Justin Belmont

Video is one of the most powerful tools in content marketing—but how do you convince leadership to invest in it? In this episode of Answers with Ahava + Friends, I sit down with Tony Gnau from T60 Health to tackle the big question: How can marketers effectively communicate the value of video to decision-makers? Have you had to make the case for video in your organization? How did it go? Drop your thoughts below! 👇 #AnswersWithAhava

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The most painful moment in PR. Stakeholder wants headlines. Budget is “we’ll see.” The brief is vague. The story is… not. “We need visibility.” “Top-tier media.” “Thought leadership.” What’s new? Silence. Then comes the line every PR professional knows by heart: “Just make it interesting.” 😬 PR isn’t magic. It’s strategy, timing, substance… and occasionally explaining that being alive isn’t news. Back to reframing reality.

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Some great tips from industry smarty pants on SEO best practices for print and promo: 💡Brian Shepanek of Underground Printing: “You’re not going to outsmart Google. If you spend all your time trying to focus on what that change was and how to adjust, you’re always being reactionary.” 💡Gloria Lafont of Action Marketing Co.: “You have to create content that’s relevant to the searches and to the people who are searching,” 💡Brooklyn McCue of Liquid Screen Design: “I think you have to accept pretty quickly that you’re not going to rank No. 1 on Google for ‘printed T-shirt’ or ‘branded pen.' " 💡Brayden Jessen of Zome Design: "Reviews are everything. We get a lot of people who say they called us because we had more five-star Google reviews than anyone else.” 💡Julianna Morgan, JD, MBA of PCNA: "While social media itself doesn’t directly influence search rankings, it plays an essential role in driving traffic, building brand awareness and creating the kind of engagement that supports SEO, 💡Lindsey Cole of Ethix Merch: "This is a very long game. ... Maybe someone doesn’t convert after reading your blog post, but they come back two months later and look at something else." Read my full story for more! #SEOBestPractices #DigitalMarketingTips #PromoProducts

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🔥 AI LICENSING FRAMEWORKS EMERGE AS PUBLISHERS FACE DIGITAL DISRUPTION 🔥 As generative AI continues to reshape content discovery and consumption, industry leaders are increasingly advocating for licensing frameworks that protect creators while enabling technological innovation. At a recent panel discussion titled "Licensing Is a Win-Win: The Exciting AI Partnerships Between Creators and Tech" part of the "The Story Starts With Us, " a day-long forum cohosted by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Copyright Alliance executives from publishing, entertainment, and AI development highlighted the commercial and ethical imperatives of establishing sustainable licensing models. 📊 Referrals from generative search results have increased by 5.5 million while top 100 publisher searches have declined by 64 million. This fundamental shift is transforming how publishers monetize content in the AI era. 💡 Why it matters: The publishing industry is experiencing its "Napster moment" as AI companies and content creators navigate a rapidly evolving landscape where proper licensing frameworks are crucial for sustaining both innovation and content creation. 🤝 By the numbers: 📈 50+ large content catalogs are now working with licensing platforms 💰 Startups like Moonvalley have raised $100M+ to build ethical AI models based on licensed content 📚 31-35% of content from books like Harry Potter series is "memorized verbatim" by certain AI models 🔮 What's next: New technologies can detect with "99.99999999% certainty" when content has been used in AI training, giving creators leverage in licensing negotiations. 🧠 Professional insight: Geoff Campbell, SVP of strategy and business development at Condé Nast, noted sustainable ecosystems benefit all parties: "If AI companies bring down the value of companies too much, who are going to be the human creators that are going to create the content that is going to teach these models something new?" How will your organization approach AI partnerships in this changing landscape? 🤔 MY TAKE: 😎 The first step is getting Big Tech and AI to acknowledge copyright is valid and that creators have a valid, legal claim for being compensated for their work that has been appropriated to teach the machines. #AILicensing #ContentCreation #PublishingIndustry #AIEthics #EdNawotka #EdwardNawotka #PublishersWeekly 👀 Looking for more? Read my full article Publishers Weekly https://lnkd.in/eXsNS5NA

