You’re Not Falling Behind — You’re Reading Too Shallow
How strategic reading builds the edge AI can’t fake
Quick Note – if you intend to copy my lists and ideas and share them as your own, keep in mind – every search system already knows that my SubStack post is the canonical source for the content, and if you don’t understand what that means, good luck. ;)
There’s a quiet skill separating the professionals who consistently stay ahead from those who perpetually play catch-up. It’s not some secret Slack group or insider Discord. It’s not the latest course or AI prompt pack. It’s not a Mastermind group or some “program” pushed by an influencer.
It’s reading.
And not just reading more — reading better. (Duane Forrester said this.) I’m sharing how I do this, in detail, so you can do it, too. Links, a structured list, prompts, people - it’s all below.
In a world of auto-summarized content and AI-regurgitated “insight,” the act of seeking out high-signal material and actually consuming it is becoming a strategic advantage. The best marketers I know are signal hunters. They read fast. They read wide. And they read deeply — not just to inform, but to predict. They read to learn. They learn to grow. Growth is survival.
Skimming Won’t Save You
Let’s be honest: your inbox is full of newsletters you don’t read. Your LinkedIn feed is 80% repackaged opinion loops. AI assistants serve you the same five-point summaries everyone else is seeing. And yet…some marketers always seem to have the drop.
It’s not magic. It’s input.
Generative AI has changed the search landscape — no doubt. But it still relies on inputs. And if you’re only taking in surface-level summaries, you’re swinging a dull blade.
AI doesn’t comprehend — it compresses. It borrows other people’s thinking. So if you're only consuming the compressed output — without seeking the source context, without identifying the early signals — you're downstream of the value. You’re a reactor, not a strategist. We all know that a poor prompt gives us a poor result, so treat your mind the same way and look to upgrade your approach to what you input.
Pro tip: actively unsubscribe from stuff you don’t consume. You can always find it again if it becomes useful in the future.
The Reading Stack I (Duane Forrester) Actually Use
Forget vague “read more” advice. Here’s exactly how I manage my reading workflow — and it gives me a strategic edge.
Duane’s Step 1: Curate your input layer (Here’s exactly what I read)
This isn’t theory — this is my real reading stack. These are the sources I rely on to stay ahead of shifts in SEO, AI, and consumer behavior – and yes, I read beyond just these – I actively curate and search for specific topics, keywords, phrases and concepts to narrow down my focus:
Industry News & Search Updates
Search Engine Land – Still one of the most consistent, reliable sources in the space, regardless of ownership
Search Engine Journal – Opinionated, ad-heavy, but often early on emerging themes
SEOFOMO by Aleyda Solis – A tightly curated weekly hit list I never miss
Search News You Can Use – Practical, pattern-aware updates from Marie Haynes
Google Search Central Blog – Essential for reading from the source, but be ready to read between the lines
Bing Webmaster Tools Blog – Often overlooked, but a useful indicator of AI/search integrations – be honest, some of you still haven’t heard of IndexNow, I bet.
AI & Research Sources
OpenAI Research – Good for watching system behavior and architectural trends
Microsoft Research Blog – Often more forward-leaning than the press releases
This Week in NLP by Robert Dale – For when you need to see what’s actually happening under the hood
Newsletters Worth Reading
TL;DR AI – Short, signal-rich bursts of tech and AI news
Rich Snippets – GenAI and search, thoughtfully curated
TL;DR Marketing – A daily dose of trends, launches, and alerts for marketers who scan fast but think deep
(Some) People I follow (for high-signal X posts):
Lily Ray – https://x.com/lilyraynyc
Cindy Krum – https://x.com/Suzzicks
Mike King – https://x.com/ipullrank
Aleyda Solis – https://x.com/aleyda
Dawn Anderson – https://x.com/dawnieando
Pedro Dias – https://x.com/pedrodias
Jono Alderson – https://x.com/jonoalderson
Ryan Jones – https://x.com/RyanJones
Bill Hartzer – https://x.com/bhartzer
Dan Petrovic – https://x.com/dejanseo
Dixon Jones – https://x.com/dixon_jones
Marty Weintraub – https://x.com/aimclear
Barry Schwartz – https://x.com/rustybrick
Fili Wiese - https://x.com/filiwiese
And just to be clear:
TV? I’m reading.
YouTube? Only TED or curated AI how-to & deep-dives. (If you don’t know who Lex Fridman is, I can’t even…just stop reading now and go - click the link)
Gaming? I’m prototyping, planning, building.
I’m not anti-fun — I’m just done wasting time. Input is leverage. Every scroll is a decision. And the only difference between a rut and a grave… is depth. Know when to step out.
