill out a form for content, and they don’t have the attention spans for 30-page PDFs.

Kristina believes the better path is delivering value in quick, creative bursts. Instead of overthinking, test and ship smaller ideas. Instead of waiting months for perfection, experiment in real time and see what resonates. Modern buyers reward authenticity, not gloss.

The takeaway for marketers: if your brand feels boring to you, it’s almost certainly boring to your audience. Inject energy, humor, and humanity to create experiences that people actually remember.

Bringing Humanity Into AI

Flip operates in the AI space, but instead of leaning into the “machine” narrative, the company doubled down on being the most human AI brand. Their voice AI automates repetitive support tasks — like sending order-tracking links — so customer service agents can focus on more complex, meaningful interactions.

This balance serves everyone: customers get faster resolutions, agents avoid burnout, and brands reduce costs while still providing a human touch where it matters most. It’s a simple principle that applies far beyond AI: technology should clear space for humans to do the work that requires empathy, creativity, and connection.

Looking Ahead: Connection Above All

Kristina sees the future of branding rooted in connection. Brands that treat customers as relationships rather than transactions will win. This extends to every touchpoint, from sales calls to customer support to social media interactions.

Her perspective reframes the brand from being a marketing department responsibility to something that spans the entire organization. Everyone, from leadership to customer service, contributes to how customers experience the brand. And the brands that make people feel something, consistently, are the ones that last.

Keep Listening

Kristina’s story shows that B2B doesn’t have to be buttoned-up or predictable. Rebrands can move fast. Voices can be bold. Even AI companies can feel human. Most of all, brand is about the connections you create, not just the campaigns you launch.

Want more stories from marketing leaders who are reshaping how we think about brand, content, and growth? Explore more episodes of CV MIC and hear directly from the people driving change in their industries. Or connect with a ClearVoice content specialist to dive deep into your content goals.

Catch More CV MIC Conversations

If you found Kristina’s insights valuable, don’t miss these other episodes:

The post CV MIC: Kristina Keene, Director of Brand and Content at Flip appeared first on ClearVoice.

The Definitive Guide to Social Media Image, Video, and Cover Photo Sizes

Chad Buleen — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 14:05:45 +0000

If you’ve created visual content for any sort of social media channel, you’ve likely had the experience of uploading the “perfect” image or video just to find that it either won’t upload or that it looks awful on the platform.

We know your pain. We’ve been there. Too many times, actually. That’s why we’ve developed this trusty guide on social media image sizes for 2025.

Social Media Image, Video, and Cover Photo Sizes

The size and aspect ratio of your visual social media elements determine how the content displays online. Anything that looks distorted, blurry, or off-center will immediately affect people’s perception — not to mention the risk of accidentally cropping out important information. Even worse, they’ll likely scroll past the post without ever engaging with it.

Crisp visuals are more likely to catch (and keep) your audience’s attention, driving increased engagement. Plus, if you can see the image clearly, you can ensure the text is spelled correctly, too.

That’s why nailing your social media dimensions is vital when creating content across all your social media profiles. But enough preamble: Let’s dive in.

Note: All dimensions and aspect ratios are presented in width x height or width : height, respectively.

Facebook

Facebook has a multitude of visual possibilities — more than any other social platform. Because of this, it can be tricky to make sure you’re designing your visual elements properly.

Here are Facebook’s current image, video, and cover photo sizes:

Facebook Page profile images: Profile images for Facebook Pages display on a desktop at 176×176 pixels on a desktop computer and 196×196 pixels on a smartphone. For the best quality, your profile image should be 320×320 pixels.
Facebook Page cover images: The cover photo dimensions for Facebook are an aspect ratio of 16:9. The latest Facebook image sizes guide recommends that your cover image be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall.
Facebook Reels: Facebook Reels should be uploaded at a 9:16 aspect ratio. The platform recommends a resolution of 1080p in an MP4 format.
Facebook Videos: The recommended social media video dimensions for Facebook are 1280×720 pixels. Landscape videos have an aspect ratio of 16:9, and portrait videos have an aspect ratio of 9:16. Although Facebook supports multiple formats, it recommends MP4 or MOV format.
Facebook Stories: Images published to Facebook stories can be either PNG or JPG files at an aspect ratio of 9:16 to 1.91:1. Videos should be at least 500 pixels with aspect ratio options from 9:16 and 4:5 to 1.91:1.

