Home
Categories
EXPLORE
Comedy
Society & Culture
True Crime
Music
Religion & Spirituality
Business
Education
About Us
Contact Us
Copyright
© 2024 PodJoint
Loading...
0:00 / 0:00
Podjoint Logo
UG
Sign in

or

Don't have an account?
Sign up
Forgot password
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/6b/10/59/6b105949-dbb6-27db-4c5a-e18c88309a12/mza_13710020959430338830.jpg/600x600bb.jpg
The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Dave Gerhardt
286 episodes
1 day ago
Dave Gerhardt (Founder of Exit Five, former CMO) chats with top marketing leaders and CMOs. Join 5,000+ members in our private community at exitfive.com.
Show more...
Marketing
Business,
Entrepreneurship
RSS
All content for The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt) is the property of Dave Gerhardt and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Dave Gerhardt (Founder of Exit Five, former CMO) chats with top marketing leaders and CMOs. Join 5,000+ members in our private community at exitfive.com.
Show more...
Marketing
Business,
Entrepreneurship
Episodes (20/286)
The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Why Marketers Need Great RevOps Partners with Sean Lane, Founding Partner at BeaconGTM and RevOps Expert

#274 Growth | In this episode, Dave is joined by Sean Lane, Founding Partner at BeaconGTM and RevOps expert, to talk about scaling RevOps in B2B. With over a decade of experience at Drift and other B2B SaaS companies, Sean shares actionable tips for marketers looking to align operations with business goals.


Dave and Sean cover:

  • How to build alignment between sales, marketing, and ops
  • Why early-stage companies must align operational complexity with their growth maturity
  • How continuous planning helps marketing and ops teams stay agile as business challenges come up

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - - Intro to Sean
  • (07:11) - - Going From Founder Led Sales to Having A Professional GTM
  • (09:52) - - How Ops Bridges Business Goals
  • (13:42) - - How To Align Sales, Marketing, and Operations
  • (17:51) - - Why You Need A Clear Marketing Strategy
  • (20:17) - - How To Build A Partnership Between Marketing and Operations
  • (26:41) - - Guidelines for long term vs short term budgeting and planning
  • (32:19) - - Marketing’s Role At The Bottom Of The Funnel
  • (37:14) - - How To Get “Hand-raisers” For Your Product In The Customer Journey
  • (41:06) - - Do Engaged Accounts Measure The Success Of Marketing?
  • (42:56) - - Sean’s Podcast ROI
  • (45:12) - - AI Use Cases In Ops
  • (50:14) - - How To Hire A Good Ops Person
  • (53:42) - - Closing Remarks

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut.

Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button?

Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting.

That’s where Walnut comes in.

Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond.

That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too.

And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL.

Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA?

Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

Show more...
1 day ago
57 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Leading Through Change: Recognition, Retention & Culture for Marketing Teams with Rachel Weeks

#273 Leadership | Matt is joined by Rachel Weeks, a veteran B2B marketing leader with over 20 years of experience guiding companies through acquisitions, layoffs, and tech disruption. Rachel has led both corporate and field marketing teams and is passionate about recognition-driven team cultures that retain and empower top talent.

Matt and Rachel cover:

  • How to build a recognition strategy that actually improves retention (without needing a big budget or fancy platform)
  • Why employee motivation dips during times of stress, layoffs, or AI disruption and what great leaders do differently
  • The role of marketing in internal culture: from branding the program to building peer-driven engagement

Whether you’re managing a small team or leading an entire department, this episode is packed with practical insights to help you build a culture where marketers feel valued, motivated, and ready to stay.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:48) - – Rachel’s background and leadership lens
  • (06:18) - – What actually makes a recognition program work
  • (08:48) - – How marketing supports internal culture building
  • (11:48) - – Recognition during org changes, stress, and funding rounds
  • (14:48) - – The impact of AI on morale and motivation
  • (18:18) - – What happens when recognition disappears
  • (20:18) - – The “10 minutes by Friday” habit
  • (22:48) - – Easy, no-budget ways to recognize team members
  • (25:48) - – Performance-driven vs. values-driven recognition
  • (30:53) - – Monetary vs. non-monetary rewards (and what people really want)
  • (34:23) - – Recognition vs. pay raises: what the data says
  • (38:23) - – Why people leave even when they’re paid well
  • (42:23) - – How to ask for (and give) better feedback
  • (47:23) - – Using AI to create space for strategic work
  • (54:23) - – Final thoughts on leadership, retention, and culture

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut.

Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button?

Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting.

That’s where Walnut comes in.

Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond.

That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too.

And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL.

Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA?

Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

Show more...
5 days ago
59 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
The 4-Part Framework for Presentations That Stick and Get Remembered with Vincent Pierri

#272 Presentation Skills | Matt is joined by Vincent Pierri, a speaking coach who helps executives and marketers craft compelling, high-stakes talks. With a background as a pastor and public communicator, Vincent has developed a repeatable framework that helps B2B marketers improve how they show up in front of a room, whether it’s a conference keynote, a boardroom pitch, or a weekly team update.

