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In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Cody Schneider
59 episodes
1 week ago
In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.
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In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.
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Marketing
Business,
Entrepreneurship
Episodes (20/59)
In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Dominate Page 1: How to Rank 5 Parasite SEO Properties in Hours

Think of page one as real estate—and claim as much of it as possible. Jesper Nissen breaks down modern parasite SEO: leveraging high-authority platforms (YouTube, Instagram, X/Twitter Articles, Perplexity/Qwen pages, etc.) to rank quickly for branded, local, and long-tail keywords. We cover indexing workflows, daisy-chain linking, exact-match domain plays, and the content + link velocity patterns that are working now.

Guest
Jesper Nissen — SEO educator, link-building practitioner, founder of SchemaWriter.ai and the cloud-stacking platform YACSS; speaker at POFU Live / SEO Rockstars; MSc in Physics (U. of Copenhagen). 

Guest Links
Website: https://jespernissen.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JesperNissenSEO
X (Twitter): https://x.com/jespernissenseo?lang=en

What You’ll Learn

  • Parasite SEO, 2025 edition: Why page-one results increasingly favor social UGC, news, and authority domains—and how to ride that DA for fast wins. 
  • Platforms that still rank: Jesper’s current leaderboard (e.g., Qwen, Perplexity) and what changed for Claude Artifacts.
  • Local + long-tail focus: How to use Facebook/Instagram posts, YouTube videos & community posts, and X Articles to own branded and geo-keywords.
  • Indexing workflow: Indexing services + social “daisy-chain” links to accelerate discovery.
  • EMD plays: Exact-match domains (service+city and SaaS feature terms) and smart, steady link velocity patterns.
  • Social → Search shift: Why Instagram and Facebook posts have started surfacing in Google (July 2025 change) and how to write posts to rank. 

Timestamps

  • 00:00 — Owning page one like “real estate”
  • 02:16 — Parasite SEO vs. traditional guest posts
  • 08:45 — Reddit’s link-out limits & why Jesper moved on
  • 14:58 — Claude Artifacts surge (and why it cooled)
  • 18:02 — What’s working now: Quen & Perplexity pages
  • 21:35 — Indexing flow: drip pings + social link bursts
  • 26:40 — Meta shift: FB/IG posts in Google (local SEO gold) 
  • 31:55 — Exact-match domains + link velocity math
  • 46:55 — Shorts as TOF magnets; long-form as sales letter
  • 51:40 — Priming YouTube with low-CPC X ads (global)

Jesper’s Parasite SEO Playbook (Step-by-Step)

  1. Pick a target query (branded, local, or long-tail).
  2. Publish across high-DA surfaces:
    • YouTube (video + Community post), X/Twitter (Articles), Instagram, Facebook Page, plus AI page builders (e.g., Quen, Perplexity).
  3. Front-load keywords in social posts (especially the first words of FB/IG captions for cleaner URLs/titles).
  4. Daisy-chain internal links: point your X Article to the IG/FB/YouTube/AI pages to aid indexing.
  5. Kick indexing via reputable ping/index services, then add lightweight social links to nudge crawl.
  6. Measure and iterate: keep winners, replace laggards, expand with adjacent long tails.

Exact-Match Domain (EMD) Mini-Framework

  • When to use: service+city rank-and-rent, or narrowly defined SaaS use-cases.
  • Build: one-page lander, fast crawl path, 5–10 quality links/month early, layer socials & citations; avoid unnatural velocity spikes.
  • Why it works: high topical alignment + clean intent matching.
    (Jesper’s background in cloud stacking/YACSS and SchemaWriter.ai complements this with structured data & internal “powerstack” patterns.) 

Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by Graphed — the AI-native analytics platform that builds dashboards from plain English. Connect GA4, ads, CRM, GSC, and Sheets to get KPI boards in minutes. Learn more: https://graphed.com/

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1 week ago
54 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
You Can Get $0.80 CPM from TV Streaming Ads Right now

Billboards at $0.75 CPM. Streaming TV you can actually measure. Tim Rowe breaks down how to blend OOH + CTV to drop blended CAC, spark geo-lift, and build “living-room” brand equity—without massive budgets.

Streaming has turned TV into a performance channel you can buy, cap, and measure like digital—often at CPMs rivaling or beating social. Tim explains how their ad server + pixel connect living-room exposure to down-funnel actions, with many brands seeing $3–$4 cost per visit and 3–4× higher conversion vs other traffic sources. On OOH, the overlooked arbitrage is static or digital boards priced like real estate: win by buying the biggest formats in the largest markets at the lowest biddable entry price, then engineer earned media (social virality) and geo-lift. Start with ~$5k for a real CTV test (smaller tests can still work as an add-on), measure blended CAC, branded search, and market-level lift, and let creative—not hyper-granular targeting—do the heavy lifting.

Guest

  • Website: https://cognitionads.com/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troweactual
  • X (Twitter): https://x.com/oohinsider
  • Tim’s newsletter/resource hub: https://stateofstreaming.com/

What You’ll Learn

  • Why streaming made TV relevant again—and cheap ($1–$2 CPMs in some geos).
  • How to attribute TV exposure → search → site visit → purchase within a 48-hour view-through window.
  • The out-of-home (OOH) arbitrage: buying big signs in big markets for sub-$1 CPMs.
  • How OOH + CTV lower blended CAC and lift branded search in target geographies.
  • Practical first tests: budgets, pixels, frequency caps, creative, and geo measurement.
  • Event playbooks: digital billboard trucks, rideshare screens, street teams, and QR flows.
  • Targeting reality: on CTV, less targeting often wins—use creative as the filter.
  • Retargeting on TV (yes): pixel site traffic and follow with CTV/audio/display.


Timestamps & Chapters

  • 00:00 — Why TV is “back”: streaming CPMs and geo-targeted buys
  • 01:30 — Direct attribution: 48-hour view-through from TV → search → site → purchase
  • 03:45 — OOH primer: static vs digital, programmatic buys, and PMP tips
  • 06:05 — The arbitrage: big boards, big markets, tiny CPMs (often <$1)
  • 09:15 — Measuring lift: branded search, Search Console, geo-heatmaps, blended CAC
  • 12:10 — Earned media by design: turning boards into social fuel
  • 15:20 — Event playbook: mobile LED trucks, rideshare TV, coffee-cart sponsorships
  • 18:05 — CTV mechanics: ad server + pixel, frequency caps, “hands on keyboard” setup
  • 21:10 — Budgeting your first test (~$5k) and what “good” looks like
  • 23:00 — Targeting truth: broad wins; use creative, use your 1P data for segments/lookalikes
  • 26:10 — Retargeting on TV and building a full streaming funnel
  • 28:00 — Who this works best for (DTC, local services, ABM/SaaS, events)
  • 30:00 — Getting started and where to reach Tim

Playbooks & How-Tos

1) Fast OOH Test (2–4 weeks)

  • Pick 1–2 large markets your sales team targets.
  • Buy largest formats you can afford (static or digital) at the lowest CPM; test via https://www.blipbillboards.com/
    (entry-level) or via PMPs/direct with operators.
  • Creative: one bold claim + large logo + simple URL/QR. Design for 0–3 second read.
  • Measure: branded search & direct/organic sessions from those geos; compare pre/post.

2) Streaming TV (CTV) Starter

  • Pixel your site (for attribution + retargeting).
  • Launch a broad geo campaign; cap frequency; rotate 1–2 :15–:30 creatives.
  • Budget: aim for $5k to reach statistical signal; smaller ($1.5–$2k) still useful as a display-like add-on.
  • KPI: cost per visit ($3–$4 is common in Tim’s data), conversion rate lift vs other traffic, branded search lift, blended CAC shift.

3) Event Swarm Tactics

  • Digital billboard truck looping near venue entrances all day.
  • Rideshare TV for the event radius; add a QR to capture emails or drive an offer.
  • Street team + product samples or demo cards; sponsor a coffee cart beside the venue.

Key Takeaways (Skimmable)

  • CPMs: OOH can hit ~$0.75; CTV often $1–$2 in the right geos.
  • Attribution: Use a 48-hour view-through window from TV exposure to on-site actions.
  • Blended CAC: Expect downstream CAC reductions across channels from brand lift.
  • Targeting: On CTV, broader = cheaper CPMs and often better performance; let creative and 1P audiences do the work.
  • Budget: $5k is a solid first test; smaller tests still demonstrate directionality.
  • Creative: Be bold; engineer shareable moments to multiply paid with earned.