Instagram

Instagram has been constantly evolving to allow a variety of content types, including Stories and Reels. Getting your content to display perfectly on this highly visual platform will make a world of difference.

Here are the recommended Instagram image dimensions and sizes for other types of content:

Instagram feed posts: For best results, your Instagram uploads for a single image or for a carousel of images should be at least 1080 pixels wide. The aspect ratio should be between 1.91:1 and 3:4.
Instagram Stories: Instagram Stories may consist of either images or videos. In both instances, the aspect ratio should be between 9:16 and 4:5 to 1.91:1. Videos should be a minimum of 500 pixels.
Instagram Reels: The latest guideline on social media aspect ratios indicates that Instagram Reels can be between 1.91:1 and 9:16. Your videos should be at least 720 pixels and at least 30 frames per second (FPS).

Like other social media networks, visual storytelling has become vital for effective LinkedIn marketing. So, it’s important to pay close attention to how your visual content displays on the platform.

Here are the platform image specifications and other visual sizing requirements for LinkedIn.

LinkedIn profile images: The recommended LinkedIn profile picture size is 400×400 pixels.
LinkedIn cover images: LinkedIn recommends uploading a cover photo of 1128×191 pixels for company pages.
LinkedIn post (with URL): The recommended custom image size when you post content with a URL is 1200×627 pixels.
LinkedIn article cover image: The cover photo for your LinkedIn long-form article should be 1920×1080 at an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Pinterest is another visual-based platform, which means that the way pins are designed and displayed is of prime importance for brands using the platform.

Here are the latest platform image requirements and other content size specifications for Pinterest:

Pinterest profile cover: For business accounts, you can upload an image as a profile cover. This should be at least 800×450 pixels at an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Pinterest pin sizes: Pinterest recommends an aspect ratio of 2:3 with dimensions of 1000×1500 pixels.
Pinterest board cover: The cover frame for Pinterest boards is square, so the recommended aspect ratio is 1:1 with dimensions of 600×600 pixels.
Pinterest video pins: Pinterest requires videos to be at least four seconds long and no longer than 15 minutes. The recommended aspect ratios are 1:1 for square videos and 2:3, 4:5, or 9:16 for vertical videos.

TikTok

TikTok is one of the most straightforward platforms when it comes to social media dimensions.

Here are the latest TikTok image and video size requirements:

TikTok videos: The optimal size for TikTok videos is a 9:16 aspect ratio. Videos should be 1080×1920 pixels. While you can upload videos at a 1:1 aspect ratio, videos that take up the full mobile device screen tend to see better engagement.
TikTok profile images: The minimum size for TikTok profile images is 20×20 pixels; however, the image can be larger. You may want to make it a little larger if TikTok decides to make profile images more prominent at some point in the future.

X (formerly Twitter)

X is largely driven by text and opinions, but visual elements tend to feature prominently in the feed. If your brand is looking to make a significant splash on the platform, it’s important that you know how to make an impact visually as well as with the written word.

Here’s the latest social media image guide for X:

X profile image: Profile images on X should be 400×400 pixels, and the maximum file size is 2 MB.
X header image: The recommended size for header images is 1500×500 pixels.
X videos: X recommends that videos uploaded to its site be at least 30 FPS, though they could reach 60 FPS. Landscape videos should be 1280×720 pixels; portrait videos should be 720×1280 pixels; and square videos should be 720×720 pixels. Recommended aspect ratios are 16:9 for landscape or portrait, or 1:1 for square videos.
X photos: X photos should use a 16:9 aspect ratio for optimal viewing. Although you can upload a larger photo, doing so will cause the photo to be cropped in the feed.

YouTube

Although YouTube is heavily focused on video content, that does not mean there isn’t a variety of sizes and formats for these videos.

Here are the latest guidelines on YouTube image dimensions and video sizes:

YouTube videos: YouTube recommends a variety of aspect ratios that work well on the platform: 426×240, 640×360, 854×480, 1280×720, 1920×1080, 2560×1440, 3840×2160, and 7680×4320. Videos cannot exceed 256 GB or 12 hours in length.
YouTube Shorts: For YouTube Shorts, YouTube recommends you upload videos that have a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio at a dimension of 1920×1080 pixels.
YouTube profile images: The proper size for a YouTube profile image is 800×800 pixels.
YouTube banner images: YouTube’s recommended banner size is 2560×1440 pixels. File sizes may not exceed 6 MB.

