Hello!

There’s a silly trend in content marketing right now (I blame AI and bad writers). The trend?

I like to call it… Copy & Paste Marketing (C&PM). Let's call it that, okay? 👇

Wut?

Do a little test.

Google something popular within your niche.

Try your best not to look at the brand. Click on the link. Read the article.

Do you know what brand it’s from?

Or does it completely lack voice?

Could you simply “copy and paste” the text on any one of their competitors' websites?

Probably, right?

This is ESPECIALLY true if you work in B2B.

Brand guidelines often say things like: We want our writing to be “professional.” We speak to “educated consumers.” We write TOFU content that “stands out.”

Um, okay?

So does EVERY other brand on the face of the universe.

With this kind of guidance, it’s easy to write content that sounds like everyone else.

But that’s not helpful. The audience won’t care. The brand won’t stand out. You’ll get paid for a project here and there. Then? The client will review their results and the remaining budget, then bail.

So, what’s a writer to do?

Well, we’re going to call out Copy & Paste Marketing from the get-go and give clients suggestions on what will stand out.

But first, what does “Copy & Paste Marketing” look like?

For starters:

It could belong to anyone. You could slap another company’s logo on it, and no one would notice.
It overuses buzzwords. Think “cutting-edge,” “innovative,” “data-driven,” “game-changer,” “in today’s landscape…” (yawn).
It never takes a stance. Tries to please everyone and ends up saying nothing.
It skips voice. You can’t “hear” the brand (or the writer) at all.
It’s reactive, not reflective. Written because “we need a blog this week,” not because it serves a clear goal.
It’s forgettable. You finish reading and immediately open a new tab.

How can you tell a project will lead to publishing Copy & Paste content?

Here are some signs:

The brief is missing essential elements. It doesn't tell you about the audience, the company's goals, or why you're writing the article. (If you need a good brief, this is the one you need).
The brand voice doc is MIA. Or worse, it says “professional but friendly.” (🙃)
They prioritize volume over value. “We want 10 blogs a month” with no distribution plan.
They reject strong opinions. If you take a stance and they say, “Let’s make it more neutral,” run.
They don’t want to share data or talk to SMEs. Means they’re fine with surface-level content.
The deadline is absurd. 24–48 hours for a 2,000-word thought piece? You’re being set up for mediocrity.
The rate doesn’t match the ask. If they want “thought leadership” but are paying $100 a post, it’s not thought leadership—it’s C&P Marketing.
They use AI as a tool to make MORE content, not content more thoughtful. “We use AI to spam the univese” = “We don’t care if our content is bad."

Now this is your time to shine. This is your time to step in and say:

“Hey Client, This is a great start, but here’s how we can create content that your audience will care about and the SERPs/LLMs will pick up.”

Then, we go into this:

Let’s start with an audience research do-over. This means getting on the phone and talking to customers. Reading reviews. Using tools to figure out where they hang out online (I like SparkToro). Figuring out what their pain points are. You don’t necessarily need a formal ICP document (I know, blasphemy), but you do need to know their common problems and how they like to consume content.

How about we flesh out this brand book? A lot of content out there is professional. A lot is cheeky. A lot is smart. But not much of the content is distinct. We’re going to fix that. We’re going to find specific examples of the kind of content that sounds like you, test them with your audience, and then we’re going to create a guide that captures the vibes.

We’re going to skip out on generic TOFU content. What the heck? I know. I know. TOFU content is king. Whatever, that’s so pre-2023. The truth is… AI is dominating the generic TOFU content world. If someone is looking for a basic answer, they’ll rarely click through to your site, read your generic definitions, keep clicking through your content, and slide down your funnel to customer land. Generic, glossary-type content is a waste of money in the world of AI and zero-click content (shout out to Amanda Natividad).

We’re going to focus on problem-based, in-depth, and BOFU content instead. Why would a customer need your solution? What job are they trying to do? What problems do they need solved? What are they searching for to find that solution? That’s where our content strategy will now live.

What if we created some original research? Once again, AI does an outstanding job at predictive tasks. It can define the crap out of anything, and it will probably do a better job than a human writer will. Cool. So, what? You know what it’s not going to do? It’s not going to put together a study about a specific problem, come up with the results, and write a research report. (I mean, it will certainly help speed up parts of the process). But the original data will belong to you, and it’s gonna shine. Ahrefs is doing an outstanding job of this. So is ipullrank. So is Sparktoro.

Optimize for search. Offer a content plan that comes with an optimization with a tool like Clearscope (they are an affiliate, but for good reason). As a content writer, you don’t have to offer a full SEO strategy. But you can offer full SEO optimization as a differentiator (I do this). Every post you give them will be fully optimized for search rankings. You can even give them the Clearscope report to show them what and how you optimized the post (I do this, too).

Get Clearscope

Let’s brainstorm creative approaches to content. There has never been a better time to test and try new things. We’re in a chaotic world of content right now, and there is so much opportunity to break through and offer new content ideas and formats. Sit down with a client who is willing to test and see what you can come up with.

You see where I’m going? Content HAS to be individual, interesting, and have a unique voice. Think of it as a person. Not a blog.

Challenge: Sit down with a client (or a prospective client) and discuss how you're going to ditch Copy & Paste marketing, and make their content as cool as an individual person.

Thanks,

Ashley R. Cummings

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Expert Interview | Nick Bennett

1/ Tell me about your journey into solopreneurship. What sparked the shift, and what helped you find your focus?

I am what they call an accidental entrepreneur. What that means is that I was laid off from my job, had a nine-month-old baby at home, a mortgage, and needed a way to make money immediately. Finding my focus was actually very easy. The problem I was trying to solve for the agency I worked at was rampant in the world of marketing agencies, so it was an absolute no-brainer to solve this problem for everyone, instead of just one company.

2/ You talk a lot about simplifying offers and shifting from deliverables to outcomes. What’s one change solopreneurs can make today to move in that direction?

Codify your approach and run the same play over and over and over again.

3/ You’ve helped solopreneurs grow without relying on constant inbounds. What’s your take on the role content should play in relationship-driven businesses?

Content creates the engagement loops you need to start more conversations. Conversations lead to relationships, and relationships can become business opportunities.