Celebrating Women’s History Month: An Interview with Heather Peterson
This Women’s History Month, I’m thrilled to spotlight Heather Peterson, a powerhouse in YouTube organic strategy, and brand channel management at Pixability. I’ve had the privilege of working with Heather 9.5 years, and it has been an absolute joy working alongside her at Pixability and as an editor of a couple of YouTube Channels for Dummy’s books! Her expertise in optimizing YouTube content for some of the world’s biggest brands has been instrumental in driving success for our clients, and her dedication to the ever-evolving video marketing landscape continues to inspire everyone around her.
Beyond her professional accomplishments—marked by multiple industry awards—Heather is also celebrating an exciting personal milestone: her upcoming wedding! In this interview, we’ll dive into her journey at Pixability, the impact of her work in the ad tech industry, and how she’s balancing major career wins with personal celebrations.
Theresa: As we celebrate Women’s History Month, how has being a woman in ad tech shaped your career journey?
Heather: When I was first starting out (pre-Pixability), I had an old school male boss tell me I would never make it in this industry. I’ve used his words everyday to be the driver to keep pushing and to ultimately prove him wrong. Also in my 9+ years at Pixability, I’ve had many great role models on how to be a successful woman in ad tech. I’ve been following their lead and hopefully been showing the same leadership for those that came in after me.
Theresa: You’ve played a key role in YouTube SEO and channel management for some of Pixability’s biggest brand clients. What initially drew you to this area of expertise?
Heather: I was initially drawn to YouTube SEO as it was a unique way to use my copywriting skills. SEO was a hot topic for websites but an emerging trend for social platforms like YouTube. Now it has developed into a necessity for big brands that want to reach their users on the biggest streaming platform. Combining YouTube SEO and channel management feels like such a niche offering that I get to work with some of the world’s biggest brands. I love being the YouTube expert in the room for my brands and leading their organic presence on the platform.
Theresa: What’s one of the most rewarding challenges of optimizing YouTube content for major brands, and how do you approach it?
Heather: One of the biggest challenges brands come to us with is not owning their share of voice on YouTube. Influencer videos come up before their own videos, videos talking negatively about the brand, or the brand’s content not showing up at all in YouTube Search. It’s the most rewarding after a few short months of optimizations at the videos, playlists, and channel level that I can show the client how their brand is now owning its share of voice. Their videos are ranking higher in YT Search than the negative or influencer videos. More visitors come to view content from the brand channel as it’s more discoverable. Solving this big problem for brands shows the power of the work and makes every tag, thumbnail, and optimization worth it.
Theresa: How has YouTube SEO evolved in recent years, and what strategies do you think brands need to focus on in 2025?
Heather: The introduction of Shorts, the short form vertical format of videos, has changed the SEO game on YouTube. Traditionally, videos on YouTube were horizontal, long videos where viewers have the time to read the video title and description and interact with the video. Shorts leave little room to do all that. Brands need to develop a strategy to reach viewers differently than they have before with Shorts at the forefront of their video and SEO strategies.
Theresa: What advice would you give to women looking to grow into leadership roles in digital advertising and media technology?
Heather: Michael Scott as one of business’s top bosses once quoted, “‘you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ -Wayne Gretzky”. Growing into leadership roles is just that, growing and earning that next step so never stop learning, advocating for yourself, and speaking up. It may be uncomfortable to speak up, be the squeaky wheel, or advocate for yourself but I’ve found that growth and good things happen when you are uncomfortable.
Theresa: On a personal note, congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Have you found any surprising similarities between planning a wedding and managing high-profile YouTube strategies for major brands?
Heather: Same with any YouTube strategy for a major brand we tailor the strategy to each client. With planning a wedding, my fiance and I are the client and we’ve been really enjoying planning our own “strategic” vision for what the big day will be. And yes both YouTube strategies for big brands and my wedding involve a really detailed planning Google Sheet.
Theresa: What are you most excited about for this next chapter in your life?
Heather: I’m very excited to embrace whatever is to come in this next chapter of my life. And do it all with my amazing wife by my side. That’s it, just the two of us taking on the world together.
Theresa: As we celebrate women’s contributions this month, are there any women—personally or professionally—who have inspired you in your career?
Heather: The growth of the Women’s sports space in the past few years and seeing strong women like Caitlin Clark showing the world that they deserve the same platform as men’s sports has reinvigorated my tenacity to always show up as the strong woman I am in my career. It’s inspiring to watch these athletes finally get the recognition they deserve as they own their sports and careers. Especially the ones like the US Women’s National Soccer Team who consistently outplay the Men’s team by winning World Cups and Olympic Golds. That is the energy I’m bringing to everyday and beyond.