Portfolio
Orchard: Building an Editorial-First Content Program
The Challenge
When I joined Orchard in 2021, the real estate tech company had no content program. They needed a way to reach homebuyers and sellers navigating a complex, high-stakes transaction—but the real estate space was already dominated by major players and populated with overly SEO-optimized junk.
The challenge wasn't just driving traffic. It was establishing trust in a category where most content felt transactional rather than helpful.
The Approach
I ran the content team like a newsroom, but one that understood how distribution and visibility actually worked. That meant:
Strategic SEO foundation: We targeted high-volume keywords to establish a foothold in the real estate space, but we approached them with editorial rigor—comprehensive answers, not shallow plays.
Original data and research: We created proprietary data reports using Orchard's internal research, which got us cited in major outlets and widened our distribution beyond organic search.
Experimentation with standards: We weren't afraid to try. But even when testing with format, volume, or style, we maintained high standards and used internal information and research whenever possible.
The Execution
I started as a team of one, writing and editing everything myself. As the program grew, I brought on a team of freelance contributors, and then hired a managing editor and writer and trained them on the same standards.
Beyond top-of-funnel content, we built down-funnel tools and resources to support the entire organization: home sale calculators, mortgage calculators, and long-form guides that could be embedded in the customer dashboard for existing users, or shared with prospective leads by email. The content program wasn't just about acquisition—it was about supporting the entire customer journey.
The Results
The program grew to 100K+ monthly visitors and generated hundreds of qualified leads. Our data reports got picked up by major publications, expanding our reach beyond organic search. The content established Orchard as a credible resource in the space—the kind of site people read and returned to.
The approach worked because we combined editorial judgment with strategic distribution, product thinking, and willingness to experiment.
Sample Work
One example of this approach: a comprehensive 17-page guide explaining Orchard's Move First program. This resource, built in partnership with our creative team, turned a complex real estate process into a clear, step-by-step journey for homebuyers—serving both as educational content and a conversion tool.