Content account supervisor Aran Richardson has carved out a career at the intersection of storytelling, strategy and scrappiness — writing textbooks at Simon & Schuster, pitching the LA Kings to the media and shaping messaging for nonprofits and gaming companies alike.
He brings this range of expertise to the Bospar team, where he helps to redefine PR — one content piece at a time.
Expert Insights spoke with Aran about his varied content experience, how it translates to PR success and how AI, cybersecurity and IoT clients can make their content sing.
- What inspired your transition from freelance writing for tech companies into public relations, and how do you see your expertise shaping your approach to content creation and strategy in PR?
I wanted to transition to a PR role at a dynamic agency that offered stability and the opportunity to work with tech companies across different industries. As a freelancer, I wrote a considerable amount of bylines, news releases, case studies and other related content on behalf of agency clients. This included a range of companies in networking, data storage, cybersecurity, cloud, machine learning and most recently blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Working with the agency account teams and the clients gave me insights into client expectations and needs and how to develop content that boosts the PR campaign. I understood how to create a high-volume of engaging content to meet those expectations and the audience’s needs.
I previously worked in corporate communications and marketing roles, which further informs my approach to content creation. I have deep expertise in creating strategic communications that speak to a variety of stakeholders.
- You have an extensive background writing for various tech sectors, such as AI, IoT and cybersecurity. How do you translate technical and complex ideas from these sectors into compelling narratives for diverse audiences in your role?
It’s important to tackle complex topics by distilling the main insight. Whether the subject is the capabilities of the newest AI office suite or an infrastructure cybersecurity platform, as PR professionals we need to translate the tech into human-impacting and business relevant stories. Then you have to adjust the tone to the audience — the C-suite needs a different tech story than a developer or general media audience.
Intake sessions with SMEs are also vitally important. If I’m speaking with an engineer, then I politely push them to explain the “why” of their product/platform/solution. Why does the market care? You need to move past the jargon. If the chat is with the founder, then you need to clarify the technical claims and ensure they’re backed up with data and can support the founder’s statements. Regardless of the SME in the intake session, you need to show how their answers correspond to the market. You want to connect innovation to outcomes out in the world, and where appropriate, call out any “hot takes” or contrarian opinions.
- With every tech company releasing its own version of AI, how do you approach developing content for AI tech clients that differentiates itself and doesn’t get lost in the noise?
This is certainly challenging as there’s a flood of AI firms, and nearly every tech company knows it needs to integrate AI into both its internal and customer-facing processes. So, even if they aren’t an “AI company,” AI and innovation is still central to many tech companies’ stories. But a crowded market is always a PR opportunity for an agency like Bospar, because we know how to carve out the interesting angles — such as the human element of an emerging technology — that will resonate with media and the target audience.
It’s important to look at the client’s technical differentiators or benchmarks, and then relate that to people-centric stories. How does their tech solve a problem others overlook? Or does it solve it faster, cheaper or with less friction? Are their team’s founders or engineers well-known in the space and responsible for breakthroughs? Or are they known for taking bold stances? The Bospar team excels at getting to know the clients in ways that inform their media strategies and pitching. I use that context and content to develop press releases and bylines that help the clients stand out in a crowded market.
- What’s your approach to ensure your writing stays current with the fast-changing nature of tech sectors like AI, IoT and cybersecurity?
Reading the relevant publications. You need a baseline understanding of the tech, and also to have a sense of what’s happening in the different markets — both the key players and their announcements and more of the trends. Whether this includes IoT and cybersecurity trends/practices like zero trust or the usage of on-device AI, you need to stay informed.
Staying informed then translates to the produced content. You have some context, and with your reading and research, you may come across the newest relevant analyst report that supports your client’s benefits statements. You do all of this while also knowing when to reach out to the client’s SMEs for insights and input. The pace of change is so accelerated that no one can stay fully current on their own.
- Are there any misconceptions you often find yourself addressing when writing content on AI, IoT and cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is often seen as a one-time solution or product — that you “set and forget” the solution and everything will be okay, whether that’s a firewall or some endpoint protection. But it doesn’t work that way. Threats evolve constantly (quantum is coming!) and so must security postures. Readers in security roles understand this dynamic, but it’s frequently understated how effective cybersecurity must be an adaptive strategy that needs constant monitoring and updating.
AI’s relative newness brings many misconceptions. Some view it as a “magic pill” where you drop it into a product or solution, and it suddenly works 10x better and is smarter and faster. AI success means working with quality data, fine-tuning the model over time and being focused on the problems the AI is meant to solve.
With IoT, the scale of what these devices do is sometimes a misconception, where they are more than just “connected devices” but intelligence and safety tools that can transform an operation.
- What do you do for fun outside of work? What organizations do you support?
My time outside of work is family centric. I have to move my older son into Santa Cruz in the fall, and my other son has a slate of colleges he’s considering. I walk a lot, so I try to get out with my wife and our dog Indiana frequently. I enjoy going to the beach in Coronado or La Jolla and playing the occasional round of golf. And our house is often the gathering spot for my wife’s family that’s spread across Southern California (I’m an East Coast transplant).
I support environmental causes, such as the Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy, along with local fundraising for families experiencing difficulties.
