Services / Editorial Authority
Editorial content engineeredto be cited, not just published.
Senior subject-matter writers turn your domain expertise into pillar pages, cluster posts, and category-level content that AI Overviews and ChatGPT cite ahead of the competition. No offshoring. No LLM ghostwriting. No upsell on schema.
Why editorial needs rebuilding
Generalist content is now free. Cited content isn’t.
AI engines harvest the web, paraphrase the answer, and keep the click. The only content that still earns a citation is content a model can’t synthesize on its own — first-hand specs, named operators, source-grade engineering answers.
Δ · structural shift
−34%
CTR on informational queries since AIO rollout
Ahrefs Content Explorer, B2B segment · Jan 2024–Mar 2026
Δ · structural shift
×2.7
More content shipped per quarter to hold position
Aggregated client data · 30 industrial B2B sites, 2025
Δ · structural shift
78%
Of AI-generated content earns zero AIO citations in 90 days
Salesolution citation tracker · 8,200 page sample, Q1 2026
What we write
Five formats. Each built for a surface.
We don’t write blog posts. We write the formats that earn citations on the surfaces your buyers actually use — AI Overviews, ChatGPT answers, Shopping LLMs, and the long-tail SERP that still drives qualified inbounds.
Format 01
Pillar page
3,000–6,000 wordsBuilt for
AIO + ChatGPT + classic SERP
Definitive source pages on the topics buyers research before they specify. Become the page everyone else cites.
Format 02
Cluster post
1,400–2,200 wordsBuilt for
Long-tail SERP + LLM training corpora
Topic-clustered articles funneling authority into pillars and ranking on commercial sub-queries.
Format 03
Engineering Q&A hub
120–400 words per answerBuilt for
AIO citations + People-Also-Ask
Answer hubs covering the long tail of specification, compatibility, and selection questions.
Format 04
Category-level content
800–1,500 wordsBuilt for
Category pages, buying guides
Category descriptions, buying guides, category-level FAQs. The editorial layer of the catalog (NOT per-product copy).
Format 05
Editorial / bylined / trade-press
1,800–3,000 wordsBuilt for
Backlink + citation flywheel
Thought-leadership for trade press and LinkedIn. Built to earn placements with real publications.
From brief to publish
Ten days, five gates. No black box.
Every piece moves through the same pipeline. You see the artifact at each gate — brief, outline, draft, schema, publish. If something’s off, we catch it before it ships.
Day 0
Topic intake + research brief
Senior editor pulls keyword targets, search-intent shape, AIO citation gaps, and competitor citation patterns. Brief is a one-page spec, not a Slack message.
Artifact
Editorial brief with target query, intent, and citation gaps.
Day 1–2
Outline + source approval
Subject-matter writer drafts a heading-level outline with primary sources flagged. You greenlight before drafting starts. No surprises at delivery.
Artifact
Outline + source list, approved in writing.
Day 3–6
Draft + first edit
Senior writer (no offshoring, no LLM ghostwriting) drafts to the outline. Editor passes it for voice, accuracy, and AIO scannability before it reaches you.
Artifact
Edited draft delivered against the brief.
Day 7–8
SEO + schema layer
Internal-linking plan, FAQ block, HowTo / Article schema, image alt, meta description. The on-page work that earns the citation, not just the rank.
Artifact
Publish-ready file + on-page checklist.
Day 9–10
Publish + citation tracker
We publish or hand off depending on your CMS access. The piece enters the citation tracker so AIO coverage shows up in your monthly review.
Artifact
Live URL + 90-day citation tracking enabled.
Build vs buy
How we compare. Honestly.
