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UX Content Strategy - Larry Swanson - Seattle, WA

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Larry Swanson - UX Content Strategist

Larry Swanson is a lifelong publisher and 20-year digital strategist. He hosts the Content Strategy Insights podcast and organizes content strategy meetups in Phoenix and Seattle. He also helps organize community networking events for the Knowledge Graph Conference as well as events like World Information Architecture Day. In his spare time he plays with community samba bands: Samba de Cavalo in Phoenix and VamoLá! in Seattle.

Jonathon Colman: Content Champion – Episode 51

August 22, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

podcast cover art with photo of Jonathon Colman, content designer at Intercom

Jonathon Colman knows how to build content teams and integrate them into big digital programs. He deftly navigates the challenges that come with creating complex products in fast-growing organizations, always championing the best content practices. Jonathon’s career arc mirrors the growth of content strategy and content design. He started out as a technical writer and […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: content design, content strategy, Jonathon Colman

The Evergrey: Conversational Journalism – Episode 50

August 5, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Content Strategy Insights logo and photo of The Evergrey Local Director Caitlin Moran and WhereBy.Us Vice President of Local Monica Guzman

Mónica Guzmán and Caitlin Moran are thoughtful practitioners of a new kind of reporting – conversational journalism. Their team at WhereBy.Us builds community in five U.S. cities with newsletters that engage their readers in ways that old media couldn’t. I invited Monica and Caitlin to the podcast because I was impressed with how they had […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: conversational content, conversational journalism, style guide, voice & tone guide

Tracy Playle: Content Strategy Workshops – Episode 49

July 15, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

cover art for podcast interview with Tracy Playle, content strategist workshop expert

Tracy Playle has a super-power: people skills that help her run effective content strategy workshops. Clarify your “why.” Get the right people together. Engage them in focused and creative activities. Great strategy is the result. Tracy and I talked about: her content strategy consulting work in the education sector ContentEd, the conference she organizes how […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: impostor syndrome, Tracy Playle, workshops

Phillip Hunter: Designing Digital Conversations – Episode 48

July 5, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

cover art for podcast interview with Phillip Hunter, digital conversation designer

Phillip Hunter has been designing digital conversations for 20 years. He started with touch-tone phone applications. More recently, he has worked on Alexa and other voice-based technologies. Phillip and I talked about: how fun it is to “talk about talking” his current work at [24]7 his early work developing touch-tone applications back in the 90s […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: conversational content, conversational design, Phillip Hunter, voice

Colleen Jones: The Content Advantage – Episode 47

June 16, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

podcast episode information with photo of Colleen Jones, author of "The Content Advantage"

Colleen Jones is a Jedi Master of content effectiveness. She helps organizations plan, create, and improve operations that produce user-focused content. Colleen and I talked about: her return to consulting after 9 months leading the content team at Mailchimp content effectiveness – how it’s a needed new way of measuring content succcess that fits conceptually […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: Colleen Jones, content effectiveness, content intelligence, content ops

Torrey Podmajersky: Strategic Writing for UX – Episode 46

June 2, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Torrey Podmajersky - author of Strategic Writing for UX

Torrey Podmajersky is a true UX writing pioneer. As a “content developer” for Microsoft’s Xbox she cultivated the skills she now uses as a UX writer at Google. Her new book, “Strategic Writing for UX,” shares the insights she has gleaned over 10 years of UX writing practice. Torrey and I talked about: how her […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: Torrey Podmajersky, UX writing

Laura Robertson: In Search of a Content-First CMS – Episode 45

May 20, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

episode info and photo of Laura Robertson, content strategist

Do you love your CMS? Laura Robertson asked the audience at her Confab 2019 talk whether any of them loved their CMS. In a room of 750 people, only one hand went up. This sad state of affairs has prompted Laura to reflect deeply on content management systems. Laura and I talked about: her content […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: CMS, Laura Robertson

Mike Atherton: Designing Connected Content – Episode 44

April 21, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Mike Atherton, author, Designing Connected Content

Mike Atherton applies insights from information architecture to help content strategists develop domain models. These models help align content stakeholders and create a powerful way to organize, discover, and display content. Mike and I talked about: his discovery in the late 1990s of the field of information architecture (solving what was then known as “the […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: content design, designing connected content, Mike Atherton

Flora Paul: Editorial Intelligence – Episode 43

April 9, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Flora Paul - content strategist at UOL and (formerly) BuzzFeed Brasil

Flora Paul developed an analytics practice she calls “editorial intelligence” during her time at BuzzFeed Brasil. She firmly believes that writers and content strategists “can be friends with numbers and data.” Flora and I talked about: UOL, the huge internet portal in Brazil, her current employer her prior work at BuzzFeed Brasil how she came […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: content intelligence, Flora Paul, journalism, measuring content effectiveness

Rachel Van’t Land: Finding Your Brand Voice – Episode 42

March 25, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Rachel Van't Land - voice and branding expert

