Is AI replacing marketers, or just helping bad marketers move faster?
In this episode, we're joined by Eric Siu, founder of Single Grain, host of @LevelingUpOfficial , and advisor to some of the biggest SaaS companies, to debate how AI is changing marketing right now.
Eric breaks down the AI workflows his agency uses to cut content production time by 90%, including how they generated 21 blog posts in 30 minutes. But it’s not magic. We dive into where AI works, where it still fails, and why human editors are still a critical part of the process.
We discuss:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Growing an Agency in an AI World
05:23 What Can AI Actually Be Used for Right Now?
09:30 21 Blog Posts in 30 Minutes: Real or Slop?
13:11 The Role of Human Editors in AI Content
15:52 AI Tools Reshaping Marketing
23:54 Agency Value in the Age of AI
30:25 AI for Scheduling, Note-Taking, and Automation
44:03 Gamifying SOPs with AI
46:57 One-Click Internal Linking
50:53 The Personal Brand Machine (And How AI Supercharges It)
58:50 AI-Powered LinkedIn Ads & ABM
01:08:07 Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
⸻
Where to find Eric:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericosiu/
X: @ericosiuWebsites: https://www.singlegrain.com/
https://karrot.ai/
https://www.levelingup.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
👥 People Mentioned
• Neil Patel – Co-founder of NP Digital, marketing influencer, frequent collaborator with Eric
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkpatel
Website: https://neilpatel.com
• Gael Breton – Co-founder of Authority Hacker, SEO educator
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gael-breton-762b1515
Website: https://www.authorityhacker.com
• Nathan Barry – Founder of ConvertKit (now Kit), previous podcast guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry
Website: https://nathanbarry.com
• Dmitry Gerasimenko – Founder & CEO of Ahrefs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerasimenko
⸻
🏢 Companies & Tools Referenced
• Single Grain – Digital marketing agency founded by Eric Siu
Website: https://www.singlegrain.com
• Ahrefs – SEO and marketing intelligence platform
Website: https://ahrefs.com
• NP Digital – Marketing agency co-founded by Neil Patel
Website: https://npdigital.com
• Authority Hacker – SEO and content marketing education
Website: https://www.authorityhacker.com
• Lindy.ai – AI agent tool for task automation, including recruiting
Website: https://lindy.ai
• Manos – AI-powered recruiting automation (referenced)
Website: https://manos.so
• Reclaim.ai – Smart calendar management for scheduling and productivity
Website: https://reclaim.ai
• Hawie.ai – AI meeting scheduling assistant
Website: https://hawie.ai
• Granola – AI note-taking tool
Website: https://granola.so
• Gong – Sales intelligence and meeting recording tool
Website: https://www.gong.io
• Overlap – AI video clipping for short-form content
Website: https://www.overlap.so
• Opus Clip – AI video clipping tool for podcasts and YouTube
Website: https://www.opus.pro
• Descript – AI-powered video editing tool
Website: https://www.descript.com
• Bannerbear – Automated image and video generation (used for OG images)
Website: https://www.bannerbear.com
⸻
📚 Books & Ideas Referenced
• “Who’s Got the Monkey?” – Harvard Business Review article on delegation
Read it: https://hbr.org/1974/11/management-time-whos-got-the-monkey
What if you could turn LinkedIn into your only customer acquisition channel and grow to $30M ARR...without spending a dime on paid ads?
Adam Robinson breaks down the exact playbook he used to build a magnetic personal brand, engineer high-engagement content, and make LinkedIn work like a growth engine. From bootstrapping three companies to millions in ARR to building a content system that turns credibility into conversions, Adam doesn’t hold back. We explored storytelling, content marketing, webinars, and the overlooked strategies that helped him scale fast without relying on traditional funnels.
In this episode:
(00:00) Intro
(00:50) Building a Personal Brand on Social Media
(06:09) Finding Your Voice and Content Market Fit
(08:50) The Importance of Authentic Storytelling
(11:46) Creating a Public Figure Through Content
(14:56) Strategies for Growing Your LinkedIn Audience
(17:55) Crafting Engaging Posts and Hooks
(21:00) The Art of Storytelling in Content Creation
(23:58) Tactics for Effective LinkedIn Posting
(33:27) Leveraging Credibility in Content Creation
(36:39) Maximizing Engagement Through Hooks and Templates
(41:36) The Role of AI in Content Generation
(50:25) Frequency and Interaction: Balancing Engagement on LinkedIn
(54:40) The Power of Video in Building Trust
(01:00:44) The Unique Appeal of Live Webinars
(01:02:39) Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Adam:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry/
Websites: https://www.retention.com/
https://www.rb2b.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
👥 People Mentioned
• Russell Brunson – Co-founder of ClickFunnels, early internet marketing influencer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellbrunson
• Dave Gerhardt – Founder of Exit Five, author of Founder Brand
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegerhardt
• Chris Walker – Growth marketing expert, LinkedIn creator
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswalker
• Nigel Thomas – LinkedIn content creator known for post templates
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelthomas
• Tom Wolfe – B2B content creator and podcast guest
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwolfe
• Rick Rubin – Music producer, quoted on art and perspective
(No specific profile link)
• Peter Conforti – Analyst who studied LinkedIn audience overlap
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterconforti
• Jeremy Horwitz – Guest on webinars, ABM expert
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhorwitz
• Sam Parr – Host of “My First Million” podcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samparr
• Nathan Barry – Mentioned by Tim as podcast guest in this episode
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry
• Paul Graham – Y Combinator founder
Website: http://www.paulgraham.com
⸻
🏢 Companies & Tools Referenced
• ClickFunnels – Sales funnel software (Russell Brunson’s company)
Website: https://clickfunnels.com
• Jasper AI – AI writing assistant tool
Website: https://www.jasper.ai
#LinkedIn #CustomerAcquisition #PersonalBrand #ContentMarketing #Storytelling #AudienceGrowth #SocialMediaStrategy #Engagement #Authenticity #MarketingTactics #ContentCreation #Credibility #AI #Video #Webinars #audiencebuilding
Nathan Barry (founder of Kit, formerly ConvertKit) joins Tim Soulo to break down one of the boldest rebrands in SaaS, and why it wasn’t just a logo change, but a complete overhaul of identity, voice, and vision.