Perfect Your Social Media Content Creation

Image sizing is critical to the success of your social media content strategy. But remembering all these platform image requirements can be challenging, along with balancing multiple aspects of your business. ClearVoice offers a range of solutions to take the stress out of social media content creation.

Let our team of designers and content creators do the remembering for you. Talk to a specialist today to see how our content marketing solutions can help you create a visual content and design strategy that fits your brand.

The post The Definitive Guide to Social Media Image, Video, and Cover Photo Sizes appeared first on ClearVoice.

5 Content Marketing Books That Will Make You a Better Marketer

Lori Hil — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:12:59 +0000

Reading is a wonderful way to educate yourself, especially if you’re a content marketer looking to grow or hone your skills. But with so many options out there, it’s hard to know which books are actually well-written, entertaining to read, and genuinely helpful. Basically, you want to walk away with actionable tips you can apply tomorrow.

For this reason, we handpicked the five best content marketing books that are worth your time (and the space on your bookshelf). After you’re done reading, you’ll know how to craft compelling narratives, create an effective content strategy, and put AI to work in content marketing.

5 Must-Read Content Marketing Books

The following content marketing books will help you sharpen your skills, connect with your target audience, and grow your career, whether you’re writing website copy or an email.

1. “Everybody Writes” by Ann Handley

4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Ann Handley is a marketing guru and the chief content officer at MarketingProfs. “Everybody Writes” is the perfect addition to any marketer’s knowledge base. Handley explains that everyone with a website is a publisher. And everyone on social media is a content marketer. She then compares improving your content to physical exercise: Writing skills are like muscles; they just need a little exercise.

All in all, it’s an enjoyable read with a witty, self-deprecating style and warm tone. It outlines the golden rules for writing and provides actionable tips for:

Creating trust and authority
Improving storytelling
Avoiding excessive self-criticism of your content

In the author’s own words:

“I wrote this book because I couldn’t find what I wanted — part writing guide, part handbook on the rules of good sportsmanship in content marketing, and all-around reliable desk companion for anyone creating or directing content on behalf of brands.”

2. “Stories That Stick: How to Craft Compelling Narratives in Business” by Kindra Hall

4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Why do some brand stories resonate deeply while others fall flat? Kindra Hall, a renowned storytelling expert, unleashes the power of narrative in the business world in “Stories That Stick: How to Craft Compelling Narratives in Business.” This isn’t just about creative writing; it’s about understanding the fundamental elements that make stories memorable, persuasive, and ultimately, drive customers to action.

Hall carefully breaks down the four key types of stories that businesses can leverage: The Value Story, The Founder Story, The Customer Story, and The Purpose Story. Through engaging anecdotes and practical frameworks, she demonstrates how to craft and deploy these narratives to help stand out in a crowded marketplace.

In “Stories That Stick,” you’ll discover:

How to uncover your organization’s core stories
Techniques for structuring narratives that capture and hold attention
Strategies for making your brand message resonate on an emotional level
Real-world examples of businesses effectively using storytelling
The importance of authenticity and vulnerability as you build connections

Learning the art and science behind creating “stories that stick” will equip you to craft marketing messages and content that resonate with your target audience and boost your brand’s impact.

3. “On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction” by William Zinsser

4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Whether you’re creating a content strategy, writing blog posts, email newsletters, or anything else, William Zinsser gives practical tips with a beautiful style that shows his respect for the English language. Zinsser began his career on the New York Herald Tribune in 1946 but has continued to write and teach, staying relevant with his craft.

With over 1 million copies sold, this is a book to come back to again and again to level up your writing skills — whether B2B, B2C, or anything else.

In “On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction,” you will learn the fundamentals of writing well, but Zinsser also works to increase your confidence in your writing abilities in a way that will endear you to your readers.

If you love practical advice with lots of examples to help with your writing and communication style, check out this book.

This book will help you:

Remove the clutter from your writing
Lead the reader through your piece
Understand various non-fiction forms
Improve your attitude about writing

4. “Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing” by Andy Crestodina

4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon

“Content Chemistry “ by well-known content marketer Andy Crestodina provides illustrated insights into how to use SEO principles, create viral content, and craft more effective content strategies. Crestodina, a co-founder of Orbit Media Studios, demystifies the often-overwhelming world of content creation and promotion.

