Erin Balsa

Content Marketing Consultant and Writer 

Navattic

Marketing Advisor

Haus of Bold

I help sales-led B2B SaaS startups in four key areas:

1. People: Hire and train full-time content marketers
2. Process: Build and optimize content marketing processes
3. Strategy: Develop a narrative-led content strategy
4. Execution: Create bold content 

Happy clients include Showpad, Intellum, SurveyCTO, monday.com and more. 

hausofbold.com

Fractional Director of Content Marketing 

The Predictive Index

The Predictive Index is an Inc. 5000 B2B SaaS startup in the HR tech/human capital management space. 

I led a 12-person team made up of editorial, graphic design, media production, and digital learning professionals. 

In 2021, PI added 2,400+ new clients and 500 new PI partners—with content playing a central role in acquisition, onboarding, activation, and retention. We also increased our high-intent hand raiser leads by 102% in 2021.

Marketing Director — Content Marketing & Brand

I grew the content team from 1 to 8 full-time employees and built an iterative, narrative-led content strategy that helped us hit our aggressive marketing goals month over month. 

Our creative content campaigns drove millions in revenue during this time period. One research report, The 2020 Remote Work Report, helped us close 114 opportunities and drove $680k in revenue.

Head of Content Marketing 

As a content team of one, I built PI's content marketing engine from the ground up. 

During this time, I worked with the executive team to write the 50-page Ultimate Guide to Talent Optimization and talent optimization market map. We used these assets to launch a new discipline (talent optimization), and rebrand our product (talent optimization platform), helping us grow from seed to Series A ($50M).

Content Marketing Manager

Erin Balsa Content Marketing

Occasional freelance writer, editor, and content strategist for B2B, B2C, and D2C brands in various industries including Software & Services, Fashion, Food & Drink, and Media. 

Clients include Shinesty, Kindred Bravely, Mightier, Accord, Rhode Island Monthly, Boston Magazine, Parents Magazine, VONA (and many more).

erinbalsa.com

Editor, Writer & Content Strategist

Brafton Inc.

Brafton is the largest content marketing agency in the United States.

I was promoted to lead the Boston editorial department, overseeing all content managers, editors, and writers. In addition to managing writer resources (to the 30-minute unit), I sourced and screened talent, trained all new employees on content marketing best practices, and traveled to meet with clients. I also wrote for the Brafton blog and edited copy to build our authority as trusted a content marketing partner.

Managing Editor, Content Marketing

I managed a team of 15 full-time content marketing writers. In addition to coaching my team and assigning work, I edited copy for 100+ clients including SMBs, early-stage startups, and Fortune 500s.

Section Editor, Content Marketing

Providence Media

Providence Media publishes four monthly lifestyle magazines. 

I edited four print magazines per month, which entailed: 

- Community-based listening to understand trending topics
- Planning issues and coming up with good stories to tell
- Managing the editorial calendar
- Assigning work to freelance writers
- Writing cover lines, headlines, and articles
- Editing copy (I did all first round edits)
- Proofing copy

Assistant Editor

Collaborative for Educational Services

I led IEP meetings for incarcerated students ages 18-22 and advocated for out-of-district students in DYS and DMH placements. In summer, I taught at DYS facilities.

Educational Team Liaison

Girls of Gold

I co-founded a scrap gold buying business. We purchased broken, unwanted gold jewelry at gold buying parties and re-sold it to a smelter.

Co-Founder

Kennedy-Donovan Center

I supervised individual home share placements.

Case Manager

Justice Resource Institute

I managed direct care workers at Meadowridge Academy, a residential school for students with behavioral difficulties and complex trauma histories.

Assistant Manager

I build and execute content marketing strategies for sales-led B2B SaaS startups that sell complex, enterprise-ready solutions.

Hey! You landed on my profile, which means one of three things:

1. You want to sell me something 
2. You know me in real life
3. You want to create better content

If you’re a two or three, make yourself comfortable — I'm happy you're here!

Looking for a director-level content pro who can help your B2B SaaS startup create content that builds loyal fans and drives business results?

I'm a builder, strategist, and doer. And I'm obsessed with metrics that matter, like: 

- Pipeline generation: I helped increase high-intent request demo leads by 102% in a year. 
- Revenue creation: One of my research report campaigns drove $680K in closed won revenue.
- Happiness quotient: I assume positive intent, lead with empathy, and try to be a joy to work with.