We talk:
• Why they spent $260K with a top agency (and what they actually got)
• How to design word-of-mouth marketing that actually works• Using AI to scale brand consistency
• The Minimum Viable Personal Brand for founders
• Building creator flywheels instead of chasing funnels
• What Kit learned from celebrity newsletters (Tom Brady, Dua Lipa, McConaughey…)
If you care about brand, growth, or building in public, this is the episode to watch.
00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Why spend $360K for a rebrand?
06:14 - Using AI to stay on brand
10:28 - Acquiring a three-letter domain
16:05 - Business decisions beyond immediate profit
21:26 - Turning a rebrand into a marketing flywheel
26:06 - You can’t script word of mouth. But you can feed it
32:56 - Customers as marketing assets
42:30 - Funnels vs flywheels and landing celebrity clients
53:45 - Delegating like a CEO (but still showing up)
1:00:32 - Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Nathan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry/
X: @nathanbarry
Website: https://kit.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)
X: @timsouloWebsite: https://www.timsoulo.com/
_______________
Referenced in this episode:
🔹 People
Tom Brady — Referenced in relation to Kit newsletter visibility
https://www.instagram.com/tombrady/
Patrick Campbell — Founder of ProfitWell (acquired by Paddle)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickccampbell/
https://twitter.com/pattyc
Dua Lipa — Musician and creator, newsletter launched via Kit
https://www.instagram.com/dualipa/
⸻
🔹 Companies / Products / Platforms
Kit — Formerly ConvertKit, platform for professional creatorshttps://kit.com/
Koto — Design agency behind Kit’s $260K rebrandhttps://koto.studio/
Ahrefs — All-in-one SEO and marketing platform
https://ahrefs.com/
ProfitWell — Subscription analytics and retention toolhttps://www.profitwell.com/
Paddle — SaaS payment infrastructure company (acquired ProfitWell)
https://www.paddle.com/
Creator Network — Kit’s recommendation and newsletter growth engine
https://kit.com/features/creator-network
⸻
🔹 Books / Concepts“Do Things That Don’t Scale” — Paul Graham (essay from Y Combinator)
https://www.paulgraham.com/ds.html
Ahrefs Podcast
Host: Tim Soulo
Podcast Producer: Michelle Lindner
Intro Storyboard: Michelle Lindner
Intro Video Lead: George Dolgikh
Intro Video Animations: Ilya Yakymchuck
Filmed at: Content HQ, Miami
#branding #rebranding #marketing #emailmarketing #Kit #ConvertKit #domainnames #customerengagement #storytelling #businessstrategy #marketingstrategies #creatorplatforms #abtesting #directsales #networkeffects #teamprocesses #founderpassion
Everyone’s talking about AI in marketing. But most of it is hype, fluff, or screenshots of ChatGPT doing something useless. This episode is different.
Gael Breton ( @AuthorityHackerPodcast ) shows the real systems he’s using to replace time-wasting tasks, write high-performing content, and ship more work, without losing quality.
We’re talking about AI workflows that actually work in a lean, fast-moving marketing team.
We cover:
(00:00) Intro
(01:35) AI in marketing is broken. Here's how to fix it.