Crestodina uses a unique format that includes a breakdown of the principles driving each approach and then a “lab” that outlines a step-by-step strategy based on each concept. This structure makes it easier for readers to build their own content marketing systems using Crestodina’s techniques.

He covers everything from keyword research and on-page SEO to email marketing and social media promotion. He also explores how to build relationships with influencers and websites to amplify your reach.

In “Content Chemistry,” you’ll find insights on:

Developing a strategic content plan aligned with your business goals
Conducting effective keyword research to attract the right audience
Optimizing your content for search engines
Crafting compelling headlines and engaging content formats
Building relationships with influencers and earning valuable backlinks
Measuring the success of your content marketing efforts through analytics

5. “The Modern AI Marketer in the GPT Era: How to Get Ahead with AI and Advance Your Digital Marketing Skills” by Pam Didner

4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Confused about how to get the most from AI in your content marketing? Pam Didner provides an essential guide in “The Modern AI Marketer in the GPT Era.” As a seasoned B2B marketing consultant, fractional CMO, speaker, and podcaster, Didner uses her experience to inspire content creators to incorporate AI into their toolkit.

This easy-to-read (and understand) book on artificial intelligence is ideal for B2B, B2C, and growth marketers.

Didner helps readers understand:

The evolution of AI and its current significance for marketers
How to seamlessly integrate AI into your existing workflows
Strategies to implement and scale AI initiatives within your organization
Techniques to enhance your generative AI prompts, complete with helpful examples
The critical importance of data quality in maximizing AI’s effectiveness
Why the human touch remains crucial in an AI-driven marketing landscape

Ready to put these strategies to work? While these books on marketing offer powerful frameworks, executing a winning content strategy takes time and expertise. If you don’t have time to DIY content creation, connect with a content specialist at ClearVoice today.

The post 5 Content Marketing Books That Will Make You a Better Marketer appeared first on ClearVoice.

CV MIC: Anthony Morell, Sr. Manager of Digital Marketing at the Merchant Risk Council

Joanna Bowzer — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:02:04 +0000

Few marketers navigate the intersection of compliance, creativity, and community like Anthony Morell. As Senior Manager of Digital Marketing at the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), Anthony brings over a decade of experience in regulated industries, and a passion for turning rigid frameworks into opportunities for connection.

We passed the mic to Anthony to explore what it takes to market in complex environments, the value of listening over broadcasting, and how intentionality can shape both your audience strategy and your internal team dynamics.

From Wearing Many Hats to Making Strategic Moves

Anthony began his career in social media — juggling events, content, analytics, and stakeholder alignment across legal and marketing teams. While wearing multiple hats felt overwhelming early on, the experience gave him broad visibility across the marketing ecosystem. That fluency laid the groundwork for his current role overseeing MRC’s email strategy and community growth on LinkedIn.

Rather than spreading efforts thin, Anthony focuses on building a loyal audience through consistent messaging, strategic engagement, and a deep understanding of internal priorities and external behaviors.

Navigating Compliance Without Losing Momentum

Working across global financial and legal sectors comes with layers of regulatory oversight. Rather than treat those layers as roadblocks, Anthony looks at them as design constraints; an invitation to create smarter processes.

To ease the approval burden, he developed stakeholder-specific checklists based on common friction points. This approach not only reduced turnaround time, but also improved collaboration and trust between teams. Learning the regulatory landscape himself further strengthened those partnerships and helped him anticipate objections before they slowed things down.

Making B2B Marketing More Human

Anthony has seen a shift in tone across B2B, particularly when marketing to senior-level decision makers. While professionalism remains essential, there’s growing space for a more conversational, value-driven approach — one that connects business needs with individual motivations.

It’s a balancing act: speaking with clarity and relevance while avoiding overly casual language. But it’s a necessary shift, especially as audiences expect more from brand communications than generic positioning.

Strategic Presence Over Platform Pressure

Rather than chase every new social platform, Anthony keeps his focus on LinkedIn, where MRC’s audience is most active. That decision is grounded in strategy, not trend-chasing.

By showing up consistently and meaningfully on a single platform, he’s helped MRC deepen relationships with members, industry leaders, and prospects. The content isn’t just posted, it’s engaged with. Tags, comments, reposts, and reactions all play a role in signaling that MRC is listening and responding, not just broadcasting.

