The Animalz Content Marketing Podcast

Ryan Law

In-the-trenches content marketing advice from the world's best content marketing agency.

  • 24 minutes 11 seconds
    How the Enterprise Content Engine Works: Season Wrap-up

    In this season-two wrap-up, Animalz hosts Ty Magnin and Tim Metz distill insights from over a dozen enterprise content leaders into actionable takeaways for content marketers. Enterprises are slower to adopt AI than startups due to risk and brand scrutiny, and the ā€œrole of contentā€ varies widely, from being a measurable growth lever (like Zapier’s 454% ROI) to a strategic support function for complex sales (Autodesk, Microsoft).


    High-impact ā€œbig betsā€ succeed by building on smaller wins over years, while the most effective teams require every content pitch to secure distribution channels before production. Ultimately, governance, analytics, and intake processes determine success at scale. As Ty and Tim put it: ā€œIt’s about matching the role of content to the business model.ā€


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Intro: why enterprise content stays hidden
    • 02:15 – Role of content: growth vs support
    • 05:01 – Org structure: teams built for scale and collaboration
    • 08:16 – Intake: from order takers to consultants
    • 10:43 – Distribution first: no content without a channel plan
    • 13:29 – Governance and approval: legal, brand, cross-team checks
    • 16:14 – Measurement and ROI: own analytics; Zapier’s 454% ROI
    • 18:57 – Big bets: stack small wins (Square, MoEngage)
    • 21:22 – AI adoption: why big brands move slow and where it fits
    • 23:49 – More: stay tuned for season 3

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    Stay updated on content strategy insights at Animalz or connect with the team on LinkedIn.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    26 August 2025, 10:00 am
  • 42 minutes 24 seconds
    Kate Pluth on Scaling Content at Dropbox With AI and Taste

    What does it really take to run a high-output, high-quality content engine inside a global SaaS company? In this episode, Kate Pluth, former head of Dropbox’s Content Strategy team, explains how she built an operation where structure, data, and editorial taste work in sync.


    She shares how agile, cross-functional pods keep work moving, how a database-driven content calendar tripled output without increasing budget, and how automation and AI shape day-to-day content operations. You will hear practical ways to handle constant change, keep brand voice consistent, and give creative teams more time to focus on the work that matters.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Kate Pluth


    Kate Pluth is the Director of Content Strategy at Qualtrics and the former Head of Content Strategy at Dropbox. Her career includes creating global content networks for Fortune 500 brands at Metia, scaling editorial systems at Dropbox, and introducing AI-powered tools used by more than a dozen teams.


    She has a hands-on approach that includes tripling output through automation, removing silos between teams, and tying every initiative to measurable business results. Her unique experience offers valuable lessons for any content leader running an enterprise operation.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Agile vs waterfall in content ops
    • 00:45 – Meet Kate Pluth and the episode focus
    • 04:33 – Dropbox org and where content sits
    • 08:00 – Agile pods: performance, explanatory, customer, thought leadership
    • 10:49 – Team of eight, data loop, engagement KPIs
    • 14:43 – Writing Studio replaces Editorial Council to raise quality
    • 16:31 – Tiered resourcing: in-house, approved agencies, Writer
    • 22:54 – Tripled output with an automated content calendar
    • 25:34 – Digital listening and dark social fuel ideas
    • 30:34 – Practical AI: custom GPTs and Dropbox Dash
    • 33:00 – KPI framework: measure behavior, not vanity reach
    • 36:24 – Taste matters; LLMs act like zero-click platforms
    • 38:58 – Follow Kate and hosts’ takeaways and sign-off

