Head of Content @ LASSO | Co-host of That's Marketing, Baby | Delivering daily cheat codes for small content teams

I'm a creative director turned content marketer and strategist with more than 20 years of experience conceptualizing and executing breakthrough work for B2C brands like Eggo, Rice Krispies, Blue Cross, Cottonelle, and McDonald’s, and B2B brands like Fastly and Island.

I have a knack for leading cross-functional teams toward a common goal, bringing order to the oft-chaotic creative process, crafting insight-driven global campaigns, and bringing stories to life via long- and short-form content.

Jess Cook

I've worked with a lot of talented people over the years.
 
But every once in a while, you meet someone who just 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘵 in every way that matters.
 
Annalisa Rodriguez is one of those people.

I had the privilege of working with her for a short time at Fastly.
 
And this week, she joined Vector 👻 as our Sr. Content Marketer Manager — a sentence that makes me so happy I could cry.
 
Annalisa has a journalism background that shows in everything she touches. Long-form, repurposing, content design... she's equally amazing at all of it.
 
But what makes her truly special is her ability to take the things people 𝘴𝘢𝘺, turn them into content that makes readers 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭, and connect it all to results when buyers 𝘢𝘤𝘵.

(Read: not a common skill.)

Bonus: she's already vibing with us in Slack, and keeping our cat-loving hearts fed with pics and videos of her kitties, Oreo and Darkness. 😻
 
With Annalisa on the squad, we now have four marketers at Vector. And for the first time, a real three-legged stool:
 
→ Product marketing 
→ Demand gen 
→ Content

(i.e. I feel like I just collected ALL OF THE POKEMON.)

Annalisa's going to be sharing how she builds content here at Vector. You'll want a front-row seat for that, so go give her a follow.

Then stand back, 'cause sparks are 'bout to fly, y'all.

I have a rule I live by in marketing: Test small before executing big.

It's why I ran an influencer pilot before making it a full program.
Tested new messaging in ads before our repositioning launch.
And why I'm so excited about what we're announcing today...

Vector 👻 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗱𝘀. 🎉 

Here's the metaphor that's been living in my head for this:

Clay is the proving ground. 🏁
It's where GTM teams experiment with signals, build enrichment workflows, test what actually predicts buying behavior, and figure out which audiences are worth activating.

Vector is the Autobahn. 🚗
Once you know what works? You open it up. Contact-level targeting, live audience updates, suppression logic that actually follows your buyers—running modern ads playbooks at full speed.

This isn't hypothetical for us.

It's exactly how Kelly and Sara have been building Vector’s ads program.

• Kelly uses Vector to identify accounts and contacts signaling intent. 
• Sara uses Clay to enrich and score those ICP contacts. 
• Then, they use Vector to activate those contacts across LinkedIn and Google, keeping our paid targeting aligned to real buyer signals as they move through the funnel.

When your team’s already living the use case, you know you're onto something.

Grab some time to see it in action: https://lnkd.in/eugn7rJh

I love a good Uno reverse. 

Especially when it's aimed at Joshua Perk 👻.

In the season two finale (!!!) of This Meeting Could've Been a Podcast, Josh and I take you through our entire website redesign process: from the awkward "you literally told me no when I suggested this six months ago" conversation (haha), to how we worked with our design agency to build the new look and feel, to the 37-item launch checklist 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 (Josh) did not see coming.

But one of my favorite takeaways from the entire project goes a little something like this...

The second someone lands on your site, they start to form an opinion about your product. 𝗔𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
 
They assume the same level of polish and thought put into your website go into your product, too.
😒 If the design feels dated, they assume the product UI is clunky.
😒 If product screen shots feel too mocked up, they assume the product isn't robust enough.
😒 If it's hard to figure out what you do, they assume the product is just as convoluted.

A lot of teams either go full nuclear on a redesign and lose everything distinctive about their brand, or they're so precious about what they have that the "redesign" is just a fresh coat of paint on the same old house.
 
So when Josh and I sat down to figure out what to actually change, we built three buckets.
 
𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝟭: 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽. These are the things that make you you. The stuff your audience would immediately recognize and miss if it disappeared. You don't want to lose them—you want to evolve them. Same personality, better haircut. For us: Ghostie, bright colors, bold statements with a wink.
 
𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝟮: 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽. These are the things that aren't bad, exactly—they're just limiting. They paint you into a corner or kill your flexibility, even if people associate them with your brand. For us: super saturated color usage that made text basically impossible to read.
 
𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝟯: 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲. These are the things actively working against you. They're building a perception you don't want—making you look smaller or less sophisticated than you actually are. No sentimentality. They gotta go. For us: all-caps headlines and ghost visuals in spots that should have had actual product screenshots.

The reason I love this framework is it gives you permission to make bold changes while protecting the things that actually matter. Before we kicked off the project with our design agency, Josh and I literally listed out which parts of our brand fell into which bucket. It made every every design decision after that so much cleaner. 🤌

The FULL second season of is out now! Just search This Meeting Could've Been a Podcast.

On a mission to make content marketing simple and profitable 💪

In other words, I’m here to help you leave hamster-wheel energy behind and say hello to effective content marketing that:

→ Positions you above your competitors
→ Attracts more of your ideal customers
→ Does the heavy-lifting when it comes to sales

I’ve spent the last 10+ years building and scaling content programs for start-ups and giant B2B corporations.

I’ve seen first-hand the power of content when you do it right [I’m talking half a million in pipeline from a single campaign] and the waste of resources when you do it wrong.

I started my consulting business to help you fast-track this process and turn content into the investment and growth-driving engine it should be.

Whether you're starting out or need a revamp, I’ll help you sharpen your strategy, prioritize, and execute with confidence.

Ready to get your content moving in the right direction? Let's talk!

Mina Mesbahi

Common B2B content advice often puts channels and formats first without considering:

- the target audience
- the business context
- the content goals
- the strategic narrative

Don't get me wrong.

Some of those playbooks can be incredibly effective but that's not where you start.

For example, if you sell to a B2B audience, of course it's a no-brainer you should be on LinkedIn but do you need to...

- post 3 carousels per week?
- use podcast clips?
- share infographics?
- focus on AI search?
- have a lead magnet?
- create "customer proof content"?
- start with a long-form asset and repurpose?

Maybe. 

But what's far more important is HOW you'll be executing all of these things so that you stand out to the right audience and attract the right business opportunities.

In other words:

The 'content of the content' comes before channel nuances and tactics.

So if content feels like a never-ending black hole right now, I encourage you to go back to the basics and your strategy.

Not sure where to start?

Pull up a chair, you're in the right corner of LinkedIn 😎

Mina  Mesbahi

Be known for the right thing, everywhere buyers find you | B2B content strategy & brand marketing that outranks platforms

A big chunk of content AI advice starts with tools and hacks.

But that’s the trap.

Because the real problem is typically understanding where the most needle-moving bottlenecks are.

That requires more clarity and ground work.

So when you try to do hoard all the AI tips and tricks, you end up:

- Completely overwhelmed and unable to take action
OR
- Optimizing the wrong thing entirely

Neither scenario is great for obvious reasons.

The better is about asking better questions, ones that help you assess where AI can and can't add value in your content engine.

That’s what I’m unpacking in the carousel.

P.S. This is in partnership with Storyblok and their AI readiness assessment, which you can take here: https://lnkd.in/e2EqyvGH

6 categories for content AI integration

How I think the job of a content strategist should be evolving because of gen AI:

For context, I’ve worked in B2B content for over a decade across multiple verticals

I’ve worn all the hats from writer to director.

And for the past 5 years, I’ve operated as a solo consultant.

Now let’s get into what the job was like before:

- Translating business context into content goals
- Building systems that scale thinking, not just output
- Shifting the perspective of your audience
- Telling stories that impact growth metrics
- Identifying growth and refinement opportunities
- Creating repeatable frameworks
- Designing inbound engines that drive growth
- Analyzing behavior, not just dashboards
- Educating buyers before sales ever speaks to them
- Creating resonance at scale
- Repeating the brand message in 100 creative ways
- Staying strategic while executing ruthlessly

That was the job before AI.

That’s the job now.

The only real shift is now you must decide:

🔎 Where AI accelerates impact
🔎 Where AI erodes differentiation
🔎 What should (and shouldn't) be automated

If you packaged strategy as channel management and tactics, AI replaced your edge.

If your work (like mine) lives at the intersection of messaging, business context, and channel execution, you've been amplified.

At least, that’s been my experience and I see this becoming a bigger pattern.

