"Ryan has built a free, easy to use, Slack based tool for newsrooms and journalists to help them with their SEO. We are excited to continue to support Ryan to implement this tool in newsrooms across the country and see YESEO grow and benefit as many newsrooms as possible."

"YESEO has changed so much about how The Oglethorpe Echo functions as a local news organization and news-academic partnership. Its increasingly varied tools and capabilities have taught our staff how to no fear but embrace AI as a useful and easy part of our workflow, and we are more efficient because of it. The resources saved through YESEO's use mean more coverage, more engagement with our community and ultimately more success for our newsroom. Working with Ryan was such a thoughtful and iterative process to really meet the needs in our specific context, and we are excited to use YESEO as a staple in our newsroom for years to come."

"Public Media Journalists Association recently had the benefit of learning from Ryan Restivo as he shared useful insights from YESEO's first few years of data. For our members, emerging technology and AI are highly sought-after topics, so it was great to have such a knowledgeable and engaging speaker share their expertise with us."

"ONA was thrilled to have Ryan present a virtual interactive session sharing lessons from YESEO. The format for the session was fun and engaging for attendees, with smart gamification strategies to help people learn about the technology while testing their own knowledge. What's more, Ryan is professional, communicative, thoughtful and enthusiastic about educating audiences and was willing to work with us on creative session ideas — he was wonderful to work with through the whole planning process."

"Working with Ryan Restivo and YESEO has been such a pleasant experience for us at the Center for Cooperative Media. Not only is Ryan a kind and sincere person, but it's clear that the work he does is firmly rooted in his desire to provide actual utility and value to working journalists and newsrooms of all sizes — especially small and medium-size newsrooms. Ryan is responsive and attentive without being overwhelming or making newsrooms feel rushed or pressured into using a particular product. He takes the time to understand the needs of journalists and tries to build solutions that directly address those needs."

"The YESEO training offered our cohort a fresh lens on how generative AI can fit meaningfully into editorial workflows, especially for smaller, mission-driven newsrooms. We're hopeful that this will not only help our participants optimize their stories for discoverability but also encourage them to think more strategically about innovation. It's a solid entry point for anyone curious about where AI meets journalism."

"Back in 2023, not so long ago in calendar time but eons ago in AI time, Ryan graciously presented on his YESEO tool at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association's spring convention. His tool represents, in my opinion, one of the few appropriate and ethical ways for newsrooms to use AI."

"The integration of AI in journalism presents challenges and opportunities, but rather than responding with apprehension, the industry must embrace understanding and practical application of this technology. I'm choosing to embrace The YESEO App, developed by Ryan Restivo. It offers an excellent example of AI's potential value in newsrooms, particularly for my interactive graduate students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism."

"Ryan has done an awesome job asking for and responding to feedback about YESEO. He offered to do a virtual training for our whole newsroom, which we jumped on and was very successful. We've spent a lot of time as an organization talking about writing better headlines but our small audience team isn't always able to help with the headlines on every single story. Reporters and editors were excited to have a tool to help them write better headlines themselves. Now they don't have to wait for an audience team member to get back to them."

"I had the opportunity to collaborate with Ryan when YESEO accepted into the Online News Association's 2023 Start-Up Alley, a competitive program that introduces new ventures to the digital media community. He was also a fantastic addition to an AI tools showcase, where he shared YESEO's thoughtful solution to a challenge journalists face in their busy day-to-day work. I can't wait to see how this start-up continues to grow."

"I'm always looking for guest speakers for the LMA Digital Club, and when I heard about Ryan Restivo's YESEO app, I knew it would be a great topic for club members, most of whom are mid to senior-level leaders and family-owned newspapers and small broadcast groups. SEO has been one of the most important topics for the group, and Ryan provided an excellent overview of the tool"

"AI can be a particularly sticky topic in journalism education, but the tool Ryan has built puts human decision-making at the forefront with an assist from AI. It's important for journalism students to know when and how to ethically use AI in their work, and by centering their autonomy, YESEO provides student journalists with another tool in their toolbox, not just something that's going to do the work for them. On a more personal note, Ryan has been incredibly generous with his time."

"Ryan Restivo, as a speaker at the 2023 MobileMe&You Conference, showcased the YESEO app developed during his Reynolds Journalism Institute fellowship. His presentation highlighted how the free tool leverages technology to support local journalism and how what he learned from the industry on SEO best practices is reflected in the tool. He is a pleasant, organized, comfortable and easy speaker who presents practical tools and solutions to his audience."