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • New York Times Cooking (02:22): Consumer content model admired for its scale and community engagement.
    • Expedia (02:56): Early inspiration for scalable content operations.
    • Writer (formerly Cordoba) (18:01): AI writing platform powering Dropbox’s style enforcement and overflow workflow.
    • HelloSign / Dropbox Sign (22:37): E-signature product where Kate piloted her content ops model.
    • Airtable (22:52): Original platform for Dropbox’s automated content calendar.
    • SparkToro (28:12): Audience research platform for listening to customer conversations.
    • BrandWatch and Sprinklr (28:44): Digital listening tools for audience research and content ideation.
    • Dropbox Dash (30:41): AI-powered universal search and knowledge agent at Dropbox.
    • Knotch (33:16): Content performance framework/tool for KPI tracking.
    • Forget the Funnel (35:24): Consultancy for user-journey-mapping and KPI strategy.
    • Digital Relevance by Ardath Albee (35:29): Book inspiring the ā€œscrew the funnel, it’s an experienceā€ approach.

    Connect with Kate Pluth to follow her work on content ops, automation, and enterprise strategy.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    19 August 2025, 1:00 pm
  • 41 minutes 37 seconds
    Lauren Everitt on Okta's Newsroom-Driven Content Strategy

    How to turn an enterprise content team into a true newsroom? In this episode, Lauren Everitt explains how she built Okta’s in-house editorial engine on journalism-grade storytelling, data-driven analysis, and hard results. She shares her ā€œstory first, channel secondā€ philosophy, the team’s unique ā€œsecond-day coverageā€ approach, and the guardrails that keep 6,000 employees on brand.


    You’ll learn how Okta blends executive insights, threat intelligence, and customer stories into high-impact content, and why they bet on lean, high-touch video. Lauren also shows how they use AI to speed up their processes while humans keep the final say. You’ll leave with a clear plan to scale content, guard quality, and prove real business value.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Lauren Everitt

    Lauren Everitt is the Director of Content Marketing at Okta, where she leads a cross-functional team running one of the sharpest content engines. She leads Okta’s flagship "Businesses at Work" report. The ten-year study, which tracks app use at more than 18,000 companies, proves her knack for turning raw data into compelling stories.


    Lauren mixes a reporter’s eye with enterprise skills. She built content programs during Slack’s rapid growth and its acquisition by Salesforce, and earlier reported across Africa and the US. That mix of fieldwork, scale, and data fluency now fuels content that earns trust and drives growth.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Intro: Why content engines stay mysterious
    • 03:12 – Career path: Journalism to Slack to Okta
    • 11:35 – The Reader: Her empathy playbook
    • 14:46 – Storytelling Beats tactics
    • 24:38 – Proving value and winning headcount
    • 25:33 – Businesses at Work: Data into stories
    • 27:03 – Tapping internal experts
    • 30:41 – Second-day coverage for CISOs and CIOs
    • 33:55 – Executive Exchange: Filming thought, skipping legal bottlenecks
    • 37:18 – AI speeds prep, humans finish
    • 38:22 – Workflow: AI draft, expert polish
    • 43:19 – Voice training at scale
    • 47:15 – Follow Lauren and Okta

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • The Reeder (Devin Reid) (01:58): Lauren Everitt’s go-to newsletter for audience empathy and voice inspiration in content creation.
    • Content Marketing Institute (02:19): An example of strong writing quality in the content marketing space.
    • Minuscule (02:34): A personal media pick: short, dialogue-free animated stories about insects.
    • Tim’s Africa Documentary Project (10:58): An early-2000s web series filmed and edited in Africa, capturing a first-time visitor’s perspective through weekly on-the-spot storytelling.
    • Businesses at Work Report (15:02): Okta’s decade-long flagship data report, now managed by the newsroom team.
    • Okta Secure Identity Commitment (16:05): The company-wide initiative that guides newsroom content themes after a security incident.
    • Executive Exchange (17:16): Okta’s short-form C-suite video interview series, sharing insights from industry leaders.
    • Oktane (23:14): Okta’s annual flagship event, with 2024 coverage featuring broadcast-style video recaps.
    • Jasper (27:28): The main AI writing assistant for the content team, helping personalize assets at scale.
    • Okta University (30:54): The internal training platform enforcing voice-and-tone standards and AI-governance modules.
    • Wickstrom Dairies video (32:51):Ā  Slack customer story filmed on a Northern California dairy farm, showing how the farm coordinates milking and operations entirely through Slack.