Matt and Vincent cover:

  • The 4-part framework behind talks that stick: Tension, Trust, Teaching, Takeaway
  • How to pick the right topic for your talk (and avoid cramming in too much)
  • Why authenticity and simplicity matter more than slide design, and how to keep your delivery grounded and effective

Whether you’re prepping for Inbound, Exit Five’s Drive, or just your next big internal presentation, this episode will help you nail the structure and mindset behind a talk that resonates.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - - Intro
  • (02:58) - - Vincent’s unusual path to speaking coach
  • (06:48) - - Why marketers need this framework (not just keynote speakers)
  • (09:28) - - The first step: pick one real person you want to help
  • (12:38) - - How to narrow your talk down from too many ideas
  • (15:48) - - The 4-part structure: Tension, Trust, Teaching, Takeaway
  • (18:38) - - Why your talk should start with a problem (not your points)
  • (20:13) - - How to build trust by showing vulnerability
  • (23:18) - - The 3 Cs: Catchy one-liner, Creative analogy, Concrete example
  • (30:23) - - How to make your points memorable (and not Googleable)
  • (33:28) - - Why authenticity beats sounding “smart”
  • (35:38) - - What a strong closing takeaway looks like
  • (38:53) - - When (and how) to start practicing your delivery
  • (40:08) - - Why you should build your talk before your deck
  • (42:33) - - How many slides is too many?
  • (46:23) - - Connecting without slides: lessons from the pulpit
  • (48:38) - - Final advice for marketers prepping talks this fall

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut.

Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button?

Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting.

That’s where Walnut comes in.

Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond.

That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too.

And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL.

Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA?

Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

Show more...
1 week ago
54 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
WTF is GTM Engineering? Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring One in 2025

#271 GTM Engineering | In this episode, Dave is joined by John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Marketing, along with Cammy Keiler, Justin Johnson, and Dan Guenet. Together, they break down the rise of GTM engineering, what it is, how it differs from RevOps, and why B2B teams are investing in it.

Dave and the crew cover:

  • The core difference between RevOps and GTM engineering (and why the latter is more focused on building than just integrating)
  • Real GTM engineering use cases, from AI-powered sales tools to mid-funnel campaigns that go way beyond ebooks
  • How GTM engineers are driving higher revenue per employee and why this role should be one of your first five marketing hires

Whether you’re hiring or just GTM-curious, you’ll leave this episode with a clear definition of the role, real-world examples, and tactical ways GTM engineers drive impact.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:33) - – Why this topic resonated with 1,200+ registrants
  • (05:48) - – What even is **GTM engineering?
  • (08:03) - – GTM engineering vs. RevOps vs. Marketing Ops
  • (11:18) - – How AI is driving this role forward
  • (14:28) - – Real examples: ABM campaigns, mid-funnel tools, sales call analysis
  • (19:38) - – Tools GTM engineers are using today (Clay, Unify, GPTs)
  • (23:03) - – Role of GTM engineering in revenue per employee
  • (27:18) - – How GTM engineers enable sales + reduce headcount
  • (31:33) - – What Dan actually does all day as a GTM engineer
  • (36:23) - – Custom GPTs for sales and marketing teams
  • (39:38) - – What MCP servers are (and why they matter)
  • (44:08) - – Claude, Gamma, and AI-powered content systems
  • (46:53) - – Why this isn’t just PLG (or ABM, or RevOps)
  • (50:43) - – When to hire a GTM engineer
  • (53:23) - – Big feelings about the role (and why they exist)
  • (55:33) - – Closing thoughts + what to take away

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut.

Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button?

Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting.

That’s where Walnut comes in.

Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond.

That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too.

And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL.

Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA?

Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

Show more...
1 week ago
1 hour

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Scaling B2B Marketing at an AI Startup: Channels, Strategy, and Team Ops with Holly Xiao

#270 Strategy | Dave is joined by Holly Xiao, Head of B2B Marketing at HeyGen, an AI video generation platform that helps teams produce personalized, high-quality content, fast. Holly has led marketing at high-growth startups and now runs the enterprise GTM motion at HeyGen, where she blends strategy, creative execution, and AI-powered workflows to reach modern B2B buyers.

Dave and Holly cover:

  • The 4 channels her lean team is betting on to drive enterprise pipeline (and what’s not working anymore)
  • How B2B marketers are using AI video for event marketing, sales enablement, onboarding, and beyond
  • What it’s like to run marketing without a CMO, plus the sprint-cycle approach that keeps their team in sync with product

If you’re figuring out how to use AI in your marketing or just trying to do more with less, this one’s full of practical ideas to help you think differently about team structure, channels, and strategy.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:39) - – Holly’s nonlinear path to marketing
  • (06:39) - – Getting started in marketing ops
  • (08:39) - – Why she joined an AI startup
  • (10:39) - – How HeyGen’s marketing org works
  • (13:39) - – PLG vs SLG: Key differences
  • (15:39) - – The 4 channels driving pipeline
  • (17:39) - – What’s working: Events + webinars
  • (19:39) - – Booth strategy that stands out
  • (24:13) - – Brand vs demand events
  • (26:13) - – Building community and user events
  • (27:43) - – SEO is declining. Now what?
  • (30:13) - – Running marketing in 2-month sprints
  • (33:13) - – Aligning product and marketing cadence
  • (35:13) - – Her daily AI tools
  • (36:43) - – ChatGPT vs Gemini workflows
  • (38:13) - – Real AI video use cases
  • (40:13) - – Personalized event promos with avatars
  • (41:13) - – Support, training, and onboarding videos
  • (42:13) - – Fortune telling and music videos?!
  • (43:13) - – Why AI won’t replace marketers

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut.

Why are we spending all this time on marketing… just to push buyers to a “Request a Demo” button? Even if they’re interested, no one wants to click that. No one wants to “talk to sales.” They just want to try the product for themselves!


Good news: now they can - with Walnut.

