The Context Engine: Keyword-led content era is gone

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In today's newsletter:

• Why fixating on keywords is outdated, to say the least
• What makes you visible in AI conversations
• Product-led content – coined about 5 years ago, now more relevant than ever
• Introducing The Context Engine framework to structure your product-led content 

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Still writing for keywords? That era is over

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A few years ago, getting on Google’s radar with keyword-led content was all you needed.

Hear me out. There’s nothing wrong with using keywords your audience actually searches for and creating content that meets that intent.

The problem is fixating on SEO scores at the expense of originality. The problem is copycat content.

So a few years ago, that content had a shot at page one.

But things have changed.

Google isn’t the only gatekeeper anymore.

People "google” for information in AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. And to show up there, your content needs to be deeply product-aware.

Now, it's pretty obvious that…

Keyword-led content was never a strategy

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It's always been a tactic. But with bloated SEO budgets, experts billing like senior software engineers, link-building mumbo-jumbo, SEO briefs written like rulebooks that writers must obey – it felt like a strategy.

But strip away the voodoo, and here’s what keyword-led content actually looks like:

• You don't pick topics based on customer pains. You pick them based on what Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool puts in front of you.
• You don’t research your market. You analyze SERP and then use the same H2-H3 tags, visuals, and CTAs.
• You don’t start with the message. You wait for the SEO brief to tell you what to say.

You don’t write to stand out. You write to fit in. Just longer.

What you end up publishing is nothing novel. Not worth a damn. No one remembers your brand. 

And maybe that was fine in 2018.

But now?

SEO is about keywords. GEO is about context. 

You won't be mentioned by AI if you repeat “best tools” 14 times in your article. 

You might be mentioned by AI if you provide context about your product. And build a brand.

Speaking about brand…

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If you’re buying links with keyword-rich anchors, you’re not really building a brand.

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The team at Ahrefs has researched 75K brands to see which search factors are most likely to influence brand mentions in AI Overviews.

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Turns out, branded web mentions show the strongest correlation (0.664) with AI Overview brand visibility.

This means you should get your brand featured in relevant places and build POVs people want to quote, link to, and debate.

And that leads us to the key takeaway from this newsletter…

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Product-led content is where your brand visibility starts

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The term “product-led content” isn’t new.

For years, it’s been a smarter approach to content marketing. But you could afford to ignore it, as long as keywords still got you clicks.

Now? You can’t.

If your content doesn’t carry product context… it won’t show up.

At its core, product-led content is this:

Product-led content is content that helps your audience solve a problem in a way only your product can.

It isn't about mentioning your product somewhere at the end. 

Product-led content puts your product front and center. You show it in action, explain how it works, and demonstrate the results it delivers.

This 4-year-old talk from Wynter features Dr. Fio Dossetto breaking down product-led content. It’s still just as relevant today.

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A good example is Ahrefs. 

• Every piece is tied to the product.
• The product is positioned as the go-to solution.
• Annotated screenshots showcase it in action

That’s product-led content done right.

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Introducing the Context Engine: how to "zmistify” your content by structuring it across the buyer’s journey

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At Zmist & Copy, we’ve developed a content framework built for the AI era, where visibility depends on context, not just keywords.

We call it The Context Engine. 

It's a three-part model that helps you structure product-led content across the entire buyer’s journey. 

That’s how we Zmistify your content.

Here’s how it works:

TOFU: Teach & Tilt → educate the “why”

Teach the basics. Tilt the perspective toward your unique approach.

Great for: Top-of-funnel educational content.

Example: Instead of “How to track SEO performance,” write: “Why keyword rankings are a vanity metric and what to track instead.”

MOFU: See It Solved → illustrate the “how”

Mid-to-bottom funnel content that walks through a problem, showing your solution in action.

Great for: Walkthroughs, tutorials, how-to content.

Example: A step-by-step on how to set up your dashboard, automate a process, or analyze data – inside your product. 

BOFU: Results Forward → quantify the win

Lead with results, then explain how they happened. 

Great for: Case studies, customer stories, before/after content.

Example:  “How [Customer] Cut Onboarding Time by 57% with [Your Tool]”

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Put together, these three models help you create content that builds your brand and makes it visible on search and in AI conversations.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll break down each model of The Context Engine to help you ‘zmistify’ your content.

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But for now, I want you to try something:

Audit your content library. How much of it would make sense without SEO tags?

Let me know how it goes.

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Kate

I'm writing a 5-part series on this topic. Here's what's coming next:

1. Title: The Context Engine: Keyword-led content era is gone
2. The Context Engine: Guide the reader toward your worldview
3. The Context Engine: Jobs To Be Done content, enhanced
4. The Context Engine: How we write the best case studies in the industry
5. The Context Engine: How to zmistify your content (your strategy playbook)

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PS. This is the framework we use for our clients’ content. If you want our help putting together a product-led content strategy, contact us here.

P.P.S. If we aren't connected already, follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram. If you like this newsletter, please refer your friends.