    Connect with Lauren Everitt to follow her work and see how Okta’s newsroom-driven content engine operates in real time.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    12 August 2025, 10:00 am
  • 43 minutes 56 seconds
    Kirti Sharma (Adobe) on Original Content AI Can’t Copy — and Buyers Remember

    Kirti Sharma runs marketing for Adobe Learning Manager and Captivate. She starts every plan with product marketing insights, treating them like a sixth sense. A 2,000-person survey feeds reports, keynotes, and posts that AI tools cannot copy, while channels follow, not lead.


    Her two-tier workflow lets Copilot and Firefly draft low-risk pieces and keeps thought leadership human. Kirti also flips the scoreboard. Keyword ranks matter, but she now tracks softer signals such as brand mentions in LLMs, event buzz, and influencer shout-outs. Those cues prove that her message sticks long before a deal closes. Hear how this mix of research, AI, and sharp positioning drives real revenue.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Kirti Sharma

    Kirti Sharma is the Director of Product Marketing at Adobe Learning Manager and Captivate. She steers product, demand, and content marketing for a 250-person unit at Adobe. Before Adobe, she helped Whatfix win early SEO gains with a tight content plan and later led a 25-person content and design crew at Sprinklr.


    Kirti blends SEO with thought leadership instead of treating them as separate jobs. Every piece of content maps to clear business goals like product adoption and customer retention. Her hands-on work with AI, modular assets, and team workflows shows how big companies can scale content without losing relevance or results.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Intro: Why enterprise content engines confuse marketers
    • 03:45 – Kirti's path: Building teams from Whatfix to Adobe
    • 07:18 – Early lessons from Freshworks and Rand Fishkin
    • 10:05 – Scaling global ops at Sprinklr: Structure and politics
    • 13:07 – Adobe playbook: Positioning, research, modular content
    • 17:25 – Category SEO: Outranking WalkMe and Appcues
    • 20:02 – Quote: ā€œProduct marketing insights can be your sixth senseā€
    • 25:52 – Match content to each industry's digital maturity
    • 26:47 – How early SEO still fuels Whatfix demand
    • 29:05 – New metrics: LLM mentions, event buzz, influencer talk
    • 34:25 – Content barbell: Entertainment top, insights bottom
    • 36:03 – Brand bets: Why long plays get cut
    • 40:01 – AI as leveler: Raising bar for veterans
    • 41:40 – Tiered workflow: Copilot vs. human-led content
    • 44:06 – Quote: ā€œIf learning is for everyone, it’s for no oneā€
    • 46:45 – Where to follow Kirti

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • Adobe Learning Manager (13:07): The enterprise learning management system that Kirti markets, central to Adobe’s B2B training platform strategy.
    • Adobe Captivate (17:50): Content-creation tool paired with Learning Manager, enabling the development of interactive learning experiences.
    • Whatfix (13:07): Digital adoption platform where Kirti was the first Product Marketer and Head of Content. Discussed as a case study in early-stage SEO and category creation.
    • Sprinklr (10:05): US-listed social-listening SaaS where Kirti built a 25-person India-based content organization focused on global content operations.
    • Freshworks (07:18): Indian SaaS unicorn where Kirti previously worked in marketing, providing early exposure to enterprise content marketing.
    • WalkMe (17:25): Incumbent digital adoption vendor mentioned for category context and competitive landscape insights.
    • Microsoft Copilot (11:48): Generative-AI tool used for first-draft writing and research in enterprise content workflows.
    • Adobe Firefly (41:54): Generative-image tool used by the team for creative prototypes and visual content experimentation.
    • Rand Fishkin (07:18): Industry thought leader whom Kirti follows closely on LinkedIn for insights on content, SEO, and marketing trends.
    • Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity (07:22): Non-business book currently influencing Kirti’s thinking on longevity and ā€œhealth-span.ā€
    • G2 & Software Advice (29:15): Review sites that Kirti monitors to gather brand perception signals and customer feedback.
    • Scrunch (38:52): AI search-visibility tool Ty recommends for tracking Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) placement.
    • peak.ai (39:25): Another tool mentioned for monitoring LLM (large language model) visibility and AI-driven search performance.
    • Gartner (12:19): Analyst firm whose relations team remained US-based while Kirti ran Sprinklr’s India content organization.

