Solutions for restoring content trust

Real talk. Media and publishers have been on the unfortunate side of organic search for years. Advertising models don’t deliver revenue like they used to. Conversational search platforms are commodifying informational content and now starting to push down top stories (thanks to a new study by John Shehata at NewzDash). It’s bleak. Search engines are increasingly polluted with AI-generated junk. But the solution isn’t to churn out more fluff. It’s to act like a newsroom. Journalism is about to make a major comeback. Not via the industries. Sorry. Journalistic content that’s supported by first-party data and quotes will be a big advantage when people look for real and unique insights. Doing the hard things. Does your marketing team have a converted journalist on staff? You should. At the very least, you should have an agency that’s capable of journalist-level content creation. So what goes into it? My colleague Carly Stoenner put together an epic guide for SEOs and Content Marketers to consider when building out your next piece of content that needs to earn visibility in organic search. She breaks down how brands can borrow from data journalism to build trust, improve visibility, and future-proof content. Key takeaways: • Data journalism works. Citing original research, unique insights, and expert quotes can boost visibility by up to 40% in large language models. • Information gain matters. Adding unique, hard-to-find insights helps your content get picked up and amplified across platforms, including AI Overviews. • Distribution is everything. As Francine Monahan and Michael King both point out, building authority means being intentional with how, where, and why you publish, not just what you say. • Trust drives performance. John Shehata (NewzDash) notes that originality, clarity, and credibility drive traction in Google Discover, not keywords or fluff. • Storytelling still wins. John James Nicoletti, Ed.D. (Cronkite Agency) draws the line from journalism to marketing: good stories, backed by facts, resonate across disciplines. • Search and editorial are converging. Shelby Blackley (The Athletic) emphasizes that SEO teams are now part of the editorial process from pitch to publish. Don’t succumb to lazy strategy. There’s an opportunity right now, and it’s hard work. Brands that treat content like data-backed storytelling, not filler, will earn their place in both search and customer trust. Besides, the world needs more unexpected pairings reports. Check out Carly’s post.

Most brands publish content. But.... They should be distributing insight. Publishing says: → “We just released this 20 page PDF. Go read it.” But if no one’s doing that, the issue isn’t timing... It’s trust. It’s visibility. It’s belief that this piece is actually worth their attention. Because here's the thing: Marketers ruined it. Marketers ruined the POWER of gated content. They pressed publish on PDFs that were filled with meh content. They pressed publish on whitepapers that said nothing but buzz words. And they published reports that told us what we already knew... So the trust is gone. This is why your posts need relevance: → “Here’s what 98% of marketers in [INDUSTRY] are saying about [TOPIC]” → “We just realized XX% of [audience] are SCARED of [INSIGHT FROM REPORT]. ” Instead of this: “Our new guide is live.” Try this → “98% of CMOs told us [surprising stat] and here’s what that means for your Q3 playbook.” Instead of this: “Download our latest report.” Try this → “Most VPs of Marketing are quietly panicking about [X] and this data explains why.” Instead of this: “Check out our whitepaper.” Try this: → “We pulled 3 insights from a 20-page report so you don’t have to read it. Let’s go.” Marketers: Your job isn’t to drop links. It’s instill trust. Make them feel seen. Make them feel smart. Make them want to click. That’s the distribution mindset. #marketing #contentmarketing #socialmediamarketing

It’s so hard to tell AI apart from reality anymore. The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), may have an answer. This collaborative effort, spearheaded by industry giants such as Adobe, Arm, Intel, Microsoft, and Truepic, aims to forge a digital environment where the origins of media content can be traced reliably, restoring a measure of trust to the online world. A notable implementation of the C2PA standard comes from OpenAI, which tweeted last week that it has integrated C2PA metadata into images generated with ChatGPT on the web and through its API serving the DALL-E3 model. Users can leverage platforms like Content Credentials Verify to ascertain if an image was generated by the underlying DALL-E3 model through OpenAI’s tools, unless the metadata has been removed. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that metadata like C2PA, while instrumental in establishing provenance, is not a panacea. The ease with which it can be accidentally or intentionally removed—by actions such as uploading to social media platforms or taking screenshots underscores the complexities of digital provenance. The cornerstone of C2PA's strategy is the development of open technical standards for certifying the source and history—or provenance—of different types of media. This initiative represents a unified effort, amalgamating the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and Project Origin, driven by Microsoft and the BBC, into a singular force combatting disinformation online. Central to C2PA's efforts is the introduction of the CR mark, standing for "Content Credentials." This feature serves as a visual indicator of the provenance of digital media, enabling users to easily identify content that has been verified according to C2PA's technical standards. Content creators utilising tools that support these standards can embed cryptographically signed metadata into their media, encapsulated within the CR mark. As Adobe says, it works by scrolling over the CR icon to reveal a “digital nutrition label”. “This list of ingredients will show verified information as key context so people can be sure of what they’re looking at. This can include data about a piece of content, such as: the publisher or creator’s information, where and when it was created, what tools were used to make it, including whether or not generative AI was used, as well as any edits that were made along the way.” The ability to authenticate the provenance of content directly impacts copyright enforcement, licensing agreements, and the broader IP regulatory framework. The CR mark offers a robust tool for helping protect IP rights by embedding information on authorship and modifications directly within the content. It’s also potentially risky from an IP perspective if used with AI generated output. Currently in the USA, AI generated outputs are not protected by copyright. Advertising to the world at large that your works are effectively public domain is a risky IP strategy.

Last time I spoke with Hanna Stechenko, the current Head of SEO at Pieces for Developers and PandaDoc’s former SEO manager, she shared an interesting thought: our content should focus less on selling and more on building relationships with our audience. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering how to nail this in practice. So, I asked Hanna to expand on her thoughts, and here’s what she had to say. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 "All too often, when we're writing content, the entire piece ends up being an overt promotion of our product or service — highlighting how great we are and the benefits we provide. But why on earth would I, as a potential customer who came from organic search and has never heard of you before, immediately trust you and want to buy your product? Imagine hundreds of businesses doing the same thing — it’s just noise. Now, I understand that certain types of content, like product tours, pricing pages, and landing pages, are meant to have a more sales-focused approach. Conversion is their purpose. But when it comes to your top-of-funnel (TOFU) or middle-of-funnel (MOFU) content, if all you’re doing is talking about yourself, you’re missing the mark." 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 "On the contrary, content that’s truly going to capture my attention and earn my trust is the kind that’s educational and problem-solving — one that guides me through the process. It’s content that "holds my hand" and shows me how to address my pain points, rather than just shouting about how amazing you are. The key is to strike a balance. Sure, you can mention your products and services in the content, but the focus should be on providing genuine value and building trust with your audience. It might take 2 or 3 interactions — or even 10 — but if you consistently deliver high-quality, educational content, you’ll start establishing yourself as an authority in your field. And that’s when you’ll see customers coming back, ready to engage with your brand on a deeper level." 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹? "I believe AI will only replace poor or overly generic writing and make unique, thought leadership content even more valuable than before. Yes, some types of basic content, like product reviews or descriptions, might be overtaken by AI. But overall, good writers will use the tech as a tool to focus on more high-priority and high-quality work, including research and creativity. Hopefully, this will bring educational content to the next level." I'll post the link to our previous discussion with Hanna in the comments. 🔔 Hey, if you found this content helpful, follow Hanna and me for more updates.