(03:22) Use Gemini to uncover B2B AI opportunities
(05:57) Why content still matters in the age of AI agents
(09:03) Auto-generate podcasts and deep research summaries
(11:27) Research video libraries with NotebookLLM
(15:31) Tim’s evolving take on AI-generated content
(18:43) Use AI to write high-engagement newsletters
(26:48) Feedback, refinement, and keeping AI content human
(31:33) Smarter, not spammy: Using AI like a creative calculator
(41:20) AI agents + MCP server to automate SEO tasks
(47:18:07) Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Gael:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gael-breton-78305118
X: @GaelBreton
Website: https://www.authorityhacker.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
_______________
Referenced in this episode:
Ahrefs – https://ahrefs.com/
Authority Hacker – https://www.authorityhacker.com/
Gemini (Google AI) – https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/
Claude (Anthropic) – https://claude.ai/
NotebookLM – https://notebooklm.google/
Perplexity AI – https://www.perplexity.ai/
Firecrawl – https://www.firecrawl.dev/
Make.com – https://www.make.com/
n8n – https://n8n.io/
CapCut – https://www.capcut.com/
Opus Pro – https://www.opus.pro/
Notion AI – https://www.notion.so/product/ai
Buffer – https://buffer.com/
_______________
Ahrefs Podcast
Host: Tim SouloPodcast
Producer: Michelle Lindner
Intro Storyboard: Tim Soulo
Intro Video Lead: George Dolgikh
Intro Video Animations: Ilya Yakymchuck
Filmed with: @Riversidefm
#ai, #automation, #businessscaling, #technology, #entrepreneurship, #saas, #innovation, #brand, #contentcreation, #marketingstrategies, #businessgrowth, #aiworkflow, #aicontentcreation
What if your business could run itself...and actually get better over time? In this episode, we sit down with Amos Bar-Joseph, founder of Swan AI, to explore the future of autonomous business and what it means for marketers and SaaS founders. Amos shares how Swan is rethinking onboarding, support, and user engagement through the dynamic of human-AI collaboration.
From automation and content creation to go-to-market strategy and brand-building, this conversation unpacks the real potential (and limits) of AI as it reshapes how we build, grow, and support products.
We cover:
(0:00) Intro
(01:18) Can 3 founders scale to $30M ARR with AI?
(02:51) Automation is dead. Augmentation is the future.
(04:59) Why they said no to Intercom and built their own AI
(09:31) How support works when AI reads your docs
(11:44) Teaching AI like a teammate (not a tool)
(14:19) Could you build this with no-code?
(17:10) The only moats left: brand and user experience
(25:33) AI-led onboarding that starts without you
(28:40) Why high-intent leads skip the free trial
(34:21) How they turned LinkedIn into a pipeline engine
(39:41) Detecting ICPs in real time with AI agents
(44:12) Writing bangers on LinkedIn with Claude
(49:56) When AI freedom crashes your margins
(55:05) AI-powered research, outreach, and follow-up all in Slack
(1:07:41) What they’re automating next (and why)
(1:10:33) Why AI still sucks at web design
(1:13:25) Outro
------------------------------------------------
Where to find Amos:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-bar-joseph-5a665a142/)
Website: https://www.getswan.com/Where to find
Tim: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
------------------------------------------------
Referenced in this episode:
🏢 Companies & Products
Intercom – “Fin” AI assistant: https://www.intercom.com
6sense (Lead & intent data platform) : https://6sense.com
HubSpot (CRM): https://www.hubspot.com
Slack: https://slack.com
Claude (Anthropic AI): https://www.anthropic.com/index/claude
ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com
Gemini (Google AI): https://gemini.google.com
⸻
🛠️ AI, Automation & No-Code Tools
Anthropic (Claude models): https://www.anthropic.com
OpenAI (GPT models): https://openai.com
N8n (No-code automation platform): https://n8n.io
Relevance AI: https://relevance.ai
Make (formerly Integromat – automation platform): https://www.make.com
Unipile (LinkedIn scraping and automation): https://www.unipile.com
Generect (Real-time B2B data enrichment): https://generect.com
Apollo (Alternative B2B database tool): https://www.apollo.io
Lovable (No-code app builder): https://lovable.dev/
Bubble (No-code app builder): https://bubble.io
#ai, #automation, #swann, #customersupport, #humanaicollaboration, #businessscaling, #technology, #entrepreneurship, #saas, #innovation, #brand, #userexperience, #onboarding, #customerengagement, #contentcreation, #autonomousbusiness, #linkedin, #gotomarket, #websitevisitoridentification, #aiautonomy, #marketingstrategies, #businessgrowth
As the creator of The Marketing Meetup, Joe Glover has built one of the most popular, respected, and emotionally resonant communities in the industry.
In this episode, he shares a refreshingly human take on community building, leadership, and the kind of cultural values that drive real engagement—both online and off.
Explore in this episode:
(00:00) Intro
(01:41) How do you know if you have a community
(04:20) What exactly IS a community
(11:37) Community is NOT a sales channel
(21:36) Don’t build a community; build a culture
(29:58) Finding the sprouts of community culture
(37:44) Getting people to keep coming back
(44:59) Can a community continue without its founder?
