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In this episode, John Doherty from EditorNinja introduces Google's 'AI mode' and its sweeping impact on search results, content marketing, and SEO.

John, a seasoned marketer with 15 years of experience, navigates through the changes brought by AI mode, emphasizing the need for content tailored for users over traditional SEO tactics.

He highlights the diminishing reliance on free SEO traffic, the shift from top-of-funnel to bottom-of-funnel content, and the importance of diversifying content mediums beyond the written word.

John concludes by urging marketers to adapt to these rapid changes for sustained success.

00:00 Introduction to AI Mode

00:45 The Evolution of Content Marketing

01:52 Current State of AI in Content

02:33 Strategies for Content Marketers in the AI Era

04:47 Diversifying Content Mediums

06:09 Conclusion and Future Outlook

In this episode, John Doherty, founder and CEO of EditorNinja, shares 21 vital lessons he learned while generating over three and a half million dollars in revenue with his marketing agencies in just six years.

He emphasizes the importance of skills in sales and marketing, scaling a business, and maintaining profitability. John covers topics such as the importance of getting paid upfront, the distinction between productizing delivery and pricing, and the significance of client communication.

He also highlights the need to trust your numbers, keep overhead low, and the advantages of delegating delivery before marketing and sales.

Each lesson is aimed at helping you build a successful and sustainable agency, even faster than he did.Timestamps:00:51 Lesson 1: Getting Clients is Easy01:15 Lesson 2: Scaling is Tougher01:45 Lesson 3: Revenue vs. Profit02:24 Lesson 4: Attracting New Customers03:38 Lesson 5: Delegate Delivery First04:48 Lesson 6: Productize Delivery05:23 Lesson 7: Get Paid Upfront06:19 Lesson 8: Talk to People on the Phone06:55 Lesson 9: Quick to Buy, Quick to Churn07:55 Lesson 10: Watch Your CAC to LTGP08:19 Lesson 11: Losing Money on Customers09:20 Lesson 12: Low-Paying Customers10:08 Lesson 13: Small Clients Rarely Grow10:45 Lesson 14: Trust Your Numbers11:14 Lesson 15: Keep Overhead Low11:41 Lesson 16: Build a Financial Cushion12:03 Lesson 17: Clients Won't All Fire You12:36 Lesson 18: Get Close to Your Clients13:22 Lesson 19: Clients Want Optionality13:39 Lesson 20: Deliver End-to-End Solutions15:06 Lesson 21: It's Okay to Leave Money on the Table

I always identified as an organic marketer - seo and content.

But over the last couple of years I’ve become a decent ads person.

What if I had become that sooner? Who knows, but it’s a good lesson for all.

Are you limiting yourself without even knowing it, or knowing it and don't know how to get around it?

Here's 12 minutes of tough love from the lessons I've learned over the last 10-15 years of self-development and observing a lot of others in the entrepreneurial or marketing world.

I just got back from a few days in San Diego with an incredible mastermind that I'm honored to be a part of. We talked about artistry, and being an artist, and here I talk about why I think entrepreneurs are really just artists who make good money.

My site: editorninja.com

Welcome back.  Today, I want to break the myth that doing more is usually not the right strategy. In fact, I believe that too many entrepreneurs move on to a new marketing channel or feature way too quickly, when instead what they need to do is double down on that thing.

Listen and enjoy.

My editing company - editorninja.com

Me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfdoherty/

So many companies "test" marketing, but they're doing it wrong.

You're not failing with your tests. You're simply not doing enough to test things properly.

Here's my take on how to do it better, and some mindset shifts around how you spend on marketing and how you get the results you actually need for your business.

Here’s a rant about closing more work. You have to follow up with your leads quickly.

Something I've learned this year is the importance of moving quickly, when you know what you should do. Instead of scheduling a meeting for tomorrow to discuss something, handle it right now. Instead of letting someone schedule a sales call for 8 days out, try to make it happen in the next few days.

The goal is to make MORE good decisions. Not just more good decisions than bad decisions, but a higher VOLUME of good decisions, by making them faster.

Take this challenge into 2025.

Always,

John "More Good Decisions" Doherty

Site - editorninja.com

Me - dohertyjf everywhere except for Bsky where I'm johnfdoherty.com

I’ve been called toxic once or twice in my life. But here’s the thing I realized recently - I also thought that THEY were toxic.

Maybe neither of us were toxic people. Maybe we were just toxic for each other.

This applies to customers too.

Have a listen.

I had a convo with a good friend about their business and struggles to launch without everything done.

Here’s my take.

Site - EditorNinja.com

Bsky - johnfdoherty.com

Experienced freelancers and operators know that all revenue is not equal. You can make great money and be miserable, or make great money and enjoy what you do.

You don’t have to pitch every project that is interested in working with you. The Universe will take care of you if you don’t.

Had a thought today that entrepreneurship means constantly balancing optimism that your dreams and goals will be met, while also knowing that they may not be.

Today I get into the sequence of building an agency, starting from scratch with the skills you sell, and then growing it until you can determine your ideal customer and then start to focus on them by doing more volume.

Enjoy.

My agency - editorninja.com (content editing services)

I’ve hired a lot of coaches. But I also realized a year or so ago that I was relying on them for me to not fail, not on me for me to not fail.

It’s an important difference. Have a listen.

I’m back from Toronto. Here’s how I structure my days just after a trip so that I can catch up and work on the right things.

Over the last few years I’ve learned the value of stepping out of my usual context to check in with myself, and my business always grows afterwards.

Here’s what I thought about in Toronto.

What would you do differently if you were building your company to last for 100 years, instead of trying to flip it in 3-5?

Thats what I’m thinking about today.

Today is a travel day. Yes, on a Saturday, but the event I’m attending starts on Sunday.

Today I share why I’m going to Toronto and why I invest in coaching, both business and personal. If you’ve ever been coach-curious, I recommend you have a listen.

My company - EditorNinja.com. We help content leaders get out of editing so they can focus on the bigger picture of content.

In the last day, I did some sales calls, a lot of outreach, published the guide to style guides, and paid overdue taxes.

All in a Friday.