Walnut is the interactive demo platform for marketers who are done hiding their product and want to put it front and center.


You can build guided, self-serve demos in minutes. No engineers. No developers. No waiting. Embed them on your site. Drop them in emails. Let buyers explore your product on their terms - at any stage of the funnel.


And the best part? You get the data. See what features prospects are engaging with, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline.

500+ companies use Walnut - including Adobe and NetApp. Their teams save 400+ hours a year building demos… and have prevented over 1.5 million minutes of bad ones.

So if you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product, go check out Walnut.io (and tell their team you heard about it on the Exit Five podcast!). 

Show more...
2 weeks ago
47 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
SEO in an AI-First World: How to Adapt and Win in 2025 with Andrei Țiț

#269 AI Search & SEO | In this episode, Dave is joined by Andrei Țiț, Head of Product Marketing at Ahrefs, a leading SEO tool trusted by marketers around the world. Andrei has been on the front lines of how AI is reshaping search and what that means for marketers trying to stay visible in an AI-first world.

Dave and Andrei cover:

  • Why branded search volume is now a top indicator of visibility in AI-generated results (and how to grow it)
  • The new playbook for SEO in 2025, including what metrics to track beyond traffic and backlinks
  • Actionable tactics to get your brand mentioned by AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews

Whether you’re a marketing leader or an SEO newbie, this episode will help you rethink your approach to content, attribution, and brand in the AI era.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (02:34) - – Why this was Exit Five’s most-registered webinar ever
  • (04:54) - – Meet Andrei from Ahrefs
  • (06:34) - – Is SEO dead? Not quite, but it’s harder than ever
  • (08:14) - – AI traffic is growing fast (63% of sites already see it)
  • (09:04) - – Why brand is your best SEO defense
  • (11:34) - – How Google measures brand impact (keywords, mentions, clicks)
  • (14:34) - – Calculating content ROI with traffic value
  • (17:04) - – Why branded search volume predicts AI visibility
  • (21:04) - – How to track brand mentions in ChatGPT, Perplexity & AI Overviews
  • (24:04) - – AI traffic = fewer clicks, better leads
  • (29:50) - – How to improve your visibility in AI-generated answers
  • (36:50) - – Why backlinks matter less and PR matters more
  • (43:50) - – New rules for writing content LLMs can surface
  • (52:50) - – Final takeaways: metrics to watch and content to prioritize

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
2 weeks ago
57 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
The Solo Marketer’s Guide to Full-Stack B2B Marketing with Sara Lattanzio

#268 Solo Marketing | In this episode, Matt is joined by Sara Lattanzio, Head of Marketing at Stryber, a venture-building consultancy that helps corporates launch new startups. Sara runs the entire marketing function solo, from strategy and content to outbound and brand, and has built a powerful personal brand along the way with 40,000+ LinkedIn followers and partnerships with tools like Semrush.

Matt and Sara cover:

  • What it really looks like to run full-stack B2B marketing without a team
  • How to scale content and campaigns using AI (while keeping your voice)
  • Why outbound should roll up to marketing and how to build campaigns that aren’t ignored


You’ll leave this episode with practical ideas for scaling content, running smarter outbound, and staying strategic, no matter your team size.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro and Sara’s role at Stryber
  • (03:54) - – What full-stack marketing looks like for a solo marketer
  • (05:44) - – Why generalist marketers are thriving right now
  • (08:14) - – Using AI to speed up execution (without losing strategy)
  • (10:04) - – How Sara manages freelancers and internal resources
  • (12:19) - – Taking ownership of outbound as a marketer
  • (14:34) - – Why cold outreach is failing and what works better
  • (17:14) - – How she uses AI to write, edit, and shape short-form content
  • (19:34) - – Voice note workflows and turning them into posts
  • (21:34) - – Strategic planning and vertical-based positioning
  • (27:55) - – The future of content marketing and newsletter cadence
  • (31:50) - – Why people connect with creators more than brands
  • (34:32) - – How Sara built a trusted, high-engagement personal brand
  • (40:05) - – Turning sponsored content into actual demand
  • (46:20) - – Final advice for solo marketers and closing thoughts

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
3 weeks ago
49 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
How Product Marketing Is Evolving in 2025: Lessons on AI and Leadership with Jennifer Cannizzaro

#267 Product Marketing | Matt is joined by Jennifer Cannizzaro, VP of Product Marketing at Responsive and former marketing leader at Whoop and DocuSign. Jennifer brings deep experience in building strategic, insight-driven marketing teams at high-growth B2B companies and she’s at the forefront of using AI to scale smarter, not just faster.

Matt and Jennifer cover:

  • How product marketing can become a company-wide growth lever through tighter GTM alignment, strategic planning, and better customer intel
  • Practical ways her team is using AI to reduce content workload, cut freelancer spend, and increase speed-to-market
  • How to coach marketers to use AI responsibly, and why curiosity and judgment matter more than ever


It’s a tactical, behind-the-scenes look at what high-impact product marketing really looks like in 2025, including strategy, systems, and AI.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (02:37) - – What product marketing owns today
  • (06:24) - – Launch and learn vs launch and leave
  • (07:34) - – How PMM drives company strategy
  • (10:59) - – Aligning teams around growth levers
  • (14:34) - – Gathering customer and market intel
  • (18:39) - – Quick, AI-powered research tactics
  • (20:19) - – Sharing insights across the org
  • (25:00) - – Real examples of AI in use
  • (28:20) - – Eliminating freelancer spend with AI
  • (30:00) - – What to feed AI to get results
  • (32:50) - – Coaching teams to use AI well
  • (36:20) - – Weekly AI spotlights and team habits
  • (38:35) - – Building a team-wide AI culture
  • (42:05) - – Setting realistic AI expectations
  • (45:50) - – Example prompts and experiments
  • (48:07) - – The role of community and mentorship
  • (54:20) - – Final thoughts and wrap-up

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
3 weeks ago
54 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
How to Lead B2B Marketing for the First Time: Strategy, Budget, Team, and Content with Jess Cook

#266 Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Matt is joined by Jess Cook, Head of Marketing at Vector, a platform pioneering the contact-based marketing category. Jess has spent her career building standout content strategies at B2B brands like LASSO and Fastly, and she recently made the jump from Head of Content to first-time Head of Marketing.


