Grow Your Career 1% Daily - I’ll Show You How | Follow for Tips on Learning, Professional Development, and Productivity | Professor | MBA + JD

Is this the part where I talk about brand voice, distribution, and storytelling across the funnel? Or say we “help companies scale content that converts”?

𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁.

But what we really do is write content your team doesn’t have to worry about, so you can stay focused on strategy, not sentence structure.

𝗛𝗲𝘆, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻. 👋

And my path here hasn’t exactly followed a playbook:
Banking → Law School → Teaching → L&D → Content

(Yeah… it’s been a ride.)

Today, I run a B2B content agency with my wife. We keep it lean and personal — just the two of us, plus our kids and a couple barky mini schnauzers. 

At Damn Smart Marketing, we give marketers writing they can trust and results they can stand behind.

✓ Content that sounds like you (not a template, not bland AI)
✓ Full support from idea to publication
✓ A partner who gets content
✓ Zero fluff, zero hand-holding
✓ More time to focus on what matters

In other words: you get to 🚀 while we handle the ✍️.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿? 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸:

1️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗳𝗼𝗿-𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.
Blogs, LinkedIn posts, newsletters, case studies. If it’s got words, we’ll write it. You get to run the show without sweating every sentence.

2️⃣ 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.
We’ve built an AI-assisted workflow that makes posting easy, effective, and actually worth reading.

If you're curious, DM me. 

No cold, hard pitch, I promise. Just a real convo about where you’re headed and whether some damn smart content can help.

Stephen 😀

Stephen Mostrom

Can I run a theory by you? (about writing, Gen AI, and B2B)

Donna and I call it “the commodification of passable writing.” 



Here’s the gist: 

Before ChatGPT went supernova in ’22, if you needed written content for your business (linkedin, website copy, emails, the works), you had three options. 

Write it yourself 
Hire someone to write it 
Staff in-house folks

Sometimes this led to bottom-of-the-barrel stuff that hurt the brand. But most companies putting out content did the minimum to look good.

Then came the Gen AI revolution
(dun dun dun)

And with it the commodification of passable writing. 

With a free account and a five-word prompt, anyone could generate something that looked fine.

No typos
Some kind of point
Basic structure

AI collapsed the floor of B2B writing, pulling everything toward the middle. 

Everything except the top band. 
Because AI didn’t touch the ceiling. 

Original ideas and data
Writing with your fingerprints all over it
Deep empathy for your audience
Storytelling grounded in experience

That’s always been the gold standard. 
And nothing about that has changed. 

Commodification explains so much about what we’re seeing today. Every channel flooded with lifeless, technically correct words. 

It also explains why companies like Anthropic, OpenAI and Netflix are scooping up world-class storytellers and paying them up to $1M a yr. To meet hyper-aggressive growth goals, they can't afford to sound like everyone else.

We’re living in an era dominated by passable writing. 
100x more middle. 

Here’s the irony…
The middle is where B2B content goes to die. 

Always has been.

B2B Content & Executive Ghostwriting for Tech and Finance | Human words, AI workflows | JD & MBA | Running a two-person agency with my wife (still married)

If even 10% of LinkedIn was written by a human…




I might want to scroll my feed.

Anyway. Back to the 5 people who still deal in original thoughts.

They’ve earned my attention.

"Can I be real a second? For just a millisecond? Let down my guard and tell the people how I feel a second?" 🎶

Yes, you can. And you should. 

Why?

Because stories are the new credibility on LinkedIn. 
Because struggles are the new authenticity on LinkedIn. 
Because lessons learned are the new value on LinkedIn. 

AI has turned everyone with a laptop into a “thought leader.” Except… all the thoughts sound the same. 

What’s not the same?

You. Your experiences. Your unique perspective. 

That’s AI-proof content. And when you craft it right, it’s the fastest path to standing out in a feed drowning in "you should be doing XYZ" posts.

Example: 

One of our ghostwriting clients went viral the other day. 

6,380 likes. 369 comments. 161 reposts.

The post? 
Her journey getting rejected from her dream job… 
And the tweaks she made that finally opened the door.

It was simple. It was one-of-a-kind.
And it resonated. 

Because she was real a second.

In the middle of every prospect call, Donna stops and says the same thing. "Full disclosure: We DON’T stay in our lane."

Yes, we’re writers. Hired to write. 

But after 9 years and millions of words, we've learned to spot what others miss.

A content process that could run smoother. 
An angle that could hit harder.

We surface them every time. 

We can do this because we don't operate like a typical agency. For starters, it's just Donna and me. We put eyes on everything.

We've worked across dozens of clients, hundreds of campaigns. We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Most importantly, we trust our instincts. And we build relationships where our clients do too.

Getting outside our lane has helped us: 

Turn a finance founder's LinkedIn from in-the-weeds tactics to leadership storytelling. 20k followers in 9 months.

Pitch a Succession tie-in to a bank's blog team. It became one of their top-performing series.

