Content Rookie

A podcast for people who want to learn Content Marketing, Content Strategy and Copywriting. Join Nicole Michaelis and guests to discuss the practice (and art) of all things content.

Content Rookie is a arts podcast hosted by Nicole Michaelis, with 77 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Nicole Michaelis hosts Content Rookie, a arts show with 77 episodes published.

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  Content Rookie

  Humanized agents, deceptive patterns, and honest design (feat. Caleb Sponheim)

  Jul 3, 202645 min

  Episode 77: Humanized agents, deceptive patterns, and honest design (feat. Caleb Sponheim) I recently spoke at a conference in Italy, and one talk stuck with me: Caleb Sponheim from Nielsen Norman Group arguing that we have to stop designing AI agents that fool humans. It's a topic close to my heart, so I invited him on for a longer-than-usual, wonderfully opinionated conversation. Caleb comes at it from research, I come at it from actively building agentic features, and the two angles make for a really good hour. Learning outcomes: What a neuroscience background reveals about how (and how little) we understand LLMs The risks of presenting an AI system as a person, implicitly or explicitly Whether natural language is really the future interface, or sometimes just a command line in disguise How much design should sit between the model and the user, framed through jobs-to-be-done Why "you are not your user" is the cardinal sin lurking in AI design, plus the sycophancy trap Deceptive patterns, humanized agents, and honest design as a deliberate choice Why the line between design, engineering, product, and research is blurring, and why that's an opportunity Connect with Caleb Sponheim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebsponheim/ // https://www.nngroup.com/people/caleb-sponheim/ Connect with the host, Nicole Michaelis: nicoletells.com // Contentrookiepod.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoletells/ hi@nicoletells.com

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  Content Rookie

  Creating and maintaining Writer.md

  May 26, 202623 minS0

  <p>Episode 76: Creating and maintaining Writer.md</p><p><br></p><p>A candid episode about how I built Writer.md. What I started off with, who I involved, how I tested, how it works, and how we govern it. A general reflection on building for and with agents, and what that means for (content) designers. Things I learned and things I recommend. </p><p><br></p><p>Writer.md was built for Claude, but the same approach can be used in other AI tools as well (ChatGPT, Gemini, Notion etc).</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with the host...

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  Content Rookie

  How Content Designers are impacting AI (and vice versa)

  Mar 17, 202644 minS0

  <p>Episode 75: How Content Designers are impacting AI (and vice versa)</p><p><br></p><p>Wow, things are moving fast right now. Some content designers are developing totally new skills, while others are trying out different tools or just trying to hang in there. But no matter where you currently are in your journey with "AI", you're not alone. We're all going through it and having different takeaways. In this episode with Content Rookie pal Andrew Stein, we really get into it. How we feel, what we're (really) doing, and how to keep cool.</p><p><br></p><p>...

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  Content Rookie

  Develop tone and voice that stick

  Feb 13, 202622 minS0

  <p>Episode 74: Develop tone and voice that stick</p><p><br></p><p>How do you do tone and voice work in the age of AI? While there are some differences in how I approached TOV work early in my career, the core remains the same. Just now there are more tools to help you conclude faster!</p><p><br></p><p>Learning outcomes:</p><p>- What do tone and voice guidelines look like nowadays</p><p>- How to kick off research</p><p>- What every TOV should be backed by</p><p>- Turning TOV guidelines...

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  Content Rookie

  Psst, content design is about to have a major moment

  Dec 14, 202523 minS0

  <p>Episode 73: Psst, content design is about to have a major moment</p><p>In 2025’s final episode of Content Rookie, I introduce you to what I have coined the ”roguessance” of content design.</p><p>I truly believe content design is about to have a major moment, thanks to developments like Google Disco redefining how we design and build experiences and interfaces as a whole. What are suddenly the most valuable skills on the market? Content strategy. Content systems. Clear comms. Prompting. Negotiating. Who does that best? Well, we content folks, of course!</p><p>Why the latest developments in LLMs...

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