Links & Resources Mentioned

  • Cognition Ads (Tim’s company): https://cognitionads.com/

  • State of Streaming (news & insights): https://stateofstreaming.com/

  • Blip (entry-level digital billboards): https://www.blipbillboards.com/

  • The Trade Desk: https://www.thetradedesk.com/

  • DV360: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/display-video-360/

  • Google Search Console (measure geo-lift): https://search.google.com/search-console/about


Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by Graphed — an AI-native analytics platform that builds dashboards from plain English. Connect GA4, ads, CRM and get KPI boards in minutes. Learn more: https://graphed.com/

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1 week ago
39 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Local SEO: How to Dominate Rankings in Just One Week

Founders are ditching pure outbound for “community → product” funnels. Jacky Chou (Indexsy) breaks down a modern SaaS GTM: build audience, educate in a community, sell the tool that powers the play. We go deep on local SEO (map pack), YouTube as the highest-intent acquisition channel, Reddit/parasite SEO mechanics, and how LocalRank grows by educating & productizing services.

Guest

Jacky Chou — Indexsy
Website: https://jackychou.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@indexsy
X (Twitter): https://x.com/indexsy

Brought to you by

Graphed — AI data analytics you can chat with. Connect your data, build live dashboards in minutes: https://graphed.com

What You’ll Learn

  • The community-led SaaS funnel (audience → community → teach → tool)
  • Local SEO 80/20: reviews, citations (NAP consistency), and CTR signals
  • Why YouTube drives the most buyer-ready traffic for niche software
  • Parasite SEO & Reddit tactics to earn visibility and brand mentions
  • How “education first” communities expand TAM and reduce CAC
  • Cold outreach that feeds branded search and category creation

Chapters

00:00 Intro — Why the SaaS funnel is shifting to community-led
 01:45 Local SEO 101: map pack vs. organic results
 03:40 The 80/20: reviews, citations/NAP, CTR signals
 06:10 Tactics for generating reviews & citations (pros/cons, risks)
 09:55 Indexing citations faster; NAP consistency checklist
 12:40 Community-led growth & seeding new agencies on LocalRank
 15:05 Why local SEO is “stupid easy” right now (and where it’s competitive)
 17:30 Prospecting & pricing: pick high-CPC verticals, value-based fees
 20:15 Packaging offers: guarantees, radius games, productized services
 22:40 The funnel behind LocalRank Academy → software upsell
 25:20 Paid vs. organic: X threads, remarketing, long email drips
 27:15 Launch data: YouTube > X for paid conversions at launch
 29:10 Reddit distribution, parasite SEO, and gaming brand mentions
 32:20 Cold email that drives site visits (naked domains, link timing)
 35:05 Manufacturing branded search & CTR spikes (digital PR ideas)
 38:10 AI Search (AISCO): what (might) influence LLM surfaces today
 43:05 Building moats: being the practitioner, faster iteration loops
 46:10 Experiments, ethics & sustainability of “gray-hat” tactics
 49:10 Where to find Jackie & final CTAs

Key Takeaways

  • Community beats cold: educate first, then sell the tool that powers the play.
  • Map pack wins local: Reviews + consistent NAP citations + real-world engagement drive outsized results.
  • YouTube converts: Long-form demos/education create buyer-ready traffic for niche SaaS.
  • Branded search compounds: Cold email, content, PR, and job posts can stimulate searches for your name/category.
  • TAM expansion via education: A paid community can breakeven ad spend and prime higher-ticket software deals.
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2 weeks ago
51 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Creator Marketing Crash Course: This Guy Built an AI Agent That Finds Creators, Emails Them and Negotiates Pricing

Today we break down why “influencer marketing” (renting audience) is losing to creator-based marketing (renting skill at making viral content) — and how to run it like a system. Guest Robert Lukoszko, founder of Stormy AI, shows how their agent finds creators, pulls contacts, sends DMs/emails, follows up, and even negotiates packages before you step in. We get tactical on budgets, pricing, UGC hiring, TikTok vs YouTube strategy, measurement, and building a compounding “surface-area” of content across the web.

Brought to you by Graphed.com — connect your data, ask in plain English, ship shareable dashboards.

Guest

  • Website: stormy.ai 
  • Robert Lukoszko — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karmedge 
  • X (Twitter): @Karmedge 

What you’ll learn

  • Creator vs Influencer marketing: Why FYP-driven platforms reward great content over big followings — and how to “rent” creators’ skill instead of their audience.
  • The scalable workflow: Brief → research → outreach (DM/email) → qualify → negotiate packages → handoff to human for final approval.
  • TikTok UGC machine: Hire 1–3 full-time UGC creators posting 2–3 shorts per day; test cheaply, then double down on breakout templates.
  • YouTube packages that work: Three-video bundles over ~6 weeks build trust & lift; use retainers for your top performers.
  • Negotiation scripts that convert: Lead with “Paid collaboration” in subject/first line, anchor on value, and offer volume/retainer discounts.
  • Pricing reality check: Typical UGC test pieces land in the ~$20–$100/video range (many sweet-spot wins at $20–$50) for micro/nano creators; salaried UGC in EU markets often $1–2k/mo part-time depending on output and quality.
  • Compounding effects: Viral videos spawn follower videos; repeated sightings increase creator reply-rates and lower CPAs.
  • Agents as team members: Why modern stacks look like small pods of engineers orchestrating many narrow agents (research, outreach, follow-ups, CRM status, stop-conditions).

Chapters & Timestamps

  • 00:00:00 — Cold open: “Stop influencer marketing. Start creator marketing.”
  • 00:01:17 — Sponsor: Graph.com (AI dashboards from plain English)
  • 00:02:26 — Guest intro: Robert (Founder, Stormy AI) + why YouTube/TikTok matter
  • 00:03:49 — The pain of manual outreach and why Stormy exists
  • 00:05:55 — How Stormy’s research agent finds/qualifies creators (views, recency, fit)
  • 00:08:15 — TikTok/UGC playbook: daily shorts, test → double down
  • 00:10:04 — It’s a numbers game: post volume & breakout templates
  • 00:12:00 — “Surface area” strategy: AI pulls from the open web; brand search as moat
  • 00:15:03 — Validating features with viral demos before shipping
  • 00:17:02 — Building in public: rapid iteration with creator feedback
  • 00:18:00 — Outreach mechanics: DMs, scraping bios/Linktree, multi-source emails
  • 00:20:06 — Copy that converts: lead with “Paid collaboration” + template tips
  • 00:21:46 — Scale metrics: ~200 messages/day across rotated inboxes; reply-rate ranges
  • 00:23:29 — Brand effects: recognition boosts replies; upfront vs affiliate by stage
  • 00:26:01 — Compounding virality: trend templates, creator social proof
  • 00:29:03 — Pricing: $20–$100 UGC tests; sweet spot $20–$50; EU part-time $1–2k/mo
  • 00:29:53 — Agentic negotiations: packages, volume, follow-ups, human handoff
  • 00:31:04 — Guardrails: budget anchoring, stop-conditions, funny “PayPal link” story
  • 00:35:05 — Toolbelt of agents: research, outreach, CRM updates, payments, bulk sends
  • 00:36:01 — Architecture: many narrow agents > one monolith
  • 00:37:51 — Future: fewer humans in the loop; AI influencers; approvals as human role
  • 00:39:16 — Can businesses run themselves? Media = growth flywheel
  • 00:41:11 — Hiring philosophy: engineer-heavy teams (Gary Tan advice)
  • 00:43:46 — Wrap + where to find Robert & Stormy


Playbooks & templates (steal these)

Outreach subject lines (email/DM first line):

  • “Paid collaboration: {Brand} x {CreatorName} — 3-video package”
  • “Paid promo + affiliate: {Brand} (fast approvals, simple brief)”

First message (short DM/email):
“Hey {Name} — we’re {Brand}, a {1-line what you do}. Paid collaboration: 1 test short this week (${offer}) + option to extend to 3-video bundle over 6 weeks. You keep creative control; we provide brief + examples. Interested? If yes, quick details + rate card?”

Negotiation levers: volume (3-pack → 6-pack), multi-month cadence (1/mo), affiliate top-ups on performance, first-video discount, creative templates proven to hit.

UGC hiring filter: Look for micro/nano creators (10k–50k) with at least one breakout (e.g., 500k+ views) in your niche; they have the “spark” but are still rationally priced. (Stormy highlights this pattern in search/fit scoring.) 


Key quotes (pull-ready)

  • “Creator marketing rents skill at making viral content — not just an audience.”
  • “It’s a numbers game twice: mass outreach, then mass posting — let the winners emerge.”
  • “Lead with ‘Paid collaboration’ so creators instantly know there’s budget.”
  • “Templates win. When a format pops, clone it and scale with more creators.”

Sponsor

Graphed.com — Connect your SaaS/GA4/Shopify/data warehouse → ask in plain English → get dashboards & ad-hoc analysis; share with clients or your team in one click. (Free 10-seat trial for listeners — link in description.)

