This episode is kinda special to me because I get to interview my friend and colleague, Jess Cook. Jess is the Head of Content and Comms for Island (that startup I run brand for). She joined around a year ago after heading content for Lasso, and Fastly before that. And she's a content powerhouse.

With upwards of 30k followers on LinkedIn, Jess is a master of the art of content marketing, and after listening tothis conversation, you'll understand why.

We discuss all things content marketing, including the importance of quality control in content, what the word 'content' even means these days, the usage of AI in content creation, and Jess's journey in content marketing, including her role at Island.

The conversation also touches on Jess's experience as a LinkedIn content creator, her strategies for engaging audiences, and the challenges and rewards of building a personal brand on social media.

1. Intro

   • I welcome Jess Cook to the podcast (like a good host)

2. How Jess and I know each other

   • Jess and I discuss our mutual respect and evolving friendship.
   • We reminisce about their early professional interactions and connections via a mutual former boss, Ellen Roeckl.

3. Content Marketing Philosophy

   • We discuss the evolution of content marketing from a supplementary role to being central in marketing strategy.
   • Jess and I talk about the importance of authentic and high-quality content in a noisy digital landscape.

4. Role of AI in Content

   • Jess and I discuss experimenting with AI for content creation and shares experiences.
   • Jess explains her use of AI for operational tasks like research, summaries, and proofreading, but emphasizes the irreplaceable value of human creativity and strategic input.

5. Understanding the Word 'Content'

   • Ari critiques the generic usage of the term 'content', explaining its impact on quality and perception.
   • Jess highlights the need for intentional and meaningful content that stands out.

6. Jess's Role at Island

   • Jess discusses her approach to defining and targeting key personas and use cases at Island.
   • She shares insights on collaborating with internal SMEs for unique and impactful content.

7. Collaborations Within the Company

   • Importance of building relationships across departments like sales and customer success to unearth valuable content ideas.
   • Examples of leveraging internal expertise for developing strategic content.

8. Jess as a LinkedIn Content Creator

   • Jess describes her journey of becoming a LinkedIn influencer, starting from addressing common pain points in content marketing.
   • She shares the evolution of her purpose on LinkedIn, from helping others to building professional equity and now as a source of additional revenue through partnerships.

9. Challenges and Vulnerability

   • Jess emphasizes the need to share failures and learning moments to connect authentically with the audience.
   • Examples of popular LinkedIn posts that were highly relatable and appreciated by her audience.

10. Final Thoughts

    • Jess and I discuss the importance of genuine connections and providing unique perspectives.
    • They reaffirm the significant impact of sharing practical insights and personal stories on LinkedIn.

11. Conclusion

    • The conversation concludes with mutual appreciation, and Jess's contributions to content marketing and her influence on LinkedIn are highlighted.

Episode 5: Why design matters way more to tech brands than we think, w/Jessica Rosenberg

This episode features brand design expert Jessica Rosenberg, a seasoned designer who led design for Twitter, CloudFlare, Mural, Webflow, and now Jasper.ai, as she shares her journey through the tech industry. The discussion covers her 14-year career in tech and advertising, highlighting key roles and achievements; The critical importance of design in the world of startups and B2B companies, and how it can be a strategic advantage; The insights and experiences from working at companies with different levels of design prioritization, including her leadership journey at CloudFlare and the unique environment of being at a design-led company like Webflow; Practical advice for early-stage startups on incorporating design into their business from the get-go, including the value of having a versatile founding designer; Tips on advocating for design within organizations that may not initially see its importance; A look at some of the brands and tools Jessica admires and uses, such as Runway, MyMind, Genie by Luma, and Perplexity AI. Also as a bonus, Jessica’s voice is as soothing as a meditation app. So enjoy :)

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

05:28 Jessica's Career Journey

10:42 The Importance of Design in Business

20:57 Challenges and Strategies in Design Advocacy

27:32 Working at a Design-Led Company

34:59 Advice for Early-Stage Startups

41:24 Brands and Tools to Watch

How is brand valuated in the eyes of a VC?

What unique role does brand play in making an emerging startup successful?

This episode features Gary Survis, Operating Partner at Insight Ventures, and it's one of the most insightful conversations I've had on branding in my life. Straight up.

Gary discusses his extensive career in marketing, starting from his early days at American Express, to focusing on sustainability, to becoming a fractional CMO.

Gary emphasizes the importance of product-market fit for brand success, sharing the two sides ofcategory creation, and the necessity of integrating brand strategy into business goals.

He also shares the transformative impact of AI on marketing, highlighting the enduring value of authentic brand communication as more and more marketing conversations become dominated by GenAI.

Key topics include the role of brand in market penetration, the importance of brand experience, and how successful brands differentiate themselves from the competition.