Mentorship, Marketing, and the Power of Being Present

Outside of work, Anthony is a father of two and a mentor to high school athletes in his local community. He volunteers weekly to speak with young men about faith, leadership, and character — a practice rooted in his belief that everyone deserves to be seen and supported.

That mindset carries into his marketing work. He starts each day by reviewing comments and engagements on social. Sometimes, he even blocks time in his calendar for dedicated social listening. That intentional pause helps him identify what matters most to MRC’s audience, and share that insight across internal teams, from education to product to leadership.

This presence-first approach has helped transform passive followers into an active, engaged community, and ensured that MRC’s internal teams are just as in tune as the marketing team.

Advice to New Marketers: Use Your Voice, and Wear the Hats

For early-career marketers, Anthony offers two core pieces of advice:

Speak up. If you see a better way to do something, share it. Insight and initiative build trust.
Don’t shy away from wearing multiple hats. Working across functions builds the perspective and adaptability that senior marketers rely on every day.

His goal has always been to stay versatile, not to be the one-hit viral specialist or a single-channel expert, but someone who understands how all the moving parts work together.

Final Thoughts

Anthony’s approach is a reminder that great marketing isn’t just about output; it’s about intention. From process improvement to personal presence, his work reflects the value of slowing down to listen, learn, and lead with empathy.

The result? A marketing strategy that resonates deeply with its audience, aligns cross-functional teams, and stays grounded — even in the most complex environments.

And if you’re ready to explore how ClearVoice can support your content production efforts, connect with a content specialist today.

Catch more CV MIC episodes:

The post CV MIC: Anthony Morell, Sr. Manager of Digital Marketing at the Merchant Risk Council appeared first on ClearVoice.

CV MIC: Lashay Lewis, Founder of BOFU.ai

Joanna Bowzer — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:01:21 +0000

In this episode of CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), ClearVoice Director of Marketing Joanna Bowzer sits down with Lashay Lewis, founder of BOFU.ai and a sharp voice in the world of B2B content strategy. Their conversation explores everything from content frameworks to agency pitfalls, and what it really takes to build a business from the ground up.

Whether you’re a seasoned content lead or a founder navigating growth, Lashay’s journey offers a fresh perspective on strategy, AI, and the overlooked power of bottom-of-funnel content.

Rejection as a Catalyst

Before BOFU.ai was a consultancy, it was a lesson in resilience. Lashay’s pivot to bottom-of-funnel content came after being rejected from a role she deeply wanted, one focused entirely on BOFU strategy. The reason? She didn’t know how to write that kind of content well yet.

That rejection didn’t just sting — it sparked a fire. She reverse-engineered what she would have needed to succeed in that role and began building frameworks to help others (and herself) write stronger, more strategic content. Her first LinkedIn post about it got one like. The second? Hundreds of engagements, new subscribers, and the momentum she needed to move forward.

What Makes BOFU So Hard and So Valuable

Lashay carved out a niche by focusing on the funnel stage most teams ignore: bottom-of-funnel. In her view, BOFU is where content should be deeply collaborative, driven by cross-functional insights, and aligned with clear pain points and capabilities. But getting there isn’t easy.

Bottom-of-funnel content requires input from multiple teams — product, sales, marketing — and when those inputs are fragmented, the result is often misaligned messaging. AI tools on their own can’t solve this. Lashay found that many AI writing assistants struggled to generate strong BOFU content, not because the technology was flawed, but because the necessary inputs and context were often missing or inconsistent.

That realization is what pushed her to reimagine how AI could be used differently, not as the sole creator, but as a co-pilot working within a proven human framework.

Human-Led. AI-Supported. Strategy First.

After spending two years refining her own content frameworks, Lashay began teaching those processes to AI. This wasn’t an off-the-shelf solution. It required deep customization and a clear understanding of what good content looks like before AI could step in.

For her, AI only becomes valuable when layered on top of a strong, proven system. That philosophy now powers BOFU.ai: a human-led, productized consultancy that uses AI to streamline parts of the content creation process without sacrificing strategic depth or editorial quality.

It also allows her team to stay lean. By automating the first draft process and maintaining a human-in-the-loop system for editing and quality control, BOFU.ai publishes content faster without bloating headcount.

A Call for Specialization (and Smarter Resourcing)

Lashay’s experience spans multiple content channels — blogs, YouTube, social — and she’s quick to point out that each one needs its own approach. Repurposing is important, but copy-pasting a blog into a LinkedIn post or a YouTube script won’t cut it. Each format has its own rhythm, its own expectations, and its own audience behavior.