(58:04) Why is TMM an Events Company vs a Media Company(
01:02:21) Promoting events(
01:05:32) The role of storytelling in community
(01:07:47) The purposefully planning behind the first TMM conference
(01:10:51) The power of good (and bad) networking events
(01:23:57) Mobilizing a team of event organizers
(01:29:34) The 10 magic moments essential for event success
(01:36:34) Baiting Ryan Reynolds to join TMM
(01:38:43) Outro
------------------------------------------------
Where to find Joe: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/josepheglover/)
Website: https://themarketingmeetup.com/
Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
------------------------------------------------
Referenced in this episode:
👤 People Mentioned
Dave Gerhardt (Founder of Exit Five)LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegerhardt/)
Website: https://www.exitfive.com
Crystal Carter (Head of SEO Communications at Wix)
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalcarterseo/)
Kelvin Newman (Founder of BrightonSEO)
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelvinnewman/)
Event: https://brightonseo.com
#mentalhealth, #communitybuilding, #marketing, #selfawareness, #culture, #followership, #emotionalconnection, #communitydynamics, #community, #events, #culturalvalues, #engagement, #leadership, #storytelling, #humanexperience, #networking, #onlineevents, #eventplanning, #ai, #personalbranding, #localorganizers, #valueexchange, #generosity
Louis Grenier has built a reputation for calling bullsh*t on conventional marketing. In this episode, he delivers sharp, unfiltered insights on what it really takes to stand out in saturated markets. As the founder of Stand The F*ck Out and host of Everyone Hates Marketers, Louis breaks down why most branding efforts fail, how to create a truly unique positioning, and what marketers get wrong about differentiation and audience engagement.
Discover:
(00:00) Intro
(00:57) Parental advisory
(03:24) How do you know if your positioning is bad?
(07:02) Positiong vs product-market fit
(16:00) Step 1: Insight foraging
(40:02) Step 2: Unique positioning
(56:36) Step 3: Creating a distinctive brand
(1:12:59) Step 4: Continuous reach
(1:36:17) The book that cost him $36,000
(1:48:02) Outro
------------------------------------------------
Where to find Louis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
Website: https://www.stfo.io/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
-----------------------------------------------
Referenced in this episode:
👤 People
Seth Godin
Website: https://www.sethgodin.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethgodin/
Gary Vaynerchuk
Website: https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyvaynerchuk/
Neil Patel
Website: https://neilpatel.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkpatel/
Jason Hennessey
Website: https://www.jasonhennessey.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhennessey/
David C. Baker
Website: https://www.davidcbaker.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcbaker/
Martin Neumeier
Website: https://www.martinneumeier.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinneumeier/
⸻
🏢 Companies & Podcasts
Hotjar
https://www.hotjar.com
Everyone Hates Marketers Podcast
https://www.everyonehatesmarketers.com
Duolingo
https://www.duolingo.com
Ryanair
https://www.ryanair.com
Dentsu
https://www.dentsu.com
VaynerMedia
https://www.vaynermedia.com
NP Digital
https://npdigital.com
Hennessey Digital
https://www.hennessey.com
HubSpot
https://www.hubspot.com
Compare the Market (UK)
https://www.comparethemarket.com
⸻
📚 Books
Stand the Fck Out* by Louis Grenier
The Business of Expertise by David C. Baker
https://www.amazon.com/Business-Expertise-Entrepreneurs-Firms-Clients/dp/1605440590
Zag by Martin Neumeier
https://www.amazon.com/Zag-Strategy-High-Performance-Voices-Matter/dp/0321426770
How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp
https://www.amazon.com/How-Brands-Grow-What-Marketers/dp/0195573560
What does it really take to drive scalable, data-informed growth in today’s competitive marketing landscape?
In this episode, we sit down with Tim Dalrymple — former Head of Growth Marketing at Notion and Director of Growth at Webflow — to unpack how elite teams are rethinking attribution, customer acquisition, and product-led growth from the ground up.
Tim shares lessons from leading marketing at two of the most iconic product-led brands and offers a clear-eyed look at how to build growth systems that actually move the needle. Whether you’re deep into performance marketing or looking to sharpen your measurement strategy, this conversation brings sharp insights into everything from SEO and user-generated content to ethical marketing and AI-driven decision-making.
Discover:
(0:00) Intro
(1:29) What is growth marketing (and how it differs from brand marketing)
(6:55) Where growth marketing sits on the org chart
(10:40) Tracking view-through conversions through YouTube
(20:20) Geolift tests: why you want them and how to do them
(23:34) Why platforms claim attribution
(26:57) Bidding on branded keywords
(31:25) Performance marketing on social media
(35:58) Who owns campaign ideation
(38:09) Creating brand videos
(47:39) SEO at Notion and Webflow
(51:22) Linkbuilding at Notion and Webflow
(54:18) Using agencies to forge channels
(56:27) The AI growth marketing co-worker
(01:03:43) Scaling growth at Roadway
(01:11:51) Outro
_______________________________________
Where to find Tim Dalrymple:
Where to find Tim Soulo:
-------------------------
Referenced:
Borko Kovacevic is the co-founder of Poddster, a fast-growing podcast studio network with locations in Dubai and Singapore, with upcoming locations in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Borko is also the co-founder of podcast operations software, Podyx.
In this episode, Borko shares the behind-the-scenes story of building Poddster, the trends shaping podcasting today, and what it really takes to create a podcast that drives business results.