    Connect with Kirti Sharma to follow her enterprise content insights and leadership at Adobe.

    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    5 August 2025, 10:00 am
  • 38 minutes 29 seconds
    Jennifer Clark (Zoom) on Turning Content From Cost Center to Revenue Powerhouse

    Jennifer Clark turns Zoom content into revenue. She runs a small team that treats every post, video, and webinar like a sales tool. Their pod setup pulls product marketing, lead gen, and writing into one tight team. Jobs land in Zoom Docs, get sorted fast, and appear on dashboards that show actual wins, such as demo bookings and live sales calls. Last year, the team shipped 300 pieces by sharing work across pods, using Zoom AI Companion and other simple tools for call notes, outlines, and reports, while keeping a clear, open culture.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Jennifer Clark

    Jennifer Clark is the Content Marketing Lead at Zoom, where she leads a small team that produces over 300 content projects a year for a 7,000-person global enterprise. She has built scalable systems that bridge teams across product, sales, and SEO, ensuring every asset aligns with business goals and brand voice, even through multiple reorgs and shifting priorities.


    She once turned technical topics into engaging, SEO-driven resources at TaxJar. Now, at Zoom, she rallies teams across ten time zones, keeps quality high as output soars, and ties every blog, story, and webinar to real revenue. Her blend of tight process and creative tests gives you a clear map for high-volume work, office politics, and the fast pace of enterprise SaaS.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Content drives revenue, not cost
    • 04:33 – Five people shipped 300+ pieces
    • 06:55 – Triad pod aligns product, demand, content
    • 08:05 – Content glues 7,000 people together
    • 14:09 – Intake and calendar live in Zoom Docs
    • 15:54 – Weekly stand-ups keep teams aligned
    • 24:55 – ā€œWin of the Weekā€ plus smart automations
    • 28:42 – Zoom AI Companion handles summaries and outlines
    • 32:27 – Track demos and deals, not clicks
    • 35:08 – AI search sparks custom visuals and templates

    🌐 Links and Resources From the Episode

    • Make It Punchy by Emma Stratton (02:34): Jennifer calls this her team's "go-to" guide for turning product jargon into barbecue-friendly language.
    • The Little Engine That Could (05:28): Jennifer compares her small team to this classic story about persistence—"I think I can, I think I can."
    • Zoom Docs (14:09): Zoom’s internal documentation and project management platform, powering content intake and editorial calendars.
    • Zoom AI Companion (28:42): Generative AI features within Zoom, including meeting summaries, drafting support, and more.

    Follow Jennifer Clark for more content marketing insights.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    29 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 44 minutes 3 seconds
    Mallory Russell on Earning AI Mentions and Winning Discovery Beyond SEO

    Mallory Russell took Square from one blog to a 40-person content engine that spans editorial, web, social, and organic search. She believes content must be strategic, measured, and linked to every go-to-market move. Big ideas start small, then grow into reports, webinars, and sales assets.


    She challenges marketers on attribution: "Content is not a channel; it fuels many.ā€ Her team uses Gen AI to reclaim time, keep a living library, slice big pieces into audience-specific clips, and let editors guard quality. Tune in to learn how large content teams really win.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Mallory Russell


    With more than fifteen years of leading content for mission-driven brands, Mallory Russell has proved how strategic storytelling drives growth. At Square, she expanded a blog into a 40-person engine spanning editorial, SEO, social, and web, building a culture where every piece starts with audience insight and fuels steady, organic results.


