Hey guys, I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Do you think independent creatives are dying in the face of conversion-led data, SEO-rich copies, and functional-led content? Do you think it is diminishing the space for brand stories for independent freelancers who work on small or average-sized businesses?

What do you mean by independent content? Could you pls elaborate.

Kind of like freelancers, copywriters working on projects.

Both can co-exist. You need content that drives organic traffic, but you also need stories that people can relate to. If you look at what MailChimp and Wistia are doing. They have great functional-led content but also properties that propel the brand story. If you look at Drift's story, it was built on how people don't use forms any longer. Dave had a whole marketing manifesto and no-forms campaign to drive the narrative. The word copywriting is a misnomer in today's world. You can have a brand story that starts with something as simple as a tweet and then grows into a whole campaign.

Love this Sooraj! Are there any more people/brands that you follow or would recommend to better this craft?

Most people or brands that get the balance right are based out of the west—Wistia, MailChimp, Drift, Gong, Lusha, etc. India is still playing catch-up. But at least I see Indian brands trying hard now. Chargebee, Freshworks, Zoho, and CleverTap, to mention a few.