One word that describes what most marketers still misunderstand about AI optimization

Summary

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Voices of Search: "One Word that Describes What Most Marketers Still Misunderstand About AI Optimization"

Episode Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Josh Bliscoll (Profound)

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Episode Overview

In this lightning-round-focused episode, host Jordan Cooney challenges guest Josh Bliscoll to summarize the biggest misunderstanding marketers have about AI optimization in a single word. The conversation quickly zeros in on the concept of "fanout" and unpacks its significance in the context of AI-driven content strategy and SEO. Listeners gain actionable takeaways on how a simple mindset shift toward "fanout" can immediately improve their approach to content and search marketing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The One Word Marketers Miss: Fanout

• [00:43]
  • Jordan Cooney asks for a single word that captures what most marketers misunderstand about AI optimization.
  • Josh Bliscoll instantly responds:

    “Fanout.” (00:52, Josh Bliscoll)

  • Jordan clarifies: Is the issue about the purpose of fanout or how it’s understood?

2. Why Fanout Matters

• [01:18]
  • Josh details why “fanout” should be the core of every marketer’s strategy:

    “The fan out should be at the center of everyone's strategy and very few people realize that the fan out is your most authoritative source of truth for content generation. That's the core of it.” (01:18, Josh Bliscoll)

  • He uses a vivid analogy, describing fanout as the "ripest fruit," easy for marketers to leverage:

    “It is like it is so easy for marketers to just adjust that mental model just a little bit to start thinking from prompt to fan out. And if we do that, the world will just be a better place.” (01:34, Josh Bliscoll)

3. Fanout vs. Context

• [03:14]
  • Josh adds that while “context” (or engineering context) is also important, “fanout” offers the most immediate and impactful change marketers can implement now:

    “Fanout is the tactical thing that you can change right now. If you want to start thinking different as a marketer about AI search, start with the fan outs. You'll be at the top 1% of the space just by doing that.” (03:24, Josh Bliscoll)

4. Immediate Action for Marketers

• Marketers can gain a significant edge simply by shifting focus to fanout mechanisms in content generation.
• Thinking from the prompt’s initiation to its full fanout (distribution, citations, and answers) can yield better AI-optimized content.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Josh Bliscoll ([01:18]):

  “The fan out should be at the center of everyone's strategy and very few people realize that the fan out is your most authoritative source of truth for content generation.”

• Josh Bliscoll ([01:34]):

  “It's so easy for marketers to just adjust that mental model just a little bit... If we do that, the world will just be a better place.”

• Josh Bliscoll ([03:24]):

  “If you want to start thinking different as a marketer about AI search, start with the fan outs. You'll be at the top 1% of the space just by doing that.”

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Timeline & Timestamps

• 00:43 — Lightning-round question: “One word” for marketers’ biggest misunderstanding
• 01:02 — Josh’s answer: “Fanout”
• 01:18 — Deep dive: Why fanout is critical
• 03:14 — Secondary consideration: Context vs. fanout; practical advice to marketers

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The biggest missed opportunity in AI content optimization is failing to center strategies around "fanout."
• Fanout should inform prompt creation, citation generation, and answer formulation for AI-driven search and content.
• Adjusting your approach to prioritize fanout can place you ahead of the competition in the AI/SEO/content marketing space.

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For more from Josh Bliscoll, visit tryprofound.com, or check his LinkedIn via the show notes.

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Transcript

[A]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search podcast, Jordan Cooney.

[B]

All right, so next lightning round question this one. It has to be one word. So it's just one word, but we'll talk about it. All right, so one word. All right, give me one word that describes what most marketers still misunderstand about this AI optimization world.

[C]

Fanout.

[B]

All right, so we talked a lot about fanout today and I want to ask you about this just really briefly. Is it about the utility of fanout or is it about what it is and how it what the nature of what it is?

[C]

The fan out should be at the center of everyone's strategy and very few people realize that the fan out is your most authoritative source of truth for content generation. That's the core of it. I think that there are probably bigger things that people don't know, but that is the ripest fruit that is also closest to falling down off the tree. It is like it is so easy for marketers to just adjust that mental model just a little bit to start thinking from prompt to fan out. And if we do that, the world will just be a better place.

[D]

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[C]

You know, it'll just be slightly more optimized towards the things that are actually driving, you know, these citations, these answers, et cetera. If I was going to say anything else, I would say context. Your engineering context. But Fanout is the tactical thing that you can change right now. If you want to start thinking different as a marketer about AI search, start with the fan outs. You'll be at the top 1% of the space just by doing that.

[D]

Love it.

[B]

Okay, that wraps up this episode of the Voice to Search Podcast. A huge thank you to Josh Bliscoll from Profound for joining us today. If you'd like to get in contact with Josh, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on the voicesofsearch.com. if you'd like to visit his company website, you can visit try profound.com if you haven't subscribed yet and would like a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, please hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed every week. That's all for today, but until next time, remember, the answers are always in the data.

[E]

Sam.