Not every editorial engagement should be ours. Some are better with a $99-per-article mill; some need an in-house senior writer. Here’s the honest read.
| Dimension | Recommended Salesolution | Alternative Content mill / LLM shop | Alternative In-house senior writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-piece cost | $500–1,800 / article | $50–250 / article | $2,500–4,000 fully loaded |
| Senior writer with vertical expertise | Named, US/UK senior writer | Offshore generalist or LLM | Yours by default |
| AIO citation engineering included | Built into every piece | Not offered | If you can hire it |
| Schema, FAQ, internal-linking baked in | Article / FAQ / HowTo on every ship | Plain text, no on-page work | Depends on the writer |
| 10-day turnaround | 10 days brief → publish | 3–5 days, no editing | 2–4 weeks per piece |
| Topic research + monthly editorial planning | 15–20 topics ranked every month | You brief, they write | On the hire to figure out |
| Revisions included | 2 per piece, standard | Charged per round | Unlimited (it’s their job) |
| Where this wins | Spec-heavy B2B / industrial editorial content. NOT product copy — see Catalog AI for that. | Volume content with low intent | $50M+ ARR enterprise |
Not in the “Salesolution” row? We’ll tell you on the first call — and we’ll usually recommend who you should hire instead.
Pricing
Four ways in. All priced.
One trial price to test the work. One fixed-scope pack to prove the lift on a single category. One ongoing retainer in three volume tiers. And Full Growth Ownership for when editorial alone isn’t the whole answer.
Trial
Single Piece
Trial before committing to a monthly cadence — one piece, your topic, full schema and SEO layer.
$500/ article · 2,500 words
Try a single piece6 weeks · fixed scope
Pillar Pack
$6–14K
“Show me the cited-content lift on one category.”
- 1 pillar page (3,000–6,000 words) + 6 cluster posts
- Schema, FAQ, HowTo on every piece
- Internal linking plan + redirects
- 90-day AIO citation tracker
- Most engagements start here
Ongoing · 3-month minimum
Editorial Retainer
$4K–14K/ month
“We know editorial content is the lever. Run the program.”
Volume tiers
Focused— $4K/ mo
4 pieces/mo · single vertical / 1 category
Standard— $7.5K/ mo
8 pieces + 1 pillar/mo · 2–3 categories
Aggressive— $15K/ mo
16 pieces + 3 pillars/mo · category-leader push
Every tier includes: senior named writer, monthly topic research, AIO + schema engineering, 2 revisions per piece, monthly outcome reporting. Volume discounts: 5% over 6 months, 15% over 12 months.
- Fractional GTM Engineer (Shape A) from $20K/mo
- 4-in-1 Coordinated Retainer (Shape B) from $12K/mo
- One operator across multiple services, written quote in 24 hours
Multi-service · 3–6 month minimum
Full Growth Ownership
From $20K/ month
When you need more than this service alone. We run AI search, content, outbound, dev, and catalog work as a coordinated growth function — strategy through execution, one operator accountable.
Volume discounts: 5% over 6 months, 15% over 12 months on the Editorial Retainer.
In every retainer
What every retainer ships — without asking.
Answers the implicit objection: “what does Focused at $4K include vs. Standard at $7.5K?” Same baseline. Just different volume.
Senior writer ownership
A named writer with vertical experience drafts every piece. No junior pool, no offshore handoff.
Topic + keyword research monthly
15–20 candidate topics ranked by AIO citation gap, commercial intent, and competitor weakness. You greenlight what ships.
AIO + citation engineering on every piece
Structured for AI Overviews and ChatGPT retrieval. Tracked monthly so you know which queries cite you.
Editorial style guide
Built once, applied every piece. Your tone, spec conventions, and product terminology locked into a living guide.
Schema + internal linking standard
Article, FAQ, and HowTo schema where it earns its keep. Cluster-aware internal linking on every published piece.
2 revisions per article
Two revision passes per article come standard on every retainer tier. Outside the trial — there the count is one, and we say so upfront.
Monthly outcome reporting
Citation coverage, query mix, organic + AIO traffic, written commentary. Not a Looker dashboard you’ll never open.
Volume discounts (5% / 15%)
5% off for a 6-month commitment, 15% off for 12 months. Stacks on the listed tier prices for the term.
Case study · Industrial automation distributor
From 4 to 34 AIO citations in 6 months.
