To create connections with its target audience and share its expertise, LearningStone decided to publish thought leadership articles and human interest stories every month. In the past few years, the company has worked with Annalisa to create a content library. It’s found her interviewing and writing skills to be effective. Annalisa’s experience in IT and background in anthropology and journalism have resulted in easy-to-read yet in-depth pieces that help LearningStone connect with its audience and build thought leadership. On top of that, Annalisa’s structured approach makes for a smooth process and consistent content creation.
LearningStone’s story
A safe online learning and collaboration environment, LearningStone supports training and coaching. It offers an accessible platform for collaborative or individual blended learning. Training and coaching professionals across the globe use LearningStone to save time, improve quality, and focus on participants.
To get a coherent story across, share its expertise, and discuss innovations in blended learning, LearningStone decided to regularly share content through its newsletter and website.
“Annalisa has ensured a consistent stream of high-quality articles”
The company’s founders feared their tech-savviness would work against them when it came to writing articles, which require a strong storytelling and communications strategy. LearningStone needed to work with a storyteller and copywriter with strong interviewing and writing skills. When they joined forces with Annalisa, she suggested that they jointly explore each topic through in-depth conversations. This allowed them to share their knowledge and ensure the content would spark the target audience’s interest.
“We work with Annalisa on a monthly basis, and she’s ensured a consistent stream of high-quality articles,” says Sjoerd Boersma, founder of and developer at LearningStone. “She writes in-depth pieces that aren’t too technical—which is exactly what we’re aiming for. We have alternated between thought leadership articles and human interest stories, and Annalisa can write both. I can tell she works with many IT companies and has a background in anthropology and journalism. That’s definitely an advantage. I never have to explain jargon to her—she understands my lingo and then translates it into articles our target audience actually wants to read.”
“Each brainstorm results in two or three well-written articles”
When it comes to content creation, it’s not always easy to be consistent—especially for founders, who usually juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. According to Sjoerd, Annalisa has helped create a rhythm. “She’s implemented a structured approach and is very punctual,” he says. “I don’t have to remind her of anything. She makes sure the process is smooth for all of us. Plus, she delivers fast—and her articles are top-notch. You know you’ll get quality.”
Sjoerd is also happy with Annalisa’s interviewing style. He explains, “I often go into our conversations with a vague idea of what I’d like to share. Usually, it would take a long time to turn that into a coherent story. But Annalisa always helps me articulate my thoughts very quickly. By asking the right questions and roughly structuring the piece as we talk, she helps me get to the bottom of things within 10 to 15 minutes. She knows how to lead a conversation, and she does it in a very pleasant way. Each brainstorm results in two or three well-written articles. It’s very efficient!”
“With our content library, we feel confident taking the next step”
LearningStone’s long-term collaboration with Annalisa has helped the company build thought leadership. “Our goal is to position ourselves as an authority in our field,” says Sjoerd. “We want people to associate LearningStone with blended learning expertise. So, we make sure we’re visible. Besides publishing the articles on our website, we share them through our newsletter and through LinkedIn. People comment or ask questions quite regularly, but we want to facilitate this type of interaction. We’ve now built a content library—and continue to do so with Annalisa’s help. So, we feel confident taking that next step!”