Samantha North on Showcasing Expertise, Brand Universe, and SEO

06/26/24 • 55 min

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Samantha North for the fifty-sixth episode of the Optimize podcast. Samantha North is a content strategist and SEO coach with a diverse background, having grown blogs to over 100,000 monthly visitors and driven significant conversions. In our episode today, Nate and Samantha explore the changing search landscape, including the recent Google leak, AI overviews, protecting your website's traffic, and what Samantha calls the "Brand Universe." Samantha also shares insights on why she recommends incorporating personal experience into content to enhance authenticity and user trust. Listen to hear why she suggests focusing on topical authority and creating unique content based on personal experiences. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Samantha share everything you need to know about navigating the challenges posed by Google's helpful content update and adapting your SEO strategies accordingly. Samantha gets tactical, discussing methods to enhance your content's E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and how to effectively use AI tools to support content creation without compromising quality. Rounding out the episode, Samantha and Nate cover topics like the importance of backlinks, effective content repurposing strategies, and the future of SEO in the age of AI. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Samantha North:

Samantha North is a content strategist and SEO coach with a diverse background spanning journalism, computational social science, and counter-disinformation. With experience in growing blogs to over 100K monthly visitors and driving lucrative conversions, Samantha is passionate about helping experts build authoritative online brands through intelligent use of AI tools and SEO. Her expertise has been featured in major publications such as the Financial Times and Business Insider, and she has delivered training for the UK military and a talk at TEDx MidAtlantic.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/northsamantha/?originalSubdomain=uk

Learn More About Samantha North:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/northsamantha/?originalSubdomain=uk

Previous Episode

Stephan Cizmar on Standing Up Outbound Sales Motions, Messaging, and Success

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Stephan Cizmar for the fifty-fifth episode of the Optimize podcast. Stephan is a co-founder and partner at ER Ventures, an operator-led venture fund. He is also an operating partner at Blackhorn Ventures and was previously the co-founder and chief strategy officer of LANG. In our episode today, Nate and Stephan delve into the intricacies of outbound sales strategies, focusing on the importance of personalized touches and the timing for initiating an outbound sales motion. Stephan shares his unique journey from management consulting to becoming an accidental investor and offers insights on building and measuring successful outbound sales teams. Stephan also discusses the critical aspects of outbound sales, including crafting effective sequences, targeting the right personas, and leveraging tools to enhance deliverability and engagement. Listen to hear why he emphasizes understanding the ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and iterating on messaging to cut through the noise in crowded markets. In this week’s deep dive, Stephan shares valuable lessons on standing up outbound sales motions, building an outbound team, and how early-stage companies can measure success. He gets tactical, offering case studies and examples of what works and what doesn’t in the realm of outbound sales. Rounding out the episode, Stephan and Nate cover topics like the role of AI in outbound sales, the importance of social proof, and best practices for hiring and ramping up BDRs. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Stephan Cizmar:

Stephan is a serial entrepreneur and operator with experience scaling B2B software companies from zero to IPO.

Prior to co-founding Lorimer Ventures, Stephan co-founded and scaled Lang.ai, a no-code ML company for customer support, through it’s Series A. Before Lang.ai, Stephan was Vice President of Product Strategy at Unqork as well as the Head of Corporate Strategy at Yext, a company that he helped take public (NYSE: YEXT). In addition to being a General Partner at Lorimer, Stephan is an Operating Partner with Blackhorn Ventures, a multi-stage Industry 4.0 firm.

Stephan holds dual degrees in Economics and Science, Technology, and Society from Colby College and lives in Brooklyn.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephancizmar/

Next Episode

Caitlin Hartney on Product-Led Content and B2B Strategy

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Caitlin Hartney for the fifty-seventh episode of the Optimize podcast. Caitlin is the Director of Strategy at Block Club, an agency specializing in brand and content strategy for B2B tech companies. Caitlin has over 15 years of experience in content marketing, starting with an AMLA 250 corporate law firm, and has worked with notable brands like Plaid and Argyle. In our episode today, Nate and Caitlin explore topics like product-led content, B2B content strategies, and the recent Google algorithm leak. Caitlin emphasizes the importance of thinking like a journalist to create engaging and valuable content that resonates with the audience. Listen to hear why she suggests focusing on building a strong brand presence and creating high-quality, authoritative content. In this week’s deep dive, Caitlin shares her approach to developing effective B2B content strategies, including balancing promotional content with value-driven narratives. Rounding out the episode, Caitlin and Nate discuss the implications of the recent Google leak and how it affects SEO strategies moving forward. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Caitlin Hartney:
Caitlin Hartney is the Director of Strategy at Block Club.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinhartney/
Block Club: https://blockclub.co/