    Her edge is equal parts vision and process. Award-winning series like "The Bottom Line" and "Running a Restaurant is No Joke" show how she links content, web, and search. She keeps teams ahead of trends, fixes silos, and guards quality as channels keep shifting. Her approach turns sprawling operations into focused work that earns measurable, lasting success.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Intro: Solo marketer to enterprise leader

    • 10:00 – Inheriting and growing Square’s blog

    • 14:59 – Scaling to a 40-person content team

    • 15:25 – From SEO to ā€œorganic discoveryā€

    • 18:46 – Turning ā€œFuture of Commerceā€ into a tent-pole

    • 23:40 – Pilots first: prove value, then scale

    • 27:17 – Strategic briefs and cross-team lifts for top-funnel

    • 39:33 – Rethinking metrics: ā€œcontent isn’t a channelā€

    • 44:13 – Beyond SEO: new platforms and algorithms

    • 46:40 – Gen-AI for speed, not volume

    • 47:06 – Quality over quantity in the AI era

    • 52:10 – Earning authority in AI-driven search

    • 53:40 – Connect with Mallory


    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • Square / Block Inc.: The fintech company where Mallory built and led a 40-person organic marketing organization, shaping the enterprise content engine discussed in the episode.

    • Future of Commerce: Square’s annual tent-pole research report, now a multi-format content platform and cornerstone of their strategy.

    • The Bottom Line: Square’s branded publication that replaced the original Town Square blog, focusing on actionable insights for business owners.

    • The Way Up (with Guy Raz): Video-podcast series from Square featuring entrepreneurs’ growth stories, hosted by Guy Raz.

    • Running a Restaurant Is No Joke (with Eric Wareheim): Comedy-infused content series aimed at restaurant owners, starring Eric Wareheim.

    • MalloryARussell.com: Mallory’s personal website, featuring her portfolio and information on consulting and fractional work.


    Connect with Mallory Russell for more insights on building and scaling enterprise content engines via LinkedIn or at her personal site.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    22 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 43 minutes 24 seconds
    Stephanie Losee (Autodesk) on Making Content Work in Matrix Organizations

    Running an enterprise content engine that truly moves revenue demands more than shiny AI tools and blog posts. In this episode, Stephanie Losee details how she built newsroom-style content teams at large companies. She shares hard-won lessons from Autodesk on earning stakeholder trust, pooling budgets for projects, and defending quality even when everyone wants a say. Stephanie digs into practical tactics for securing buy-in, driving cross-functional collaboration, and using small, focused teams to punch far above their weight.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Stephanie Losee


    Stephanie Losee has led content engines at some of the world’s largest brands, including Dell and Visa. As the Director of Industry & Portfolio Marketing Content at Autodesk, she oversees global executive thought leadership, research, and key account content. Stephanie’s newsroom-inspired approach has helped her teams win ā€œContent Team of the Yearā€ and deliver programs that drive measurable business outcomes, proving that even small teams can have outsized impact when they focus on trust, quality, and collaboration.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – From journalist to enterprise content
    • 03:17 – Building Fortune 500 content studios
    • 07:47 – Solving matrix puzzles
    • 08:41 – Tech Page One drives $1B pipeline
    • 11:37 – Buy-in: ā€œnoā€ means ā€œnot yetā€
    • 14:04 – Rebranding Autodesk’s content engine
    • 16:05 – State of Design & Make insights
    • 19:05 – Tiny team, huge results
    • 25:17 – Content teams as enablers
    • 29:12 – AI’s limits in localization
    • 34:54 – Staying curious after AI failures
    • 37:48 – New security risks with AI
    • 40:57 – Where to follow Stephanie and learn more

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • TED AI (01:57): In-person events Stephanie attends for honest talks about AI trends and industry changes.
    • RSA Conference (35:22): Security-focused event where Stephanie learned about enterprise concerns with AI.
    • Fortune magazine (03:43): Stephanie’s former employer, where she worked as a technology journalist before moving into brand content.
    • Dell Tech Page One (06:08): Early brand-content site Stephanie created at Dell, credited with influencing $1 billion in pipeline.
    • Content Marketing Institute (01:05): Industry group and early leaders in content marketing, noted for shaping the field.
    • Politico Focus (01:00): Sponsored-content studio Stephanie launched after Dell, building on her work in brand journalism.
    • Visa (03:23): Stephanie served as Senior Director of Content here before joining Autodesk.
    • Autodesk – Redshift/Design & Make (11:53): Autodesk’s brand-content channel and its rebrand, both shaped by Stephanie’s leadership.
    • State of Design & Make Report (14:21): Global insights program and campaign run by a small team, used as a case study in content impact.