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1 month ago
44 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
His AI Voice Agent Answers 10,000+ Phone Calls for Restaurants Every Day

AI “agents” have been hyped to death—but very few are truly delivering real-world impact. In this episode, we cut through the vaporware with Christian Wiens, co-founder of Loman, an AI voice agent platform transforming how restaurants handle customer calls, orders, and reservations. Christian shares how Loman went from a two-person idea to serving hundreds of restaurants and hitting $1.5M ARR in record time. We dive into why voice is the most natural, context-rich way for humans to communicate—and how AI agents that do real work (not just answer questions) will change how we interact with businesses forever. You’ll hear how Loman’s restaurant agents integrate directly with POS systems to take orders end-to-end, the surprising reasons Gen Z prefers talking to AI over humans, and why the future of a brand’s “front door” may be an AI personality instead of a website. Christian also breaks down Loman’s explosive growth playbook—from ditching cold email for native social ads, to filming on-location customer stories that convert like crazy. We cover the realities of AI-generated ads, programmatic SEO, and why outcome-driven automation is the only AI worth paying for.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • What really defines an AI agent—and why most products don’t qualify
  • How voice-based AI can capture richer customer context than any app or form
  • The operational pain restaurants face with missed calls and how AI solves it
  • Why customers don’t care if it’s AI or human—only that it gets the job done
  • Gen Z’s surprising comfort with AI calls (and discomfort with human ones)
  • The two make-or-break factors every AI agent needs to succeed
  • How to create “native feel” ad creatives that crush on social
  • Why hyper-specific vertical integration beats horizontal AI every time
  • The massive untapped potential for outbound AI voice (and the legal gray areas)
  • Christian’s vision for a future where AI agents replace websites as the primary customer touchpoint

Chapters

00:00 – Intro & The AI Agent Hype vs. Reality
 04:18 – What an AI Agent Really Is
09:02 – Why Voice Is the Ultimate Interface
13:47 – The Restaurant Industry’s Missed Call Problem
18:25 – Gen Z’s Comfort with AI Calls
22:58 – Vertical vs. Horizontal AI Strategies
27:41 – Loman’s Explosive Growth Playbook
32:16 – Ads That Feel Native & Convert
37:08 – Outbound AI Voice & Legal Considerations
42:55 – The Future: AI Agents as the New Websites
47:20 – Closing Thoughts & How to Connect with Christian

Connect with Christian Wiens:

  • LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianwiens/
  • Website – https://www.loman.ai/
Show more...
2 months ago
48 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
He Got 100,000,000 impressions on LinkedIn for free and shares exact framework

If your LinkedIn feed looks like a museum of giant n8n screenshots and “comment to get the guide” posts…good. That means the playbook works—when you do it right. Paolo breaks down the exact framework his agency uses to turn LinkedIn into a repeatable inbound lead engine for B2B—especially SaaS, agencies, and info businesses.

What You’ll Learn

  • Lead magnet mechanics that still crush: how to pick the right asset (templates vs. guides), formats that perform (Notion docs, Miro boards, short scroll videos), and the “perceived value + curiosity + scarcity” combo.
  • Hooks that make people click “See more”: trigger desire, fear, or curiosity in the first 3 lines.
  • Pattern interrupts that boost reach: why oversized workflows, zoom-ins, and 10-second sped-up videos spike hover time and help the algo.
  • Profile-as-landing-page: how to structure your headline, Featured section, and CTAs to funnel traffic without tanking post reach.
  • Nurture after the comment: DM prompts that qualify intent, when to drop case studies, and how to avoid low-intent “free audit” traps.
  • Where this shines: B2B SaaS, agencies, consultants/coaches—audiences that are active on LinkedIn and buy from content.

Paolo’s Playbook (Step-by-Step)

  1. Pick the problem (one ICP pain your offer solves).
  2. Choose the asset format based on buyer type:
    • Done-for-you buyers → plug-and-play templates.
    • Education/info buyers → guides/videos.
  3. Design the preview media to signal value and create curiosity:
    • Notion table of contents screenshot, massive Miro flow, or a 10-sec scroll video.
  4. Write the post like this:
    • 3-line hook (desire/fear/curiosity).
    • Promise + what’s inside.
    • CTA to comment (optionally “repost for priority”).
    • Light scarcity (e.g., 48-hour window).
  5. Delivery & DMs:
    • Send the asset, ask an easy reply (“Are you posting on LinkedIn yet?”).
    • Qualify with 1–2 follow-ups, then make a clear offer with outcomes + timeline (+ guarantee if you have one).
  6. Nurture cadence (next 2–3 days):
    • Day 1: Case study (story format: before → intervention → after; CTA to book).
    • Day 2: Technical value post (lower engagement is fine; it nurtures).
    • Add strongest case studies to Featured on your profile.
  7. Links without nuking reach:
    • Push to profile/Featured or drop links in comments; edit the post later to add the link after it’s cooked.

Tactical Nuggets

  • Comments > Likes (weightier signal + more hover time).
  • Avoid bot pods; if you coordinate engagement, keep it real accounts and relationships.
  • For SaaS without a free trial, push to a free setup/usage guide that inherently requires the product.
  • Use storytelling in case studies; people remember transformations, not dashboards.
  • If you’re running volume lead magnets, expect lower engagement on deep-dive posts—that’s normal and still effective.

Tools & Formats Mentioned

  • Notion (TOC screenshot as lead magnet preview)
  • Miro (big workflow screenshots)
  • n8n (automation diagrams that stop the scroll)
  • Short scroll videos (10–15s, autoplay pattern interrupt)
  • AI voice agent (optional MOFU experiment to educate and qualify at scale before handing off to a human)

Who This Works Best For

  • B2B SaaS (often top performer)
  • Agencies
  • Consultants/Coaches
  • Any ICP that’s active on LinkedIn and buys based on content/authority

Sponsor

Talent Fiber — Hire world-class global talent (engineers with 7+ years’ experience, U.S. time zones, excellent English) at ~⅓ U.S. cost. They’re an outsourced HR partner, handling compliance, payroll, and employee happiness—with a free replacement if it doesn’t work out. Learn more: talentfiber.com

Connect with Paolo

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leadgenwiz/
Show more...
2 months ago
41 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Make AI Search Recommend You: Build Branded Mentions, Not Links

AI-driven search (AISEO) is opening a new lane for brands in competitive categories. Joe Davies from FATJOE explains why branded mentions (not just links) are increasingly what LLMs use to decide recommendations—and how teams can systematically earn those mentions. We cover tactics like guest blogging at scale, context-seeding your USP across reviews/listicles, building deep product docs to feed LLMs, and using tier-two links to get your “influencer pages” ranking. Early data shows 2–3× higher conversion rates from AI-referred traffic because buyers arrive pre-educated and ready to act.

What You’ll Learn

  • Why AISEO rewards brand mentions and clear USPs more than classic link metrics.
  • How AI-referred traffic converts 2–3× higher than traditional search.
  • A repeatable process to seed your brand in listicles, reviews, and comparisons.
  • How to “context-seed” your USP so LLMs recommend you for the right reason.
  • Why deep help docs / knowledge bases make LLMs more confident recommending you.
  • How to choose targets (DR + real traffic), then lift them with tier-two links.
  • The state of AISEO observability (what to track, what’s still immature).

Tactical Playbook (Step-by-Step)

  1. Define your USP: the specific “best for ___” angle you want LLMs to repeat.
  2. Keyword map long-tail, bottom-funnel queries (e.g., “best X for Y,” “X vs Y,” “X alternatives,” “[product] review”).
  3. Prospect targets with credible traffic (DR is fine as a filter, but prioritize verified organic traffic).
  4. Commission content: secure guest posts/listicles and full reviews on those sites. Mix formats to look natural.
  5. Context-seed your USP in every placement (e.g., “Best for small teams,” “Most features,” “Best value”).
  6. Include competitors in listicles/reviews so the page is useful (LLMs prefer balanced sources).
  7. Boost with tier-two links (niche edits, syndication) to help these pages rank on pages 1–3.
  8. Expand surface area: Reddit answers, YouTube/tutorial mentions, and social chatter to reinforce brand salience.
  9. On-site foundation: build exhaustive docs—features, integrations, FAQs, facts sections—so LLMs can learn you deeply.
  10. Measure pragmatically: track referral traffic from AI surfaces and downstream conversions; current “AI visibility” tools are early.

Resources & Mentions

  • ChatGPT Path (shows the searches/sources ChatGPT runs under the hood):
    https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/chatgpt-path/kiopibcjdnlpamdcdcnphaajccobkban
  • FATJOE — Brand Mentions Service: http://fatjoe.com/brand-mentions
  • FATJOE: https://fatjoe.com/

Key Takeaways

  • AISEO is early but growing fast and already drives higher-intent traffic.
  • Focus on being mentioned credibly across the open web; LLMs synthesize those signals.
  • Listicles + reviews on high-trust, real-traffic sites are the current highest-leverage assets.
  • Your docs are marketing now—LLMs read them and recommend accordingly.
  • Don’t abandon SEO; it remains the foundation that AI systems lean on.

