Vassilena Valchanova
@vassy.me
Content strategist & brand messaging craftswoman. I help brands build meaningful relationships and scale them through digital channels. Certified wine geek, amateur runner, cat mama, coffee snob, science nerd, theater lover. Call me Vassy!
I believe that connecting what you do outside work to whatever you're stuck on inside it is a crucial skill today.
I can't fully explain how it works, which is an odd thing to admit about something I'd call a real professional advantage.
I can't fully explain how it works, which is an odd thing to admit about something I'd call a real professional advantage.
October 5, 2026 at 3:25 PM
I believe that connecting what you do outside work to whatever you're stuck on inside it is a crucial skill today.
I can't fully explain how it works, which is an odd thing to admit about something I'd call a real professional advantage.
I can't fully explain how it works, which is an odd thing to admit about something I'd call a real professional advantage.
Marketing is the most borrowed job in the company.
OpenAI's research found marketing tasks turn up in other people's jobs more than tasks from any other field in the study. Engineers write the launch story. Salespeople build the campaign.
OpenAI's research found marketing tasks turn up in other people's jobs more than tasks from any other field in the study. Engineers write the launch story. Salespeople build the campaign.
October 4, 2026 at 6:58 AM
Marketing is the most borrowed job in the company.
OpenAI's research found marketing tasks turn up in other people's jobs more than tasks from any other field in the study. Engineers write the launch story. Salespeople build the campaign.
OpenAI's research found marketing tasks turn up in other people's jobs more than tasks from any other field in the study. Engineers write the launch story. Salespeople build the campaign.
When every line of a draft feels essential, there's a decision you were supposed to make and didn't.
October 3, 2026 at 2:46 PM
When every line of a draft feels essential, there's a decision you were supposed to make and didn't.
Every answer to "what's left for humans" lands on the same two words. Taste. Judgment.
Both have had plenty of airtime, fair enough, and both are wearing thin from it. The work did change, and it deserves a more specific answer than that.
Both have had plenty of airtime, fair enough, and both are wearing thin from it. The work did change, and it deserves a more specific answer than that.
October 2, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Every answer to "what's left for humans" lands on the same two words. Taste. Judgment.
Both have had plenty of airtime, fair enough, and both are wearing thin from it. The work did change, and it deserves a more specific answer than that.
Both have had plenty of airtime, fair enough, and both are wearing thin from it. The work did change, and it deserves a more specific answer than that.
Give me unlimited space and I'll hand you my most obvious idea. 😬
A healthy dose of limits makes people measurably more inventive. Take the limits away and we get complacent, grabbing the first idea that works instead of the better one underneath it.
A healthy dose of limits makes people measurably more inventive. Take the limits away and we get complacent, grabbing the first idea that works instead of the better one underneath it.
October 1, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Give me unlimited space and I'll hand you my most obvious idea. 😬
A healthy dose of limits makes people measurably more inventive. Take the limits away and we get complacent, grabbing the first idea that works instead of the better one underneath it.
A healthy dose of limits makes people measurably more inventive. Take the limits away and we get complacent, grabbing the first idea that works instead of the better one underneath it.
"It doesn't sound like us anymore."
Every messaging overhaul I've been called into opens with some version of that line. It always comes from the people who see the messaging fifty times a week.
Every messaging overhaul I've been called into opens with some version of that line. It always comes from the people who see the messaging fifty times a week.
September 29, 2026 at 6:24 PM
"It doesn't sound like us anymore."
Every messaging overhaul I've been called into opens with some version of that line. It always comes from the people who see the messaging fifty times a week.
Every messaging overhaul I've been called into opens with some version of that line. It always comes from the people who see the messaging fifty times a week.
Google's advice to marketers is to create "non-commodity content."
Most teams will read that as "be more specific than your competitors," which keeps you exactly where you started. The useful question is which kind of specificity could only come from you.
Most teams will read that as "be more specific than your competitors," which keeps you exactly where you started. The useful question is which kind of specificity could only come from you.
September 24, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Google's advice to marketers is to create "non-commodity content."
Most teams will read that as "be more specific than your competitors," which keeps you exactly where you started. The useful question is which kind of specificity could only come from you.
Most teams will read that as "be more specific than your competitors," which keeps you exactly where you started. The useful question is which kind of specificity could only come from you.
The first thing I do on a messaging project is open three tabs. The homepage. The sales one-pager. The LinkedIn company page.
Usually I get three descriptions of the same company, each one slightly different.
Usually I get three descriptions of the same company, each one slightly different.
September 23, 2026 at 6:59 AM
The first thing I do on a messaging project is open three tabs. The homepage. The sales one-pager. The LinkedIn company page.
Usually I get three descriptions of the same company, each one slightly different.
Usually I get three descriptions of the same company, each one slightly different.
Me, at least once a month: you shall NOT touch the messaging.
