Off the Record AI Policy, Ethics & Disclosure

Why this page exists

Off the Record (OTR) only works if you believe me when I tell you a tactic is worth trying, a take is worth your attention, or a tool is worth your time. So here's how I use AI across everything I make, and how I think about brand partnerships. If something here ever changes, you'll know.

How I think about AI

I love AI. I love what it can do, I love teaching people how to use it well, and I build with it every day. A lot of OTR exists because of what AI makes possible.

And: the value of OTR—the newsletters, the workshops, the office hours, the templates, all of it—is access to my judgment, my point of view, my pattern recognition from years inside comms teams. If AI is doing the thinking, you don't need me; you can talk to AI yourself.

So my line is this: AI is an operating system partner, not a thinker for me.

It edits, it pressure-tests, it helps me move faster, it turns my raw material into more useful formats. It doesn't generate the ideas, source the news, define my voice, or answer your questions for me.

The breakdown below is how that philosophy plays out in practice.

OTR AI Content Disclosure

How I use (and don't use) AI for content

My overall philosophy: AI is a sparring partner, an editor, and a production assistant—never a ghostwriter, a researcher, or a substitute for having a point of view. The breakdown below is honest about where AI shows up and where it doesn't, content type by content type.

Comms Bestie Group Chat (free newsletter)

Philosophy: This newsletter is me talking to you. The thinking, the links, and the takes are mine.

My LinkedIn posts

Philosophy: LinkedIn is where I think out loud. I write and post directly from the LinkedIn editor—no AI involved at any stage.

Monday Member Newsletter

Philosophy: OTR members are paying for my brain, my judgment, and my voice. AI doesn't write this.

OTR Workshops

Philosophy: Workshops are the primary reason members pay for OTR. The ideas, the thinking, the frameworks, and the point of views are mine.

OTR Office Hours

Philosophy: When you bring me a question, you're getting my answer. Not AI's answer.

OTR C-Suite Chats & Special Events

Philosophy: The guests, topics, and curation are mine. AI helps with the production work behind the scenes so the speaker prep is sharper.

OTR Template Library

Philosophy: Templates are built from my actual work, my notes, and patterns I've seen across hundreds of comms situations. AI helps me turn that raw material into something usable.

OTR AI Tools

Philosophy: The tools are my ideas. AI helps me translate those ideas into formats other AI systems can actually run.

OTR Content Repurposing

Philosophy: The original content is mine. AI helps me get more mileage out of it for members.

Creative & Brand

Philosophy: Visuals carry the same weight as words. The same logic applies—I use real humans and real tools (not generative AI) to build OTR's brand, and I use AI only where it genuinely earns its place.

Graphics and creative. I don't use AI to generate graphics, illustrations, or creative assets. I build everything in Canva by hand (or hire a human to do the same). The one exception is Lovable, which I use to build presentation slides and member resource pages from my original scripts and outlines.

OTR's brand identity. I'm currently embarking on a new brand look and feel for OTR—updated logo, new visual identity, new color system, new photography. None of it is being developed by AI. I hired and paid a human designer for the work, and as part of our agreement, she also committed to not using AI in the creation. The brand you're going to see is the work of real people making real creative decisions.

Where AI does first drafts for me: operational and supporting work

There's a category of work that isn't core to what I deliver—the stuff that supports OTR but isn't the thing OTR members or newsletter subscribers are paying for or showing up for. Building policy webpages. Drafting an SOW. Outlining a vendor agreement. Putting together meta descriptions. Operational documents and infrastructure that need to exist but aren't the product.

For work like that, I'll use AI as a first-draft partner. I bring the substance, the context, my point of view, and the specific decisions I've made—and AI helps me get to a structured first draft faster than I could from a blank page. Then I edit, rewrite, and shape until it sounds like me and says what I want.

The distinction is whether you're getting me or getting the output of my work. If you're paying for or subscribing to my judgment, my voice, my analysis—it's me, and the rules above apply. If it's operational scaffolding that helps OTR run, AI is fair game as a drafting partner with a human always in the loop. This page itself is an example: the thinking, the policy decisions, and the specifics are entirely mine; the first-draft structure was AI-assisted, and what you're reading now was human-edited.

Brand Partnerships

I am not a content creator. I am not an influencer. I do not take money from brands to talk about them on my newsletter, on LinkedIn, in OTR, or anywhere else.

Here are my brand partnership guidelines:

What I don't do

• I don't accept payment from brands or vendors in exchange for promoting their products or services.
• I don't participate in affiliate marketing, take referral fees, or get kickbacks.
• I don't take money to recommend a tool, write about a tool, or include a tool in a workshop, newsletter, or template.

What I do

I engage in select partnerships with brands and vendors where I'll go on their webinar or speak to their audience in exchange for the email addresses of people who signed up for that webinar.

On occasion, I'll also invite a vendor to an OTR IRL event (dinner, lunch, etc.) in exchange for their covering the event costs and the opportunity to connect with OTR members. This helps me keep the cost of OTR low while still creating meaningful in-person experiences.

When I do these partnerships, I'm not endorsing the brand—I'm showing up to teach the audience something useful. If I think the brand's product is great, I'll say so on its own merits, on my own time, with no money attached. If I don't, I won't.

How I treat brands when OTR members are involved

When a vendor or brand wants to speak to OTR members, my ask is simple: give OTR members the highest quality in practical, tactical, and immediately applicable comms insights. These engagements are few and far between.

If a brand reaches out to me to offer an affiliate fee, I instead ask them to give OTR members the lowest deal. Take my affiliate fee and apply it to the pricing for my OTR members.

The one referral link I have ever shared

The only link I've ever sent that gives me anything in return is Lovable. When someone signs up through my link, I get platform credits (not cash). It's not an affiliate program—every Lovable user has the exact same share link available to them. I'm transparent about it because the benefit, however small, exists.

The bottom line

My recommendations are based on whether a tool, tactic, or resource is actually useful to comms professionals. When I tell you to use something, I mean it. When I tell you to skip something, I mean that too. Keeping that signal clean is worth more to me than any sponsorship check.

Questions, concerns, or something feels off?

If you ever read something I've written or watch something I've made and wonder whether AI was involved, or whether a brand paid for the placement, ask me. I'll tell you. You can reach me at [email protected].

Last updated: May 3, 2026