Convince a SaaS CEO client to blow up their newsletter format. One story, one message, no grab bag. Thousands of subscribers followed.

Most agencies live in their lane. 
It's safer that way. For them.

We’re not like that.

After writing 2M+ words for B2B brands, here’s my (very opinionated) ranking of what makes content stick and buyers act:

1/10 - Grammar and spelling
Yes, clean it up. 
No, it won’t save a weak idea.

2/10 - Formatting
White space helps. 
But it doesn’t fix boring.

3/10 - Vocabulary and clever phrasing
Fun to write. 
Rarely the reason someone buys.

4/10 - Word count
Long doesn’t equal depth. 
Short doesn’t equal punch.

5/10 - Headline or hook
A strong opener earns the click. 
The body earns the trust.

6/10 - Point of view
Safe takes get safe results.
A clear stance earns attention.

7/10 - Proof
Metrics. Examples. Testimonials.
Now we’re getting somewhere.

8/10 - Pain
Name the problem. 
The one they vent about after the meeting.

9/10 - Stakes
What happens if nothing changes?
Missed targets. Blown budgets. Career risk.

10/10 - Empathy
Do they feel understood?
Do they think, “This person gets it?”



Most teams obsess over 1-5.
Deals get decided at 6-10.

That’s why Donna and I spend as much time inside the buyer’s world as we do inside the Google Doc.

We sit in on customer interviews. We join case study calls.
We comb through LinkedIn comment sections and debates.

Craft + psychology.
That’s the work.

One of our clients (SaaS CEO, Finance) landed multiple 700k+ impression posts last year. I looked back, and these 4 elements showed up every time:

1. A personal story

Every winning post centered on something emotional and specific:
– Bombing a board meeting
– Absorbing painful feedback early in her career
– Breaking a proven rule to get results

The human story was the wedge. 
We used it to deliver her POV.

2. A dynamite hook

Busy execs don’t read 250-word posts unless the first line earns it.

Her high-performers nailed the hook:
– Picturesque setup
– Hyper-specific tension
– Sparks of curiosity that earn a click

One time, she opened with a tell-all on a thorny relationship she'd had with her past CEO (and what she did about it). 

Readers leaned in.
6,380 likes. 369 comments. 161 reposts. 

3. Real talk, no fluff

She dug into the moments most CEOs keep to themselves.

“This almost broke me”
“Here’s what I got wrong”
“Nobody talks about this part…”

That vulnerability built trust fast.
And it lasted as more and more finance leaders started following.

4. Plain language

I dropped her posts into Hemingway Editor.
Most landed at a 3rd grade reading level.

Complex ideas, easy to absorb. 

Too many leaders try to sound smart on LinkedIn.
But clear is what’s landing.



In 9 months, this CEO went from a lukewarm LinkedIn account to 20k active followers and 10M+ impressions. 

The beauty: it's a playbook any exec can follow. 
If they're willing to drop their corporate armor.

Overrated: sounding smart on LinkedIn.
Underrated: sounding human on LinkedIn.

People have to know and like you before they'll trust you.

Human psychology 101. 
(yes, it applies to B2B)

“I apologize for such a long letter…” 





Mark Twain once said. “I didn't have time to write a short one."

A reminder for anyone who creates.

Great writing isn’t more, more, more.
It’s meaning.

And meaning takes time.

Generic AI writing is a commodity. And it’s the fastest way to go invisible. 

I joined Dorien Morin-van Dam on Strategy Talks to break down what to do when everyone has access to the same baseline of LLM-powered words. 

More, more, more or faster, faster, faster won't help you stand out.
But outwriting AI will. 

And you do that with a unique POV, writing that has your fingerprints all over it, and assets only your business can produce. 

Dorien and I talked about:

- The trap of churning out 160 articles in 90 days (aka the “spray and pray” approach)

- How one of our CEO clients generated 10M+ impressions, 20K+ followers, and pipeline with a simple, human approach to LinkedIn

- Where we recommend deploying AI in the content process, and where human creativity is the only edge left

Check out the full convo here.
https://lnkd.in/gy-V4z_5

Claude called me out on my sh*t yesterday, and I needed it. 

Lately, I've been ending every month by throwing my LinkedIn posts into a painstakingly-built Damn Smart Marketing strategist and asking questions.

Did my posts speak to buyers (or other content people)? 
Did my proof points earn the claims I was making?

Yesterday, I ran my February analysis and… uh oh. 

Exact words: "You're making the argument. You're not proving it. Your best content is sitting in your client work and you're leaving it on the table."

Truth is, my instinct has always been to let the work speak for itself. 

Talk less. Deliver more. Trust that the results will find their way into the right conversations.

In February, this instinct to avoid the “brag” took over without me realizing it. And it hurt my content. 

Because Donna and I have been in the trenches for years. 

We have metrics that prove our strategies work. 
Testimonials that prove our approach delivers.

