In Episode 34 of Beyond the CMS, host Chris Bryce sits down with Michael Sonier, GM at ButterCMS, to explore what it means to build a truly approachable content management platform in an era of AI transformation and composable architecture.

Michael brings over 15 years of experience in content management technology, primarily in the commerce space, and shares how ButterCMS is focused on giving marketing teams the control, flexibility, and autonomy they need to move fast without overwhelming complexity.

Key topics include:
• Why "approachable" matters more than feature lists when choosing a CMS
• Moving beyond the "headless" buzzword to focus on real marketing value
• The five core jobs marketers need to accomplish with modern content platforms
• How AI is reducing developer dependency even further and enabling new content workflows
• Personalization expectations and the challenge of creating content variants at scale
• Building an integration ecosystem for the era of MCP servers and AI-powered automation
• Navigating the best-of-breed vs. all-in-one debate and total cost of ownership
• When to consider a modern CMS and how to start with a crawl-walk-run approach
• Content workflows, permissions, and governance for complex organizations
• The future of content management in an AI-first world (AEO, GEO, and beyond)

Michael emphasizes that migration to modern CMS architecture doesn't have to be a massive IT project. ButterCMS takes a partnership approach, offering white-glove onboarding and focusing on "time to first value" to help teams see results quickly.

Whether you're a CMO evaluating platforms, a digital leader modernizing your stack, or an agency partner looking to understand the evolving CMS landscape, this episode offers practical insights into making content management work for marketing teams—not the other way around.