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3 thoughts on the AdCP launch: 1. I love how big the swing is. Scope3 and team explicitly framed the shift to agentic as on par with the other transformational platform shifts of the past 20–30 years (print → digital, desktop → mobile, manual → programmatic). This is exactly the level you want to communicate on if you are or want to be the industry leader: “We are inventing the future.” Compare that to the usual adtech discourse: litigating Google’s crimes, debating technicalities, chasing marginal improvements. There’s a time for that. But there’s a reason Brian O'Kelley has such a big audience. He takes swings that make everyone else blush. 2. They framed agentic advertising around outcomes, not just efficiency. Yes, efficiency is part of it. But the real big idea is making advertising dramatically more effective by solving the signal-loss problem between the sell side and buy side. When you improve communication and deeply understand content and audiences, performance improves. It’s not about saving 10%. It’s about growing the pie. 3. Terence Kawaja tied it back to the core battle: open web vs. walled gardens. Google, Meta, and AppLovin make advertising easy, and they sell outcomes. You cannot win if you’re selling complicated gobbledygook and writing dissertations to prove your inventory is actually better than AppLovin’s ROAS. There’s a reason AppLovin is worth more than the rest of the Lumascape combined. The speakers did a great job explaining how agentic advertising addresses that problem, putting the open internet on offense. Lots to learn here from a marketing perspective and important debates about the future of the industry. What did you think?

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Why are contributed articles such an effective way to help your company secure media coverage? Because many companies aren’t doing it. Trade publications often accept contributed articles, also known as bylined articles, as they’re looking for relevant content. Placing these articles helps your B2B brand appear in search results, which is more important than ever. AI-powered search engines (like Perplexity) *love* topically related content like that found in a trade publication. Often, these publications have no paywalls, making it easier for AI to access the information. Other benefits of contributed articles for you and your company include: ✅ Positions you as a thought leader in your space ✅ Increases your visibility ✅ Leads to other opportunities – speaking, writing more articles, being quoted in roundups and so on As an experienced PR pro who also ghostwrites for clients, let me share some tips to help you: ▶️ Make a list of five or 10 publications you know your audience follows, then look at their sites to see if they accept contributed articles. ▶️ When you pitch, you’ll need a well-written abstract. Be sure the article is relevant to the publication's audience. ▶️ If you don't hear back, follow up in about a week. ▶️ Many publications require previously unpublished articles, so you'll want to keep that in mind when pitching. If the publication accepts your article, be ready to provide: 1️⃣ The article in the format they require: You'll want to provide original content (don’t bother with AI-generated articles). Follow the guidelines they provide, such as word count, style and so forth. Be sure to meet the deadline they assign. 2️⃣ Visuals to accompany the article: I usually recommend including photos to which the company owns the rights (as in no stock photos), a logo, and an author headshot. Also include captions, which offer yet another branding opportunity. 3️⃣ Author bio: Keep it brief. Include a link to the company in the bio, as well as in the byline. When the article appears, be sure to share it on social media, in your newsletter, and on your site. Tag the publication when sharing. Follow the publication’s guidelines regarding reusing the material after the article appears. You'll want to repurpose the material, if possible. If you’d like more tips on how to place and write contributed articles, read, 11 𝐅𝐀𝐐𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐨 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐏𝐑 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦, on my blog. #B2BPR #contributedarticles #bylinedarticles #ghostwriter

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Just got a very basic email pitch noting "off the record" at the top. Folks, this is not how journalism works. In case anyone needs a reminder: reporters get to choose if we want to agree to OTR or not. It is reserved for sensitive sources; PR pitches about some company's shiny new thing are not that.

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So much to unpick in this stat from of our "State of B2B Marketing" series taking an in depth look of the challenges and opportunities B2B marketers are facing. Putting aside the catch all "ROI", and the flaws in using that as an impact metric, it highlights both an historic challenge in making the case for brand and the current one amid an environment of high costs and low growth for many. Look further into the survey results and yet get further colour into why. ➡️ 34% of B2B marketers are operating with reduced budgets compared to last year. ➡️ 29.6% have seen the headcount of their team slashed over the past year ➡️ And yet, 52.6% report being asked to deliver more with fewer resources over the past year. More with less, leading to pressure and propensity to look for quick wins? Huge plaudits to Charlotte Rogers for overseeing the coverage, which also digs into the why and what's necessary to mitigate some of the challenges. Link to where you can find what we have done to date - which also takes in the impact of AI on the use of agencies and the why behind changing job titles in B2B - can be found in the comments below. It's one example of our coverage of good and bad practice in B2B. Again, link below. If you have any stories, tips or views get in touch with Marketing Week's B2B reporter Emily Manock.

