Two Minutes With James Richter

Don’t box James Richter in! James (he/him) is one of Block Club’s senior copywriter and content strategists, with a diverse background that blends journalism, banking, content marketing, and filmmaking. His deep experience working with tech, finance, and B2B companies primes him for strategic, yet out-of-the-box thinking that benefits both our internal team and our clients. In just two minutes, James breaks down his thoughts on helping clients find the right format for content, how to leverage video, his hot take on the evolution of SEO, and more.

1. 1. You began your career at a boutique investment bank. How has that helped shape your journey into B2B tech content writing and strategy?

      I got both a very broad and detailed introduction to the world of finance, and I think that more than anything, it gave me the confidence that I could learn how any industry operates. That’s served me well as I work with companies in many different industries. And luckily for me, there are a lot of fintechs that can use help with their content strategies.

   2. How do you determine what formats of content are best for clients? Is there a type of client that is more suited to starting a podcast versus focusing on blog posts, whitepapers, email, etc.?

      I always start with a client’s goal. We need alignment on that before we can create a strategy.

      If the goal is awareness, we have a large budget, and we’re operating on a longer timeline, then we might explore a podcast. Or we might find we’d get greater ROI by sponsoring a podcast where the brand’s audience is already engaged.

      But let’s say a company’s goal is website conversion. If they don’t have informative reports, ebooks, or whitepapers that their target audience would trade their email address for, then I’d recommend we start creating those before we explore content like a podcast.

   3. You’re a big proponent of video. Are there scenarios where video can be most impactful for B2B tech brands?

      Everyone should be thinking video-first at this point. It’s just so much more engaging than text. But there’s a reason that many don’t—it can be resource-intensive! So how can B2B tech brands make the most of an investment in video? Use each video everywhere you possibly can.

      Start with a single video, then repurpose the content into a blog post, a shorter cut for socials, and promotional social posts—you now have three video-first pieces of content for your audience. Measure the impact, then pick another video topic from your list, and do it again.

   4. SEO is constantly evolving. What’s important to understand about SEO now, and where do you see it going?

      Thanks to GenAI, organic search is transforming, and SEO-driven website traffic will take a measurable hit. Companies that continue to create SEO content will find that it won’t get them the results that they’re used to.

      Instead, social media optimization (SMO) will be the new SEO. And that has nothing to do with hashtags and everything to do with creating on-platform, human-first content that makes people stop scrolling and engage. That’s something they won’t get from an AI chatbot or search engine.

   5. As a copywriter, what advice do you have for creatives trying to navigate AI and use it in client work?

      AI unlocks an incredible opportunity to make content more interactive. Instead of reading a blog post, you can converse with it.

      With AI, your audience can provide inputs to receive a completely customized experience. The key will be training the AI on the brand’s POV, data, and voice and then finding hooks to draw audiences in, make it engaging, and give them something valuable they wouldn’t find anywhere else.