Ahrefs Podcast

Tal Raz, ZoomInfo’s CMO who rose from marketing analyst to lead a ~100-person global team. She unpacks how AI search is reshaping inbound discovery. She explains why poor AI outreach is a data problem, how GTM Studio launches campaigns in hours, and where AI truly helps SDRs versus where human reps still win.

Kristin Fracchia, Head of Marketing at Gamma who built brand-conscious campaigns that scaled to millions, walks through audacious launch tactics. She breaks down the Twist framework, staging viral stunts with influencers and celebrities, and pragmatic PR moves like landing big exclusives. Expect sharp takes on distribution, attribution, and making tiny teams punch above their weight.

Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot who builds internal AI workflows, walks through hands-on AI tooling. He explains how AI personalization boosted meetings by 30%. He demos tools that extract viral talking points from video, automate management summaries across a 350-person team, and replace old prompt tricks with intent matching.

Ethan Smith, CEO of Graphite and AEO researcher who helped growth at Instagram and Robinhood, joins to debunk SEO myths with large-scale data. He shows why AI is not killing search. Small sites can gain traffic. Mentions and citations matter more in the AI era. Practical tactics for mining prompts, cleaning citations, and prioritizing where to show up are discussed.

Jay Acunzo, an author and storytelling expert, shares insights on making brands resonate rather than just reach. He argues that having 100 fervent fans trumps 100,000 casual followers. Acunzo introduces the concept of Unsolicited Response Rate (URR) as a better metric for engagement and emphasizes the need for brands to establish a distinct premise to stand out. He advocates for cultivating brand personalities and using AI as a creative augmentation tool, not a replacement. Tune in for actionable strategies on creating meaningful content!

Neville Medhora, founder of Copywriting Course and SwipeFile.com, dives into the shifting landscape of copywriting in the age of AI. He highlights the dangers of relying on fully automated content, which often disappoints. Neville discusses the decline of generic how-to blogs, emphasizing the rise of personalized content. He shares his efficient 'Voice Ramble' technique for fast writing and stresses that developing good taste is the new essential skill for writers. Join him to explore how strategic thinking will shape the future of copywriting.

Ryan Law, Director of Content Marketing, shares his expertise on adapting to AI's influence in marketing. He outlines a six-step plan to thrive in an AI-driven landscape, emphasizing that taste and judgment now surpass mere execution skills. They discuss the decline of skyscraper content, the need for marketers to shed outdated identities, and advocate for becoming T-shaped by learning new skills. Ryan also compares marketers to rock stars, encouraging personal branding and niche recognition for career resilience.

Bruno Estrella, Head of Marketing at Clay, shares insights from his journey helping the company soar to a $3.1 billion valuation in just two years. He discusses the innovative GTM Engineer role created through influencer engagement and the playful branding inspired by Play-Doh. Discover how Clay balances self-serve and enterprise marketing strategies, leverages programmatic SEO, and uses Substack for thought leadership. Bruno also dives into community-building tactics, scalable global events, and the importance of nurturing service providers for lasting brand loyalty.

Jeremy Boissinot, founder of Favikon, sheds light on the alarming rise of fake influencers, particularly on LinkedIn, where inflated follower counts and AI-generated engagement muddy the waters. He discusses how to spot authenticity through Favikon's rigorous analysis of creator metrics, emphasizing that trust is now the new currency. The duo delves into why 95% of influencer campaigns fail, often due to poor advertiser choices, and intriguingly highlights Reddit as the next big B2B marketing frontier. Tune in for must-know insights on influencer marketing!

Patrick Stox, a seasoned expert in technical SEO and search optimization, shares valuable insights on the dynamics between AI chatbots and search engines. He explains how AI bots can render JavaScript and the importance of both consensus and unique content for citations. Patrick dives into the workings of large language models, emphasizes the significance of plain language, and advocates for leveraging YouTube as a more effective channel than AI for brand visibility. He concludes that AEO is fundamentally good marketing integrated with holistic strategies.