My 13+ year professional content marketing journey took me from writing a personal blog to leading a 12-person content marketing engine at The Predictive Index (an Inc. 5000 HR Tech startup). In January of 2022 I took a leap of faith and went out on my own as a Fractional Director of Content Marketing. 

Three-and-a-half years later, and I have codified my expertise into a repeatable system I use with clients:

🔮 The Bland to Bold Framework helps B2B marketers create content that stands out and builds trust — so they make it onto their ideal buyers’ Day One Lists. It breaks bold content down into four key elements: originality, novelty, proof, and depth. Each element is represented by its own spectrum. 

🔮 The Bland to Bold Content Assessment™ is a 27-question survey that allows me to measure a brand’s content for originality, novelty, proof, and depth. Each question represents one content marketing competency, and the output is a list of strengths and gaps. 

🔮 The Bland to Bold Blueprint is a customized action plan that outlines a path forward, based on your assessment results. (Lots of people think they need to create more content when really they need to take a step back and build a stronger foundation.)

🔮 Execution is where I roll up my sleeves and get shit done! Because an action plan is just words on a page.

If you've made it this far, why not say hello? 

To avoid any generic banana "I see we both work in advertising services" messages, let's play two truths and a lie. One of these statements is false:

- I've been held up at gunpoint.
- I've traveled to 10 countries this year.
- I've taken roadkill to the taxidermist. 

Have a great day (or have the day you deserve, depending on the circumstances)!

Content Marketing Consultant

I build and execute content marketing strategies for sales-led B2B SaaS startups that sell complex, enterprise-ready solutions. 

Unlike some strategists and agencies, I don't hand you a content strategy and say, "Best of luck!" I ensure your success by helping across four buckets:

▶ People 
▶ Process 
▶ Strategy
▶ Execution 

Learn more and read client testimonials at: hausofbold.com

Penfriend

Penfriend is the best goddamn AI content generation tool out there. Built from my last 10 years of content advising that's resulted in $30.6m in revenue for clients from organic traffic.

We're building Penfriend to be the toolbox for your content team to win in 2024.

Co-Founder and CMO

The Penny Drop

Head Writer

fivethreeoh

Creating SEO sprints to take your SaaS's content team to the first page. Turning 12 months of SEO into 12 weeks.

Founder

Explor Digital

GrowthMinds

Head of SEO

Content Hacker and SEO Strategist at GrowthMinds

Growth Hacker

Walsh - Structural and Civil Engineers

4D visualisation

⚡£23M revenue from Organic Growth for SaaS with Content Marketing Sprints | Storytelling, SEO and Content Marketing ⚡️

Your AI content sucks.
Your competitors' AI content sucks.
Everyone's AI content sucks.

And you know what's worse? You're all paying through the nose for it.

While you're sitting there wrestling with prompts like a cat trying to open a doorknob, we've built something that actually works. Because unlike every other "revolutionary AI tool" (looking at you, [REDACTED]), we know it takes more than 10 prompts and a prayer to write content that doesn't sound like it was outsourced to a drunk toddler.

We use 450+ prompts. Overkill? Maybe. But at least our stuff doesn't read like it was written by an AI having an existential crisis.

Some receipts for the skeptics:
↳ Slapped 400 blogs on our site = 10x traffic in 3 months
↳ Halved content budgets while 5x-ing output (yeah, your Content Manager's been lying about costs)
↳ Helped tiny startups pimp-slap Fortune 500s right off page 1

After a decade watching the B2B content circus, I've seen every "game-changing" tool and "revolutionary" AI writer. Most of them belong in the same trash bin as your last strategic plan.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: Your investors aren't buying your "we're playing the long game" BS anymore. They want to see organic traction, and your three LinkedIn posts from 2023 aren't cutting it.

You need Penfriend.ai if:
✓ Your competitors are living rent-free at the top of Google while you're still "building awareness"
✓ VCs are ghosting you because your "organic presence" looks like a digital ghost town
✓ You're burning cash on content that reads like it was plagiarized from a terms of service agreement
✓ You're ready to stop being the industry's wallflower and start being its problem child

Sound familiar? Then you're exactly who we're looking for.

The hard truth? You suck at AI. But it's not your fault. You've been sold a lie by companies who think "AI writing" means letting GPT go wild after a two-prompt foreplay.

We fixed it. Because someone had to.

DM me "PAGE ONE" and I'll show you how we're helping companies terrorize their competition online.

P.S. If you're happy with generic, soulless AI content that sounds like everyone else's, this probably isn't for you. And that's okay. Someone has to keep the internet boring.

taplio

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Erin Balsa

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