Jess and Matt cover:

  • How content marketers can transition into marketing leadership and what gaps to prepare for
  • The strategy behind building a brand that stands out in B2B (and why Vector leans into being “a little unhinged”)
  • How Jess built her first marketing budget from scratch and sold it in using storytelling, not spreadsheets

You’ll walk away with tactical insights on running a modern B2B marketing org, from content and brand to budgeting and team structure.


Timestamps

  • (01:00) - – Jess’s B2C roots at McDonald’s and Kellogg
  • (04:34) - – Jumping into B2B and growing through content
  • (06:19) - – Why she moved from Head of Content to Head of Marketing
  • (08:54) - – Hiring product marketing first (and why it matters)
  • (13:04) - – How Vector built a bold B2B brand with personality
  • (17:04) - – What Jess looked for in her first marketing hire
  • (20:24) - – Building and pitching her first full marketing budget
  • (25:49) - – Creating a 30/60/90 plan that actually drives buy-in
  • (27:19) - – Category content, SEO, and early wins with AI
  • (32:20) - – The podcast pivot: ditching “Funnel Cake” for something better
  • (36:00) - – How she knew Vector was the right fit
  • (39:40) - – Going all-in on YouTube and video-first strategy
  • (43:50) - – Short-form content, brand building, and trust
  • (46:20) - – Biggest lesson: balance long-term planning with quick wins
  • (50:50) - – Leading with action and setting the tone as a new marketing leader
  • (52:50) - – How Jess communicates vision and builds internal alignment
  • (56:20) - – Wrap-up and final takeaways

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
4 weeks ago
59 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Beyond the SaaS Playbook: How Non-SaaS Teams Drive Pipeline with Sandra Rand

#265 Non-SaaS Marketing | In this episode, Matt sits down with Sandra Rand, a fractional head of marketing who works with early-stage, non-SaaS B2B companies. She’s led marketing for PE-backed, self-funded, and services-based businesses, where big budgets and SaaS-style playbooks aren’t the norm. She’s also building the Non-SaaS Marketers subgroup inside Exit Five to support others facing the same challenges.


Matt and Sandra cover:

  • How non-SaaS teams drive growth without demos, PLG, or huge lead volume
  • Why events, word of mouth, and referrals often outperform funnels in these orgs
  • Tactical ideas for gifting, partnerships, and pipeline-building on a lean budget

Whether you work in SaaS or not, you’ll walk away with creative, scrappy strategies to build trust and drive results in B2B.


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:04) - – Why Exit Five launched the Non-SaaS group
  • (08:24) - – What makes non-SaaS marketing different
  • (11:44) - – Budgets, sales cycles, and team structure
  • (16:34) - – Why brand and trust matter more
  • (18:44) - – Events > funnels in non-SaaS
  • (28:40) - – How to build brand on a budget
  • (34:10) - – Word-of-mouth and referral tactics
  • (38:50) - – Gifting and relationship-driven growth
  • (44:50) - – Scrappy, creative plays that actually work
  • (50:20) - – What’s next for the Non-SaaS community

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
1 month ago
55 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
The Atlassian Playbook for Building a Fast-Moving, Outcome-Driven Marketing Team

#264 Async Work | In this episode, Dave is joined by Ashley Faus, Director of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian, and Dr. Molly Sands, Head of the Teamwork Lab at Atlassian. Ashley brings deep experience in cross-functional B2B marketing leadership, while Molly leads a team of behavioral scientists designing better ways for teams to collaborate. Together, they unpack how Atlassian has rethought marketing org structure, internal comms, and meetings to drive higher output with fewer syncs.


Dave, Ashley, and Molly cover:

  • The framework Atlassian uses to reduce meetings and communicate asynchronously (including how to structure updates that actually get read)
  • How to balance transparency with clarity and avoid information overload across Slack, Loom, and Confluence
  • Tactical ways to structure team rituals, recurring meetings, and brainstorms to focus on output, not performative busywork


You’ll walk away knowing how to run a leaner, more effective marketing team (without drowning in Slack and Zoom).


