{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Growth In Reverse: Newsletter & Email Growth","title":"Recapping CEX 2025: Un-hyping AI, Community Moats, and the Future of Newsletters","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2648,"description":"The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new product —The Growth Vault— is here. Filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.\n\n--------------------------------------\n“If content is king, AI is storming the castle.\" — Darren Vesterfelt, Mighty Networks\nChenell was just in Cleveland for the annual CEX conference. And she wasn't *just* in attendance—she was also a speaker!\nSo we're recapping the biggest lessons and takeaways from Chenell's experience at CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) — where she basically opened the conference with her keynote, traded notes with some content economy heavy hitters (like Jay Acunzo, Ann Handley, Mark Schaefer, Robert Rose), and soaked up the big trends.\nWe dig into why slowing down beats AI-first content, the power of community and IRL relationships, how to think about discovery vs. relationship platforms, and why some SEO pros are betting on social over search.  \n\nKEY TAKEAWAYS\nThe case for “as slow as possible” content: let ideas marinate; don’t outsource your thinking to AI. \nHow to use AI as an editor rather than a first-draft brain replacement—and why this matters more than ever. \nDriving audiences from discovery platforms → relationship platforms. \nCommunity is a durable moat when content sameness rises (AI is “storming the castle”). \nSocial > Search (sometimes): comments from real humans can beat 10k empty pageviews. \nTesting ideas fast with social media—and how commenting sparks even more ideas.\nIRL still trumps all: stages, dinners, and small masterminds create outsized serendipity. \nAre physical newsletters back? \nShould you try AI sobriety?\nLINKS MENTIONED\nCEX\nAnn Handley\nJay Acunzo\nMark Schafer\nGrowth In Reverse PRO Community\nThe GIR Social Growth Challenge \nGet Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.\nWant your newsletter roasted? Submit it here. \nAsk us a...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/NU089nPMmUVIXDYYK0f8JTk7Gdyp67hzxCSr-X8nOOE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lYThj/YzZjMTc0ODc4YzIw/ZWFkNzgxN2FkYzg5/MjI1ZS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}