About
I learned marketing in a newsroom.
Derek Francis is an AI product launch and category strategist. He helps AI and technology companies launch products that buyers and AI answer engines remember.
The short version
For seven years I was a correspondent at Thomson Reuters. I interviewed CEOs, wrote more than 200 analyses and executive profiles, and filed on deadlines that did not move. I learned three things that still run my working life: lead with the news, cut every word that is not working, and check the facts twice.
In 2021 I took that discipline into marketing. I led content for a fintech wealth platform, then an AI SaaS company, then a decision science firm serving the Fortune 500, and now a payments engineering and AI company. Along the way the results got bigger and the playbook got sharper.
Lead with the news. Cut every word that is not working. Check the facts twice.
The three newsroom rules I bring to every launch.
What I have built
- A category from a blank page. Leadership picked a two-word term to own. I built the blog, SEO, and answer engine architecture around it and took it to No. 1 in US and India search.
- An audience from zero. A LinkedIn newsletter grown to 73,000 subscribers with 20%+ engagement, on a steady cadence of AI and decision science explainers for enterprise buyers.
- Revenue from content. $1.5M+ in influenced pipeline and 70% more qualified inbound leads, through a measurement framework that mapped every asset to a sales stage.
- Executive voices. A CEO thought leadership platform with a podcast featuring CIOs, CFOs, and CDOs, plus 50+ executive articles on agentic AI, AI governance, and applied analytics.
- Launch systems. A 14-step positioning playbook with leadership decision gates, a 21-slide go-to-market deck for an AI payments product, and naming for an AI workbench.
What I believe about launches
A launch is a story with a deadline.
Newsrooms taught me that the first line decides everything. I write the launch headline before the launch plan.
The buyer's first search is a conversation with a machine.
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI answers now shape the shortlist. I check what they say about a brand every month and build content to improve the answer.
Own a phrase.
Categories belong to whoever defines them first and repeats them most. A two-word term, used with discipline, can outrank budgets ten times larger.
Audiences compound.
A newsletter with 73,000 engaged readers is the closest thing marketing has to an interest-bearing account. Every launch afterward starts warm.
Measure what sales can feel.
Pipeline, qualified inbound, and win rates are the scoreboard, so I tie content to sales stages from the first brief.
What I am building now
I am vibe coding two products from scratch, in public: a GEO scanner that measures how visible a brand is inside AI answer engines, and a mobile app that helps people stop doom scrolling. I write about both in The Launch Desk, including what breaks.
I also speak on brand storytelling, content strategy, and AI market trends.
Career timeline
- 2026 to now
Senior Lead, Content Marketing
Payments engineering and AI firm serving banks and fintechs
Took a new category term to No. 1 in US and India search, wrote the company's 14-step positioning playbook, built the launch narrative for a payment intelligence product, and won a company-wide Rising Star award within four months.
- 2023 to 2026
Apprentice Leader, Sales and Marketing
Decision science and AI analytics firm serving the Fortune 500
Grew a LinkedIn newsletter from zero to 73,000 subscribers, built the CEO's thought leadership platform and podcast, influenced $1.5M+ in pipeline, and pioneered the company's answer engine (AEO) strategy. Led a team of six.
- 2022 to 2023
Content Lead
AI-powered SaaS platform for consumer goods innovation
Rebuilt the content architecture around positioning and search demand: 120% more organic traffic and 35% higher lead conversion.
- 2021 to 2022
Head of Content
Fintech wealth management platform
Built trust-first, research-led storytelling for retail investors that drove 10x lead generation and 4x conversion.
- 2014 to 2021
Correspondent
Thomson Reuters
Wrote 200+ business, finance, and technology analyses and executive profiles on daily deadlines. Led a team of journalists for two years and created Market Buzz, a short-form news format for traders on the Reuters terminal.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Derek Francis?
Derek Francis is an AI product launch and category strategist. He spent seven years as a Thomson Reuters correspondent before leading brand and content for AI, analytics, payments, and fintech companies. His work includes growing a B2B newsletter from zero to 73,000 subscribers and taking a new category term to No. 1 in US and India search.
What does an AI product launch strategist do?
An AI product launch strategist defines how a new AI product is positioned, named, and explained, then builds the content, sales narrative, and audience that carry it to market. Derek's approach adds a fourth layer: making sure AI answer engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews describe the product accurately.
What are AEO and GEO?
Answer engine optimization (AEO) structures content so search features and AI assistants can quote it as a direct answer. Generative engine optimization (GEO) improves how often and how accurately generative AI tools mention and recommend a brand. Derek led AEO strategy at an enterprise AI firm and is building a GEO scanner that measures brand visibility in AI answers.
What results has Derek delivered?
Highlights include a newsletter grown from zero to 73,000 subscribers at 20%+ engagement, $1.5M+ in influenced pipeline, 70% more qualified inbound leads, 150% organic traffic growth, page-one rankings for 20+ high-intent keywords, and a new category term taken to No. 1 in US and India search.
How can I contact Derek?
Use the contact form on derekfrancis.net or send him a message on LinkedIn.