This document discusses different content personality types and provides strategies for working with each type. It identifies four main personalities: the Artist, who produces engaging content but can be difficult to manage; the Admin, who provides structure but content may feel flat; the Analyst, who gleans insights but may be unable to relate to others; and the Absentee, who is creative but results may not match vision. For each type, it recommends approaches like providing options instead of open-ended tasks, using constraints creatively, partnering with non-techies, and reframing arguments around priorities. The overall message is that understanding different personalities can improve collaboration on content projects.

1. Content Personalities:
Working with Others without Going Insane
Andrea Goulet Ford
@andreagoulet
1

2. Content
strategists and
creators work
with a wide
variety of
personalities.

3. Our job is to
extract ideas
from other
peoples’ brains
and make
sense of them.

4. When we work
with people
like us, it’s
easy. Fun even.

5. When we don’t
empathize with
our partners,
it’s not so fun.

6. We can
improve our
work by
understanding
other people.

7. Content Personality #1:
The Artist

8. PROS
CONS
•
Produces engaging content
•
Won’t delegate
•
Has a clear vision
•
Becomes bottleneck
•
Inspires others
•
Difficult to manage
•
Understands content value
•
Resistant to structure
Instead of asking what you can do to help, provide options.
“ I know there’s a lot going on, and I know x, y, and z are a priority. How about I
help you with x by creating an outline, or coming up with a list of blog posts?”

9. Content Personality #2:
The Admin

10. PROS
CONS
•
Time management masters
•
Potential micromanager
•
Detail-oriented
•
Difficulty thinking “outside the box”
•
Provides structure and process
•
Content feels flat and unoriginal
•
Organized and punctual
•
Sticks to rules even when they
no longer serve a purpose
Use constraints to your creative advantage.
Instead of open-ended brainstorming, put the right types of rules around your
creative thinking to generate greater results.

11. Content Personality #3:
The Analyst

12. PROS
CONS
•
Data wiz
•
Unable to relate data to others
•
Understands complex topics
•
May not try new things
•
Often seen as credible
•
Tries to “game” or “hack”
•
Gleans insights to produce
better content
•
Prone to using jargon
Partner with a non-techie
Use a non-technical person to work with The Analyst as a litmus test for how ideas
will be interpreted by a general audience.

13. Content Personality #4:
The Absentee

14. PROS
CONS
•
Creative flexibility
•
Result often doesn’t match vision
•
Unhindered by failure
•
Doesn’t understand effort required
•
Able to try new things
•
Lack of support leads to frustration
•
Grow your leadership skills
•
Responds too late to be effective
Uncover their priority and reframe your arguments.
“I know you’re really focused on growing our subscriber base. This content should
help because of x, y, and z.”

15. ENJOYED THIS?
STAY IN TOUCH!
Andrea Goulet Ford
yourbrandvox.com
@andreagoulet
!
Oh, hey! I’m also writing a book. This will be in it.
So will other good stuff. Follow along at
cultureofcontent.com or @Content_Culture.