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:34) - – Why marketers showed up live: too many meetings, too little output
  • (06:34) - – Meet the guests: Ashley Faus and Dr. Molly Sands from Atlassian
  • (09:04) - – What “Team Anywhere” means at Atlassian
  • (11:04) - – The difference between information sharing and real connection
  • (13:34) - – Why marketing updates often fall flat internally
  • (15:34) - – How to communicate clearly inside the org (and get your message read)
  • (19:04) - – Structuring updates: topic, who it’s for, action, context
  • (22:04) - – When you need a meeting vs. when async works better
  • (26:04) - – “Sparring” meetings: real-time collaboration between equals
  • (28:34) - – What actually builds team connection (hint: not team happy hours)
  • (32:50) - – Async tools Atlassian uses across marketing
  • (35:20) - – Getting quiet team members to contribute in meetings
  • (37:50) - – How Atlassian runs recurring team rituals without wasting time
  • (41:50) - – Cross-functional alignment: structure, scorecards, and shared goals
  • (44:50) - – Best practices for async tools like Loom and Confluence
  • (47:50) - – Do brainstorming meetings even work? Here’s when they do.
  • (50:50) - – What to share with non-marketers (and what to skip)
  • (53:50) - – Why creating focus is the most underrated leadership skill
  • (55:50) - – Final takeaways from Ashley and Molly

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
1 month ago
59 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Inside Customer.io’s B2B Marketing Strategy: Org, GTM, and Growth Channels with Jason Lyman

#263 Marketing Strategy | Dave is joined by Jason Lyman, CMO at Customer.io, a customer engagement platform used by over 7,500 companies. Jason has led marketing at Dropbox, BetterCloud, and now heads a 30-person team driving growth across both PLG and sales-led motions.

Dave and Jason cover:

  • How to structure a B2B marketing org for scale, alignment, and channel ownership
  • Why events are their #1 channel and how creative formats drive real pipeline
  • The KPI + OKR system they use to prioritize work and measure marketing’s impact


You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of how to design your team, focus your strategy, and invest in channels that actually drive results.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (02:34) - – What Customer.io does and who they serve
  • (03:34) - – Growth story: from bootstrapped to private equity-backed
  • (05:34) - – Team size and breakdown of the 30-person marketing org
  • (07:34) - – Balancing PLG and sales-led within one team
  • (09:34) - – How the org is structured: focus teams vs. centers of excellence
  • (11:34) - – Aligning team goals to sales motions and funnel stages
  • (13:34) - – How Customer.io prioritizes internal marketing requests
  • (15:34) - – Avoiding the “who bangs the table loudest” trap
  • (16:34) - – Cross-functional alignment with sales and product
  • (18:34) - – KPI vs. OKR: how Customer.io uses both
  • (22:50) - – Examples of key KPIs for the business
  • (24:50) - – How OKRs cascade across the org
  • (26:50) - – Why structured goal setting leads to better marketing impact
  • (28:50) - – What channels are working: events are back
  • (29:50) - – Examples of creative event formats that build community
  • (31:50) - – Building pipeline without pitching at events
  • (33:50) - – How Customer.io defines and tracks long-term influence
  • (36:50) - – The decline of SEO and rise of AI-influenced buying
  • (38:50) - – Why positioning is more important than ever
  • (40:50) - – Product and marketing alignment in a modern org
  • (42:50) - – Selling both the product and the roadmap
  • (43:50) - – Jason’s one wish for marketers: better customer data
  • (45:50) - – Personalization, adaptability, and breaking through the noise
  • (46:50) - – Closing thoughts

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
1 month ago
46 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Building a Brand Strategy and Content Goldmine with Chelsea Castle, Head of Content and Brand at Close

#262 Content Strategy | Dave sits down with Chelsea Castle, Head of Content and Brand at Close. Chelsea talks about her experience in B2B SaaS and shares how to build impactful content that resonates with your audience.

Chelsea and Dave cover:

  • How leveraging internal and cross-functional knowledge can create a content goldmine
  • Why it is important to repurpose podcast episodes, webinars, and other media into multiple forms of content to maximize their value
  • Strategies for integrating SEO with authentic, valuable content that resonates with your audience, beyond just ranking for keywords

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - - Intro to Chelsea
  • (01:34) - - Merging Brand and Keyword-Driven Content
  • (01:35) - - Aligning Brand and Content Strategy with Your Goals
  • (01:42) - - New Content Channels for B2B
  • (01:46) - - How to Measure Content Engagement
  • (02:08) - - LinkedIn for B2B
  • (02:12) - - Chelsea’s Experience at Chili Piper
  • (02:17) - - Improving Content for Podcasts
  • (02:22) - - Driving Website Traffic Through Brand Content Strategy
  • (02:22) - - Skyscraper SEO Content Strategy
  • (02:30) - - How to Craft a Brand Strategy
  • (02:31) - - How to Grow Using Gated Content
  • (02:33) - - How to Maximize Search Impact

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
1 month ago
55 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
How to Stay Relevant as a Marketer in the World of AI with Mark Schaefer

#261 AI & Creativity | In this episode, Dave is joined by Mark Schaefer, marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and author of 11 books, including his latest, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World. Mark has spent decades studying the intersection of marketing, tech, and human behavior, and his ideas have helped reshape how B2B brands think about relevance, creativity, and differentiation in a noisy digital world.


Dave and Mark cover:

  • Why playing it safe is the biggest threat to B2B marketers in the AI era
  • How to create marketing that actually connects by disrupting the story, the channel, or the storyteller
  • Real examples of B2B brands ditching “best practices” and standing out with emotional, human-first marketing

You’ll come away with a fresh perspective on how to stay relevant, creative, and impactful, especially as AI becomes a bigger part of your marketing stack.


