Adrienne Kmetz
It's almost time! Amanda Milligan is joining us Live to answer anything you have to ask her.
First, we want to thank all of our amazing community partners for helping us do the dang thing, like Siege Media and Yext which are new to the Community this year, and our partners that have renewed like Citation Labs and AirOps.
Feel free to start dropping your questions for Amanda!
Amanda Milligan
Hey everyone! I've worked in content marketing for 15 years, and I'm particularly interested in the intersection between content, search, and brand (especially now with AI changing everything).
I've worked at leading agencies like Fractl and iPullRank and led marketing at content distributer Stacker. Right now I'm heading up video strategy at Semrush.
Feel free to ask questions about any of the above. I'm also a mental health advocate and fiction reader/writer, in case we want to go rogue. ????
Dorron
Do you think AI changes what content should do? If answers are increasingly generated elsewhere, does content become less about delivering information and more about shaping interpretation, trust and preference?
5 replies
Amanda Milligan
What a great question — framing it around what content should do in the grand scheme of things.
I think you're on to something, but it all comes back to the brand's intent. A lot of content that was created just to drive top-of-the-funnel traffic is suffering for the reason you pointed out.
But that doesn't necessarily mean all straightforward, fact-based content doesn't work or isn't necessary. In fact, in a video I'm putting together for the Semrush channel, I talk about how King Arthur Baking Company's Ingredient Weight chart does really well for them on search, LLMs, and social even though it's technically information people can get elsewhere.
So, this is the long way of saying that I think it's more important than ever that content actually acts in service of the brand. We can't get away with the super tangential stuff anymore.
Dorron
Do you think we should be evaluating content less by the entry query and more by how far it expands across those downstream intent branches? In other words, are we underestimating content that looks 'simple' but generates wide asymmetric follow-up behavior?
Amanda Milligan
I do think it'll be tougher overall to "win" with commodity content. It'll only work if it's something it makes sense for your brand to "own." Like in the example I showed, it makes sense for KA Baking to "own" that data because it helps their audience literally use their product. Same way that AAA "owns" gas prices or Zillow "owns" housing data.
My approach is less about the downstream intent branches as much as it is thinking about the usefulness across channels that matter to my audience + building trust.
Dorron
Do you still see personas playing a meaningful role in how teams define that usefulness, or has it mostly shifted toward intent based segmentation?
Amanda Milligan
Depends on what you mean by "persona." I've also used personas that were more intent based — just broader than the exact query. Rather than caring about age/gender/location/etc. I'm curious about what their challenges are, what keeps them up at night, who they trust, etc. I think all of that remains extremely important.
Adrienne Kmetz
Q: Your content is consistently high quality. How do you maintain such a high bar while also resisting pressures to move fast and just go live?
2 replies
Amanda Milligan
Well first of all, thank you for saying so!
Part of it is just personally how I am — if something has my name on it, I want it to be good. I want to confidently stand behind it.
That being said, I learned years ago to let go of being perfect. I instead prioritize authenticity, because it's sort of the fast track to creating something "good." I'd rather read an earnest post about someone's SEO opinion with typos in it than an article spun up by AI with perfect structure and grammar.
When I'm consulting or working internally and guiding content I'm not directly involved in, the content audit usually makes the case for slowing down. There will be so many pieces of content that just sit there doing nothing for the company, and we don't want to create more of that. What can we intentionally create that'll actually hit multiple goals?
Adrienne Kmetz
⭐ "prioritize authenticity, because it's sort of the fast track to creating something 'good.'"
Liz Bowers
Q: Having worked on the agency side, the distribution side, and now in-house at a major tool, what is the biggest difference in how you build a content strategy?
4 replies
Amanda Milligan
It's funny because the way I approach it doesn't change terribly much. My process is generally:
1. Understanding the unique value proposition of the brand. What do we stand for? How do we try to help our audience?
2. Performing industry/competitive research. What is working for others, but also, where are the gaps that our particular positioning can best fill?
3. Prioritizing all the resulting ideas. IMO prioritization is the hardest part of marketing, period. But it's also where ideas become strategy. I rank ideas based on how likely they are to hit our primary goals, then I consider how unique they are in the landscape and if they'll hit secondary goals as well.
I wrote about it in more detail here: Content Marketing Strategy: How to Prioritize in 2026
Liz Bowers
Awesome, so it's more that the strategy doesn't change but maybe the roadmap for implementation would vary based on in-house or agency? Would you agree?
Amanda Milligan
Yes, 100%. Those primary objectives are what can change dramatically from company to company, and then the channels the audiences care about, the formats the content should take, etc.
Daniela Betancur Ruiz
Q: What advice do you have for someone growing a content marketing career with English as a second language?
1 reply
Amanda Milligan
Hi Daniela! Such an interesting question nowadays with the content market changing so much. I'd say either:
1. Lean into building out content processes/operations utilizing AI. This is something a lot of companies need help with right now — how should they use AI (if at all) to come up with content ideas, write outlines, generate the content, ensure compliance, etc.?
2. If you want to be a writer, I'd recommend specializing. In my personal experience we need expertise from our writers — so they can bring first-hand experience to what they write that couldn't just be taken from AI.
Adrienne Kmetz
What's one of the core principles or wacky but true things you learned from working with Brian Dean? What was it like to work with such a well known mentor?
2 replies
Amanda Milligan
Just a couple of weeks ago I got on a call with Brian for the first time in years. I had interviewed him for my Fractl podcast ages ago, and it was so great to catch up with him and talk about video strategy.