There's something I've been wanting to do since last year's Women's Day and I woke up this morning deciding it's time.

Every Women's Day my social feeds fill up with celebration posts. 

Some genuine and some performative.

But every year I find myself thinking the same thing: We need to take more action instead of only celebrating.

So this year I’m walking the talk.

I’m giving away 3 free content strategy sessions to female founders.

If you know how I work, you know I almost never do standalone strategy sessions unless you’ve been a client for at least 6 months.

But if there were ever a reason to make an exception, this would be it.

Whether you’re:

- trying to get your business off the ground
- launching something new
- looking to scale

I’d love to help you get clarity on your content and how it can support your next stage of growth.

If this sounds like something you’ve been thinking about, you’re in the right place.

Let me know in the comments or send me a DM to get the application link.

And if you know someone who needs this, please send them this way.

Excited to meet these legendary women and celebrate AND support them 💫💪

Edit: Closing applications for this round but keep an eye out because I want to do more of these.

Regardless of the channel, there are 2 main audiences your content strategy needs to hit:

Majority of B2B content efforts focus on just one.

In reality, your buyers actually exist across what I call the audience alignment spectrum.

And we don’t control where someone sits on that spectrum.

What we can control is how (and where) our content meets them.

That’s what shapes perception, builds trust, and keeps you top of mind before and after someone becomes a customer.

Swipe for the full breakdown 👉

The must-have content audience alignment spectrum 

Content work comes with a price of admission. But most people only see what's on the other side of it.

I’ve written 10 versions of the same headline nobody ever saw.

I’ve pushed through slow market signals, day in, day out.

I’ve put myself in my audience's shoes with every single word and sentence.

I’ve ruthlessly ripped my own work apart to find where I fell short and what I could replicate.

I’ve written pieces I didn't want to write.

I’ve built campaigns that took months to get past approval.

I’ve fought to earn a seat at tables that weren’t built for me.

None of it came with screenshots or receipts.

Earlier in my career, I wish someone had told me this is the real content work.

The invisible messy middle IS what success looks like.

If you're wrestling with this right now, know that you're not failing.

And I’m rooting for you every step of the way.

You know what's more effective than selling your product or service?

Your content selling everything that makes your ideal customers want to buy into and from you.

AKA your:

- perspective
- expertise
- problem you solve
- values
- credibility
- why

Because not every piece of content needs to promote your solution.

But it should sell at least one of these.

That's why "sales" or "promotional" shouldn't be a content pillar or content category.

When you shift from selling only through promotion to selling strategically with content, you'll start to bring in qualified buyers consistently.

That's why my clients receive inquiries and sign-ups even when they aren't actively making offers.

In the end, the "secret" to a high-converting content strategy boils down to connecting the dots between:

- what your target audience and buyers are already experiencing
AND
- how your solution helps them

If your goal is to attract and close more of the right deals, make sure your content strategy is built around:

🧩 your content sweet spot (the type of content that attracts the right business)
🧩 a connected content journey that sells before you ever make an offer

You can produce expert-level content and still have nothing to show for it. Here's the decision gap that causes it...

Some of the decisions that come up every time:
(Caveat: This applies to most channels)

- Which angle aligns with the actual goal?
- Which format will drive more consumption?
- What hook targets the intended audience?
- How should the content be structured for resonance?
- How do you end it for activation?
- What message creates connection and differentiation?

If your content strategy isn't operationalized, it won't answer any of these.

So decisions get made in the moment. Based on instinct, on what worked once, on what's trending or on what the algorithm seems to reward... or worse what AI spits out.

The output can still be good and even expert-level. 

But that's not the same as targeted.

That's why an effective content strategy isn't just big picture statements. 

It should act as a navigation system you rely on every single time you create, guiding not only where you're going but the small execution decisions that get you there.

🌱 When strategy informs every choice, your content attracts the right attention and leads to real opportunities.

⛔️ When it doesn't, you're left with random acts of content and wasted effort.

That's the gap most founders and marketing leaders come to me to close.

Because when your content strategy is dialed in, it guides the decisions that actually matter.

taplio

The Battle

Jess Cook

Mina Mesbahi

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJess Cook's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMina Mesbahi's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Jess Cook

Mina Mesbahi

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jess Cook's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMina Mesbahi's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJess Cook's LinkedIn Performance