Chapters

  • 00:00 Cold open: AISEO’s opportunity & why mentions matter
  • 03:45 Data: AI referrals converting 2–3× vs. classic SEO
  • 07:50 Who should prioritize AISEO (and who can wait)
  • 10:30 Tactics: listicles, reviews, and “context-seeding” your USP
  • 15:45 Tools & workflows; extension that reveals ChatGPT’s queries
  • 19:45 Content ops: human vs. AI writing, plans, and clustering
  • 22:30 Build deep product docs to feed LLM understanding
  • 26:10 Ranking the influencer pages + tier-two links
  • 33:00 Observability today: what’s useful, what isn’t yet
  • 36:50 The next 5–10 years: AI + SEO, not AI vs. SEO

Guest

Joe Davies

  • X: https://x.com/fatjoedavies
  • LinkedIn: https://es.linkedin.com/in/joe-davies-seo
  • Website: https://fatjoe.com/
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3 months ago
40 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
ai seo crash course: pick one keyword and build brand mentions

This AI SEO deep‑dive gets tactical. I sit down with Ilias Ismanalijev (aka @illyism) to map the real discovery journey happening inside AI search—what users actually prompt from problem‑aware to buyer‑ready—and how to influence results across models (GPT, O3, Claude, Perplexity). You’ll learn how to surface the right phrases (not just keywords), make your pages AI‑readable, and win off‑page placements on the listicles and directories LLMs love to cite.

What you’ll learn

  • The 4 levels of AI search (no‑search → deep research) and how strategy changes at each.
  • Prompt‑level intent mapping: info, comparison, executive/delegation, problem‑solving.
  • How to spot AI‑generated queries in Google Search Console and build your tracking sheet.
  • On‑page for LLMs: crawlability, structured content/markdown, alt text, and avoiding blockers (robots.txt, Next.js assets).
  • Off‑page that moves rankings: listicle outreach, affiliate offers, directories (G2, Product Hunt), and Reddit/“parasite” opportunities.
  • Why AI traffic is often more buyer‑ready—and how to target bottom‑of‑funnel prompts (e.g., “X vs Y,” “best X for Y,” pricing specifics).

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open — What You’ll Learn
1:22 Sponsor: TalentFiber
2:25 Meet Ilias & Why AI SEO Now
3:02 Who Benefits Beyond SaaS?
4:58 Research vs. E‑com Use Cases
6:20 Comparison‑Style Prompts IRL
8:59 Brands Doing It Well (Examples)
10:46 Why AI Traffic Is Buyer‑Ready
13:42 Benchmarking AI Search Visibility
16:38 Frameworks for AI Keyword Research
20:58 On‑Page for LLMs (Crawlability)
23:30 Finding AI Queries in Search Console
27:30 Regex + Long‑Query Filters
28:25 The 4 Levels of AI Search
32:17 Bottom‑of‑Funnel Prompts That Convert
34:06 Off‑Page: Listicles, Affiliates, Outreach
37:00 Reddit/Parasite SEO & Page One Sources
38:59 Mapping Sources w/ LinkDR
41:02 Pricing Pages & AI Page Inspector
44:34 Directories, Reviews & Digital PR
47:41 Should You Create AI‑Optimized Resource Pages?
48:38 Wrap‑Up & Where to Find Ilias

Guest
Ilias Ismanalijev
X: https://x.com/illyism
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/illyism
Site: https://il.ly/

Host
Cody Schneider
X: https://twitter.com/codyschneiderxx
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codyschneiderx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx

Sponsor
This episode is brought to you by TalentFiber — hiring top offshore software engineers as an extension of your team (technical interviews, compliance, replacements, fast turnarounds). Learn more at talentfiber.com

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3 months ago
49 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Vibe Coding Workflow: Ship Faster with This Product Requirement Document Workflow

Unlock the practical side of vibe coding and AI‑powered marketing automations with host Cody Schneider and guest CJ Zafir (CodeGuide.dev). If you’ve been flooded with posts about no‑code app builders but still wonder how people actually ship working products (and use them to drive revenue), this conversation is your blueprint.

CJ breaks down:

  • What “vibe coding” really means – from sophisticated AI‑assisted development in Cursor or Windsurf to chilled browser‑based tools like Replit, Bolt, V0, and Lovable.
  • How to think like an AI‑native builder – using ChatGPT voice, Grok, and Perplexity to research, brainstorm, and up‑level your technical vocabulary.
  • Writing a rock‑solid PRD that keeps LLMs from hallucinating and speeds up delivery.
  • The best tool stack for different stages – quick MVPs, polished UIs, full‑stack production apps, and self‑hosted automations with N8N.
  • Real‑world marketing automations – auto‑generating viral social content, indexing SEO pages, and replacing repetitive “social‑media‑manager” tasks.
  • Idea‑validation playbook – from domain search to Google Trends, plus why you should build the “obvious” products competitors already prove people pay for.

You’ll leave with concrete tactics for:

  1. Scoping and documenting an app idea in minutes.
  2. Choosing the right AI coding tool for your skill level.
  3. Automating content‑creation and distribution loops.
  4. Turning small internal scripts into sellable SaaS.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Why vibe coding & AI‑marketing are everywhere  
(00:32) - Meet CJ Zafir & the origin of CodeGuide.dev  
(01:15) - Classic mistakes non‑technical builders make  
(01:27) - Sponsor break – Talent Fiber  
(03:00) - “Sophisticated” vs “chilled” vibe coding explained  
(04:00) - 2024: English becomes the biggest coding language  
(06:10) - Becoming AI‑native with ChatGPT voice, Grok & Perplexity  
(10:30) - How CodeGuide.dev was born from a 37‑prompt automation  
(14:00) - Tight PRDs: the antidote to LLM hallucinations  
(18:00) - Tool ratings: Cursor, Windsurf, Replit, Bolt, V0 & Lovable  
(23:30) - Real‑world marketing automations & agent workflows  
(25:50) - Why the “social‑media manager” role may disappear  
(28:00) - N8N, JSON & self‑hosting options (Render, Cloudflare, etc.)  
(35:50) - Idea‑validation playbook: domains, trends & data‑backed bets  
(42:20) - Final advice: build for today’s pain, not tomorrow’s hype 

Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by Talent Fiber – your outsourced HR partner for sourcing and retaining top offshore developers. Skip the endless interviews and hire pre‑vetted engineers with benefits, progress tracking, and culture support baked in. Visit TalentFiber.com to scale your dev team today.

Connect with Our Guest

  • X (Twitter): https://x.com/cjzafir
  • CodeGuide.dev: https://www.codeguide.dev/

Connect with Your Host

  • X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/codyschneiderxx
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codyschneiderx
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx
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3 months ago
47 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
He Built a 1,000,000+ User Startup with ONLY 3 People and AI

Join me as I chat with Yoann Pavy, the growth mastermind behind AI Apply and ex-Deliveroo & Depop head of growth.

Timeline
 00:00 – AI tooling’s golden age (and why it’s overwhelming)
 00:31 – Introducing Yo, the “most gangster” consumer marketer I know
 00:45 – What you’ll learn: short‑form content, paid ads, automations
 01:23 – Sponsor: Talent Fiber makes offshore hiring effortless
 02:12 – Yo’s creative AI spotlight: VO3 videos & gorilla vlogs
 04:46 – Humans vs. AI avatars in paid videos (spoiler: humans still shine)
 07:20 – Building your creator pyramid with Sideshift & Shortimize
 10:00 – Automating code changes via “Jarvis” in Slack
 14:38 – Scaling organic content: thousands of posts, not dozens
 18:00 – Product‑channel fit: build the media first, product second
 20:30 – Automating international growth: 20+ languages in weeks
 24:00 – Filtering AI noise: focus on what’s already working
 27:15 – The biggest gap: corporate brands vs. startup agility

Key Points
 • AI creatives are exploding—VO3 videos hit millions of likes fast.
 • Human spontaneity still outperforms AI‑only videos—for now.
 • Slack‑based AI agents (“Jarvis”) deploy code, update copy, spin up PRs.
 • Automate localization: add new languages weekly without human translators.
 • Scale organic distribution by multiplying creators and formats.
 • Product‑first mindset flips: media channel drives features.
 • Startups win by sprinting on AI while corporates stall in red tape.