Fighting messaging boredom is the invisible part of a marketer's job. It appears in no job description, and you end up doing it anyway.
Fighting messaging boredom is the invisible part of a marketer's job. It appears in no job description, and you end up doing it anyway.
September 22, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Me, at least once a month: you shall NOT touch the messaging.
Fighting messaging boredom is the invisible part of a marketer's job. It appears in no job description, and you end up doing it anyway.
Fighting messaging boredom is the invisible part of a marketer's job. It appears in no job description, and you end up doing it anyway.
This box of tissues has been the most important piece of equipment in my business. I might even be able to expense it, right?
I picked up the flu on a flight to Estonia, and it forced a question I'd never had to answer under pressure: when you can't do everything, what do you protect?
I picked up the flu on a flight to Estonia, and it forced a question I'd never had to answer under pressure: when you can't do everything, what do you protect?
September 15, 2026 at 6:24 PM
This box of tissues has been the most important piece of equipment in my business. I might even be able to expense it, right?
I picked up the flu on a flight to Estonia, and it forced a question I'd never had to answer under pressure: when you can't do everything, what do you protect?
I picked up the flu on a flight to Estonia, and it forced a question I'd never had to answer under pressure: when you can't do everything, what do you protect?
My content stack looks like automation. Every decision that matters sits with a person.
It's full of places where the machine stops and waits. You bring the idea. You approve which review fixes land. In between it fetches, structures, drafts. That's most of the labor. The thinking stays with you.
It's full of places where the machine stops and waits. You bring the idea. You approve which review fixes land. In between it fetches, structures, drafts. That's most of the labor. The thinking stays with you.
September 8, 2026 at 6:24 PM
My content stack looks like automation. Every decision that matters sits with a person.
It's full of places where the machine stops and waits. You bring the idea. You approve which review fixes land. In between it fetches, structures, drafts. That's most of the labor. The thinking stays with you.
It's full of places where the machine stops and waits. You bring the idea. You approve which review fixes land. In between it fetches, structures, drafts. That's most of the labor. The thinking stays with you.
"...and that's exactly why I don't think we should put it on the website."
A lot of what I do on a positioning project is advise clients on what not to say. Usually with a smile. It often proves one of the most valuable moves in the whole project.
A lot of what I do on a positioning project is advise clients on what not to say. Usually with a smile. It often proves one of the most valuable moves in the whole project.
September 7, 2026 at 3:25 PM
"...and that's exactly why I don't think we should put it on the website."
A lot of what I do on a positioning project is advise clients on what not to say. Usually with a smile. It often proves one of the most valuable moves in the whole project.
A lot of what I do on a positioning project is advise clients on what not to say. Usually with a smile. It often proves one of the most valuable moves in the whole project.
Every positioning exercise pushes you to find "the one thing." The one thing is the easiest part to copy.
Your fastest turnaround, your best feature, your clever line: a competent competitor can have all of it by next quarter. Anything you can state in one sentence, someone else can state too.
Your fastest turnaround, your best feature, your clever line: a competent competitor can have all of it by next quarter. Anything you can state in one sentence, someone else can state too.
September 6, 2026 at 6:58 AM
Every positioning exercise pushes you to find "the one thing." The one thing is the easiest part to copy.
Your fastest turnaround, your best feature, your clever line: a competent competitor can have all of it by next quarter. Anything you can state in one sentence, someone else can state too.
Your fastest turnaround, your best feature, your clever line: a competent competitor can have all of it by next quarter. Anything you can state in one sentence, someone else can state too.
Yup 😁
Do It 14,000 Times Slower With This One Trick – Semi-Rad.com
semi-rad.com
September 5, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Yup 😁
Consultant is wrong about me in almost every way. I use it anyway.
I know what it conjures: someone expensive in a nice suit who leaves a deck on the CEO's desk and is never seen again. My whole model is the opposite. Nothing excites me more than doing the work myself.
I know what it conjures: someone expensive in a nice suit who leaves a deck on the CEO's desk and is never seen again. My whole model is the opposite. Nothing excites me more than doing the work myself.
September 5, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Consultant is wrong about me in almost every way. I use it anyway.
I know what it conjures: someone expensive in a nice suit who leaves a deck on the CEO's desk and is never seen again. My whole model is the opposite. Nothing excites me more than doing the work myself.
I know what it conjures: someone expensive in a nice suit who leaves a deck on the CEO's desk and is never seen again. My whole model is the opposite. Nothing excites me more than doing the work myself.
Positioning is archaeology. The line you need is already buried in work you've already done.
I went digging through mine: eight years of proposals, a number of key client projects, and 288 reviews people had left me.
I went digging through mine: eight years of proposals, a number of key client projects, and 288 reviews people had left me.
September 4, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Positioning is archaeology. The line you need is already buried in work you've already done.