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:34) - – Why most marketing is boring
  • (08:04) - – The danger of “best practices”
  • (12:04) - – Why AI is amplifying bad marketing
  • (15:34) - – The rise of raw, lo-fi, human content
  • (18:34) - – What AI can’t replicate: shared experiences
  • (22:04) - – Fear, risk, and the big brand trap
  • (25:34) - – Using AI to enhance, not replace, creativity
  • (31:50) - – The real framework behind Audacious
  • (34:50) - – B2B examples that break the mold
  • (40:20) - – Why now is the time to stand out
  • (44:50) - – Making bold marketing happen inside your org
  • (49:20) - – Liquid Death, Nutter Butter, and brand disruption
  • (53:50) - – B2B doesn’t mean boring
  • (57:50) - – The one question every marketer should ask

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Zuddl.

We’re halfway through 2025, and one thing’s clear: events continue to be one of the highest performing marketing channels. Niche meetups, conferences, curated dinners, networking - you name it. Everyone’s leaning in.


Events are a core part of our playbook this year at Exit Five. So far, we’ve hosted two virtual sessions each month, one large virtual event, one in-person meetup, and we’re deep in the weeds planning our Drive conference coming back to Vermont this September.

Zuddl helps us run a smarter event strategy - from driving registrations, managing invites, automating comms, reminders, analytics, tracking. Their Salesforce integration also makes it simple to report on pipeline and revenue from events without pulling in ops.

On top of that, the differentiator with Zuddl is how their team is insanely good at supporting us. They always go above and beyond for us - and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the momentum going with 12+ events already this year, with plenty more to come.


If events are part of your marketing strategy, you need to look at Zuddl to see how companies like Zillow, CrowdStrike, and Iterable are using the top event platform for Business events in 2025. 

Head over to zuddl.com/exitfive to learn more. 


Show more...
1 month ago
56 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Inside Atlassian’s Product Marketing Strategy: Team Structure, Metrics, and Execution with Matt De Vincentis

#260 Product Marketing | Dave is joined by Matt De Vincentis, VP of Product Marketing at Atlassian. With a background that spans engineering, product marketing, and leadership at companies like VMware and Palo Alto Networks, Matt shares how Atlassian structures its product marketing team, prioritizes work, and stays tied to business outcomes, even at massive scale.


Dave and Matt cover:

  • How Atlassian connects product marketing to revenue and pipeline (and why PMMs need to “own the outcome”)
  • How to build high-trust, high-impact marketing teams, drawing on lessons from firefighting and enterprise leadership
  • The async work philosophy Atlassian uses to eliminate unnecessary meetings and increase productivity across a global team

Whether you lead a team or want a seat at the table, this episode breaks down how to structure, scale, and lead product marketing the Atlassian way.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (02:38) - – Matt’s path from engineer to Atlassian VP
  • (05:53) - – Why technical backgrounds can be both a strength and a curse in PMM
  • (09:38) - – What product marketing looks like at a $5B company
  • (10:38) - – “Own the outcome, not the task”: tying PMM to revenue
  • (12:58) - – Why product marketers should care about pipeline (even if they don’t own it)
  • (14:23) - – How brand and creative marketers can still align to business outcomes
  • (16:53) - – Measuring inputs vs. outcomes (and how to stay focused on the right one)
  • (17:38) - – How Matt applies firefighting lessons to leading marketing teams
  • (19:18) - – Triaging “fire drills” and protecting your team’s focus
  • (21:08) - – How to prioritize ruthlessly (and what real prioritization means)
  • (23:38) - – From IC to VP: how your mindset and responsibilities shift
  • (27:04) - – Why leaders should double down on strengths—not fix weaknesses
  • (29:19) - – How self-assurance became Matt’s superpower as a leader
  • (32:19) - – The StrengthsFinder approach Matt uses with his team
  • (34:19) - – The value of executive coaching for marketing leaders
  • (35:49) - – The goal: build the best marketing team anyone’s worked on
  • (37:19) - – Why trust and 10x thinking unlock great marketing work
  • (39:49) - – Where product marketing sits inside Atlassian’s org
  • (41:19) - – How Atlassian uses Loom and async work to eliminate unnecessary meetings
  • (43:49) - – What qualifies as a real meeting at Atlassian
  • (45:19) - – Why async work helps global teams move faster
  • (48:19) - – How Atlassian balances async with intentional in-person gatherings
  • (50:19) - – Why trust changes how Slack and email are interpreted
  • (51:04) - – How Atlassian thinks about AI’s role in marketing
  • (53:19) - – Why it’s hard to stand out in an “AI-washed” market
  • (54:34) - – Matt’s mission: help make work suck less
  • (55:49) - – Final thoughts and wrap-up

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.

Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.

It’s the only way you can truly “own” your audience.

But when it comes to building the emails - if you’ve ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. 


That’s why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.

  • Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.
  • Tired of ‘hoping’ the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.
  • Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.

And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.

See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.


***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

  • They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
  • Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
  • Visit hatch.fm to learn more
Show more...
1 month ago
54 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
B2B Ad Campaigns: Real Test Results from 7 Channels with Pranav Piyush

#259 Paid Ads | In this episode, Dave is joined by Pranav Piyush, founder and CEO of Paramark, a platform helping B2B marketers run real experiments to measure ad performance. Pranav brings a sharp point of view on attribution, channel performance, and how to actually prove what’s working across your paid media mix.

Dave and Pranav cover:

  • Real-world results from 7 B2B ad campaigns, including branded search, YouTube, billboards, and Performance Max
  • Why most marketers are misusing the word “test” and how to run true experiments with lift, control, and causality
  • How even small teams can apply experiment design (on a $10K budget or less) to make smarter spend decisions

Whether you're managing a big budget or just getting started with paid campaigns, this episode will help you think more critically, and confidently, about where and how to invest in B2B marketing.