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Doing PR in 2026? Here is the shift. OUT ❌ - Measuring success primarily by impressions - Treating PR as a "support function" instead of a growth lever - One-size-fits-all media lists (Relevance > Reach) - Overreliance on legacy media while ignoring new influence layers - Chasing virality without narrative alignment - Siloed PR disconnected from Search and AI visibility IN ✅ - AI discoverability and Answer Engine visibility as a core mandate - Executive-led thought leadership as the primary credibility driver - Earned media as a demand signal (for investors, partnerships, valuation) - Independent media, newsletters, and podcasts as "Tier 1" - Always-on narrative architecture instead of campaign spikes - Senior-level talent directly involved in execution - Creator partnerships focused on commerce outcomes and ROI What did I miss? #PRStrategy #2026Trends #Marketing #Communications #PR

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People often ask how Amendola Communications secures high-value media coverage. The answer? It starts with a strong pitch. A successful pitch quickly and clearly tells journalists what the story is, why it matters, and how you can help them tell it. Journalists want stories their audience will read and share. PR professionals who consistently deliver compelling, relevant stories become go-to sources for busy reporters. Earned media helps brands amplify their message and position thought leaders, benefiting from the trust established media outlets have built over time. Here's how to craft the perfect pitch: 💎 Lead with News Value – Clearly convey why your story matters. Journalists evaluate content based on timeliness, impact, prominence, proximity, conflict, and human interest. If your opening line doesn’t hook them, your pitch will likely be ignored. 📕 Present the Story: After establishing relevance, provide context. A strong pitch often follows a problem-solution format, incorporating data and offering an interview or guest article from an industry expert. ✏️ Find the Right Journalists: Use media databases, Google News, and social media to identify reporters who have covered similar topics. Research their past work to craft personalized pitches. It is often helpful to track responses and refine your approach based on feedback. Follow-up, as appropriate, but not to the point to turn an editor or a reporter off. A successful media pitch starts with clear news value, tells a compelling story, and reaches the right audience. Thoughtful research and personalization increase the chances of securing coverage and building lasting media relationships. I #MediaRelations #Journalism #HealthcarePR #TargetAudience #Branding #Storytelling

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After several panicked calls today, I just want to say this: brands should think really carefully about posting April Fool's content on social media – or any joking or sarcastic content that is outside of brand norms, for that matter. And that content should be subjected to your brand’s normal approval process. Two overarching observations: 1) customers are easily confused and 2) you’re probably not as funny as you think you are. #AprilFools #PartyPooper #PR  

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Just two co-moderators kicking it back after a breakfast round-table: “What goes wrong (and right) in Account-Based Marketing?” Excellent to invite Rachel Fairley to lead a timely session on this perennial and proverbial thorn in a marketers side— —or is it? Even around this table of 25 marketing leaders there was no consensus on its definition (which is apparently par for the course in this profession) nor on whether the term itself is useful in proving marketing’s value to the rest of the business. ABM-to-many working well is just good marketing, for example. Jumping in a black cab but the following points have stuck most with me, you may have others: Still, there was a lot of agreement on what goes wrong: —> Targets change quarterly and unpredictably —> Different ways of doing ABM occur, with blind spots —> If too personalised how can one scale? —> Seen as demand gen in a different suit And agreement and experiences of what goes right: —> upselling and cross-selling more seamless —> sales and revenue teams attuned to marketing’s value —> customers feel, and are, listened to and put centrally —> fits well within a wider marketing mix of demand gen, field, aka is NOT tactical ABM but strategic Good to see familiar faces around the table— Liz L. Marta George Tara Allison Steven Goddard and others — and meet other marketing exes across the B2B technology space. HotTopics ; check out our B2B CMO 2.0 series for more events and insights for marketing leaders.

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