“But does it have to, tho?”

~ actual Kat quote from, like, every day.

Sometimes the status quo is the status quo because it makes the most sense.

Sometimes it's the only way.

(Buuuuut probably not.)

At first, I thought my job was to write good stuff.
Learn the audience. Do the research. Find the story. Write something useful without putting readers to sleep. And I still love that part.

Then I learned that a great draft can’t save a bad assignment.
You can execute the hell out of something and still end up with the wrong thing. So I started getting more interested in what happened before the brief: Why are we making this? Who needs it? What job should it do? Is this even the right format?

Then I got closer to the machinery behind the content.
Calendars. Style guides. Editing. Freelancers. SEO. Stakeholders. Workflows. (Oh my.) All the stuff that determines whether great work happens consistently — or requires somebody to perform a small miracle every Tuesday.

I realized that asking questions is part of the job.
Some of the most valuable work I could do was notice the assumption underneath the assignment, poke it a little, and help figure out if we should be doing something else instead of (or in addition to) the assignment.

And today’s tools don’t change that.
AI can make an astonishing amount of content astonishingly fast. It’s less about Can we make this? and more about Should we? I can’t stop asking, Is it good? Is it useful? What requires human judgment — and how do we scale that? 

And I’m not sorry.

Give me an assignment and I’ll ask what’s behind it.

Who are we trying to reach? What do they actually need? What does the business need? What have we tried already? What are we assuming? And why are we making this thing in this way?

I’m not cosplaying a two-year-old who just learned how to say “why.” I save that annoying gem for my closest friends.

I just want to make sure we create smart so you don’t waste time and energy on content that falls flat. I want to make sure we think before putting fingertips to keyboard. Because “Well, shit, now we have to redo it” is nobody’s favorite project milestone.

So I tend to...

Question the default. “This is how we’ve always done it” is context, not a conclusion. I don’t settle for the status quo, and neither should you. (You deserve better.)

Find a path forward. We might not have all the answers yet. But let’s understand enough to take the next smart step and learn from it. Let’s move.

F**k around and find out. Can we launch something small and see what happens when it collides with reality? It’s the only way to get results IRL.

Understand before you conclude.
The problem someone hands you isn't always the problem they need to solve. Get curious. Look around. Ask the weird question. Then decide what you think.

Have an opinion. Hold it loosely.
Expertise means bringing judgment to the table, not planting a flag and defending it to the death. Have a reason for what you believe. Have an equally good reason to change your mind.

Get close to the people you’re writing for.
You can know everything about your product and still be miles away from the person you're trying to reach. Good content closes that distance.

And then, for the love of em-dashes, do something.
We're not forming a Content Marketing Philosophy Society. Make the thing. Put it in front of actual humans. See what happens. Learn something. Go again.

Let's make beautiful content together.

Have questions? 

Let's talk →

“Kat thrives on strategic projects as well as writing projects. She takes and implements feedback extremely well, and she’s always willing to share feedback of her own."

~ Vilja Johnson, Content and Media Activation Lead, Semrush

“Kat is a great listener. Her writing is sharp, witty, and flavored with feeling that readers respond to. I’ve asked Kat to help me write tourist blogs, pet product descriptions, and even blogs for a dating website, and she has wowed me every time.”

~ Jessica Bennett, Founder, Endeavor Writing

“Kat always delivered projects on time and on point, and she elevated every project she touched. She worked tirelessly to understand users and cater to their needs. She quickly became an expert on very complex subject matter to better help users and her fellow team members.”

~ Ashley Walton, CMO, Moxie Pest Control

“Kat shows calm competence in everything she does, and is an exceptional writer and supportive coworker.”

~ Mindy Woodall, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Tremendous

"What's best about working with Kat isn't her ability to put words in a document in a compelling way. It's her ability to grow  and take direction, edits, comments, and criticism, and then produce subsequent pieces that show she pays attention.”

~ Amanda Russell, Technical Marketing Program Manager, Siemens

“Kat's passion for her projects and dedication to a job well done will inspire you to grow right alongside her. I loved trying to keep pace with her”

~ Rachel Oaks, Content Writer & Editor