AI Explored Podcast: Using AI as a Content Analyst – How to Plan Your Next Steps

Episode Release Date: January 7, 2025
Host: Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
Guest: Andy Crestedina, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Orbit Media

Introduction

In the January 7, 2025 episode of AI Explored, host Michael Stelzner delves into the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in content analysis with guest Andy Crestedina, a seasoned expert in SEO, analytics, and content strategy. This episode is a goldmine for marketers, creators, and business owners eager to harness AI's potential to optimize their content and marketing strategies.

Episode Overview

• Welcome and Introduction (00:00 - 02:41)
  • Michael opens with a brief promotion for the AI Business Society before introducing Andy Crestedina.
  • Andy, co-founder of Orbit Media and author of Content Chemistry, brings over two decades of expertise in SEO, analytics, and content marketing.

Getting Started with AI in Content Analysis

• Andy’s Journey into AI (02:16 - 05:10)
  • Andy shares his 23-year experience in SEO and analytics, recounting how AI became an indispensable tool in his arsenal.
  • He emphasizes AI's role in making his work more thorough and comprehensive, essentially acting as a “data scientist in his pocket.”

Andy Crestedina [02:41]: “AI has been an exercise in becoming more thorough and detailed and comprehensive in many of the methods that I've used every day.”

• Wake-Up Call for Embracing AI (03:45 - 05:10)
  • Andy discusses the pivotal moment in February when AI overshadowed Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in terms of industry impact, compelling him to double down on AI research and implementation.

The Impact of AI on Content Marketing

• Annual Blogging Study and AI Adoption (05:10 - 06:01)
  • Andy highlights the 11th annual content marketing and blogging survey, revealing a significant increase in AI tool adoption among bloggers—from 40% not using AI to only 20%.

Andy Crestedina [05:10]: “The adoption of AI tools has doubled. There's like only 20% of bloggers report not using AI is down from 40% the year before.”

• Unlocking Analytical Power without a Data Scientist (06:01 - 09:28)
  • Andy explains how AI can analyze exported reports from tools like GA4, enabling marketers to obtain insights without the need for an expensive data scientist.
  • He emphasizes the importance of exporting clean and structured data to maximize AI’s analytical capabilities.

Andy Crestedina [06:49]: “I never had the budget to hire a data scientist. Now I don't need to because AI almost works in that way.”

Deep Dive: Analyzing Content with AI

• Establishing a Detailed Persona (10:03 - 16:01)
  • Andy underscores the necessity of creating a comprehensive Persona before leveraging AI for content analysis.
  • He shares a step-by-step process to develop a Persona, incorporating hopes, dreams, fears, concerns, emotional triggers, and decision criteria.
  • Importance of iterative refinement: AI-generated Personas often require manual adjustments to ensure accuracy.

Andy Crestedina [12:09]: “A Persona is a summary of the person that you're selling to. It sometimes includes a bunch of demographic information, which Ardfath Albee downplays.”

• Conducting a Gap Analysis on Sales Pages (16:01 - 22:31)
  • Using a real-world example, Andy showcases how AI can perform a gap analysis on a sales page for online coding bootcamps to identify deficiencies and recommend improvements.
  • AI assesses visual hierarchy, emotional triggers, and cognitive biases, providing actionable insights to enhance conversion rates.

Andy Crestedina [17:05]: “The page as it was really wasn't going deep into those things. It was kind of like, what is coding? What is programming all about.”

Leveraging Cognitive Biases in Content

• Understanding and Applying Cognitive Biases (22:07 - 23:52)
  • Andy explains the concept of cognitive biases, such as loss aversion, and their profound impact on marketing effectiveness.
  • AI can audit content to ensure it subtly leverages these biases, enhancing persuasive power without being overt.

Andy Crestedina [22:31]: “Human decisions are based on emotional reasons and then rationalizing them afterwards... loss aversion is a real thing.”

Analyzing Data with AI

• Transforming Raw Data into Insights (27:31 - 34:12)
  • Andy provides a practical guide on exporting and cleaning GA4 data to prepare it for AI analysis.
  • Emphasizes the importance of removing irrelevant data and ensuring the remaining dataset is structured for optimal AI processing.

Andy Crestedina [28:15]: “Hopefully that's what we're going to discover here is like, who are the outperformers and the 10x contributors.”

• Prompts for Extracting Valuable Insights (34:12 - 38:46)
  • Andy shares sample prompts used to extract meaningful insights from cleaned data, such as identifying top-performing content and uncovering content gaps.
  • Highlights the flexibility of AI in performing various analyses, from correlation studies to semantic distance assessments.