Mid-market industrial automation distributor, ~12K SKUs, ranking well but losing organic share as AI Overviews ate informational-query CTR.
×8.5
Lift on AIO citation count, top 50 commercial queries
6-month engagement · Standard retainer
What we ran
We ran the Editorial Retainer (Standard tier) for 6 months: 8 pieces/month + 1 pillar/month across three product categories.
Result: AIO citation count on their top 50 commercial queries climbed from 4 to 34 (×8.5). Organic leads from informational pages doubled. Their pillar pages now sit at the top of AIO responses for terms manufacturers used to own.
4 → 34
AIO citations
×8.5
lift
6 mo
engagement
1
retainer (Standard)
Editorial Authority FAQ
Questions about the work itself.
Tools, turnaround, scope split with Catalog AI, why we're not the cheapest.
01Do you write on topics we provide, or do you research them?
Both, and the research is the work. Every monthly cycle starts with the editor proposing 15–20 candidate topics ranked by AIO citation gap, commercial intent, and competitor weakness. You greenlight the ones to ship.
02Is the content SEO-optimised by default?
Every piece ships with target query, search-intent fit, internal-linking plan, FAQ block, and Article / HowTo / FAQ schema on the page. We don’t treat SEO as an upsell, and we don’t ship plain text.
GEO engineering — AIO scannability, citation-grade source patterns, semantic completeness — sits on top of the SEO layer on every retainer piece.
03Do you use AI to write the drafts?
No. Senior subject-matter writers draft every piece off the brief and the primary sources. We use AI for citation tracking, competitive scans, and outline pressure-testing — never for the draft itself.
78% of LLM-drafted content in our citation tracker fails to earn a single AIO citation in 90 days. We’re not interested in shipping editorial content that doesn’t earn its keep.
For product catalog work at scale — where the economics of human writing don’t work — we use AI with human editor review. See Catalog AI for that service.
04How quickly can you turn around a piece?
Standard turnaround is 10 working days from brief to publish-ready. That includes the outline gate, draft, edit, and the schema / on-page layer. Faster than 10 days we can do on the Pillar Pack for one-off urgent pieces, but the citation work suffers.
05What verticals do you actually know?
Industrial distribution (hydraulics, fluid power, pneumatics, industrial automation, MRO), technical B2B SaaS, contract manufacturing, lab supply, electronics, fasteners, abrasives, and local service categories (dental, roofing, home services) where buyers compare cost and options before they call.
If buyers research before they commit, our writers know how to talk to them. Outside that we’ll tell you on the first call — we’d rather pass than fake the depth.
06Why are you not the cheapest option?
We pay senior writers and editors at US/UK rates, not offshore generalist rates. We include schema, on-page work, and 90-day citation tracking on every piece. We don’t resell anyone else’s drafts.
If your benchmark is $99-per-article content, we’re not the fit and we’ll say so. Where we win is the ratio of cited pieces to total spend — not the absolute floor.
07Can we trial before committing to a retainer?
Two ways: a $500 Single Piece is a one-off article on your topic with the full schema and SEO layer. The Pillar Pack ($6–14K, 6 weeks) ships one pillar plus six clusters and 90 days of citation tracking — by week 4 you have enough data to decide whether to retain or walk.
08What's the difference between this and Catalog AI?
Different content, different work, different tools. Editorial Authority is human-written content at the category level and above: pillar pages, cluster posts, category content, Q&A hubs, trade-press. Senior writers, no LLM drafting, 4–16 pieces per month.
Catalog AI is AI-drafted, editor-reviewed content at the product level: per-product descriptions, FAQs, schema, internal linking. Priced per SKU. Scales to 10,000+ products.
Most clients eventually buy both — they cover different surfaces (editorial AIO citations vs. product AIO citations) and the cross-linking between them is most of the value.
See where you’re losing customers.
Two doors, depending on your business. Either way you leave with the numbers — the exact gap and the highest-payback fix — whether or not you hire us.