She also pushes back on the expectation that one content marketer should do it all. Channel expertise matters, and so does structuring your team (or partner network) around that reality. She’s seen far better outcomes when in-house marketing leaders build their own bench of consultants, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all agencies.

In fact, her entire consultancy model emerged from what she viewed as agency shortcomings — from handoffs to junior talent, to misalignment across services. BOFU.ai operates with a different philosophy: offer deep expertise in one area, stay focused, and connect with trusted peers when clients need more.

Building with Intention

The frameworks and philosophies behind BOFU.ai weren’t built overnight. They were refined over the years, through failed launches, quiet pivots, and honest reflection. Originally conceived as a software solution, BOFU.ai evolved into a consultancy only after Lashay realized that the best way to scale wasn’t by chasing tech hype, but by leaning into what already worked.

Her previous consultancy, Authority Plug, taught her how to productize a service. BOFU.ai takes that a step further by embedding AI into the productized delivery, not as a replacement for human thinking, but as an accelerator for it.

Beyond the Business

While content strategy is clearly a passion, it’s not Lashay’s whole story. She’s a mother of four, a gamer, and someone who’s intentionally stepped away from hustle culture to savor the present. After spending her 20s isolated and deeply focused on her business, she now prioritizes presence with her family, at work, and in her daily life.

That grounding perspective shapes her approach to business today. She doesn’t want a large team or flashy scale. She wants sustainable growth rooted in quality, clarity, and alignment, both personally and professionally.

Closing Advice: Build from the Gaps

If there’s one thing Lashay hopes marketers take away from her journey, it’s this: the places where you feel stuck might hold the key to your next breakthrough.

Rejection, confusion, and self-doubt can all become building blocks if you give yourself space to learn from them. And when you find a gap in your skills or strategy, don’t hide from it. Create a system that fills it.

As Lashay puts it, “The path can be fluid, but the destination doesn’t have to change.”

For more marketer-to-marketer conversations, explore past episodes of CV MIC, where we keep the mic open and the insights flowing. And if you’re ready to explore how ClearVoice can support your content production efforts, connect with a content specialist today.

Catch more CV MIC episodes:

The post CV MIC: Lashay Lewis, Founder of BOFU.ai appeared first on ClearVoice.

Guide to Branded Podcasts: Pros, Cons, and Everything in Between

Jacqueline Zote — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:08:56 +0000

From political commentators to finance gurus, it seems like everyone’s jumped on the podcast bandwagon. And podcast content is everywhere — whether it’s a snippet on your Instagram Explore or a suggested video on your YouTube feed. So, for anyone that’s paying attention, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out on the next big thing.

For marketing leaders, the pressure’s even higher. The exposure and engagement opportunities from a successful branded podcast are hard to ignore. But podcasting isn’t the right content fit for every industry. And the risks involved in trying out a new format – the time and money that’s needed to invest in the latest fad — might do more harm than good for your business.

Before you buy a microphone and hit record, let’s discuss the pros and cons so you can confidently decide if it’s really worth it to start a podcast. Will it increase your brand awareness and build loyalty? Or will you be speaking into the void?

Is the podcast market oversaturated or a business opportunity?

The abundance of personal podcasts flooding the scene could make it seem like the podcast market is oversaturated. And there’s a certain level of truth to it. Podcast Index reports that there are over 4.5 million podcasts worldwide as of 2025.

But does that mean that your brand should avoid podcast marketing altogether? Not necessarily. Most of the fatigue people feel around podcasts and podcasters is specific to the personal kind. These podcasts feature an individual or a group of individuals discussing their opinions and experiences, typically for self-expression.

Branded podcasts, on the other hand, focus primarily on sharing content that is educational and delivers value. From commentary on the latest industry trends to deep dives that break down complex topics, podcasting is the perfect opportunity for brand storytelling and building audience relationships.

In fact, podcasts are highly influential in generating brand awareness and driving buying decisions. Pew Research Center found that 60% of podcast listeners get recommendations for books, music, and movies from podcasts. And 28% have even bought something that’s promoted or discussed in a podcast.

Remarkably, the industry continues to grow, with podcast revenue in the U.S. slated to reach $2.38 billion in 2025. As competition increases, though, discoverability becomes more of a challenge. Getting your podcast in front of the right audience — a loyal and engaged listener base that regularly tunes into your episodes — is paramount.