What you’ll learn:
1. Why podcasting is shifting from audio-only to video—and how YouTube is winning the game
2. How businesses and creators approach podcasts differently (and why only 5% of Poddster’s clients are full-time creators)
3. The biggest mistakes businesses make when starting a podcast—and why “interesting guests” aren’t enough
4. Why every small business owner needs to be a content creator in today’s world
5. The role of trust and authenticity in podcasting—and how mainstream media’s decline has fueled the format’s growth
6. The untold challenges of podcasting (hint: it’s way harder than it looks)
7. Why podcasting is the ultimate networking hack—and how it can be used as a business development tool
8. How production quality impacts discoverability and engagement
9. The surprising reasons 99% of podcasts don’t make it past 20 episodes
10. Much more
In this episode: (0:00) Intro
(1:25) Why podcasting is the wave of the future
(5:05) Who is podcasting?
(10:58) Creator vs business podcasting
(16:18) Motivations and goals behind business podcasts
(34:53) What makes a good podcast or podcast episode
(41:37) Common challenges in podcasting
(53:40) Zoom vs in-person interviews
(1:03:35) Different podcast strategies
(1:08:37) Types of podcasts
(1:16:12) How to market a podcast
(1:35:34) The benefits of video studios beyond podcasting
(1:38:31) Where to find quality studios
(1:46:47) Outro
Where to find Borko
Where to find Tim
ReferencedMagnus Grimeland: https://youtu.be/6dNFsSWcQFY
Nir Eyal: @nirandfar
Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee): @garyvee
Lex Fridman: @lexfridman
Joe Rogan: @joerogan
Scott Galloway (Prof G): @TheProfGPod
Steven Bartlett" @TheDiaryOfACEO
Tom Bilyeu: @TomBilyeu
Meet Magnus Grimeland - the founder and CEO of Antler - a one BILLION dollar venture capital firm dedicated to investing in startups at the earliest stages.
As of today, Antler has invested in over 14 hundred companies, making it the largest day-zero investor in the world. And they have an audacious goal to invest in 6 thousand companies before 2030.
In this episode, you'll learn:
(0:00) Intro
(02:36) Why are people more important than ideas?
(06:04) Examples of iterating on ideas
(19:17) Hipster, Hacker, Hustler vs. Spike, Drive, Grit
(29:22) Can marketers be good founders
(34:39) Soft skills vs hard skills
(39:03) The role of marketing in zero-day investments
(46:07) What do experts get out of advising zero-day startups?
(53:45) Borrowing other people’s platforms
(1:00:54) The first marketing steps for any startup
(1:05:42) Building a brand
(1:15:27) Founder brand vs. building local networks
(1:22:03) How Antler gets referrals
(1:29:52) Why VC firms don’t use SEO
(1:37:33) How Antler decides who to invest in
(1:40:06) Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Magnus:
Where to find Tim:
-------------------------
Referenced:
• Zalora
• Lion
• Basket of goods
• G&A
_______________
Ahrefs Podcast
Host: Tim Soulo
Podcast Producer: Michelle Lindner
Intro Storyboard: Michelle Lindner & Tim Soulo
Intro Video Lead: George Dolgikh
Intro Video Animations: Ilya Yakymchuck
Filmed at: @PoddsterSingapore
What's the key to creating a viral marketing campaign? Meet Delbert Ty, CMO at Coffee Meets Bagel, a popular dating app that sets itself apart by courting only those interested in serious relationships.
Before joining CmB, Delbert worked as Head of Marketing at Circles.Life - a Singaporean telco - where he grew revenue to 9 figures in 5 years.
And even before that he worked at Procter & Gamble, where he was responsible for such well-known brands as Duracell, Tide & Pantene.
During his time at these companies Delbert has pulled off quite a few hilarious creative marketing campaigns.
Some of them failed, but others brought lots of new customers and tons of brand awareness.
In our interview, we discussed quite a few of Delbert's viral campaigns and tried to deconstruct what made them successful and how you could replicate that success.
In this episode:
(0:00) Intro
(02:17) Three biggest marketing campaigns
(06:44) Vandalizing a billboard
(11:10) Buying out telco contracts (failed)
(13:10) Coffee Meets Bagel tells users to leave
(16:30) "Free money" from a vending machine
(25:01) The cost (not in $$$) of viral campaigns
(30:10) Courage in viral marketing
(35:43) Setting objectives for viral campaigns
(41:13) Measuring the impact of viral campaigns
(47:20) When bad ideas are actually good ideas
(55:23) Structural elements of a viral campaign
(01:15:07) Physical vs digital creative marketing
(1:22:20) Split between creative marketing and other tasks
(1:24:01) Is viral marketing only for consumer brands?