And I wasn’t talking about it enough. 

So when I made an argument on LinkedIn, it didn’t have the lived-in umph that comes when you’re backed by years of experience. 

My posts risked sounding more like a talking head or an AI-first think piece. Not someone who’s been there, done that. 

No thanks. 

My gameplan moving into March: 

1 - Keep running monthly analysis. With an LLM that’s willing to push back, like Claude, you can spot LinkedIn gaps in seconds. 

2 - Lead with proof. In B2B, it’s the difference between sounding theoretical and sounding earned. 

3 - Learn, adapt, keep going. February's analysis stung. March's content will be better for it.

Now I’m off to dig up data for my next post. ✌️

AI broke content, right? Everyone sounds the same, right?

I'm joining Dorien today to talk about the path less traveled. How the smartest marketers x founders I know are using their empathy instincts and human voice to write things their audience actually wants to read. 

(Oh, and how they're using AI as an amplifier, not a replacement)

See you there!

Writer for B2B Tech & Finance ✍️ | Running a content agency with my wife (and yes, still married) | Human words, AI workflows | JD & MBA

Look who's talking with me this week? 
Stephen Mostrom, the damn smart marketer!

If you are struggling to stand out when using AI, this one's for you, and you and you and you.  

Live at 7 PM ET on 2/24, and of course, the replay will be available too if you can't make it live.

How to Outwrite AI: Ways to Keep Your Human Voice and Stand Out

Comcast

Grew team from 6 Technical Project Managers (TPMs) to 8 TPMs and 3 Engineers to implement IT strategy to virtualize network infrastructure nationally. Drove optimization for 7 lines of business across 15 portfolios.

Headed cross-functional leadership effort to plan and execute network transformation leveraging advanced Excel modeling and demand planning while hitting financial targets totaling more than $3.4B.

Orchestrated a successful value capture program through optimized standards, reduced inventory, and eliminated duplicative efforts to support multi-gigabit speeds at more than 1,200 facilities across more than 500,000 ports.

Optimized processes, resulting in 89% reduction of project completion time (from 18 to 6 weeks).

Coordinated engineering workflow resulting in a 24% improvement in availability (from 90 to 98%).

Leveraged automation capabilities to enhance implementations by 18% (from 17 to 14 days).

Manager, Technical Project Office

Spearheaded transition from manual to automated deployments, resulting in a 35% increase in project completion.

Ensured on-time and on-budget delivery of projects by setting milestones and tracking progress reducing negative impacts across stakeholder groups by 15%.

Implemented DevOps principles and Agile methodology across project teams to ensure accuracy, scalability, and time-efficiency.

Identified gaps in quality and created process documentation to enhance understanding of the development process.

Technical Project Manager

New York University

Developed and monitored a portfolio of technology investments to ensure meeting financial targets. Monitored portfolio performance and actively reallocated resources to maintain optimal allocations.

Participated in the due diligence process for new technology projects and programs, with critical assessments of risks, upside potential, and financial performance based on quantitative and qualitative metrics.

Transformed reporting on software licensing spend by setting baselines for 2K+ annual software requests, working with stakeholders to develop dashboards that forecasted renewal needs, and collaborating with vendor management to reduce $1M+ in licensing expenses.

Information Technology Portfolio Manager

Led 3 program managers to drive delivery of products on time and within budget, with zero critical defects reported.

Launched 5 new products and coached team to adopt agile delivery approaches within a large-scale, higher-ed environment, reducing time-to-market from 12 months to 8.

Facilitated meetings to recommend solutions and resolve complex interdependencies between stakeholders, resulting in process improvements with 85% stakeholder satisfaction

Senior Technical Program Manager

Managed cross-functional teams to complete complex programs in a timely fashion.

Developed detailed program plans with measurable objectives that reduced timeline to completion by 12%, decreased development costs by 23%, and increased customer satisfaction by 20%.

Effectively engaged stakeholders in meaningful conversations and utilized program management strategies to drive consensus on achievement of program objectives

Information Technology Program Manager

Christie's

Administrator

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

IT Training Coordinator

Technical Project Management Leader & Process Improvement Champion with 15 Years of Experience

The intersection of WHY we do things and the VALUE of that effort is the lynchpin to success (both personal and professional).

For me, I come from a long line of educators, which has helped me develop a growth mindset. When I left New York City and found myself with a commute during which I could read / listen to books that helped me learn and grow, I also discovered the need for a community. A place to discuss the content, ideas, and develop a community, which led me to found a book club within Comcast TPX.

Today I take that one step further and embrace conversation about old and new ideas that help each of us grow.

For me, the point of each new day is to learn, to be inspired (maybe even inspire others), and to challenge myself.

What would happen if .... let's find out.

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The Battle

Stephen Mostrom

Meredith B. Rendall

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The Battle

Stephen Mostrom

Meredith B. Rendall

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);}Stephen Mostrom's LinkedIn Performance

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