Deep‑Dive Sections

  1. Creative AI in Paid Ads
     Verdict: 🔥 Underrated
     • VO3‑generated TikTok vlogs racked up 4M likes in days
     • AI statics (before‑after sliders) crank out ad assets at scale
     • Humans still lead on nuance—mix both and test relentlessly
  2. Automations & Internal AI Agent
     Verdict: 🚀 Game‑changer
     • “Jarvis” in Slack handles code tweaks, pull requests, image swaps
     • One‑line commands push new footer tabs and copy revisions
     • Frees marketers to iterate strategy, not deployments
  3. Scaling Organic Content
     Verdict: 💡 Must‑do
     • Move from 10 posts/month to 1,000+ by cloning formats across creators
     • Use Shortimize to track views cooking days after publish
     • Volume on TikTok & LinkedIn is the new SEO—play the numbers game
  4. Product‑Channel Fit Mindset
     Verdict: 🔄 Reversed logic
     • Prototype media hooks (e.g. resume‑kit demos) before building features
     • Validate with viral tests—first video hit 700K views in 24h
     • Bake winning social formats into product roadmap
  5. Future of AI‑Powered Growth
     Verdict: ⏳ On the horizon
     • Multi‑agent customer personas could replace focus groups
     • Meta’s AI for one‑to‑one ad creatives will upend engagement
     • Corporates risk being left behind as startups sprint

Notable Quotes
 “It’s never existed like it has now. But it’s extremely overwhelming.”
 —HOST

“I call it Jarvis because it’s sexy—I just ask Slack to add a tab and it’s done.”
 —Yoann Pavy

“Once you have two or three of these formats, you can go viral any given day.”
 —Yoann Pavy


Sponsor Block
 This episode is brought to you by Talent Fiber. Hire offshore full‑stack devs with 7+ years’ experience, US‑time‑zone availability, perfect English, and a solid replacement guarantee. Learn more at talentfiber.com or click the link below.

FIND ME ON SOCIAL
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider
X: x.com/codyschneiderxx

FIND Yoann PAVY ON SOCIAL
 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yoannpavy
 X: x.com/yoannpavy
 Website: aiapply.co

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3 months ago
53 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
50 ai agents are running this guy's business. no employees?

In this episode, Adam Silverman — co-founder & CEO of Agent Ops — dives deep into what “AI agents” actually are, why observability matters, and the very real marketing & growth automations companies are shipping today. From social-listening bots that draft Reddit replies to multi-agent pipelines that rebalance seven-figure ad budgets in real time, Adam lays out a practical playbook for founders, heads of growth, and non-technical operators who want to move from hype to hands-on results.

Guest socials
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsil
• 𝕏 / Twitter: https://x.com/AtomSilverman
• Company: https://agentops.ai

Timestamps

00:00 — Defining “agents”: reasoning-powered automations, not AGI
00:54 — Introducing Adam & the 50+ internal agents his team uses daily
03:32 — “Vibe marketing” and why every employee will soon have an AI assistant
05:18 — Live example: an inbound-lead-scoring agent that books calls automatically
08:11 — Metric shift: revenue / agent & revenue / token
10:45 — Three-point filter for agent ROI: expensive, repeatable, low-risk tasks
12:56 — Social-listening agents for Reddit, X & forums (human-in-the-loop posting)
16:14 — OrcaBase + TripleWhale: agentic ad-spend rebalancing for e-com
21:29 — WhisperFlow → Claude to generate entire email sequences in minutes
25:04 — Multi-agent systems & OpenAI Agents SDK (Crew AI, Llama-Index, etc.)
40:12 — Tech stack cheat-sheet: AgentQL, BrowserBase, Composio, Anthropic Claude 3, Gemini 1.5 Pro
48:07 — Internal hackathons & “minimum viable post” culture for continuous learning

Key Points

• Observability is table-stakes. Enterprises won’t deploy agents without 99.99 % reliability, so logging, evals & debugging are critical.
• Marketing automations that already work:
– Social-listening + auto-response (Reddit, X “Radar”)
– Lead-scoring & routing directly inside Superhuman
– Real-time ad-budget re-allocation with TripleWhale’s OrcaBase agents
– UGC ad generation at ¢-scale via HeyGen API
• Tooling matters: mix-and-match lower-cost LLMs (Gemini/Claude) for chain-of-thought tasks and premium models (GPT-4o) for reasoning or code.
• Multi-agent ≠ many prompts. Think specialized “teammates” passing JSON, each with its own LLM, tools & memory.
• Hire for AI-nativity, not job titles. A VA fluent in Cursor or WhisperFlow can 10× output overnight.
• Run micro-hackathons. One day a month of structured tinkering keeps teams ahead of vendor fluff.


Six Practical Plays You Can Steal

  1. Expensive + Repeatable + Low-Risk Audit
    Map every workflow; circle anything that costs $$$, repeats weekly, and won’t tank the business if it fails. Start there.

  2. Social-Listening Agent
    Radar (X) or manual Boolean search → Agent drafts replies → human approval → schedule via Buffer/Zapier.

  3. Ad-Spend Rebalancer
    Pipe TripleWhale or GA4 ROAS data into an agent that shifts budget between Meta, Google & TikTok every 60 min.

  4. Outbound “Industry Brief” Generator
    you.com’s Ari agent → 5-page PDF tailored to the prospect’s vertical → attach in first-touch email.

  5. Auto-Follow-Up Composer
    Fathom meeting transcript + Superhuman “Ask AI” → ready-to-send recap with action items.

  6. Internal Hackathon Framework
    • 15 min YouTube tutorial
    • 45 min build using Gumloop / Lutra AI (no-code)
    • Demo & share Loom — highest-impact sprint gets pushed to prod.

Notable Quotes

“We’ve got more agent headcount than human headcount.” — Adam Silverman
“Stop talking AGI. Look for tasks that are expensive, repeatable, and low-risk — that’s where agents print money.”
“Your revenue per employee metric just became revenue per token.”
“Build once, sell twice: every podcast, video or doc should spawn emails, tweets and a downloadable PDF.”

2025 Takeaway: The winners won’t be the teams with the biggest models; they’ll be the teams that turn everyday processes into measurable, observable agent workflows — and iterate on them faster than their competitors can finish a slide deck.

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3 months ago
52 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
the 100x marketer: combining vibe marketing, ai automation and custom tools to build a $6M ARR company

In this episode, Sandra Dajic, Head of Marketing at Chatbase, dives deep into the world of "vibe marketing"—a movement at the intersection of growth, automation, and AI tooling. She shares how she’s building AI-powered workflows to supercharge her marketing efforts, from automated ad competitor dashboards to visual content generation using GPT-4. With a background in both VC-backed and bootstrapped startups, Sandra outlines practical strategies for creating a marketing engine that feels like a team of 100—run by just one person.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: The 100x marketer and automation trend
01:40 - Sandra's AI-powered marketing workflows
04:45 - Automating ad analysis with Lovable, Make.com, and GPT
09:12 - Why “vibe marketing” matters now
13:20 - How to scale marketing without engineering resources
16:45 - Building "AI Ninja": Sandra's personalized marketing agent
21:05 - Using AI to streamline press, partnerships, and outreach
27:50 - How Sandra accelerated visual design workflows using GPT-4
31:00 - The power of personal brand and founder-driven marketing
34:15 - Sandra’s experiments with LinkedIn growth strategies
39:22 - Automating content and measuring marketing effectiveness

Key Points:

  • Vibe marketing = combining growth strategy with AI automation
  • Sandra built a custom dashboard to track and analyze ad creatives across platforms
  • Tools used: Lovable for browser agents, Make.com for workflows, GPT-4 for automation
  • AI agents streamline repetitive marketing tasks: outreach, content, visuals, competitor tracking
  • Emphasis on storytelling, personal brand, and focusing on one validated channel at a time
  • Sandra shares tactical tips for LinkedIn growth and content structuring
  • AI enables solo marketers to match output of large teams, affordably and fast

Notable Quotes:

“I want to automate everything that I don't love doing. My job is to tell the story of the product.” – Sandra Dajic
 “If you define your workflow, AI can scope the rest. That’s the vibe marketing unlock.” – Host
 “Personal brand is your biggest asset as a founder—it’s the one thing that sticks.” – Sandra Dajic

Guest Links:
• X: @takotreba
• LinkedIn: Sandra Dajic

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4 months ago
43 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
building a $10,000,000 ARR company with only paid ads

In this episode, I chat with Niels Klement (Head of Growth, Perspective) about how “app-feel” mobile funnels—with quiz questions, instant personalization, and 1-second load times—are crushing the old landing-page model. We dig into paid-ads math, creative iteration, and why a single 90-second video can double your business. Perfect for agencies, SaaS founders, and anyone chasing dollar-in → five-dollars-out predictability.