(1:28:10) Why certain campaigns fail
(1:38:00) The difference between celebrity and brand
(1:47:25) Using AI for creative marketing
(01:51:42) Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Delbert:
Where to find Tim:
-------------------------
Referenced:
Coffee Meets Bagel @CoffeeMBagel
Circles.life @circleslifesg
Calm app @calm
Old Spice @oldspice
Drake "God's Plan" music video
Lenny’s Podcast with Lulu Cheng Meservey
Dan Price/Gravity Payments wages
Coffeezilla: @Coffeezilla
_______________
Ahrefs Podcast
Host: Tim Soulo
Podcast Producer: Michelle Lindner
Intro Storyboard: Michelle Lindner & Tim Soulo
Intro Video Lead: George Dolgikh
Intro Video Animations: Ilya Yakymchuk
Filmed at: Poddster Studios (Singapore)
Early-stage marketing can be full of challenges, but what if there were a playbook to follow?
Meet Madhav Bhandari, first marketing hire at Hubstaff and one of the first marketers at Close.io, and Weflow, all of which he helped to cross $10M+ in ARR.
He's currently the CMO of Storylane, where he has helped grow their ARR by 250% in 2024 alone.
In other words, Madhav has pretty much mastered the art of scaling SaaS companies from $5M to $15M+ ARR.
Here's what you'll learn in this episode:
(00:00) Intro
(1:01) Early-stage marketing playbook
(12:25) Why Madhav only scales to $15M
(15:42) The average tenure for a CMO
(19:50) The ideal CEO/CMO fit
(26:46) Earning your CEO’s trust
(36:01) Employee advocacy as a marketing tool
(49:10) Easing friction by bringing community together (Demo Days)
(56:16) Creativity in community awards (Demo Dundies)(1:05:40) 10xing traffic in 6 months through demo-led SEO(
1:13:36) Hot take on backlinks
(1:15:41) Strategies for growing a brand
(1:24:08) Defining and codifying a brand
(1:31:20) When rebranding makes sense
(1:34:18) Founder brand vs company brand
(1:40:50) Is testing multiple tactics in a short period of time a good idea?
(1:45:17) The best channels for early stage founders
(1:47:47) Fixing burnout in marketing
(1:52:45) Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Madhav:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavbhandari/)
Website: https://earlystagemarketing.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
-------------------------
Referenced:
• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com
• Canva: https://www.canva.com
• Notion: https://www.notion.so
• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com
• Slack: https://slack.com
• Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com
• Hubstaff: https://hubstaff.com
• Close: https://close.com
• Weflow: https://www.getweflow.com
How can you rise to unicorn status in an industry dominated by legacy players? Jon Stona, VP of Global Marketing at B2B global payments processor Airwallex shares his insights into growing the company from a coffee shop in Australia to a dominant player in the fintech space.
Today, Airwallex has a $5.6B valuation and handles $100B in processing volume. So, what's the marketing machine behind this financial challenger brand?
00:00 Intro
01:29 What is the marketing budget for a $5B company?
02:55 Sponsorships and the theory of economic value
10:48 Celebrity partnerships
22:04 The mechanics of sports marketing
23:48 Bringing structure to a marketing team
26:53 The role of product marketing within a company
33:14 Transforming company culture
35:47 The difference between leadership and therapy
45:17 Building a sustainable brand
59:43 Measuring growth through branded search
1:06:20 Are operating principles important for a company?
1:12:01 Differentiating yourself as a commodity
1:14:08 Building out PMM teams for different products
1:16:57 Allocating SEO budget
1:18:48 The usefulness of industry reports
1:26:11 How to use case studies in marketing
1:31:04 Getting your name in the press
1:34:33 Driving growth through industry events
1:41:17 Industry awards
1:46:48 Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Jon:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstona/)
Website: https://www.airwallex.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
-------------------------
Referenced:
McLaren: @mclaren
F1: @Formula1
Lando Norris: @LandoNorris
Shifted Perspectives: https://www.airwallex.com/airwallex-mclaren-racing-shifted-perspectives
Michael Murphy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Murphy_(sculptor)
Mere exposure effect (psychology): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effect
Forrester: @forrester
Edgar, Dunn & Company: https://www.edgardunn.com/
Skift: @skiftnews
YouGov: https://www.yougov.com/
David Fallarme: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dfallarme/)
Stripe Sessions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcoWp8pBTM3CYTQho8i-a_lzx4cq7-ePh
Beyond Black Friday
eCommerce Champion Awards: https://www.airwallex.com/newsroom/amid-online-spending-resurgence-airwallex-unveils-inaugural-airwallex
Money20/20: https://www.money2020.com/
Cloud 100 list: https://www.forbes.com/cloud100/list/