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:08) - – Why Paramark pulled real data from 7 B2B ad campaigns
  • (05:38) - – Attribution vs. experimentation: what most marketers get wrong
  • (09:08) - – Correlation vs. causation explained (with a LinkedIn example)
  • (11:53) - – How to run a real test (hint: you need a control)
  • (13:08) - – Branded search test results: $1M+ saved, no performance loss
  • (18:08) - – Why strong SEO makes or breaks branded search tests
  • (19:08) - – Billboard test: how one brand proved real lift with out-of-home
  • (22:38) - – What “digital out-of-home” looks like in B2B
  • (24:08) - – YouTube ad tests: one big win, one big flop
  • (28:19) - – How to run tests with small budgets ($500–$10K)
  • (32:49) - – Connected TV (CTV) test results from a Series F SaaS brand
  • (34:49) - – What happens when a multichannel test works—but isn’t efficient
  • (36:49) - – Paramark’s Exit Five sponsorship test (real numbers shared)
  • (40:19) - – Why content needs to drive short-term lift, not just long-term “brand”
  • (43:19) - – How Pranav used LinkedIn to drive inbound from day one
  • (45:19) - – Your attribution model is lying, give your audience more credit
  • (46:49) - – When 7 ad tests fail in a row…and the 8th one works
  • (48:19) - – Performance Max test: why it worked for one brand
  • (50:19) - – How long to run a test? Use data, not gut
  • (52:19) - – Bonus: Pranav’s hiring playbook for his first marketing leader
  • (56:19) - – Wrap up and final takeaways

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.

Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.

It’s the only way you can truly “own” your audience.

But when it comes to building the emails - if you’ve ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. 


That’s why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.

  • Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.
  • Tired of ‘hoping’ the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.
  • Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.

And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.

See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.


***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

  • They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
  • Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
  • Visit hatch.fm to learn more
Show more...
1 month ago
54 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Why I Love Marketing (Quick Voice Note From Dave)

Dave here. Interrupting the regular podcast feed for a 3 minute story and rant about why I love the job of marketing and what it might mean in a world where AI is advancing so rapidly and changing the role of marketing.


Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.

Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.

It’s the only way you can truly “own” your audience.

But when it comes to building the emails - if you’ve ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. 


That’s why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.

  • Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.
  • Tired of ‘hoping’ the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.
  • Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.

And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.

See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.


***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

  • They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
  • Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
  • Visit hatch.fm to learn more
Show more...
1 month ago
5 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
The Future of B2B Marketing: AI, Execution, and Craft with Kieran Flanagan

#257 AI Strategy | Dave is joined by Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot and former CMO at Zapier. Kieran is a rare blend of technical operator, creative strategist, and team builder. He’s spent his career pushing the edges of B2B marketing, most recently through his work leading AI transformation initiatives at scale.


Dave and Kieran cover:

  • How AI is reshaping B2B marketing workflows, content creation, and team structure
  • Why the best marketers will specialize at the “outer edges” of creativity or technical execution (and what happens if you stay stuck in the middle)
  • Kieran’s leadership philosophy: how he manages 300+ people while staying deeply involved in creative execution


Whether you’re leading a marketing team or sharpening your own skills, this episode offers a clear look at how AI is changing the game and how B2B marketers can stay creative, strategic, and indispensable in the process.


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (02:08) - – Kieran’s marketing journey
  • (04:08) - – His 2-year mission framework
  • (06:08) - – Advice for early-career marketers
  • (07:38) - – Why the grind still matters
  • (09:08) - – Ireland’s SaaS and startup scene
  • (10:08) - – Balancing operator vs. manager
  • (12:08) - – AI-generated “How to work with me”
  • (14:38) - – Kieran’s push-and-pull leadership style
  • (16:08) - – Giving direct creative feedback
  • (18:08) - – Why “collaborative brainstorms” fail
  • (19:08) - – The value of strong opinions
  • (20:08) - – Learning through tough feedback
  • (21:08) - – ChatGPT as a creative partner
  • (23:08) - – Claude vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini
  • (25:08) - – Prompting differences in GPT-3.5 vs. 4.0
  • (28:19) - – Decision fatigue and AI loyalty
  • (29:19) - – Where AI is taking B2B marketing
  • (30:19) - – From answers to actions
  • (32:19) - – Micro-audiences and personalization
  • (34:19) - – The return of branded traffic
  • (35:19) - – Why AI reignited Kieran’s spark
  • (37:19) - – Avoiding AI-induced multitasking burnout
  • (38:49) - – Deep work vs. whack-a-mole
  • (39:49) - – Don Draper meets ChatGPT
  • (40:49) - – Picking a lane: tech vs. creative
  • (42:19) - – The value of podcasting practice
  • (43:19) - – Building a prompt muscle
  • (45:19) - – How Kieran trains GPTs
  • (47:19) - – Prompting tips for marketers
  • (48:19) - – The future CMO: part IC, part leader
  • (49:19) - – How agencies will evolve with AI
  • (50:19) - – In-person is back
  • (51:19) - – Overrated AI use cases
  • (52:19) - – Favorite tool: GenSpark
  • (54:19) - – Mistakes marketers make with AI
  • (55:19) - – Does anyone care if it’s AI?
  • (56:19) - – Lessons from fatherhood
  • (57:19) - – Final thoughts and wrap-up

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.

Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.

It’s the only way you can truly “own” your audience.

But when it comes to building the emails - if you’ve ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. 


That’s why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.

  • Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.
  • Tired of ‘hoping’ the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.
  • Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.