    Connect with Stephanie Losee to follow her work on enterprise content, newsroom leadership, and high-impact content programs. For more on her team’s flagship research, explore Autodesk’s State of Design & Make Report.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    15 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 39 minutes 36 seconds
    Inside Zapier’s 454% ROI Content Engine With Lane Scott Jones

    What does it take to turn a scrappy content team into a high-output, high-ROI enterprise content engine? In this episode, Lane Scott Jones shares the blueprint behind Zapier’s content machine: how she proved 454% ROI, built a 30-person team from four, and used AI to scale output by 30%, all while keeping a strong human editorial voice. Lane shows how she turns content into a growth driver, keeps PLG and SLG in sync, and handles the politics and complexity of enterprise marketing. Get actionable frameworks for measuring content impact, integrating AI, and building a content team that earns a seat at the executive table.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Lane Scott Jones

    Lane Scott Jones leads Content and Corporate Marketing at Zapier. She grew a four-person blog into a 30-person team that now attracts more than 4.5 million monthly visitors. Lane pairs rigorous operations with sharp storytelling, blending data, automation, and AI to drive revenue. She builds repeatable content systems, rolls out Zapier’s internal AI tools, and consistently proves content’s ROI to the C-suite.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Introduction: Why enterprise content engines matter
    • 03:12 – Lane’s path from email to Zapier content lead
    • 06:34 – Content drives growth but lacks exec sway
    • 08:32 – ROI proof: Zapier’s ROC$ and 454 percent metric
    • 11:45 – Turning hard numbers into bigger budgets
    • 16:30 – Serving builders versus buyers in SaaS
    • 20:12 – AI hackathons that build real skills
    • 23:20 – Fast, journalistic content for launches
    • 27:27 – Where AI fits in the workflow
    • 29:08 – Automating customer stories in seconds
    • 32:01 – LaneBot: custom GPTs for ops gaps
    • 34:35 – Tech stack: Airtable, Zapier and friends
    • 35:19 – Distribution playbook: LinkedIn first

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • Hard Fork (01:56): Podcast Lane follows for tech and AI news
    • Zapier (whole episode): Automation platform; primary case study for content ops
    • Campaign Monitor (02:30): Lane’s former employer; part of her career path
    • Emma (02:30): Another email marketing platform in Lane’s background
    • MCP (Model Context Protocol) (24:30): Zapier product for AI-driven actions
    • Zapier Agents & Chatbots (33:56): Internal tools for workflow automation

    Connect with Lane Scott Jones to follow her latest thoughts on enterprise content operations, AI adoption, and building content systems that scale. Explore Zapier’s blog to see these strategies in action.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    8 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 31 minutes 19 seconds
    Tracey Wallace Explains Her No-Content-Without-Distribution System at Klaviyo

    Tracey Wallace, Director of Content Strategy at Klaviyo, explains why her team starts with distribution first. Every piece gets a channel-specific promotion plan before a single word hits the doc. She shows how to manage requests from many squads with a simple Slack intake, keep quarterly roadmaps tight, and protect quality through legal checks and global regions. If you want a clear look at how big teams build content that stays useful and never doubles work, check out this episode.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Tracey Wallace

    Tracey Wallace builds content engines for fast-growing SaaS teams. At Klaviyo, she joined before the IPO and now steers a global strategy that serves eight regions and multiple go-to-market squads. About 70 % of each piece uses Klaviyo data, and 80 % spotlights a customer story. This mix turns content into powerful fuel for demand, retention, and teamwork. Tracey makes for great listening as she's open about challenging topics. In the past she has spoken about managing lay-offs and the myth of "one-off thought leadership."