Neil Patel, one of the most recognized names in digital marketing, pulls back the curtain on how he scaled his agency, NP Digital, to over $100 million in revenue. Neil shares his insights into building and managing a global agency, transitioning from small business clients to enterprise giants like LVMH, Panasonic, ESPN, and CNN, and the strategies he uses to reduce churn and maintain client relationships. In this episode, you'll learn: 00:00 Introduction 01:12 How Neil makes his money 06:35 Why Neil doesn't sell courses anymore 15:04 How Neil scaled his agency 21:14 Shifting from SMBs to large enterprises 33:32 The mistake a lot of agencies make 42:08 How to land big enterprise clients 46:20 Customer acquisition strategies 55:15 Relationship building for customer acquisition 1:02:35 Taking the "Neil Patel" out of NP Digital 1:05:00 Personal branding decisions 1:10:54 Strategic vs tactical content 1:14:05 The role of a team within a personal brand 1:33:01 Neil's visibility and putting his face on "everything" 1:44:35 Partnership ( @marketingschoolpod ) with Eric Siu ( @LevelingUpOfficial ) 1:50:34 How Ubersuggest is doing 2:00:47 The time Neil spent $162K on clothes 2:04:52 Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Neil: X: @neilpatel LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkpatel/) Website: https://npdigital.com/ Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/) X: @timsoulo Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/ ------------------------- Referenced: • Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee): garyvaynerchuk.com @garyvee • Tony Robbins: tonyrobbins.com @TonyRobbinsLive • LVMH: lvmh.com • Dentsu: dentsu.com • WPP: wpp.com • Publicis: publicisgroupe.com • ByteDance: bytedance.com • Nestlé: nestle.com • Panasonic: panasonic.com • Philips: philips.com • ESPN: espn.com • CNN: cnn.com • Salesforce: salesforce.com • Tai Lopez: tailopez.com @tailopez • Sam Oh: @AhrefsCom
How do you transform a brand into a household name, especially when that brand has a lot of regulatory restrictions? Steven Kalifowitz is doing just that right now with @CryptoComOfficial . When he came on board as the Crypto.com CMO in 2020, he brought years of experience as an Emmy-winning production manager for HBO and lessons from being a Director of Brand Strategy for Twitter. Along with discussing his strategy for transforming Crypto.com into a household name, Steven and Tim also discussed: 00:00 Intro 01:29 Managing million-dollar marketing budgets 05:58 The importance of continued awareness for established brands 13:05 Understanding and nurturing casual vs heavy customers 19:02 Buying the Crypto.com name 21:24 Becoming CMO of Crypto.com 24:58 Are brand strategy blueprints necessary? 34:44 Marketing a brand vs a commodity 53:57 Using live sports as a marketing tool 56:29 Are competitor pages useful? 58:56 How the Crypto.com marketing team is structured 1:05:42 What does Steven do as CMO of Crypto.com? 1:10:43 Leadership and management skills 1:18:48 Advertising at the Sphere and getting around advertising restrictions 1:26:35 Sports partnerships 1:33:45 Celebrity brand films 1:41:54 Are NFTs dead? 1:45:53 Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Steven: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skalifowitz/ X: @skalifowitz Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/ X: @timsoulo Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/ _________________________________________________ Referenced in this episode: Byron Sharp - How Brands Grow: https://brandgenetics.com/human-thinking/how-brands-grow-speed-summary/ CPG/FMCG: https://cdp.com/glossary/cpg-marketing/ https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fastmoving-consumer-goods-fmcg.asp Fortune Favors the Brave ft. Matt Damon: https://youtu.be/9hBC5TVdYT8?si=qrj6nOB-VDY1yY5W David Oglivy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ogilvy_(businessman) Andy Gove - High Output Management: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Output_Management Patrick Lencioni - Five Dysfunctions of a Team: https://www.tablegroup.com/topics-and-resources/teamwork-5-dysfunctions/ Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People Andy Gove - Only the Paranoid Survive: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66863.Only_the_Paranoid_Survive Inevitable ft. Eminem: https://x.com/Eminem/status/1783859123614052845 The Moment of Truth ft. Lebron James: https://youtu.be/xynQFsPBE3w?si=5Xxr_Q3qacsR6BpV
When Fery Kaszoni first ventured into the world of SEO, he had no idea that 10 years later, he would be the CEO of a thriving digital PR agency on track to make £10M per year.
Fery's success is largely driven by his personal brand, and his fun, goofy spoofs of popular songs have become a hit in the SEO community.
But it wasn't always that way. Fery shares his ups and downs as an agency owner, what he wishes he could have done differently, and how others can replicate his success.
00:00 Intro
00:59 Fery's background as a developer
04:00 First steps into the SEO industry
11:22 Finding the passion to create an agency
15:31 Shifting to digital PR
18:19 How to scale an agency to 8 figures
27:18 Success without eating your own dog food
30:13 The true ROI of sponsorships
37:49 Fery's competitive advantage
43:49 Finding and onboarding solid employees
50:38 Expansion and team structure
52:46 Fery's role at Search Intelligence
54:46 The value in creating viral videos
58:55 Balancing humor and seriousness
01:01:45 Four day work weeks
01:08:38 Are social media and brand building the future of SEO?