Andy Crestedina [36:34]: “You are a job title. Yep. Skilled in skills. So those two fill in the blank pieces at the beginning of the prompt, put the AI into that corner.”

• Enhancing Data with Additional Context (38:46 - 41:23)
  • Suggestions for adding topics to GA4 reports to deepen the analysis.
  • Discusses the correlation between content topics and their performance across different marketing channels, enabling more targeted content strategies.

Andy Crestedina [40:20]: “The topic channel fit is an important moment for a content strategist when they realize like you can begin to build your content for performance in a channel instead of just making one thing and flinging it everywhere.”

Visualizing Data Insights

• Creating Visual Representations with AI (41:17 - 42:41)
  • Andy touches on using AI to generate visual reports, such as color-coded heat maps that illustrate the correlation between content topics and marketing metrics.
  • These visuals facilitate more effective presentations and strategic planning sessions.

Andy Crestedina [41:23]: “It can make a report for you that shows... all the topics that you publish on, and in the other axis all the marketing metrics.”

Future of AI in Content Strategy

• Exploring New AI Models and Features (42:26 - 43:22)
  • Brief discussion on the rollout of ChatGPT Model O1 and its enhanced reasoning capabilities.
  • Introduction to the ChatGPT Canvas feature, which allows for more integrated and seamless AI interactions within content creation workflows.

Andy Crestedina [43:22]: “The AI Explored Podcast is a production of Social Media Examiner.”

Conclusion and Takeaways

• Final Thoughts and Resources (43:22 - 45:27)
  • Andy emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in leveraging AI for content analysis.
  • He directs listeners to connect with him on LinkedIn and visit Orbit Media’s website for further resources, including his updated book Content Chemistry.

Andy Crestedina [44:02]: “Version 7 of Content Chemistry has all the GA4 reports and the AI prompts we just discussed.”

• Closing Remarks (45:19 - End)
  • Michael wraps up by encouraging listeners to engage with the podcast, leave reviews, and explore related shows.
  • Promotion for Social Media Marketing World 2025 and its AI-focused content.

Michael Stelzner [45:27]: “This is why you need to follow people like Andy. Andy, first of all, thank you for making it easy for people to wrap their heads around how they can use AI to analyze their data.”

Key Insights

1. Persona Development is Crucial: Before leveraging AI for content analysis, creating a detailed and accurate Persona ensures that AI insights are aligned with target audience needs and behaviors.

2. AI as a Data Analyst Substitute: AI can effectively perform tasks traditionally handled by data scientists, making advanced data analysis accessible to marketers with limited budgets.

3. Gap Analysis Enhances Content Quality: Utilizing AI for gap analysis on sales pages and other content assets can identify deficiencies and suggest improvements to boost conversion rates.

4. Leveraging Cognitive Biases: Understanding and incorporating cognitive biases through AI audits can significantly enhance the persuasive power of marketing content.

5. Data Cleaning is Essential: Preparing and cleaning exported data before feeding it into AI tools ensures more accurate and actionable insights.

6. Visualizing Data Aids Strategy: AI-generated visual reports can simplify complex data, making it easier to present insights and inform strategic decisions.

7. Continuous Learning and Adaptation: The AI landscape is rapidly evolving, and staying updated with the latest models and features is vital for maximizing AI’s potential in content strategy.

Notable Quotes

• Andy Crestedina [06:49]: “I never had the budget to hire a data scientist. Now I don't need to because AI almost works in that way.”

• Andy Crestedina [22:31]: “Human decisions are based on emotional reasons and then rationalizing them afterwards... loss aversion is a real thing.”

• Andy Crestedina [36:34]: “You are a job title. Yep. Skilled in skills. So those two fill in the blank pieces at the beginning of the prompt, put the AI into that corner.”

Resources Mentioned

• Andy Crestedina’s Book: Content Chemistry (Version 7) – Updated with GA4 reports and AI prompts.
• Orbit Media Website: orbitmedia.com
• Social Media Examiner Podcast Show Notes: socialmediaexaminer.com/podcast/
• AI Business Society Membership: socialmediaexaminer.com/AI

Connect with Andy Crestedina

• LinkedIn: Connect directly with Andy for insights and updates.
• Orbit Media: Visit the website for comprehensive resources and articles on content marketing and AI integration.

Final Thoughts

This episode of AI Explored offers a comprehensive guide on integrating AI into content analysis, providing actionable strategies to enhance content quality, optimize marketing efforts, and uncover hidden insights within data. Andy Crestedina’s expertise illuminates the practical applications of AI, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay ahead in the dynamic field of digital marketing.

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