Build Your First AI Employee (Free Workflow + Prompt): https://clickhubspot.com/rkvr

Ep. 433

What if you could have an AI employee working right alongside you, automating key business workflows?

Kieran and guest Nick Vasilescu (Co-founder of Orgo) dive into how agents are the next big form of business leverage.  Learn more on what it actually takes to get a functional AI agent up and running, how new connector tools like Composio make integrations simple, and why giving your agent a second brain with an Obsidian Vault is a game-changer for business productivity.

Mentions

• Nick Vasilescu https://www.nickvasilescu.com/

• Orgo https://www.orgo.ai/

• Hermes Agent https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/

• Composio https://composio.dev/

• OpenClaw https://openclaw.ai/

• GLM 5.2 https://z.ai/blog/glm-5.2

• Obsidian https://obsidian.md/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

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Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

The marketing trends that matter this year: https://clickhubspot.com/djsk

Ep. 432

AI usage does not mean productivity.

Kipp and Kieran dive into the radical changes required to thrive in the AI-driven “Loop Marketing” era, and why outcome-obsession is now the only way to win. Learn more on why marketing has been more disrupted by AI than any other profession, how top teams organize for speed and learning, and nine essential principles behind Loop Marketing that will turbocharge your career and completely reshape how modern marketing teams operate.

Mentions

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637636105?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_213Z2Q17JG0WJ0J5JHR1_1&bestFormat=true

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

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Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Workflow for building skills with Claude Code & Codex: https://clickhubspot.com/kcta

Ep. 431

Should you just use Claude Code and Codex for your main workflows?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Peter Yang (led products and teams at Roblox, Reddit, Amazon (Twitch), and Meta) dive into how marketers can transform their productivity with AI-driven systems, building reusable automations, and evaluating AI output for real impact. Learn more on identifying and documenting your workflows, building and refining AI “skills,” and harnessing powerful evaluation methods (evals) to ensure your automations actually deliver results.

Mentions

• Peter Yang https://www.youtube.com/@peteryangyt

• Codex https://openai.com/codex/

• Claude Code https://claude.com/product/claude-code

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Get our AI Newsletter Stack (with prompts): https://clickhubspot.com/weqr

Ep 430

55% of buyers of a $10 playbook became paying users for Beehive, driving massive business value.

Kipp and Tyler Denk (Co-Founder and CEO of beehiiv) dive into how founder-led content, owned audiences, and strategic digital products can supercharge growth—even without massive scale. Learn more on the power of email as a direct, owned channel, building trust and community through transparency, and why even niche, high-intent audiences can unlock serious monetization and brand loyalty in the creator economy.

Mentions

• Tyler Denk https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-denk

• beehiiv https://www.beehiiv.com/

• Morning Brew https://morningbrewinc.com/

• Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/

• Cloudflare https://www.cloudflare.com/

• David Senra https://www.davidsenra.com/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow. https://a.co/d/03y0GZHi

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Free Guide to Build Your Personal AI Wiki: https://clickhubspot.com/fcmt

Ep. 425

You can create a second brain in 15 minutes and for free.

Kipp and Matt Wolfe (Future Tools) dive into how to build your own "second brain" using tools like Obsidian and Codex, so you can finally make use of all the information you’re gathering. Learn more on setting up a personal wiki to organize your knowledge, harnessing AI-powered agents to automate and interlink content, and turning your information hoarding into proactive recommendations and smarter business decisions.

Mentions

• Matt Wolfe https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-wolfe-30841712/

• Future Tools https://futuretools.io/

• Obsidian https://obsidian.md/

• Obsidian Web Clipper https://obsidian.md/clipper

• Codex https://openai.com/codex/

• Claude Code https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview

• Cursor https://cursor.com/

• Andrej Karpathy https://karpathy.ai/

• Visual Studio Code https://code.visualstudio.com/

• Notion https://www.notion.com/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod 

Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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We really appreciate your support.

Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Audit your AI Search Visibility with our free resource: https://clickhubspot.com/orjh

Ep. 428

93% of searches in Google’s new AI mode end without a single click—are your SEO dashboards lying to you?

Kipp dives into Google’s biggest search overhaul in 25 years and what it means for marketers and businesses. Learn more on why keyword ranking is dead, how AI-driven search is changing consumer behavior, and the three strategies you need to shift your marketing for the new era of AI-powered search.