Timestamps

  • 00:00 – Intro & why most builders fail on mobile
  • 01:00 – Perspective’s path to €10 M ARR / 6 000 customers
  • 02:30 – From web-design agency to quiz-funnel SaaS
  • 06:00 – Interactivity, sunk-cost bias & personalization
  • 09:30 – Page-speed math: 5 s vs 1 s loads
  • 12:30 – Designing funnels that feel like native apps
  • 17:30 – Best-fit customers: agencies & B2B teams
  • 22:00 – Paid ads vs organic: guaranteed distribution
  • 27:00 – Creative ops: turning 1 ad into 100 variants
  • 33:00 – Dog-fooding Perspective to grow Perspective
  • 38:00 – AI, “vibe-marketing,” and small-team scale
  • 42:00 – Free 14-day trial & closing remarks

Key Points (to skim fast)

  • Mobile-first, one-page apps load ~1 s and behave like IG Stories.
  • Quiz/configurator flows lift conversions and qualify leads.
  • 1 s load time ≈ 2.5× conversion—that’s a $1 M → $2.5 M funnel without extra spend.
  • Paid ads = best first lever for predictable, measurable growth.
  • Creative flywheel: launch 100 assets, kill 98, scale the 2 that print money.
  • Dog-food advantage: marketing uses Perspective daily, feeding product loops.

Notable Quotes

“A 90-second ad can change the trajectory of your entire business.” – Niels Klement“Remove the right friction—interactive questions—and conversions jump.” – Niels Klement“Paid traffic is guaranteed distribution. If the math works, keep printing customers.” – Niels Klement

Quick Funnel Framework

  1. Craft an irresistible offer (free trial, template, case study).
  2. Map the funnel steps backward from that goal.
  3. Add interactive questions to personalize and pre-qualify.
  4. Obsess over load speed and mobile UX.
  5. Measure, prune, scale—let data pick winners.

Guest Socials
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsklement/
Perspective – https://www.perspective.co/

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4 months ago
48 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
Building Digital Gravity: How Startups Create Mass and Momentum

In this episode, we’re joined by Jordan Mix, partner at Late Checkout, for an in-depth discussion on how startups can build a million-dollar brand in today’s hyper-competitive landscape. Jordan introduces the concept of digital gravity—a framework for creating “mass” on the internet that draws customers into your brand’s orbit. The conversation explores how companies can move beyond linear funnels and embrace orbit-based growth, where repeated brand interactions across multiple channels drive purchasing decisions.

Together, we break down actionable strategies for generating traction, including the smart use of AI agents, automation, and vibe marketing. Jordan shares insights on balancing transactional marketing (like paid ads and cold outreach) with long-term brand-building investments, while emphasizing the role of creators, content flywheels, and the importance of being discoverable in AI-driven search results.

Timestamps:
 00:00 - Introduction: Building a million-dollar brand in 2025
 00:27 - Meet Jordan Mix and overview of Late Checkout
 01:10 - The idea of digital gravity and mass in the AI era
 03:00 - Funnels vs. orbits: How people really buy
 06:15 - Automation, AI agents, and vibe marketing explained
 10:45 - AI SEO, branded search, and surviving the law of shitty click-throughs
 15:20 - Building discovery flywheels and creator-driven growth
 20:30 - Strategies for leveraging YouTube, Reels, and creators at scale
 25:00 - Managing creator risk and internal content strategies
 28:00 - How to start creating digital gravity without overwhelm

Key Points:
 • Digital Gravity Framework — Customers enter your orbit through repeated brand interactions, not linear funnels. The goal is to create mass (content, tools, assets) that attracts and retains attention.
• AI Agents + Automation — Jordan highlights practical uses of AI agents, like automating outreach campaigns, creating dynamic ad workflows, or scraping competitive data to inform marketing.
• Transactional vs. Brand Marketing — Early traction often comes from transactional tactics (ads, cold outreach), but long-term success requires investment in brand and content that lowers acquisition costs over time.
• SEO in the Age of AI — With LLMs scraping Google’s top pages, brands need to dominate bottom-of-funnel keywords and question-based queries to appear in AI search results.
• Creator-Led Growth — Partnering with creators can trigger a viral cascade where hundreds of pieces of content are generated without direct cost, building digital gravity passively.

Key Takeaway:
 Startups should focus first on finding where their customers spend time, test 2-3 channels, and double down on what works. From there, build repeatable processes and automate intelligently. The goal: maximize digital mass where it matters most, so your brand becomes the natural choice when buyers are ready.

Notable Quotes:
 • “Funnels create linear growth. If you want exponential growth, you need digital gravity.” — Jordan Mix
 • “Where are your customers? Build as much mass as possible in that space.” — Jordan Mix
 • “Every ring you put out is like a mini-funnel — together they form the black hole of your brand.”

Guest Socials:
 X: @jrdnmix
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-mix1/

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4 months ago
34 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
ai automation builds 100+ ads in 24hrs - research, creative, and data analytics

In this episode, I chat with Jonathan, a rapidly rising expert on Twitter known for building and scaling AI-driven marketing automations using tools like n8n and custom API integrations. We explore the practical realities of "vibe marketing" automation beyond hype, revealing how real-world workflows are being constructed today and why true expertise in marketing is essential for effective automation. Listeners will gain insights into automating audience research, creative production, and ad performance analysis at scale, as well as actionable tips for getting started and leveraging AI tools to 10x their output.


Timestamps

(00:00) – Introduction to Jonathan and Marketing Automation The host introduces Jonathan and sets the stage for a discussion on modern marketing automation tools and why they’re currently so powerful.

(02:45) – Jonathan’s Background and Automation Journey Jonathan shares how he got into marketing automation, his paid ads background, and the evolution from manual work to automation.

(07:30) – Key Tools and Stack for Automation The host and Jonathan discuss their tech stacks, highlighting n8n, railway.com, and custom front-end interfaces to streamline automation.

(12:15) – Top Marketing Automation Workflows Jonathan outlines his most effective workflows: audience research, creative generation, and scaling marketing insights.

(18:00) – Audience Research Automation: Reddit Scraping and Analysis A deep dive into using n8n to scrape Reddit, filter and analyze discussions, and extract actionable marketing insights and customer language.

(25:40) – Twitter Insights Automation How Jonathan automates scraping Twitter for popular posts, identifying top-performing content and structuring it for ongoing content creation.

(31:10) – Creative Production Automation Jonathan explains workflows for bulk generating ad variations using OpenAI’s Image Gen API, including reference image analysis and prompt engineering.

(38:20) – Custom Front-End Interfaces for Workflows The pair discuss integrating user-friendly front-end UIs (using Lovable or Bolt) with n8n backend automations for client and team use.

(44:50) – Automating Ad Performance Analysis Jonathan describes a flow for pulling and analyzing Facebook Ads data, using sub-agents for performance analysis, deep research, and new ad creation.

(51:10) – Video Ad Automation and Future Trends A look at how video ad automation is evolving and the current limitations and opportunities, including upcoming tools like Google Veo 3.

(56:40) – Speeding Up Workflow Creation with Perplexity and Claude The host and Jonathan discuss using AI (Perplexity, Claude 4) to generate n8n workflow JSON, streamlining the automation development process.


Key Points

  • Expertise in Marketing is Essential for Automation: To automate marketing workflows effectively, you need a deep understanding of marketing processes themselves. Only then can you define, script, and automate successful campaigns[1].
  • Automating Audience Research Drives Results: Bulk scraping and analyzing platforms like Reddit and Twitter allow marketers to extract pain points, trigger events, and customer language at scale, informing ad copy and creative direction.
  • Creative Volume is Game-Changing: Automation tools like OpenAI’s Image Gen API enable the generation of hundreds of ad variations, feeding algorithms for higher performance and lower costs.
  • Custom Front-Ends Improve Workflow Accessibility: Building user-friendly interfaces (using tools like Lovable or Bolt) for complex n8n automations makes them accessible to non-technical team members and clients.
  • AI Accelerates Workflow Development: Using AI tools like Perplexity and Claude to generate n8n workflow JSON reduces the time and technical skill required to build sophisticated automations.
  • Human-in-the-Loop Remains Critical: While automation handles the heavy lifting, human oversight is still needed for nuanced analysis, curation, and final ad selection.


Notable Quotes

  • Jonathan: “You have to be an expert at that thing to be able to go and actually build out these automations. But when you do that, you can automate 80% of the work that you previously were doing.”
  • Jonathan: “I literally just tell Claude what I want to build, and then it maps it out for me. And then you kind of have a canvas that is like 60, 70, 80% there depending on the complexity.”
  • Cody: “Your customers are your best advertisers, so taking their exact wording and phrases is for sure going to be an effective marketing strategy a lot of the time.”


Actionable Takeaways for Founders, Marketers, and Podcasters

  • Start with a Core Marketing Process: Identify a repeatable marketing workflow you fully understand before attempting to automate it.
  • Invest in Audience Research Automation: Use tools to scrape and analyze discussions on Reddit, Twitter, and other platforms to extract customer pain points and language for your messaging[2].
  • Bulk Generate and Test Creatives: Leverage AI to produce hundreds of ad variations, enabling rapid testing and optimization of creative assets.
  • Automate Performance Analysis: Implement workflows to automatically pull and analyze campaign performance data, allowing you to focus on strategy and execution[8].
  • Simplify Tool Accessibility: Build custom UIs for your automation tools to make them accessible for your entire team, not just engineers.
  • Accelerate Workflow Development: Use AI-powered tools like Perplexity and Claude to generate automation scripts and reduce development time.


