Over the course of my career, I've produced more content than I care to count. For consumer, small business, and enterprise audiences, from SEO-driven articles to infographics to social media posts to thought leadership essays to product announcements.

So, instead of a looooooong list of links you won't click, I've curated my best work samples here to showcase the range, results, and resonance I'm capable of as a content marketer.

Product-led content that works across the funnel 📈

I have a bias for content with long-term value that prioritizes relevance to the product and "always-on" distribution beyond SEO.

My store setup guide for Shopify is my best example of product-led content marketing.

Shopify's help documentation provides step-by-step store setup instructions, but I saw an opportunity to create a comprehensive resource that showed off how to bring a realistic business idea to life on Shopify.

I came up with a cheeky mild hot sauce brand, including the product ideas, SEO opportunities, pricing strategy, and all the pieces a new merchant would need to consider. I worked with a talented designer on the branding and product mockups, and built the demo store from scratch myself, along with a step-by-step guide and in-line tutorial videos to accompany it.

How to Start an Online Store with Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide
An in-depth walkthrough of how to set up an online store with Shopify. Using a demo store, we’ll show you what steps to take—all the way to launch.
Kinda Hot Sauce | Delicious Mild & Medium Hot Sauces
Proudly not the world’s hottest hot sauce. Mouth-watering medium hot sauces for the responsible spice lover.
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Result: Generated 700+ new customers in H2 of 2020 and secured top SERP results related to "start an online store ". The demo store was repurposed for ad creative, YouTube tutorials, blog posts, etc., and is linked prominently as a great resource for setting up a Shopify store.

Case studies that impress prospects ✨

Case studies are valuables assets, but that value is under-realized because they're not engineered for the main drivers of distribution: your website, sales reps, and re-marketing channels like email and paid social.

Great case studies should feel like free PR to customers and easier commission to sales reps.

So I do a few things differently:

I produce custom Open Graph images for each case study to communicate more before the click whenever it's shared on social media or in DMs.

I like to put the bottom line up front—above the fold literally—on both desktop and mobile. Every product/customer has different success metrics worth highlighting, and it helps to understand how to frame the results in terms that matter to prospects.

SmartWorkout Case Study | Passion.io
The revenue was nice. But the boost to customer satisfaction was even nicer.

I explore new video and design formats that showcase the product in action, summarizing the customer story and what they love about the brand.

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Messaging that leaves a mark on the market 🗣️

They say you don't tell the market what you're selling. The market ends up telling you.

In my case, clients told me I was a "messaging guy" even though I didn't consider myself one. I'm not a big fan of the traditional approach to thought leadership that involves repeating the same idea ad nauseam.

Instead, I prefer an approach that combines persuasive poetic prose with content that makes people feel you actually "get it".

Here's an example of a manifesto page I worked on to help build hype for a product called Boom ("OBS for video conferencing"). It's always a good signal when strangers compliment the copy on a page design this cool (by the talented Leanne).

https://www.getboom.app/

Demand gen that delivers "aha!" moments💡

I covered various beats as a member of Shopify's content team, but demand generation was my bread and butter—identifying untapped opportunities to attract potential customers.

My best example is a network of content I worked on that focused on business idea inspiration to attract aspirational entrepreneurs, the largest potential audience for Shopify.

Each piece was mapped to an SEO opportunity, but written to convert search intent into buying intent. Every single one ended up ranking very well for their target terms (thanks to the strength of the Shopify.com domain).

This cluster proved effective at generating leads but also top of funnel traffic, so I followed it up with a lead magnet called The BIG List of Business Idea to capture subscribers from the thousands of daily sessions this content was bringing in.

No Inventory? No Problem: 13 Low-Investment Small Business Ideas
These low-investment, no-inventory business ideas make a great entry point for beginners or anyone with a busy schedule.
13 Home Business Ideas That Let You Work From Home
Harness the flexibility of remote work and power of technology to start one of these home business ideas you can operate from the comfort of your home.
Print on Demand: A Low-Risk Way to Sell Custom T-Shirts, Books, and More
Here’s a rundown of what print on demand is, popular print-on-demand services, and what you need to know when creating custom products.
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Result: Each piece I contributed to this topic cluster generated 300 to 1000+ views a day, and collectively earned several thousand leads in H2 of 2020. Two of these articles focused on an under-covered Shopify use case and together generated over 2,000 customers in 2020—which I can attribute at least $130K in subscription revenue based on 180-day retained active merchants.

Educational content that wins over audiences 💚

Great educational content is original, truly helpful, and, most important, makes learning fun. When every topic seems to be saturated with coverage, this is how I rise above today's table-stakes of "in-depth content".

I love diving into topics and exploring them with unfettered curiosity. I conduct interviews with experts, go down research rabbit holes, and often roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty to find compelling angles or create original examples.

Whatever the topic, I push myself to deliver what my target audience is really looking for every single time.

How to Use Reddit: For Beginners and Business Owners
Don’t “get” Reddit? Learn how to navigate and harness one of the most useful websites on the internet.
For the Fans: How to Make and Sell Your Own Merch
A successful merch strategy involves more than just slapping your logo on a t-shirt or backpack. Learn how to come up with your own merch strategy, from coming up with product ideas to selling directly to fans.
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Result: My most-visited article generated over a million sessions in 15 months. Others have been shared by public figures such as Alexis Ohanian (Serena William's husband), Bruce Croxon (former Dragon's Den), Romany Malco (actor and rapper), and niche industry influencers.