Rachel Van’t Land helps businesses speak in a credible voice that aligns with their brand. She is a copywriter, brand strategist, and content strategist based in Seattle, WA. Rachel and I talked about: how she defines “voice” and how she helps her clients find theirs the importance of voice – it’s every bit as, if […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: branding, Rachel Van't Land, voice, voice & tone guide

Blaine Kyllo: The Power of Content Governance – Episode 41

March 18, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Blaine Kyllo helps enterprises understand and optimize their content processes. A key part of his work is helping his clients develop governance models that keep content operations on track. Blaine and I talked about: his background in journalism and publishing how large enterprises tend to have the big, sticky problems that governance can solve how […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: Blaine Kyllo, content ops, governance, processes

Crystal Taggart: Using AI to Optimize SMB Digital Marketing – Episode 40

March 11, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Crystal Taggart, founder of Atlas AI

Crystal Taggart helps small- to medium-sized businesses improve their business results with artificial intelligence. AI is rapidly emerging as a viable technology that even small businesses can use to optimize their marketing efforts. Crystal and I talked about: her company, Atlas AI, and its mission to empower SMBs to use artificial intelligence to better promote […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: AI, Crystal Taggart, marketing

Neal Sofian: Using Conversational Content to Build Relationships – Episode 39

March 6, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Neal Sofian, CEO of tuzag, Inc.

Neal Sofian leads a company that builds conversation bots for the health-care industry. Using algorithms, machine learning, and contextual storytelling, they create complex, customized content on the fly to help people change their health behavior. Neal and I talked about: conversational AI and how conversation bots can create conversations and build relationships how technology that […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: AI, chatbot, conversational content, machine learning, Neal Sofian

Jennifer Bourn: Small-Business Content Systems – Episode 38

February 21, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Jennifer Bourn helps small businesses create systems to plan and create their content. She also helps other small-agency owners streamline and systematize their operations. Jennifer and I talked about: the importance of systems and processes in both her business and personal lives her ability to identify and implement a systematic approach to any business activity – […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: agency, Jennifer Bourn, process, SMB

Kronda Adair: Stealth Content Strategy – Episode 37

February 4, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

Kronda Adair helps mission-driven businesses succeed online. Helping her clients authentically share their expertise as digital content is a key part of this mission. Kronda and I talked about: her evolution from web developer to a full-service, results-oriented marketing agency her stealthy approach to eliciting content from her clients her new “Content Bootcamp” product how […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: Kronda Adair, SMB, stealth content strategy

Jenn Marie: Brand Copywriting & UX – Episode 36

January 25, 2019 by Larry 1 Comment

Jenn Marie helps small businesses share their authentic selves online. She focuses on personality-driven content marketing that helps her clients start conversations with their customers and prospects. Jenn and I talked about: how her diverse business background prepared her for internet marketing work how her work in experiential marketing informs her branding expertise the confluence […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: branding, copywriting, Jenn Marie, SMB, UX

John Sechrest: Content Strategies for Startups – Episode 35

January 14, 2019 by Larry Leave a Comment

John Sechrest on Content Strategies for Startups

John Sechrest helps startups tell their stories. By managing the narrative around their startup idea, founders can improve their odds of raising money, attracting the right talent, and – most importantly – connecting with the right customers. John and I talked about: the importance in of startup founders telling an effective story and living it […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: content stratetgies, John Sechrest, startups

A Content Strategy Process Model

December 14, 2018 by Larry 1 Comment

Content strategy can be described as a process. At the highest level, it entails planning, implementing, and administering the creation, distribution, and promotion of digital content. At a more detailed level, it entails stages familiar to any digital or business strategist: discovery, strategy, governance, designing, building, publishing, and management. At an even more detailed level, […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Tagged With: process model

WordPress 5.0 and Gutenberg: A Quick Update

November 5, 2018 by Larry Leave a Comment

WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg at WordCamp Portland

I talked briefly with Matt Mullenweg after attending his surprise Q&A session at WordCamp Portland (OR) Saturday. The WordPress community has expressed concern about the impending release of WordPress 5.0 and the new Gutenberg editor that will launch with it. So there were a number of questions about both in the Q&A. On the issue of […]

Filed Under: WordPress

Andrea Zoellner: UX Copywriting – Episode 34

October 23, 2018 by Larry Leave a Comment

Andrea Zoellner - UX copywriter

Andrea Zoellner is passionate about making the web more accessible and usable. With clear UX copywriting and a single-minded focus on the user, she helps people succeed online. Andrea and I talked about: her passion for making the web more accessible her path to UX copywriting via communications and journalism her definition of UX copywriting: […]

Filed Under: Content Strategy Insights Tagged With: Andrea Zoellner, copywriting, UX

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Upcoming Talks & Presentations

  • World Information Architecture Day Phoenix talk, “UX & Information Architecture: 2 concept, 3 views,” February 26, 2021
  • FH Joanneum Content Strategy program guest speaker, May 2021
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About Elless Media

Elless Media is the home of Larry Swanson’s content strategy and UX writing consultancy and the Content Strategy Insights podcast.

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