Brought to you by

  • TalentFiber – Hire top offshore engineers with US experience at half the cost of US hires. - talentfiber.com


Where to the find Guest:

  •  https://x.com/vibemarketer_
  •  https://linktr.ee/vibemarketer


Resources Mentioned

  • https://www.youtube.com/@nateherk
  • https://www.youtube.com/@Mark_Kashef
  • https://www.youtube.com/@AI-GPTWorkshop/videos
  • RapidAPI – Access a wide range of third-party APIs for quick integrations. - rapidapi.com
  • Apify – Scrape websites and extract data at scale. - apify.com
  • TwitterAPI.io – Free and affordable Twitter data scraping tool. - twitterapi.io
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4 months ago
57 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
AI SEO Crash Course: Search Is Going to Answer Engines, You Need a Plan

In this episode, I chat with James Cadwallader, co-founder of Profound, about the rise of AI search engines and their impact on traditional search methods. We discuss how tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are changing user behavior and referral traffic patterns. James shares insights on which companies benefit most from this trend and offers strategies for enhancing brand visibility in AI search results. We explore the importance of tracking bot traffic, creating targeted content, and optimizing metadata to align with AI models' preferences, highlighting the need for brands to adapt to this new digital landscape.


🎧 What You’ll Learn

  • AI Answer Engine Dynamics
    • Distinction between AI chat (LLM-only) and AI answer engines (LLM + web retrieval)
    • Key inflection points like ChatGPT’s web-search launch (Oct 2024)
  • Who Benefits Most
    • Industries with long research cycles (auto, healthcare, consumer electronics)
    • Tech-savvy early adopters and B2B SaaS customers seeing 3–4× month-over-month growth
  • Measuring AI Impact
    • Tracking bot-to-human conversions via crawler logs + GA4 or Amplitude
    • Understanding AI referrals as a first touch in your marketing funnel
  • Tactical SEO Levers
    • Comparative “X vs. Y” articles with optimized metadata
    • Category-specific source mining (Wikipedia, Reddit, publications)
    • Creating simple, highly structured (markdown-style) content for fast crawler reasoning
  • Emerging Best Practices
    • Implementing llms.txt and bot-first content feeds
    • Building a dedicated AI visibility team—your next marketing department

⏱️ Timestamps

  • 00:00 – Intro: The AI search revolution
  • 01:00 – AI chat vs. AI answer engines explained
  • 03:00 – Case study: ChatGPT mobile growth spike
  • 05:00 – Which verticals see the biggest AI referral lift
  • 07:00 – Bot crawling: measuring crawler visits + human actions
  • 10:15 – How Profound uses synthetic data to map AI sourcing
  • 14:30 – Tactical content strategies: from comparative posts to digital PR
  • 18:45 – The future of AI SEO: protocols, agents, and team structures
  • 22:10 – Action steps: What founders & marketers must do now

🎙️ Guest Profile

James Cadwallader
Co-founder of Profound, the “Ahrefs/SEMrush for AI answer engine visibility.” James leads R&D on mapping how LLMs retrieve and cite web content, helping enterprise brands optimize for this rapidly growing channel.

🔗 Resources & Links

Profound (AI Answer Engine Visibility Platform)
https://www.tryprofound.com/

James Cadwallader on X
https://x.com/thejamescad/

Sponsor: Talent Fiber
Hire offshore engineering talent at one-third the cost of U.S. equivalents:
https://talentfiber.com

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5 months ago
51 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
email newsletter playbook: how to drive 3,000 weekly clicks

In this episode, I sit down with Louis Shulman of Orbit Flows Marketing to dive deep into why a warmed email list is the single most valuable asset a brand can own. We explore how consistent, process-driven newsletters can drive thousands of targeted clicks weekly, share real-world examples and metrics, and unpack the exact frameworks, templates, and AI-powered workflows Louis uses to produce hundreds of newsletters a month for some of the world’s fastest-growing companies. Whether you’re resurrecting a dormant list or scaling a six-figure send, you’ll walk away with concrete steps to build, clean, and monetize your newsletter with repeatable, bite-sized automation.


About the Guest

Louis Shulman
Louis leads client success and content strategy at Orbit Flows, where his team of five writers produces over 50 email newsletters per week for a collective audience exceeding one million subscribers. He’s spent years perfecting the playbook for turning long-form expert conversations into high-impact weekly sends that consistently deliver 3,000+ clicks per issue.


Key Takeaways

  • Email Newsletters as Owned Media: A weekly newsletter is an asset you own and control, unlike social platforms or paid ads.
  • Process Over Perfection: Success comes from simple, repeatable systems (templates, cadence, checklists)—not chasing “perfect” content.
  • Customer Journey Mapping: Structure newsletters around problem-aware, solution-aware, and vendor-aware stages to guide subscribers down your funnel.
  • Bridge of Belief: Craft content that anticipates and answers subscriber objections before they arise—turn objections into subject lines.
  • AI as an Accelerator: Treat AI like a managed teammate—define clear sub-steps and approval checkpoints to get 90% of the work done, then add human polish.
  • List Hygiene & Segmentation: Start conservatively, re-engage dormant subscribers with win-back sequences, and prune non-openers after five sends to protect deliverability.
  • Lead Magnets & Growth: Educational email courses and targeted downloadable assets (e.g., “5 Day Course on Accounting Pitfalls”) drive higher opt-in rates than generic “join my newsletter” pitches.
  • ROI in Click Equity: With a 170,000-subscriber list sending twice weekly, 10,000 clicks per send saves upwards of $800,000 in paid LinkedIn ads annually.

Episode Highlights

  • 00:00 – 01:00 – Why Email Is King: The host frames newsletters as the most valuable, yet overlooked, marketing channel.
  • 01:00 – 02:00 – Sponsor Break: Acclaim Podcasting: Full-service agency that builds your weekly content machine (acclaimpodcasting.com).
  • 02:00 – 04:00 – Volume & Scale: Louis shares that Orbit Marketing dispatches 50+ newsletters weekly to 1M+ subscribers—and how one weekly send drives ~3,000 clicks.
  • 04:00 – 07:00 – Defining “Newsletter”: Establishing clear expectations, consistent format, and landing-page first mindset for newsletter signups.
  • 07:00 – 11:00 – Customer Journey & Content Strategy: Reverse-engineer subscriber beliefs at each funnel stage; problem, solution, vendor.
  • 11:00 – 15:00 – Objections into Subject Lines: Proactively address subscriber doubts (e.g., “Is TikTok still worth it?”) in your newsletter copy.
  • 15:00 – 18:00 – Ideation & Prompts: Three core content buckets—personal stories, business strategies, industry insights—and 100+ ghostwriting prompts for weekly topics.
  • 18:00 – 22:00 – Templates & Systems: Pin down a weekly structure with 3–5 sections to eliminate decision fatigue and ensure consistency.
  • 22:00 – 26:00 – AI-Powered Workflow: Build “Orbit Flows” with templates, voices, knowledge bases, and spaces—treat AI like a junior teammate with incremental approvals.
  • 26:00 – 30:00 – List Building & Hygiene: Start small with new or cold lists, run win-back sequences, remove non-engagers after five weeks to maintain deliverability.
  • 30:00 – 34:00 – Lead Magnet Mastery: Email courses and downloadable guides convert far better than generic newsletter invites—package education, not just tips.
  • 34:00 – 38:00 – Productizing Internal Tools: How Orbit spun its own AI newsletter engine into the OrbitFlows SaaS platform, with live demos of templates and research pipelines.
  • 38:00 – End – Final Advice & Connect: Louis drops his top three rapid-fire tips for B2B founders and shares where to reach him next.

Resources & Links

Guest Socials

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisshulman/
  • Orbit Marketing: https://www.orbitmarketing.io/
  • X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/LouisShulman/

Brought to you by

  • Acclaim Podcasting: https://acclaimpodcasting.com

OrbitFlows (Built by Louis & Team)

  • Product Site: https://orbitflows.com
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6 months ago
46 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
cold email state of the union: how to send 2M emails a month to generate 1500 leads

In this episode, Nick Abraham, founder of cold email agency Leadbird, joins the show for a deep dive into what’s working right now in the fast-changing world of email marketing. With over 400 clients and millions of emails sent monthly, Nick shares tactical insights from the frontlines — from deliverability strategies to AI usage and cold calling.

The conversation covers the recent Apollo crackdown, the shift in data sourcing, and how agencies can safeguard infrastructure to avoid total shutdowns. Nick also unpacks the importance of validating your offer, tips for scaling cold outreach, and the resurrection of cold calling as a powerful channel when paired with smart automation.