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing


    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Why big teams need a new content playbook
    • 05:50 – Moving from creation first to distribution first
    • 06:10 – No one visits your site unless you send them
    • 09:05 – Content as the hub for every channel and squad
    • 13:02 – Saying no to ideas without a distribution plan
    • 13:41 – The distribution test: how will you promote this
    • 16:56 – Rule: no plan, no content
    • 20:22 – Bi-weekly syncs stop duplicate work
    • 25:31 – Skipping a formal intake keeps discipline
    • 27:10 – Handling legal, procurement, and global rollouts

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • Klaviyo (throughout): Email & SMS marketing platform where Tracey leads content strategy, operating in eight regions.
    • Contentment (newsletter) (03:32): Tracey’s Workweek-hosted newsletter for content marketers, sharing operational insights.
    • Workweek (03:34): Media company that hosts Tracey’s newsletter and supports B2B creators.
    • Substack app (02:41): Tracey’s preferred ā€œlean-backā€ reading platform, illustrating content consumption habits.
    • Help Center & Academy teams (20:31): Klaviyo’s documentation and education teams, collaborating closely on bi-weekly alignment.

    Follow Tracey Wallace for more practical content strategy insights by subscribing to her newsletter Contentment. Explore Klaviyo’s approach to content at their blog.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    1 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 49 minutes 5 seconds
    Aditya Vempaty (MoEngage) on Borrowed Authority: Partnerships That Multiply Reach

    Enterprise content only works when people see it. In this episode, Aditya Vempaty, VP of Marketing at MoEngage, shows you how to build content that spreads and brings in revenue.


    He starts every project with customer calls. Their words turn into clear messages and sharp ideas. His team builds content ā€œwith distribution in mind,ā€ leverages customer research as a non-negotiable input, and uses ā€œborrowed authorityā€ from partners and customers to widen reach. They delete dead posts, keep the few that pull traffic, and rebuild tight topic clusters that tie straight to revenue.


    Aditya breaks down the simple process, quick data checks, and customer-first focus that help large teams move fast.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Aditya Vempaty

    Aditya Vempaty is the VP of Marketing at MoEngage, a $100M ARR customer engagement platform. He’s built enterprise content engines at Amplitude, Unit21, and MoEngage, specializing in programs that start with customer pain points and end with measurable growth. Aditya’s approach centers on operational rigor, customer interviews, and collaborative content with partners, proving that content can drive real business impact, even in large, complex organizations.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – ā€œIf you can’t tell me how you’ll share it, we won’t make it.ā€ Why distribution comes first
    • 05:56 – How Amplitude, Unit21, and MoEngage built their content engines
    • 08:15 – Using content to grow MoEngage’s U.S. footprint
    • 10:13 – Weekly customer calls: a must, not a maybe
    • 11:30 – Interviews are the answer key for strategy
    • 13:08 – Where AI helps and where it doesn’t
    • 22:51 – Flagship pieces powered by ā€œborrowed authorityā€
    • 27:06 – Partner content that widens reach
    • 30:56 – Webinars that turn into demo machines
    • 36:40 – Cutting 90% of posts to focus on winners
    • 41:24 – Moving from Zoom to Ztl for quick repurposing
    • 45:40 – Crafting MoEngage’s next flagship with customers and partners

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • How to Take Over the World (podcast by Ben Wilson) (02:06): Aditya’s go-to for leadership inspiration
    • MoEngage (06:26): Customer engagement platform where Aditya leads North American marketing
    • Amplitude (06:06): Product analytics company; site of Aditya’s first major content engine
    • Unit21 (22:28): SaaS company where Aditya produced the ā€˜Manual of Fraud’ with partner brands
    • Nutanix & Synthego (06:06): Earlier companies in Aditya’s marketing leadership journey
    • Mercury, Brex, Pinwheel, Lithic (24:50): Co-authors on Unit21’s flagship content, exemplifying ā€œborrowed authorityā€
    • Inbox Monster & Movable Ink (30:59): Email partners in MoEngage’s high-performing webinars
    • Zuddl (41:41): New platform for instant webinar clips and transcripts
    • Customer Engagement Book (MoEngage) (45:50): Upcoming flagship asset built on the borrowed-authority model

    Connect with Aditya Vempaty to learn more about building content engines that drive real business results. Explore MoEngage’s resource library for examples of flagship, partner-driven content in action.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on X or LinkedIn.