01:11:43 Outro
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Fery:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferenczkaszoni/
Website: https://search-intelligence.co.uk/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
Is it actually possible to make AI content in one go with minimal human involvement that is as good as what a human can produce? Zac Harris, former Head of Demand Gen and SEO at Copy.ai and founder of Rankd., thinks so. But Zac does have a caveat: the input you give AI has to be far better than what your average marketer or writer tends to provide. Ever the AI skeptic, Tim Soulo sat down with Zac recently to discuss his workflows, how he scaled Copy.ai to 1M visits per month through free tools, and more. 00:00 Intro 1:40 Success with AI tools 16:02 The effect of mass-deleting content 20:04 Copy.ai’s content strategy 29:43 Where to find quality freelancers 34:12 Using feedback to create custom AI workflows and content 40:14 Marketing attribution, Markov chains, re-activations, and expansions 56:18 Leveraging influencer marketing for brand visibility 1:03:59 Link building tactics 01:13:12 The impact of mentorship 1:18:20 Why Zac left Copy.ai to build his new agency 1:38:17 Why teaching people how to use AI is important 1:39:50 AI vs human output competition 1:44:55 Building workflows for AI 1:55:04 Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Zac: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharris36/ Website: https://www.gorankd.com/ Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/ X: @timsoulo Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
Bryan Harris first became known for Videofruit, his industry leading blog and online course business. But these days, he has shifted focus to his new business Growth Tools and scaling 1:1 coaching.
A master at organization, leadership, and customer generation, Bryan shared tons of gold nuggets during this episode of Ahrefs Podcast, including:
00:00 Introduction
01:02 Shifting from courses to coaching
06:30 Ascension ladder vs descension ladder
15:31 A cautionary tale about sharing revenue
17:45 Free tools as a growth strategy
19:41 How to scale non-commodities
23:45 Finding the right CEO-marketing director fit
31:07 How Growth Tools structures its marketing department
37:40 BOPA (Borrowing other people’s audiences)
42:22 Causes of stress and complexity in marketing
45:28 Guilt by association
48:30 Choosing what to promote
58:34 The key to generating customers
1:07:15 The right way to “Figure it out”
1:11:34 Bryan’s ChatGPT history
1:14:36 Outro
We hope you enjoy our first in-person episode of Ahrefs Podcast!
As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Bryan:
X: @Harris_Bryan
Website: growthtools.com/ahrefs
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
_______________________________________________
Referenced in the episode:
Ryan Deiss: https://www.ryandeiss.com/
Russell Brunson (Dotcom Secrets): https://dotcomsecrets.com/getdcsfree-1
Nathan Berry: https://nathanbarry.com/
Brennan Dunn: https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/
John Lee Dumas: https://www.eofire.com/
Pat Flynn: https://patflynn.com/
Glenn Hill (Connection Codes): https://www.connectioncodes.co/
Jim Collins (Good to Great): https://www.jimcollins.com/index.html
One Minute Manager: https://www.amazon.com/The-New-One-Minute-Manager/dp/8195246893/
Seth Godin (Purple Cow): https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-Transform-Business-Remarkable/dp/014101640X
Noah Kagan: https://noahkagan.com/
Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki): https://www.richdad.com/
Supermensch: https://www.amazon.com/They-Call-Supermensch-Backstage-RocknRoll/dp/0062355953
Figure it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPa3E8yis0I
John O'Nolan worked as the Deputy Head of UX for WordPress for several years before he got fed up with the direction it was taking. He decided to launch a non-profit, open source platform called Ghost in 2013, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. With so much to unpack, there was a lot to discuss, including: 01:25 What it’s like to work for Wordpress 5:25 Launching a Wordpress competitor 10:37 Using non-profit and open source to create interest 12:06 Why Ghost is better than Wordpress 20:33 Using Recommendations and Web Mentions 30:01 Passive ways of acquiring an audience 39:40 How Ghost is different than Medium 45:16 The problem with Quora (and Medium) 53:06 Ghost’s major competitors and customer base 58:04 Ghost’s priorities for publishers 1:03:09 Journalists vs creators 1:08:56 The Fediverse/Activity Pub 1:31:21 The Fediverse vs media companies 1:37:07 How to become a top publisher 1:44:12 Marketing Ghost 1:47:33 Why a personal brand isn’t everything 1:53:04 Will Ghost ever go “for profit”? We hope you enjoy our first in-person episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find John: X: @JohnONolan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnonolan/ Website: https://john.onolan.org/ Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/ X: @timsoulo Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/ _______________________________________________ Referenced in the episode: Space campaign: https://space.paddle.com/ Anthony Kenneda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akennada/ Goldenhour: https://www.goldenhour.net/ Adam Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/ Marketing Against the Grain: Resources: Fediverse/Activity Pub: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse Ev Williams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Williams_(Internet_entrepreneur) MKBHD: https://www.youtube.com/user/marquesbrownlee
What is it like to have the freedom to create marketing campaigns that are so crazy, they're LITERALLY out of this world? Let's find out!
Andrew Davies, CMO of SaaS payment infrastructure provider Paddle, joins Ahrefs Podcast to discuss everything from their high production value video campaigns to the crossover between customer engagement and marketing to why you're probably using your blog section wrong.
If you're ready for a more advanced masterclass in marketing, you won't want to miss this discussion!
In this episode, we cover:
_________________________________________________
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe!
Where to find Andrew:
X: https://x.com/andjdavies
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andjdavies/
Website: https://www.paddle.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
________________________________________________
Referenced in the episode:
Space campaign: https://space.paddle.com/
