Hello Reader!

In this issue:

• 3 industry trends
• Must-read content this week
• AI updates
• Virtual bootcamp from Renee Frojo
• Expert interview with Teodora Pirciu

​Ashley R. Cummings​

Industry Trends

💡 ChatGPT Plus is now surfacing answers directly from Google’s index, making Google visibility the gateway to showing up in AI-generated responses.

💡 "Content engineer" is rising as a new job position.

💡 Search in Q2 2025 is increasingly fragmented, with AI-powered results, zero-click behaviors, and regional platform shifts reshaping how users find and engage with content.

Must-Read Content

1/ Standby as Google canibalizes itself​

Google is actively cannibalizing its own core search product with AI Overviews and AI Mode—sacrificing engagement and clicks without yet figuring out how to monetize them. This Growth Memo shows how cannibalization can be a strategic move during tech disruption, with examples from Apple, Netflix, and Amazon. If your brand is considering self-disruption, it covers how to assess full vs. partial cannibalization, test for success, and protect your core business while adapting.

2/ Taylor Swift sparks hottest branding trend​

Taylor Swift’s upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl has sparked an unexpected branding trend, with major brands like KFC, FedEx, and Duolingo jumping in to create Swift-inspired content—often using glittery orange visuals. This moment shows how Swift’s cryptic marketing style created a viral design wave and serves as a real-time case study in agile, reactive brand marketing.

3/ The Hidden Burnout Crisis in Content Marketing​

Burnout is silently overwhelming even the most experienced content marketers, fueled by hustle culture, unrealistic demands, and the constant pressure to perform. This piece breaks down how burnout shows up, why it's systemic (not personal), and offers real, tactical steps—from workflow audits to recovery plans—to help creators reclaim their energy, purpose, and sustainability in their work.

AI Updates + Tools To Watch

Virtual Bootcamp from Renee Frojo

My friend Renee Lynn Frojo is hosting a one-day virtual bootcamp in collaboration with newsletter growth expert Tyler Cook and community strategist April MacLean on how to grow an audience that actually cares—without hacks or hustle. If you’re trying to stand out online and want to create content that builds real connection and converts to community, clients, and newsletter subs, this is for you.

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​Sept 13 | Get on the waitlist here​

Expert Interview | Teodora Pirciu

Free consulting: One smart expert, one focused conversation that you can apply to your work.

1/ Tell me about your journey into content marketing—how did you get started, and what drew you in?

I stumbled into content marketing almost by accident, guided by a string of fortunate events. My background is in journalism, so writing has always been in the picture. The shift to web writing happened out of necessity and eventually led me to content marketing. I was lucky to join an agency that believed in me enough to invest in my initial training and assigned me projects that allowed me to refine my skills.
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​2/ What’s your process for getting to know a brand “inside out” before building a content plan?

This is one of the trickiest questions. A lot of the time, the brands I work with don't actually have a defined voice. Some have a general vibe, and others have many overlapping voices and personalities, depending on who has been handling their marketing.

If I had waited until I knew a brand inside out before starting, I probably wouldn't have gotten the chance to start at all. So instead, I look for clues, such as keywords they frequently use or specific word choices for concepts that go back to their services and values.

The funny thing is, many brands don't even notice those patterns until someone from the outside starts using them. That's usually when they'll say, "Yes, that's us" or "No, we don't talk like that." From there, it's all about learning by doing.
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​3/ Freelancing can feel isolating. How has community impacted your career, and how do you recommend others find or build theirs?

Solitude has a way of keeping you in the dark because you don't know what you don't know. It may be happening less today thanks to the increased availability of resources for freelancers, but since not all of them are good, you would still need peers to vet them. Otherwise, you bump into someone just as blind as you are, and suddenly, you both start thinking your reality is the only reality.

That was me when I started freelancing. I had no idea what I was doing, no clue what to charge, where to find jobs, or even what "working" looked like in this space. I just went in completely blind.
Everything changed when I found a community of freelance mothers. That's where I realized I was charging 15 times less than other people doing the same job.

After a while, I found another community where I learned about tools. And so on.

Which brings me to the real lesson here: you have to find the right communities, where people get your reality, your stage of business, and your personality. If you don't like the community, leave. If you outgrow the group, you can go. If your peers grow faster than you, it's okay to leave them. Otherwise, you'll spend more time doubting your life choices than building your career.

Let's Connect!

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