Musings on Messaging

Welcome to the MessageSpecs blog. Here, you’ll find samples of work I’ve done with others (attributed) and some new thoughts on how we can communicate smarter.

If you’ve ever sat in a conference room (or more likely a Zoom meeting) watching your team try to jam a mission statement, some scattered value props, and a few KPI slides into a homepage headline—this one’s for you.
Discover the ultimate resource roundup from Nerds That Talk Good! Explore must-read books, expert insights, storytelling frameworks, and top tools for technical communication, developer marketing, and cybersecurity messaging—all shared by the brightest minds in the industry.
If you’re ready to stop losing your audience and start making an impact, this replay is your first step.
You’ll see the word “tailor” or “customize” in marketing quite often. What exactly does it mean to tailor a message? It seems counterintuitive for a book on developing core messaging to also advocate for creating unique messages for each audience.
I was at an event last night and had a great conversation with the program manager of a startup accelerator. But it almost didn’t happen. Someone I’d met earlier told me to seek her out and chat, but the night was crazy and I never found her. Until I mentioned I played the didgeridoo.
Reflecting on one year of MessageSpecs and looking forward to what’s to come. ❤️ 🧠 🍔
Picture this: Aristotle, in a hoodie, walking the halls of a tech convention. Sounds out of place, right? But here’s the kicker — his teachings on persuasion are more relevant now than ever, especially in the B2B tech jungle. We’re talking about Pathos, Logos, and Ethos, the holy trinity of persuasion, and guess what? They’re…
I joined the RocketMSP podcast to discuss how managed service providers can improve their messaging, without overwhelming or “dumbing down.”
Listen to my interview with the hosts of the Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks podcast. We talk about where cyber marketing goes wrong.
I was fortunate to join the Misinformation Village at the DEF CON hacker conference in 2023. And you can join the group experiment to develop a unified messaging foundation for talking about misinformation.
I was floored and honored to sit down with the incredible Bronwen Hudson of Uptycs at Black Hat 2023. We had an amazing time discussing poor cybersecurity marketing, equity in hiring, and food! You might also like this stuff: Custom-Tailored Market Messaging? Cards Against Misinformation What the Nerds That Talk Good are Into Bare Knuckles…
Can a simple-looking “card game” be used to combat the rising threat of AI-generated misinformation? We found out at this year’s MozFest!