Creating scalable systems through content engineering: Josh Ritchie, Column Five

Every now and then on The Changemakers, we like to invite our fellow agency-land buddies along for a chat about their perspective on the B2B world.

On this one, Dave sits down with Josh Ritchie, co-founder of Column Five and host of the excellent Best Story Wins podcast. 

Dave and Josh unpack the shifting landscape of B2B tech marketing, diving into why modern marketing organisations are shrinking into senior clusters, how AI and content engineering are redefining content production, and why rigid brand consistency is less important in today’s world (as long as you’re authentic).

They also discuss the transition from traditional SEO to LLM optimisation, the secret to creating scalable content systems, and why building a powerful brand narrative is the ultimate moat in today's market.

🎧 If your content strategy needs a rethink, this is the episode for you. 

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introductions
• 01:21 - From Glasgow to launching a clothing store
• 05:41 - Building a blog and securing Intuit
• 08:41 - Taking reps across a wide surface area to find your niche
• 11:44 - The post-ZERP landscape and the rise of forward-deployed engineers
• 16:06 - Moving from bloated marketing orgs to senior clusters
• 18:34 - Encoding taste, guidelines, and Claude
• 24:13 - Leverage, economies of scale, and self-serve decks
• 30:01 - Brand consistency vs. brand authenticity: Are we majoring in the minors?
• 42:01 - Best Story Wins: Content as long obedience in the same direction

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