Duane’s Step 2: Filter for density
Each morning, I skim through my trusted sources. I’m not looking for headlines — I’m scanning for outliers. Unexpected insights, unpopular-but-smart opinions, or signals that challenge consensus thinking. That’s what gets bookmarked.
Duane’s Step 3: Save and tag
If something stands out, I currently send it to Matter. I tag each item with relevant topics like #vectorsearch, #localSEO, or #retrievalmodels. Over time, this builds clusters I can return to and analyze as patterns emerge. Or just create a list in whatever system you like. But save stuff and review it.
Duane’s Step 4: Deep reading in batches
At the end of each day, I give myself 15–20 minutes of uninterrupted reading. Not skimming. Not summarizing. Actually reading. That’s when the lightbulbs go off — when I start to notice connections others miss. I also use a Limitless pendant as an ai-enabled listener to grab thoughts as I say them out loud and create a transcript, lists, etc. for me later, for retrieval and integration with my notes. But you do you – whatever works, I say.
Duane’s Step 5: Synthesize in my own words
I don’t ask ChatGPT to summarize it. I write down what it means for me: What changed? What risk just appeared? What opportunity does this create? That’s when the signal turns into strategy.
A word on who I follow: that wasn’t a full list. It could never be. I have dozens of back channel conversations with people all around the world almost daily. If you’re not on this list, it’s not because I actively removed you or overlooked you – know that I love you and your mind! And what I share here is simply for examples. I want everyone reading to share their own sources and people as well – but ya gotta explain why!
Why Signal Hunters Win
The marketers who move first aren’t lucky. They’re informed.
They read the real documentation. They saw the pattern emerge — before Google blogged about it or YouTube creators caught on.
They weren’t chasing trends. They were building leverage. They predicted TikTok’s rise in local discovery before anyone admitted it was real and so on.
Reading fuels pattern recognition. Pattern recognition fuels strategic leverage.
And in a world where AI can replicate most outputs, it’s your input quality that sets you apart. The input to your mind and your unique ability to parse data and see patterns.
The Signal Stack Prompt (A Research Shortcut That Actually Works)
Let’s be honest: “Just Google it” doesn’t cut it anymore. If you want high-signal material — not recycled summaries and clickbait — you need a better way to surface sources that are worth reading.
This is the exact prompt I use when I want to explore a topic, uncover credible frameworks, or find material that hasn’t yet been recycled to death across LinkedIn.
Use this with ChatGPT (with browsing enabled), Bing Copilot, Gemini, or your AI tool of choice:
Duane Forrester’s Signal Stack Prompt (General Use)
"Act as a research assistant for a senior digital strategist. I want a list of recent, high-authority sources — published within the last 12 months — across a mix of formats (news articles, whitepapers, academic research, technical documentation, and original blog posts). Prioritize materials that explain key methodologies, conceptual frameworks, or signals emerging trends. Include the full title, author or source, publication date, and a direct URL when available. Focus on the topic: [insert topic here]. Filter out fluff, summaries, and listicles. Only include sources worth vetting and potentially consuming in full."
Example topic inserts:
“Vector databases in search and how vector recall affects retrievability”
“Authoritativeness signals in retrieval models — academic and applied”
“Ethical challenges in AI-assisted decision-making for marketers”
“Technical SEO concepts reframed for AI-powered discovery systems”
Duane Forrester’s Signal Stack Prompt (Perplexity.ai Specific)
"Using Pro Search, return a recent list of the most authoritative sources related to [insert topic]. Prioritize original research, whitepapers, technical blogs, or academic papers published in the past 12 months. Exclude SEO bait and AI-written content farms. I want signal, not noise — and I’d like links to the original sources where available."
When to Use This
Use this when you’re:
Researching an unfamiliar domain
Vetting trends that seem hype-driven
Trying to get beyond the first layer of AI-summarized content
Building an internal strategy doc or presentation
Looking to learn something new — not just something viral
>>Try the prompt right now - refine it however you like. Pick a topic you feel fuzzy on — and see what shows up.<<
Reading widely only matters if you’re reading well. These prompts help surface material that AI summaries miss — and they help you reclaim depth in a time of flattening insight.
The Edge Nobody Talks About
No one brags about their reading habits on LinkedIn. But they should. Because while the rest of the field is drowning in noise, the signal hunters are three steps ahead — making bets, shifting budgets, rethinking strategy — while others are still waiting for a webinar to confirm it’s safe.
So I’ll ask you:
What’s in your signal stack?
If everyone’s feeding on summaries, your edge is context.
If everyone’s automating comprehension, your edge is depth.
If everyone’s waiting for permission to act — read better, move sooner.
What’s in your signal stack?
Drop a source. Share your edge. Let’s raise the signal floor — together.
Dude. Academic research. Research-grade methodology. Critical thinking turned up to max. This is now the reality more than it has been in a long time.