PROCESS
A content plan can look perfect on a slide and still go nowhere.
After 11+ years in travel content, I’ve learned the plan matters less than whether everyone producing the content knows what it’s for. Here’s how I build editorial operations that work.
Strategy before output
Publishing more isn’t progress. A site can post daily and show up on five platforms and still not be understood, trusted, or remembered by anyone. I’d rather see one channel done well than five kept barely alive. So I start with who we’re writing for, what they’re searching for, and what the brand can say that no one else is saying.
Standards, not just a calendar
I write the voice guidelines, define what “ready to publish” means, and hire and onboard freelance writers and editors who can meet that standard. A writer who understands the goal writes better than one following a brief. Expert sourcing is built in, so authority comes from real people.
Workflow
I use AI for research, repurposing, and QA, and it has changed how fast we work. It hasn’t changed the question that matters: is this idea worth publishing, does the argument hold up, and does it serve a reader? That takes editorial judgment every time.
Distribution and feedback
Publishing is the middle of the job. Headlines, metadata, and structure are built for how people find content, whether through search, Google Discover, or AI platforms. Then we watch what happens, refresh or prune what isn’t working, and carry what we learn into the next piece.
Long-term strategy
Editorial calendars, briefs, review stages, and clear handoffs keep output steady, so the work gets done in a quiet month as well as a launch month.
What that has looked like
- Yacht.com: built from scratch, with 7 freelancers and 25+ articles a month within six months.
- Beach.com: 2024 relaunch with 10 freelancers, 50+ articles a month within three months, and organic traffic up 1,365% in two years.
WORK WITH ME
Where I started vs where I am now
I began as a writer, and the writing still matters. But I’m most useful now for deciding what’s worth saying and making sure it reaches someone. For individual projects, I still write to a publication-ready standard on the first pass, with structure and SEO built in.
Hiring for content leadership, or need a strategy, an audit, or an editorial team built? I’d like to hear about it.