Mentions

• Logan Kilpatrick https://x.com/OfficialLoganK

• Google I/O https://io.google/2026/

• ICODA https://icoda.io/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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We really appreciate your support.

Host Links:

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Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat 

‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Ep. 427

Are Dhar Mann videos more therapeutic than talking to friends, family, or even a therapist?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Dhar Mann (founder of Dhar Mann Studios), dive into how brands can unlock explosive growth and deep audience connection. Learn more about what it takes to move hearts and communities through storytelling, how to balance emotional connection versus gaming the platform algorithm, and the step-by-step HEART framework that transforms content into impact.

Mentions

• Dhar Mann https://www.youtube.com/@DharMann

• What Happens Next - The Dhar Mann Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR9M5Nh-CftZxJZqfcNnIYw/featured

• Adobe Premiere https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://a.co/d/0bliMe9t

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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We really appreciate your support.

Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Free: Build an AI Data Analysis Agent in Codex https://clickhubspot.com/eqfk

Ep. 429

Is AI-powered data analysis light years away from replacing humans? 

Kipp and guest Sundas Khalid (data science and AI leader) dive into how agentic analytics is transforming data science, what human judgment still brings to the table, and how to master cutting-edge AI tools for your work.  Learn more on how to leverage Codex and other AI tools for real-world data analysis, the crucial mindset shifts and skills every data-driven professional needs, and why asking the right questions—and validating AI output—will set you apart in the age of agentic analytics.

Mentions

• Sundas Khalid https://www.youtube.com/sundaskhalid

• Codex https://openai.com/codex/

• Gemini https://gemini.google.com/

• Claude https://claude.ai/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod 

Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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We really appreciate your support.

Host Links:

Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar  

Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat 

‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Get the Voice AI Prompt Pack for Marketers: https://clickhubspot.com/fd5a

Ep. 426

AI will give your brand an actual voice.

Kipp dives into the hottest trend in AI that not many are talking about—Voice AI—and how it’s set to revolutionize your brand’s customer experience. Learn more on why real-time voice is the new marketing channel you can’t afford to ignore, how foundational advances from OpenAI and Thinking Machines make AI conversations faster and more human than ever, and the steps every marketer should take to define, audit, and upgrade their brand’s voice in the age of AI.

Mentions

• GPT‑Realtime‑2 https://openai.com/index/advancing-voice-intelligence-with-new-models-in-the-api/

• Thinking Machines https://thinkingmachines.ai/

• Willow Voice https://willowvoice.com/

• ElevenLabs https://elevenlabs.io/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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Host Links:

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‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Get the Winning AEO Playbook: https://clickhubspot.com/oksd

Ep. 424

“I can't go a single second without someone asking me what the heck answer engine optimization is.”

Kipp and Kieran have Beeri Amiel (Product at HubSpot and founder of XFunnel) and Aja Frost (Sr. Director of Global Growth and Paid at HubSpot) dive into the launch and demo of HubSpot's brand new AEO tool, built to track your visibility in answer engines and help you win the next evolution of search. Learn more on building your AEO strategy, measuring share of voice and sentiment, and using actionable insights to drive results your boss will love.

Mentions

• Aja Frost https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajafrost/

• Beeri Amiel https://www.linkedin.com/in/beeri-amiel/

• HubSpot AEO Portal https://clickhubspot.com/aeo

• Dell https://www.dell.com/en-us

• HP https://www.hp.com/us-en/home.html

• Lenovo https://www.lenovo.com/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod 

Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

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We really appreciate your support.

Host Links:

Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar  

Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat 
‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

Grab our Claude Code Skill to find a unique content angle: https://clickhubspot.com/lhdv

Ep. 423

There’s one Claude skill that will separate you from the other AI content.

Kipp and Kieran dive into how AI content creation is broken—and how you can use the “Opposite Start” framework to break out of the red ocean of repetitive ideas and truly stand out. Learn more on why most marketers use AI the wrong way, how to find blue ocean ideas by inverting mainstream narratives, and practical strategies to turn AI into an ideation powerhouse—not just a content machine.

Mentions

• Claude https://claude.ai/

• Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/

• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/

Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt

Resource

• [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip

We’re on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod 

Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934  

If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends.

We really appreciate your support.

Host Links:

Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar  

Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat 

‘Marketing Against The Grain’ is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.