The argument against taste

Q: Eric Doty argues that over-reliance on taste in B2B content marketing actively hurts SEO outcomes, c

Eric Doty argues that over-reliance on taste in B2B content marketing actively hurts SEO outcomes, citing a personal example where reformatting a guide into a ranked listicle caused it to start ranking.

Q: Katie Parrott of Every shared three AI editorial takeaways in a Superpath AMA: treat context docs li

Katie Parrott of Every shared three AI editorial takeaways in a Superpath AMA: treat context docs like a garden, make AI do the heavy lifting, and prioritize practitioner-led content to differentiate from AI-synthesized output.

Q: uSERP is credited with helping Monday.com double organic traffic to 1.2M visits pre-IPO and helping

uSERP is credited with helping Monday.com double organic traffic to 1.2M visits pre-IPO and helping Earlybird drive 20,000+ acquired users before its acquisition by Acorns.

Eric at Superpath·Wednesday, May 13, 2026·8 min read

Marketing AI/ML Strategy

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AI Summary

Eric Doty of Superpath argues that 'taste' in content marketing, while valuable, can become a liability when it prevents creators from following platform-optimized formats that actually drive results. He shares a personal example of reformatting a software guide into a ranked listicle that then began ranking on search. The newsletter also features an AMA recap with Every staff writer Katie Parrott on AI editorial workflows and upcoming Superpath community events.

Key Facts

✓Eric Doty argues that over-reliance on taste in B2B content marketing actively hurts SEO outcomes, citing a personal example where reformatting a guide into a ranked listicle caused it to start ranking.

✓Katie Parrott of Every shared three AI editorial takeaways in a Superpath AMA: treat context docs like a garden, make AI do the heavy lifting, and prioritize practitioner-led content to differentiate from AI-synthesized output.

✓uSERP is credited with helping Monday.com double organic traffic to 1.2M visits pre-IPO and helping Earlybird drive 20,000+ acquired users before its acquisition by Acorns.

Author Takes

SkepticalEric at Superpath

Taste in content marketing

Taste is currently overhyped on LinkedIn and will become a meaningless buzzword within six weeks; while valuable for angles and examples, it becomes harmful when used to justify refusing formats that platforms algorithmically reward.

BearishEric at Superpath

B2B content marketing formats

In B2B, great taste means coloring skillfully within the lines with crayons, not painting a Van Gogh — refusing to do listicles or 'State of X' reports because they feel beneath you is costing marketers real outcomes.

BullishEric at Superpath

Practitioner-led content differentiation

As AI can synthesize existing content at scale, differentiation will increasingly depend on net-new knowledge from people actually doing the work and sharing what works.

Contrarian Angle

Taste as a Liability in B2B Content Marketing

Eric Doty argues that good editorial taste can actively hurt content performance when it leads creators to resist platform-optimized formats like listicles, 'State of X' reports, and ranked tool guides that platforms algorithmically reward.

Conventional content marketing wisdom celebrates taste and originality, but Doty demonstrates that conforming to platform-rewarded formats (listicles, ranked guides) drives more measurable outcomes than distinctive but unconventional formats.

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