Product marketing that builds HYPE 🔥

I supported a number of product launches during my time at Shopify, from introducing new sales channels to standalone products like virtual employee Kit. For me, good product marketing content gets customers excited and potential customers interested by positioning the narrative around possibilities.

My best examples of product marketing and thought leadership can be found in Shopify's AR/VR product line, planning and ghostwriting content that would tell the story of this exciting new technology.

I worked with multiple stakeholders, including product managers, designers, and featured customers to shape the narrative throughout the staggered launch of Shopify AR and 3D model support on product pages.

Shopify AR Makes Shopping in Augmented Reality a Reality for Small Businesses
Shopify AR is an ecosystem of tools, partners, and resources to help you create your own augmented reality shopping experience for your Shopify store.
How Augmented Reality Is Changing the Way Consumers See the World
Augmented Reality (AR) is undergoing a shift that’s enabling consumers to see the world in a whole different way. Here’s why businesses should be taking notice.
Bring Product Pages to Life with Built-In Support for 3D Models and Video
Now you can upload a 3D model or video directly to your product pages on Shopify as easily as an image—without the need for custom code or a third-party app.
How to Create and Use Shopify Checkout Links in 2024 | Checkout Links for Shopify - Blog
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Result: Twitter was abuzz about these launches. You can see from the comment sections on these posts that Shopify merchants were excited too. 

Social content that resonates 📣

I've always loved writing and producing comedy, whether managing a Facebook page, writing plays, filming YouTube sketches, penning satirical articles, or just clowning around on Twitter.

All that practice has turned "making people smile" into a skill that gives my content a flavour that's rare in B2B social media.

I'm able to combine education and entertainment (and a genuine empathy for short attention spans) into social content that hooks fast and keeps audiences around. Here's a collection of various social media content I've ideated and produced in a variety of mediums.

An "infographic" I came up with, wrote, and directed alongside a talented graphic designer. A visual letter of love to Uberflip's ideal buyer persona that was widely embedded and shared by content marketers.

93,343 views on SlideShare

60,233 views on SlideShare

Superside gave me the keys to the company Twitter account for a bit. I had fun.

Find the pain the product solves and you'll find a joke that sells it.

During a sales demo, a prospect saw this post and yelled, "Is that Drake? Can you click it?" 

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Result: Featured on SlideShare's homepage several times, and Uberflip was a Content Marketing Awards finalist for Best Use of LinkedIn/SlideShare.

Teaching that sticks with students👨🏾‍🏫

I love teaching. Whether it's coaching hungry writers one-on-one or speaking in front of a classroom. In most cases, I prepare the content and deliver it myself, and have gotten some great feedback from attendees.

Here are some of my faves:

  • What Editors Need to Know About AI Writers for Editors [EDITORS CANADA]
  • Content Marketing for Scrappy Entrepreneurs [TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY]
  • Mentor and Pitch Competition Judge [BUSINESS IN THE STREETS BOOTCAMP]

Side projects 🛠

I don't aspire to be "just a writer" or "just a marketer". I want to be someone who can solve a wide variety of problems.

Side projects are a key part of my own development to this end, and I think they're worth including in my portfolio.

I've used these projects to try out various marketing channels, from Facebook advertising to organic Instagram marketing, and expose myself to new skills outside of content writing, like coding, design, community management, and more.

Lumo Shoes

During my time at Shopify, I noticed a growing trend in Google searches for "LED shoes", with a seasonal spike that coincided with EDM music festivals in the summer.

So I created my first online store dropshipping LED shoes for festival-goers. It was a good excuse to learn Shopify.

I only made about $600 (after spending $800) in the span of 2 months, but learned a college tuition's worth about paid advertising, Instagram marketing, store design, and scrappy marketing tactics.

It helped level up the content I made for Shopify's audience of aspiring entrepreneurs.

The Tumblr Poet

I once started a poetry account on Instagram as a joke that kind of ran away from me.

I grew a small-but-engaged audience of 4,000 from scratch and then developed a print-on-demand poetry book that sold over 100 copies, almost all organically.

You can check out the case study below for the full story.

How I Became an Instagram Poet (And Didn’t Even Know It)
This is the story of how I became an Instagram poet.

Not your typical "how to become an Instagram poet" post.

Poetry Generator 😔🥀
Written and coded (almost entirely) by GPT-3.

I also built a Poetry Generator using AI, inspired by @thetumblrpoet.


Coding projects 💻

A blog post is just a container for code—words just happen to be the typical contents. That's why I decided to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to add a new dimension to my creativity.

I chronicled my experience and learnings in a Twitter thread. 

Here are some coding projects I've had fun tinkering on.

Percentage Change Calculator

No matter how many times I do it, I always forget how to calculate percentage change. So one time, instead of spending 5 seconds googling it, I spent 5 hours building my own instead.

I used this project to learn how to take in inputs from a user, loop through if/then statements, and manipulate the DOM to render the output.

Random Starbucks Order Generator

I was in line at Starbucks one day and someone was taking their sweet time deciding what to order. That was the inspiration for this little tool I made to practice using arrays and string interpolation in JavaScript.

It spews out inedible order ideas most of the time. But occasionally gets it right...

I even got it to rank first for "starbucks order generator".
And take over the r/unnecessaryinventions subreddit for a bit.
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If you enjoyed my professional writing, you should definitely subscribe to my blog for my personal writing—humour, essays, short stories, and whatever I feel inspired to write.