Branded Podcasts vs. Other Content Formats

One of the biggest draws of podcasting for businesses is that it usually delivers a high return on investment (ROI). HubSpot found that podcasts and audio content rank fourth among content formats delivering high ROI. Short-form video continues to reign supreme, followed by images and live-streamed video.

This indicates that podcast ROI surpasses that of text-heavy formats like blogs and long-form content. Yet podcasts still don’t compare with visual content formats. Combining podcasts with visuals to create video podcasts could help to maximize your ROI.

Audience considerations

You’ll also need to consider the consumption habits of your target audience. Podcast listeners in the U.S. are most likely to tune into comedy content, followed by topics related to society and culture. News, true crime, sports, education, business, and health and fitness are also popular genres.

Consider where your business falls within these genres. Does a branded podcast make sense? Will your audience want to engage with podcast content enough to deliver ROI?

Investment considerations

Starting a podcast requires significantly more investment compared with content formats like blogs and images. Even the most basic setup calls for podcasting equipment like microphones, headphones, and recording/editing software, in addition to a computer.

You’ll also need to factor in ongoing production expenses to get an accurate idea of your podcast ROI. Although the amount may not be as high as the cost of producing videos, you’ll need to account for fees related to podcast hosting, editing, licensing, guests, promotion, and so on. Keep talent in mind as well, as podcast production may require skills that aren’t internally available. Consider your team’s bandwidth and expertise, and whether you’d need to outsource.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Podcasting

ROI aside, how do you determine if podcasting is the right investment for your content marketing strategy? Let’s explore the benefits and disadvantages of branded podcasts.

Key benefits of branded podcasts

It creates an opportunity to share thought leadership content and build your brand authority. Podcasts give you the freedom to dig deeper into relevant industry topics and share your expertise.
Podcasting allows for content multiplication and content repurposing. For example, you could turn snippets from your podcast into short-form video content. Podcast transcripts could also help you build out informative blog posts.
The conversational nature of podcast content helps increase audience engagement. The more engaged your audience is, the easier it is to foster relationships, trust, and loyalty.
Compared with video production and full-fledged ad campaigns, podcasts are more cost-effective.

What are the potential disadvantages of creating a podcast?

Maintaining a regular production schedule requires a significant time commitment. For instance, you need to consistently set aside time to research topics, book guests, record episodes, edit your recordings, and promote the content.
Most podcast listeners expect a refined production quality. There’s a lot of work and technical knowledge required to meet these expectations, especially in the post-production stage. You need skills to fine-tune your audio, remove background noise, add music and sound effects, and more.
Podcasting often lacks precise measurement tools. Engagement data alone may not be enough to quantify ROI, and downloads don’t necessarily guarantee that people listened to the podcast. All these factors make it challenging for brands to justify the investment.

Should your brand start a podcast?

Still not sure if podcasting is the way to go? Here are a few questions to ask yourself before making a decision:

Does podcasting align with my marketing goals?
Would a branded podcast align with my target audience’s behavior? (i.e., Does my target audience tune in to podcast content?)
Do I have any gaps in my current content strategy that podcasting might fill?
Do I have the resources and in-house skills needed to create and run a podcast?
Do I have the budget to outsource tasks where I lack in-house talent?
Do I have the long-term commitment available to maintain a regular podcast schedule?
Do I have subject matter expertise or compelling content angles to offer?

Moving Forward with Podcasting or Exploring Alternatives

If you’ve decided that podcasting is the right move for your brand, here are a few best practices on how to create a podcast:

Define measurable goals. What do you want to achieve through podcasting? How will you measure success?
Commit to consistency over perfection. Maintaining a consistent publication schedule should come first over perfection. It shows commitment and reliability, helping you build a loyal listener base.
Invest in quality audio. Make sure listeners don’t have to strain to hear what you have to say. Remove background noise and enhance your audio quality to ensure clarity.
Focus on serving your audience, not selling. Your podcast should be less about pushing your product and more about helping audiences realize the value you offer.
Plan ahead for content distribution. How will you get your podcast in front of the right listeners? Decide on the distribution channels and promotion strategy ahead of time.
Be patient and track the right metrics. You may not get the desired results immediately after your content goes live. Take the time to figure out what’s working by tracking relevant performance metrics, such as engagement, clicks, and downloads. Then use those insights to inform your podcasting strategy.
Develop sustainable production workflows. Setting up a proper production workflow and replicating it for every episode will help you maintain consistency.

