Questions we
get asked a lot.
Everything you need to know about our approach, our methodology, and what working with Pickup_andWebb looks like in practice.
Our Discovery-First methodology is the structured process we use to establish clear, measurable objectives before any content is created. Rather than jumping straight to content calendars, we begin by understanding your business strategy, your target audiences, your genuine areas of expertise, and the competitive landscape.
The result is two to three SMART objectives, co-created with your team and tied directly to commercial outcomes. Everything that follows — every article, podcast, webinar, or social post — is benchmarked against those goals. This is why we can offer a results guarantee: because we've done the hard thinking upfront.
It means exactly what it says. If we don't deliver the outcomes we've agreed with you at the outset of the programme, you get a refund.
We can offer this because our Discovery-First methodology establishes measurable objectives before any work begins. We build our programmes around those goals, track performance at six-monthly intervals, and adjust if priorities shift. There's no guesswork — and no wriggle room for vague, unmeasurable success criteria.
We use AI tools including ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Descript to enhance research efficiency, provide editing support, and facilitate idea generation. They help us work smarter — not faster at the expense of quality.
However, we never use AI for writing. All content is produced by our award-winning human journalists and strategists. We always double-check sources, and the genuine insights, authentic voice, and sector expertise come from people, not prompts. With 89% of marketers now using AI for content, the human-crafted distinction has never been more valuable.
We have a deliberate five-sector focus: Technology, Financial Services, Healthcare, Legal, and Cybersecurity. These are areas where our combined journalism and brand strategy expertise creates a genuine competitive advantage, and where generic AI-generated content particularly fails to build the trust needed for complex purchasing decisions.
If your organisation operates in one of these sectors, we'd welcome a conversation about where you can credibly lead.
Every programme begins with our Strategy & Planning stage — focused co-creation sessions that establish your objectives, uncover your genuine expertise, and map your competitive context. This gives you 12 months of content clarity before a single word is written.
From there, we move through Content Creation (human journalists, no AI writing), Implementation & Distribution (strategic amplification to decision-makers), and Measurement (six-monthly reviews against the objectives we set together). The scope, scale and budget are tailored to your organisation — we don't offer pre-packaged programmes.
Oliver Pickup is an award-winning journalist with bylines in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, and Raconteur. He specialises in uncovering genuine insights through investigative skills and natural curiosity — asking the questions that create thought leadership people actually want to read.
Cameron Webb is a former Big Four head of brand with deep expertise in transforming complex business challenges into thought leadership that drives measurable commercial outcomes. He ensures every piece of content serves a strategic business objective. Together, their partnership began with The Art of Smart programme for Crowe Global — the foundation for Pickup_andWebb's approach.
Most content agencies start with output. We start with outcomes. A content agency will ask you how many articles you want per month. We ask what business results you need to achieve in the next 12 months — and work backwards from there.
The combination of genuine brand strategy expertise and award-winning journalism is also unusual. Most agencies have one or the other. We have both, which is why our programmes consistently deliver the credibility and measurability that standalone content production rarely achieves.
Yes. Our global journalist network spans Asia, South Asia, West Africa, and beyond — with experienced journalists who bring both sector expertise and regional perspective. Our work with Crowe Global included content capturing insights across multiple continents, with international partnerships and media coverage across Asia, Europe, and beyond.
We're based in London but our work and our network are global.
Let's talk through
your specific situation.
No commitment required — just a conversation about your objectives.