    24 June 2025, 10:00 am
  • 36 minutes 30 seconds
    Inside Pipeline360’s Hand-Delivered Content Strategy With Matt Hummel

    Get a front-row seat to a bold, unconventional approach to enterprise content with Matt Hummel, CMO of Pipeline360. In this episode, Matt shares how he personally flew out to hand-deliver a research report to over 700 marketers, shaping a content strategy built on trust.


    He explains how his team uses research-driven, one-on-one conversations to create personalized content, earn credibility, and unlock new revenue. You’ll hear why he sees ABM as a relationship-first strategy, how roadshows outperform automation, and why listening, not pitching, is the real deal.


    šŸ‘¤ About Our Guest: Matt Hummel

    Matt Hummel is a B2B marketing leader who’s run content, brand, and demand generation at some of the world’s top SaaS and professional services companies including Deloitte, Thomson Reuters, Demandbase, and Pipeline360. He specializes in building content systems that connect research, product, and revenue, and is known for operational rigor, stakeholder alignment, and an honest take on what works (and doesn’t) in enterprise content. As host of ā€œThe Pipeline Brewā€ podcast, Matt is on the front lines of the quality vs. quantity debate, sales-marketing alignment, and real-world AI adoption in content workflows.


    šŸ“» About This Season of the Animalz Podcast: Enterprise Content Marketing

    This season on the Animalz Podcast, we’re pulling back the corporate curtain to show you how the largest, most complex B2B SaaS teams actually get content out the door. Our mission: demystify these hidden machines and reveal what it really takes to run content at scale.


    Hear from content leaders of some of the biggest names in SaaS sharing the systems they've built, the battles they've fought, and the lessons they've learned along the way.


    ā³ Timestamps

    • 00:00 – Intro: Why enterprise content engines matter more than ever
    • 02:11 – Matt’s path: From Deloitte and Thomson Reuters to Demandbase and Pipeline360
    • 06:43 – What 700 marketer interviews taught Matt about scaling personalization
    • 13:02 – Using research to create product-driven content
    • 15:51 – Stakeholder management and internal alignment
    • 17:12 – Why listening leads to better content outcomes
    • 19:49 – One-to-one ABM: Personalizing content at the account level
    • 23:05 – Measuring impact: How content drives account growth
    • 25:27 – Doing the unscalable to create a competitive edge
    • 26:27 – Building trust: The case for in-person connection
    • 32:23 – AI in enterprise content: What’s working and what’s not

    🌐 Mentioned Links & Resources

    • Pipeline360 (02:35): Content syndication and Demand-as-a-Service provider where Matt leads marketing.
    • The Pipeline Brew (Podcast) (32:23): Matt’s show on content, brand, ABM, and demand generation.
    • Deloitte (02:11): Where Matt previously led brand strategy.
    • Demandbase (02:11): MarTech company where Matt ran demand gen before Pipeline360.
    • Thomson Reuters (04:06): Global brand where Matt built early content programs.
    • The Storytelling Edge (02:57): Book Matt is reading to refine brand storytelling.
    • Everybody Writes (02:57): Writing reference always on Matt’s desk.

    Connect with Matt Hummel for more insights on content, brand, and demand generation. Or listen to his podcast, ā€œThe Pipeline Brew,ā€ for deeper dives into enterprise content strategy.


    šŸ’” Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to Animalz Podcast. You can also follow us on XĀ or LinkedIn.

    17 June 2025, 10:00 am
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