In this edition of Skedler’s Expert Series, we’ve had the pleasure of having Nik Hewitt join us. In our conversation with him, he shares the fascinating details of his journey that led him to become a content writer specializing in cybersecurity and IT. We also talked to him about the role AI plays in his work today.

From Studying Scriptwriting and TV Production to Becoming a Cybersecurity Specialist

Nik’s career began studying screenwriting and television production in college. His first work experiences were on projects ranging from indie productions to feature films and even Central TV. In the mid-1990s, the digital realm was still in its infancy, but Nik recognized its potential and was quick to realize the career opportunities it offered. He immersed himself in the digital world by joining a digital agency that paved the way for him in the online landscape.

“I was in newspapers for many years, finding ways to monetize their legacy data and new ways of presenting news and property ads and classifieds, all sorts of things  – back when the online press was pretty much in its infancy. I guess I’ve always been something of an early adopter, and I joined Twitter and Facebook the day they came out of Beta” 

After accumulating experience in various fields, including agencies and the automotive sector, an opportunity arose to work with a cybersecurity brand. Nik did not hesitate to accept this new challenge. Six years later, he finds himself immersed in the world of cybersecurity as a content creator.

“And, you know, you never know where our industry is going to take you. You work in an agency, and after a while, you find you’re growing a specialism and people come to you for that, and I love B2B engineering and technical brands.” 

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Work of a Content Creator

AI has been a game changer for many professionals, including content creators like Nik. He has no doubt that AI offers great opportunities, and in his opinion, it’s not something to fear, but something we need to embrace in order to reap the benefits it offers. 

“Overall, AI in different forms shaves about two hours off every workday, and that’s two hours I spend getting ten hours more work done every week – whether that’s checking my work, scheduling my meetings, picking up the little automated tasks, abbreviating content for other uses elsewhere, just being a sounding board or an improved version of Google, whatever. I’m using an AI right now to make notes on what we’re talking about, and to take a transcript, in case it gives me ideas for my own blog later on.” His top 3 artificial intelligence tools that help him get the most out of his work are Grammarly, ChatGPT and MidJourney. If you want to learn more about how each of them help him, we invite you to watch the video with the full conversation. 

The biggest benefit of AI for Nik is undoubtedly the time savings and increased productivity it produces. Even when he considers expanding his team, he takes into account whether or not the candidate uses AI tools. If he does, it’s a big plus for Nik, as it means the process will be smoother and more accurate. 

The question of whether AI will replace jobs has been a recurring one in recent months, and Nik says it’s the question he gets asked the most today, even outside of work.

“If we learn how to use it, though, and embrace the time and research it saves as a part of the collaborative process, we’ll be fine – in fact, we’ll be at the forefront of a new way of doing content. More informed, faster, slicker, more responsive, and more targeted. We have to learn to prompt and be curious about things like AI to set us apart and move forward”, said Nik.

The Importance of Data Analytics for a Cybersecurity Content Writer

The power of data visualization and analytics is immense. That’s why, at Skedler, we are dedicated to helping professionals who work with data and reports by providing them with a tool that automates this process and enables them to perform better data analysis. We asked Nik about his relationship with data analytics as a content creator specializing in cybersecurity. 

As Nik rightly puts it, “visualizing data is really important for marketing and content creation”. His experience with Tableau, a robust data visualization tool, highlights the transformative potential of raw data turned into actionable insights. With an eye on digital performance, Nik emphasizes the effectiveness of visualizing key metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates and ROI. These insights, leveraged from inbound traffic and SEO efforts, enable a more accurate assessment of campaign effectiveness and provide informed guidance for budget allocation. 

Nik’s observations resonate, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and with tools like Tableau, this is possible. “It helps you spot trends and track engagement metrics for social media channels, puts an extra layer of wedsite analytics and helps with A/B testing visualizatons from the likes of PPC ads – just drag and drop into your presentation to show where the money needs to go,” said Nik.

About Nik Hewitt 

Nik Hewitt, Sr. Content Marketing Manager at TrueFort, is a BAFTA-winning storyteller with nearly three decades of experience in digital content creation and IT/cybersecurity journalism. Now living in rural Ireland, he has worked with some of the world’s biggest household names and largest cybersecurity providers. Nik is a visiting lecturer at The University of Nottingham, a committed advocate for workplace mentoring and equality, a regular podcaster, and a champion for the use of AI in digital marketing.

In addition to his professional commitments, he is active on podcasts such as The Bad Twin Podcast. Nik’s enthusiasm for exploration is remarkable, and he currently has a VR building project in the works, while continuing to script in Second Life for fun. Keep experimenting is his motto.

To stay up to date on Nik’s work, be sure to connect with him on Linkedin, follow his updates on Twitter and explore more of his work on his website.

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