Timestamps
00:00 – Why cold email is still a top channel
00:39 – State of cold email: "bloody ocean" tactics
02:12 – Apollo’s recent changes & implications
05:00 – Data sourcing alternatives (ListKit, Sales Nav scraping)
07:12 – Clay’s rise & how to enrich leads
10:25 – EDU/Microsoft panel loopholes and risks
14:00 – The right infra mix: Google, Microsoft, SMTP
18:00 – Cost breakdown for 10K cold emails
20:00 – Who cold email works for — and who it doesn’t
23:35 – Cold email templates that work today
28:01 – Cold calling revival & voicemail strategy
33:00 – Smart personalization that stands out
37:00 – Overuse of AI: when it backfires
41:50 – Volume vs optimization: when to scale
47:00 – Warm-up pools, deliverability myths & final thoughts

Key Points

  • Apollo Crackdown: Apollo recently slashed its free plan from 10,000 to 100 leads/month, killing off common scraping strategies. Agencies must now diversify data sources.
  • Email Infrastructure Strategy: Nick recommends splitting accounts evenly across Google, Microsoft, and SMTP providers (like MailReef), using separate tenants for each domain to reduce risk.
  • Top Tools Mentioned: Smartlead, Instantly, LeadMagic, Salesfinity (for cold calling), Clay, HyperType, ListKit.
  • Cold Email Templates That Work: Short emails with a bold subject line, a clearly stated pain point, social proof, and a clear CTA. Two-step sequences are outperforming long follow-ups.
  • AI in Cold Email: Use AI for variable enrichment (like local restaurants or recent promotions) — but not for full email writing. Over-automation feels robotic and gets ignored.
  • Cold Calling Rebirth: Combining parallel dialers, voicemails, and email follow-ups creates a high-performing outbound flywheel. Nick’s simple pitch script: “Can I get 30 seconds, or tell me to kick rocks?”
  • Warm-Up Pools Controversy: Instantly and Smartlead warm-up pools have downsides. Use them carefully and always monitor bounce rates.

Who Should Use Cold Email?

✔ SaaS, agencies, and service businesses with high LTVs ($5K+)
 ✔ Founders with a unique, compelling offer
 ✔ Companies with a working sales process & CRM follow-up
 ✘ Commodity offers (e.g., generic e-comm marketing) with no clear differentiation

Notable Quotes

"Don’t build a pricing model on a hack. It’s a matter of time until it breaks."
 "Most people overthink deliverability — bad offers are the real issue."
 "You can get 0.8% replies or 0% if your inbox gets shut down — choose wisely."


Guest Links:
https://www.leadbird.io/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-abraham
https://x.com/NickAbraham12

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6 months ago
53 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
AI is Replacing UGC Creators: 1 Click Makes 1,000 Ads

In this episode, Cody hosts Romain Torres, co-founder of ArcAds, to dive into the next evolution of paid advertising — using AI to generate and test thousands of ad creatives at scale. Romain shares the strategies behind ArcAds’ explosive success and how marketers can now use AI agents, automation, and avatars to unlock hyper-efficiency in ad performance. This episode is a masterclass in modern performance marketing for eCommerce, mobile apps, and agencies alike.

Timestamps: 
00:00 – Why top e-commerce advertisers generate 1,000s of creatives
01:10 – The old UGC content model: $100K for 1,000 ad variations
01:57 – ArcAds and AI avatars explained
03:00 – Lessons from gaming companies and their ad testing obsession
06:30 – How to make ad testing 10x cheaper and easier with AI
10:20 – Meta’s only recommendation to big advertisers: more creatives
13:10 – Why creative volume is now the biggest growth lever
15:00 – Romain’s 6-week creative testing sprint process
20:05 – The “Notion board” system for organizing ad experiments
25:40 – Automating script generation via Facebook Ad Library + Whisper
29:20 – AI’s true strength: copying and remixing top-performing formats
35:15 – Real examples: language apps, e-com, and viral ad structures
40:05 – Why localization with AI avatars is a game-changer
44:40 – Using failure and emotion in ads (gaming tactics for e-com)
47:50 – “Ads that don’t feel like ads” – winning creative philosophy
49:10 – Final frameworks and where to start with AI ads

Key Points: 
• AI is shifting ad creative from an expensive, human-led process to scalable, high-volume automation — unlocking massive performance gains
• Meta’s performance advice is now centered on one thing: creative iteration
• ArcAds enables users to generate hundreds of UGC-style video ads using AI avatars, voice synthesis, and automated scripting
• Creative success depends on three pillars: strong scripts, tested variations of actors, and good editing
• Winning ad strategies rely less on creative instinct and more on statistical volume — test everything, let the data decide


Creative Frameworks Discussed:

Weekly Iteration Loop

  • Organize creative ideas in a Notion board
  • Test 10+ variations per concept
  • Review weekly results → double down on winners
  • Commit to a 6-week testing cycle to uncover scalable concepts

AI Agent Automation Workflow

  • Scrape competitors’ Facebook ads using the Ads Library API
  • Transcribe videos with Whisper
  • Analyze hooks and trends with GPT
  • Generate new scripts, swap in AI avatars, and produce at scale

Best Performing Ad Formats

  • UGC-style narration with product demo B-roll
  • Split-screen “AI tutor” dialogue format for language apps
  • Localized voiceovers for different geographies
  • Street interview simulations using avatars for finance/dating apps

Growth Tactics: 
• Use AI to localize ad content and reach global markets without extra production
• Automate creative inspiration by spying on competitors and remixing their winners
• Build feedback loops with performance data to fuel ongoing ad ideation
• Don’t try to guess the best creative — let scale + data reveal the winner

Notable Quotes:

“You just don’t know which actor is best for your ad until you test it.” – Romain Torres
 “Meta figured out the targeting. Now you have to figure out the creative.”
 “AI is bad at being creative — but it’s amazing at copying what works.”
“Your edge is not doing one thing well. It’s doing everything at 100x volume.”

Guest: 
https://fr.linkedin.com/in/romain-torres-arcads
https://x.com/rom1trs
https://www.arcads.ai/

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6 months ago
50 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
from no app downloads for 2 years, to 100,000 in 14 days. this is how to find the shorts template for your product

In this episode of In the Pit, we sit down with Laurent, co-founder of FocusTree — a productivity app for students — to break down how he leveraged short-form creator-led content to explode the app to 100,000 downloads in just 15 days.

Laurent shares the tactical, step-by-step breakdown of his viral growth playbook, from sourcing international creators to creating a gamified onboarding experience that hooks users. This is a masterclass in thinking media-first, product-second — and building sticky consumer apps in the TikTok era.

This episode is sponsored by TalentFiber.com — the best way to hire vetted offshore talent that works in your time zone and speaks fluent English.

🔗 Guest Links

  • Twitter/X: https://x.com/iamlaurentbo
  • FocusTree App: https://focustree.app/

⏱️ Timestamps

(1:10) – Intro to FocusTree & hitting 100K+ users in 15 days
(4:37) – The TikTok revolution: why media-led growth works now
(9:09) – From paid ads to creators: 95% drop in CAC
(12:06) – How to source and manage creators outside the US
(16:01) – The key to finding “outlier” creators and winning formats
(22:00) – The origin story: fake product, Reddit post → validated idea
(26:51) – Beating legacy competitors by targeting Gen Z
(30:49) – Onboarding design, SMS > email, and viral loops
(34:53) – Product philosophy: build habits like Strava & Duolingo
(38:28) – Underrated niches, creator research, and reading comments for hooks

💡 Key Takeaways

  • Media Before Product: Laurent validated FocusTree’s concept with fake mockups on Reddit and TikTok — only building after demand was clear.
  • Creator-Led Growth: FocusTree works with 7+ international creators, paying ~$20/video with performance bonuses — resulting in ~12K daily downloads.
  • Hyper-Optimized Onboarding: From SMS login to school-based friend sync, every screen is engineered for retention.
  • Gamified UX: Users “grow a garden” by studying — a visual reward loop inspired by Strava and Duolingo.
  • Decentralized Creator Ops: Coaches manage onboarding, feedback, and best practices across WhatsApp and School.com.
  • Unlocking Virality: Winning TikTok formats last 2–3 weeks. Read comment sections for next-gen hooks.
  • Underserved Niches: Look for outdated categories with passionate audiences (e.g., astrology, study apps) and remix the experience.

🔥 Notable Quotes

“You didn’t really study if you didn’t turn on FocusTree.”
 — Laurent Boulin“

If you want to win with creators, you need to know your media landscape like the back of your hand.”
 — Laurent Boulin

“Our CAC dropped by 95% when we switched from ads to TikTok creators.”
 — Laurent Boulin


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7 months ago
46 minutes

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.