I went digging through mine: eight years of proposals, a number of key client projects, and 288 reviews people had left me.
I went digging through mine: eight years of proposals, a number of key client projects, and 288 reviews people had left me.
I spent about fifty hours repositioning my own brand. The whole thing is now a one-hour recording, free to watch: news.valchanova.me/positioning-...
September 3, 2026 at 6:09 PM
I spent about fifty hours repositioning my own brand. The whole thing is now a one-hour recording, free to watch: news.valchanova.me/positioning-...
If you were ever invited to dinner by Napoleon III, you'd eat with gold cutlery. Unless you were really special, in which case you got aluminum.
In 1852, aluminum was worth more than gold by weight. Emperors flexed with it.
In 1852, aluminum was worth more than gold by weight. Emperors flexed with it.
September 3, 2026 at 6:53 AM
If you were ever invited to dinner by Napoleon III, you'd eat with gold cutlery. Unless you were really special, in which case you got aluminum.
In 1852, aluminum was worth more than gold by weight. Emperors flexed with it.
In 1852, aluminum was worth more than gold by weight. Emperors flexed with it.
Loved this line from Richard van der Bloom's newstetter which very much covers my own feelings: AI watermarking and tracking is like a restaurant printing "40% microwaved, 60% chef-made" on every plate. A lot of numbers, and none of them tell you if the food is any good.
August 25, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Loved this line from Richard van der Bloom's newstetter which very much covers my own feelings: AI watermarking and tracking is like a restaurant printing "40% microwaved, 60% chef-made" on every plate. A lot of numbers, and none of them tell you if the food is any good.
Zuckerberg publishing a 6,500-word AI manifesto is peak workslop reality, no?
August 17, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Zuckerberg publishing a 6,500-word AI manifesto is peak workslop reality, no?
Tell AI to write your positioning, and it'll gleefully type your brand into sameness. (my best impression in the photo)
So I made Claude do its homework first. Before it wrote a single word about my brand, it had to read up.
So I made Claude do its homework first. Before it wrote a single word about my brand, it had to read up.
August 11, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Tell AI to write your positioning, and it'll gleefully type your brand into sameness. (my best impression in the photo)
So I made Claude do its homework first. Before it wrote a single word about my brand, it had to read up.
So I made Claude do its homework first. Before it wrote a single word about my brand, it had to read up.
A self-imposed rule I've been trying with content teams, and it's working:
If you can't explain why you made an edit, don't make it.
The bigger your team, the stricter this should get.
If you can't explain why you made an edit, don't make it.
The bigger your team, the stricter this should get.
August 6, 2026 at 6:09 PM
A self-imposed rule I've been trying with content teams, and it's working:
If you can't explain why you made an edit, don't make it.
The bigger your team, the stricter this should get.
If you can't explain why you made an edit, don't make it.
The bigger your team, the stricter this should get.
Architecture, publishing, and indie games. That's where a B2B SaaS team I worked with started pulling content ideas from.
Their reference set for "good" had been competitor blogs. Similar vocabulary, near-identical problem framing. So our output followed suit: fine, and indistinguishable.
Their reference set for "good" had been competitor blogs. Similar vocabulary, near-identical problem framing. So our output followed suit: fine, and indistinguishable.
August 5, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Architecture, publishing, and indie games. That's where a B2B SaaS team I worked with started pulling content ideas from.
Their reference set for "good" had been competitor blogs. Similar vocabulary, near-identical problem framing. So our output followed suit: fine, and indistinguishable.
Their reference set for "good" had been competitor blogs. Similar vocabulary, near-identical problem framing. So our output followed suit: fine, and indistinguishable.
"This lands better" is the worst editing feedback you can give a writer. I know it well, because I gave it for a long time.
It sounds reasonable and it's often even true. The writer still learns nothing. They learn to anticipate the edits, and the principle behind them stays invisible.
It sounds reasonable and it's often even true. The writer still learns nothing. They learn to anticipate the edits, and the principle behind them stays invisible.
August 4, 2026 at 6:24 PM
"This lands better" is the worst editing feedback you can give a writer. I know it well, because I gave it for a long time.
It sounds reasonable and it's often even true. The writer still learns nothing. They learn to anticipate the edits, and the principle behind them stays invisible.
It sounds reasonable and it's often even true. The writer still learns nothing. They learn to anticipate the edits, and the principle behind them stays invisible.
Coolest lesson about the rise of technology comes from Kurt Vonnegut and this one time when he told his wife he’ll go buy an envelope:
“She says, ‘Well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?’“
“She says, ‘Well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?’“
August 1, 2026 at 4:55 AM
Coolest lesson about the rise of technology comes from Kurt Vonnegut and this one time when he told his wife he’ll go buy an envelope:
“She says, ‘Well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?’“
“She says, ‘Well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?’“