And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.

See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.


***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

  • They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
  • Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
  • Visit hatch.fm to learn more
Show more...
1 month ago
56 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Email Deliverability: What Every B2B Marketer Needs to Know

#256 Email Deliverability | In this episode, Dan is joined by Sarah McNamara, Revenue Operations & GTM Strategy Lead at Vector, and Alex Fine, co-founder of Understory, an agency helping B2B SaaS companies scale with outbound, paid, and email. Both Sarah and Alex are experts in email strategy, specifically the behind-the-scenes mechanics that make or break your deliverability.


They break down what B2B marketers often overlook when it comes to getting emails opened, read, and replied to, and share practical tactics to improve performance across newsletters, outbound, and lifecycle campaigns.


Dan, Sarah, and Alex cover:

  • Why email deliverability issues are more common than you think and how to spot them early
  • The metrics that actually matter (hint: opens and clicks aren’t on the list)
  • How to protect your domain reputation and warm up inboxes the right way


If email is part of your GTM motion, this episode will help you reach more inboxes and stop your messages from disappearing into the void.


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:18) - – Meet Sarah and Alex
  • (05:23) - – Why email deliverability matters more than subject lines
  • (07:38) - – How to tell if you have a deliverability problem
  • (09:53) - – The most useful (and overlooked) deliverability metrics
  • (12:13) - – Why replies matter more than opens or clicks
  • (14:38) - – Tools Alex and Sarah use to monitor deliverability
  • (16:53) - – Should you buy a dedicated IP?
  • (18:48) - – How to evaluate platforms for deliverability
  • (21:08) - – Getting sales to care about data hygiene
  • (23:38) - – Deliverability tips for small senders and solopreneurs
  • (27:34) - – Subdomains vs. secondary domains
  • (30:24) - – How many inboxes per domain is too many?
  • (32:29) - – Best practices for cold outreach
  • (35:19) - – How security bots skew your open and click data
  • (38:19) - – What counts as “spam” (and how filters decide)
  • (41:34) - – How to re-engage cold or inactive lists
  • (44:19) - – What to A/B test in subject lines (and when it’s pointless)
  • (47:29) - – How to build a healthy, opt-in list from scratch
  • (50:19) - – When to stop emailing cold leads
  • (52:34) - – Welcome sequence tips for engaged subscribers
  • (55:29) - – How to warm up a new domain
  • (58:49) - – Final takeaways and advice

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.

Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.

It’s the only way you can truly “own” your audience.

But when it comes to building the emails - if you’ve ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. 


That’s why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.

  • Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.
  • Tired of ‘hoping’ the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.
  • Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.

And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.

See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.


***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

  • They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
  • Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
  • Visit hatch.fm to learn more
Show more...
2 months ago
56 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
How to Structure and Lead a Full-Funnel B2B Marketing Org with Kelly Hopping

#255 Leadership | In this episode, Dave is joined by Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, a B2B company known for pioneering account-based marketing. Kelly leads a 70+ person marketing org that spans brand, demand gen, product marketing, events, and SDRs, and she shares exactly how she structures and operates that team to drive results.


Dave and Kelly cover:

  • How to design and run a full-funnel marketing team that includes SDRs, content, field, and brand, and keep them aligned on pipeline
  • The annual planning strategy Kelly uses to balance short-term targets with long-term positioning (including what changes quarter to quarter)
  • How her team is using AI right now and what she’s doing personally to stay sharp as the pace of change accelerates

Whether you're a first-time CMO or just trying to scale your B2B marketing engine, this one is packed with insights from someone who’s operating at a high level.


Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (03:08) - – What Demandbase actually does
  • (05:08) - – How the Demandbase marketing team is structured
  • (07:38) - – Who owns what: brand, content, demand, SDRs
  • (10:08) - – Account-based marketing + broad demand gen
  • (12:38) - – What a CMO actually does at this stage
  • (15:08) - – Kelly’s early CMO learning curve
  • (18:08) - – Planning your first 90 days as a CMO
  • (20:08) - – Balancing pipeline today vs. positioning for tomorrow
  • (22:38) - – What changed between a bad Q4 and strong Q1
  • (27:19) - – How Kelly thinks about yearly pipeline pacing
  • (30:19) - – Staying relevant in a fast-moving MarTech world
  • (32:49) - – Why marketers need to work like product teams
  • (36:19) - – “I am the ICP”: Why product marketing works better
  • (37:49) - – Kelly’s #1 job as CMO: Make sales love marketing
  • (40:19) - – Becoming a peer to product and revenue leaders
  • (42:49) - – Best-performing channel right now: in-person events
  • (44:19) - – Brand, attribution, and pipeline are all connected
  • (45:49) - – How Kelly’s team is using AI today
  • (47:19) - – The future of marketing roles in an AI-powered world
  • (49:49) - – Why she’s still learning new AI tools herself
  • (52:19) - – Why AI is fun again for marketers
  • (53:19) - – Closing thoughts

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today's episode is brought to you by Knak.

Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.

It’s the only way you can truly “own” your audience.

But when it comes to building the emails - if you’ve ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. 


That’s why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.

  • Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.
  • Tired of ‘hoping’ the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.
  • Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.

And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.

See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.


***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

  • They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
  • Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
  • Visit hatch.fm to learn more
Show more...
2 months ago
51 minutes

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)
Dave Gerhardt (Founder of Exit Five, former CMO) chats with top marketing leaders and CMOs. Join 5,000+ members in our private community at exitfive.com.