This is a masterclass in the deep, strategic significance of brand inside a startup. Listen and enjoy.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

04:25 Gary Survis' not-so-typical career journey

07:30 What makes a brand successful

12:35 Category design is not for everyone. Two types of categories

18:10 The value of brand in the eyes of the business

31:28 AI's impact on marketing

39:39 The brands that are doing it right

In this episode of the Believe in Brand podcast, Ari chats with Josh Ingram, founder of Most Wanted Co, a brand and innovation studio based in Brooklyn, New York. They dive into the challenges of conveying the importance of branding to clients, emphasizing the role of trust and long-term values over short-term gains, ways to measure brand health, the importance of consistency and simplicity, and modern tools like AI for brand management. The conversation also touches on the inherent challenges startup founders face with long-term branding investments. They wrap up with fascinating parallels between branding and the music industry, particularly focusing on the grunge movement's authenticity and success.

00:00 Intro and Welcome

01:08 Brand Brothers in Arms

01:35 Challenges in Branding

02:27 The Psychology Behind Branding

02:57 Branding and Human Instincts

04:08 The Importance of Brand Loyalty

07:24 Branding in Transactions

08:32 Building Long-Term Brand Value

11:43 Measuring Brand Health

17:04 The Cost of Measurement

18:22 Branding for Startups

19:39 Investing in Brands, Not Companies

24:10 The Role of Trust in Branding

25:08 Market Perception and Brand Operations

25:57 Consistency in Brand Management

28:59 Simplicity in Brand Strategy

30:17 The Importance of Differentiation

36:36 Tools for Brand Management

38:31 Grunge Music as a Metaphor for Brand

44:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

I was never supposed to be launching a B2B brand building podcast.

I was never even supposed to be building B2B brands.

So how did I end up here?

In episode #1, I dive into my story and the big moments that led me to become a B2B brand builder. Starting with my unexpected career path—from studying social work, becoming a rabbi, and aspiring to be a professional camp counselor, to running student life at a university in Israel.

Then, a crossroads moment in my career forced me to consider an entirely new path. And with the help of some random, yet timely career advice, I chose tech marketing— a field I knew nothing about professionally.

I developed a 3-phase career plan. Get in and learn. Get good at something you love. Get the opportunity to own that area of expertise for a great company. Eventually, I got my big break at a startup called Soluto. It was there that I discovered my love for brand building, especially while working on a project to develop a new brand identity.

I then landed a gig at a B2B tech branding agency called Atreo, where I learned basically all there is to know about B2B brand building under 2 of the best mentors I could have asked for.

This journey brought me to name and shape the brand for Island, a startup that's now worth $3B and whose brand I lead. Throughout the episode, I chat about the importance of believing in the power of brand from the very start, even before you see any results. Brand building isn’t something you see first and believe in later; you have to believe in it to see it.

Thanks for listening in to my story. I hope you get as much out of this podcast as I do. :)

To some B2B startups, creative is a nice-to-have. To others, creative is what separates them from the competition.

But how do you turn creative into your competitive advantage?

Who better to answer this question than Melissa Rosenthal, former Chief Creative Office of ClickUp, and current Co-Founder of OutLever.

Melissa shares her experiences in infusing creativity into the strategic picture at ClickUp and how it became a priority for the company. Melissa also talks about her approach to building the brand at Insight Timer (where she was CMO at the time of recording), focusing on the community and the real stories of the users.

Key takeaways:

• The need for marketing to extend beyond the marketing department and be a partner to every department in the company.

• The most effective combination for success is someone who understands the product and can think creatively with it. It's important to keep creative in-house and not outsource it.

• Taking bold risks and being willing to fail is part of the winning formula. Building a strong brand should start early on, not just when the company is more established.

• The marketing world often gets campaigns wrong and should focus on an always-on approach to brand building.

• Leveraging AI and technology can enhance creativity and make the process more efficient.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:31 The Power of Creativity and Storytelling in Brand Building

07:56 Infusing Creativity into the Strategic Picture

11:32 Building a Brand Around the Community and Real Stories

18:07 Marketing as a Partner to Every Department

24:45 Supporting Other Goals Through Marketing

26:53 The Power of Product Understanding and Creative Thinking

27:48 The Importance of Keeping Creative In-House

28:53 Taking Bold Risks and Embracing Failure

30:32 Building a Strong Brand from the Start

37:16 The Shift from Campaigns to an Always-On Approach

48:46 Enhancing Creativity with AI and Technology

The most beloved and successful B2B startups all have one thing in common.

They believe in the power of building a powerful, meaningful brand from day one.

This is a podcast for B2B startup founders and leaders on why they should believe in brand. I'll invite the industry's greatest experts on the subject to share their strategies, stories, tactics, and tips for building brand right.

Let's do this.