That conversation was an excellent example of how people loved his content and expertise, but they also liked HIM as a person — the way he presented information, his personality, etc.
People like people! We have to remember that when producing content.
Adrienne Kmetz
the real #1 ranking is the friends we made along the way ????
Daniela Betancur Ruiz
Q: You've moved from agencies to in-house to a platform like Semrush, each time the context shifted a lot. How did you position yourself for each transition?
1 reply
Amanda Milligan
Going to in-house was the biggest transition, because for most of my career I had been agency-side. But the transition was honestly really easy because the company was so aligned with content development, SEO, etc. It ended up being a natural way for me to step into a generalist marketing role because I understood the audience so well and had already built trust in that community.
I have found that it's difficult (especially these days) to get into an industry or a specific role that you don't already have prior experience with, so I don't want to sugar-coat that. My advice would be to get a job (even a freelance/contracting one) at a company you like, because IMO it's easier once you're in the door to move around then to necessarily land the perfect role immediately. But, that's just my opinion! There are many ways to move through a career.
Brett Woodward
Were there any standout differences between how the agencies you worked for approached content, and how did your time at those agencies shape your own approach?
2 replies
Amanda Milligan
At Fractl we focused on data-driven campaigns we pitched to the media to build backlinks/brand awareness. Nowadays there's still value in that but there's more value in being more closely aligned to the brand messaging. If you can nail that combination — data-driven, on-brand, and interesting to your audience — that's the strongest content you can create right now imo.
At iPullRank I was performing content audits and developing on-site content strategies for enterprise clients. Even then I wanted folks to think outside of just driving traffic — I wanted their topical distribution to make sense and match their objectives, I wanted them to build authority. So I pitched ideas based on where I saw the primary weakness was — topical coverage? Visibility? Trust? But also, where were they neglecting re: the customer journey? What could use more content support?
Noah
What consistent activities have been very powerful in your career growth? An apex activity is anything that has led to any of a number of cascading other things.
7 replies
Amanda Milligan
Conferences! Any in-person events. When I was Head of Marketing at Fractl and started speaking at SMX and Pubcon, I noticed an immediate shift — but one that also lasted for many years and continues to show impact.
Real human connections (and not just forced "networking") have really made my career. I've met so many people who have provided invaluable job advice, or who later became consulting clients, or who came on my podcast, etc. We support each other and it makes everything feel just a bit easier.
Connecting with you is an excellent example of this, Noah!
Noah
Anything other than IRL, conferences, speaking, webinars? Anything small that surprised you? (I'm checking for my blindspots here)…
Amanda Milligan
The podcast. It was great for building long-term authority and meeting a ton of people. Then someone who listened to my Fractl podcast ended up paying for Stacker for a year because she trusted my instincts in joining the company.
Other things...
• Keeping in touch on LinkedIn with all former coworkers I worked well with. Many of them became my clients when I started independent consulting because that trust had already been built.
• Listening. When I hear what other people are dealing with/going through, I hopefully not only help them just by creating that space but gain a better understanding of our overall industry. I did GrowthMentor for free for a while and tried to help people navigate issues, which kept me in touch with real situations while I didn't have active clients.
• Saying yes to (almost) everything. I'll be on basically anyone's podcast or webinar — it's all great practice and helps establish entity association. But I'm also careful not to do anything that will take up a lot of my energy without enough of an upside.
Noah
So it's about "Building Trust" with as wide a surface as possible?
Amanda Milligan
Yes, and reinforcing the associations that best match your values.
Adrienne Kmetz
Do you have a favorite or perfect karaoke song?
4 replies
Amanda Milligan
My favorite question!
I suss out the crowd and see if it's more of a pop vibe or a rock vibe.
If the former, I tend to sing "Like a Prayer" or "Rolling in the Deep."
If the latter, "Somebody to Love" or "You Shook Me All Night Long," or "Are You Gonna Be My Girl."
Just like in marketing, I like to sing something I love but that the crowd loves too. ????
Noah
I wish you did a karaoke video on LI every day.
Adrienne Kmetz
"Champagne Supernova" / Mr. Big - To Be With You / Heads Carolina, Tails California — a few of my faves ????
Amanda Milligan
Omg "Champagne Supernova" is NOT easy to sing, very impressed ????
Adrienne Kmetz
Please leave more questions for Amanda if you have any! We'll gather up these answers and post them to the website as well. Thank you so much Amanda.
Amanda Milligan
This was a lot of fun! Thank you all for the thoughtful questions.
Lydia Fox
What's the one thing you wish you could tell yourself a few years ago in your career? (One piece of advice!)
1 reply
Amanda Milligan
I wish I had told myself I didn't always have to follow the "normal" path. I probably would have tried independent consulting earlier, which helped me build my confidence that I can handle whatever life threw at me professionally.
Preeti
I am trying to create more video content on YouTube, and I wonder how you are approaching creating content that is educational yet builds a brand for Semrush? Also, are there any specific strategies you found helpful in retaining the audience for the videos?
2 replies
Amanda Milligan
We are investing a lot of time into getting the first 30 seconds of the video right and testing titles/thumbnails. Those initial engagement metrics are critical for reaching a wider (targeted) audience.
As far as content goes that's educational and builds a brand, we're telling our creators to lean into their personalities more. YouTube is different than it used to be...people like people. They want to follow folks they find entertaining AND educational.
Preeti
Thanks for the answer. Yes, I agree. The thumbnail and the title are wayyy more important than they should be, and it is confirmed by a lot of OG YouTube creators. Love the insights. Thanks ????
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