If podcasting doesn’t align with your current needs, there are plenty of alternative options to explore. Perhaps your audience will appreciate thought leadership blog posts. Or maybe they’ll gain more value from interactive content. For visual learners, webinars and infographics may be the way to go.

Build a Content Strategy That Works for Your Brand

To podcast or not to podcast?

Regardless of what you decide, working with a team of content experts can set you up for success. That’s where ClearVoice comes in. Whether you need help researching topics and writing scripts for your next podcast or scaling your blog production, we can help. Explore our managed content solutions, and connect with a content specialist today to get started.

The post Guide to Branded Podcasts: Pros, Cons, and Everything in Between appeared first on ClearVoice.

CV MIC: Stephanie Yoder, Director of Content at Rebrandly

Taylor Moon — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 14:05:50 +0000

In this edition of CV MIC (Marketers in Conversation), we chat with Stephanie Yoder, Director of Content at Rebrandly. From travel blogging across the globe to leading content strategy in-house, Stephanie’s journey has been anything but conventional, and that’s exactly what makes her perspective so valuable.

From Travel Writer to B2B Strategist

Before content calendars and SEO audits, Stephanie was writing about travel… literally. As a full-time travel blogger and digital nomad, she built a career crafting stories from the road. Over time, her writing evolved from blog posts and destination guides to branded content, agency work, and ultimately her current in-house role as a content leader at Rebrandly.

It’s a reminder that good marketers come from everywhere, and that storytelling skills, when sharpened across real-world experiences, translate across industries.

What B2B Can Learn from B2C (and Travel Blogging)

Stephanie’s pivot from B2C to B2B content may have required some acronym decoding (we’ve all Googled “SaaS” before an interview), but the fundamentals stayed the same: understand your audience, be helpful, and never be boring.

One insight she shares is that too often, B2B content forgets it’s still written for people. Her advice? Don’t be afraid to ditch the jargon and infuse your content with a little weirdness and humanity, because robots don’t build trust, people do.

On AI, SEO, and Keeping Your Brain Sharp

Like many marketers today, Stephanie is leaning into AI tools like Claude to streamline parts of her workflow, but she’s cautious about overreliance. As she puts it, the real value marketers bring isn’t in speed or formatting — it’s in thinking.

She’s also skeptical of silver-bullet strategies, particularly those that promise overnight SEO success. Whether it’s a new AI tool or yet another Google algorithm update, her take is clear: sound strategy, quality content, and critical thinking still win.

Refreshing the Old, Experimenting with the New

At Rebrandly, Stephanie is leading both a content refresh initiative and a foray into short-form video. She’s revitalizing a decade’s worth of blog content (yes, there are gifs), cleaning up outdated posts, and improving overall SEO value. At the same time, she’s launching a series of simple talking-head product videos to highlight Rebrandly’s functionality, sans the enterprise fluff.

It’s a balanced content strategy: polish what’s working, experiment with what’s next, and stay close to the brand’s voice along the way.

Building Community as a Solo Content Leader

One of the more relatable challenges Stephanie talks about? Going from agency life (where you’re surrounded by other content nerds) to being the only content hire in-house. That isolation led her to create a Slack group specifically for content marketing leaders, a space to share ideas, ask questions, and talk shop.

Turns out, a lot of us were craving that kind of connection. The post announcing the group went viral on LinkedIn, and the community continues to grow with hand-picked members who face similar challenges.

A Career Rooted in Curiosity

Outside of work, Stephanie still channels her creativity into cooking (ask her about the annual Chinese New Year feast) and traveling with her family. She’s a self-proclaimed fiction lover, a cross-stitcher, and yes, she’s still a writer at heart, with a passion for balancing the strategic with the creative.

Stephanie’s story is one of adaptability, curiosity, and carving your own path — all traits that content leaders are being called to lean on more than ever. If you enjoyed this conversation, there’s more where that came from. CV MIC is our space to highlight marketers doing the work; strategists, writers, leaders, and all the perspectives in between.

Stay tuned for more interviews. And if you’re thinking about how to build or scale your content efforts, connect with a ClearVoice content specialist.

Catch more CV MIC episodes:

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