(Free) Build your first marketing AI agent: https://clickhubspot.com/lwkf

Ep. 456

Is the CMO role dead in the age of AI-driven marketing?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Cody Schneider (Cofounder of Graphed.com) dive into how AI agents are transforming the marketing landscape, slashing the cost of creative production, and reshaping marketing teams. Learn more on scaling content with AI agents, automating paid and organic campaigns, and how the new world of “marketing engineering” is making one person as effective as a team of twenty.

Mentions

• Cody Schneider https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx

• Graphed https://www.graphed.com/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• DaVinci Resolve https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

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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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.

Build a taste profile that makes your AI output sound like you: https://clickhubspot.com/iflm

Ep 455

Did you know HubSpot lost 140 million visits in a year but still increased demand generation by 20%?

Kipp and Kieran dive into why the old rules of marketing no longer work—and what new playbooks you need to win in the AI era, at HubSpot’s Unbound. Learn more on building a living taste profile, leveraging AI for relentless content creation, optimizing paid ads through creative experimentation, and turning rapid learning into your team's ultimate advantage.

Mentions

• Unbound https://unbound.hubspot.com/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• Yamini Rangan https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan/

• Claude https://claude.ai/

• Meta Advantage+ https://www.facebook.com/business/ads/meta-advantage-plus

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/@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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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.

Free: 15 prompts to keep your brand visible in search  https://clickhubspot.com/ikub

Ep. 454

Did you know that today, 68% of all Google searches end without a single click?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Amanda Natividad (founder of Zero Click Marketing, and co-author of the forthcoming book, Zero Click Marketing) dive into the era of zero-click marketing, covering how search behavior is changing, what it means for your company’s growth, and what you must do to thrive. Learn more on evolving beyond Google to meet your audience where they are, rethinking the purpose of SEO in a diversified search landscape, and building lasting value by focusing on the right audience—not just more traffic.

Mentions

• Amanda Natividad https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandanat/

• Zero Click Marketing https://zeroclickmarketing.co/

• Zero Click Marketing (book) https://www.damngravity.com/products/zero-click-marketing

• SparkToro https://sparktoro.com/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

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/@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  

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.

[Free guide] build your second brain with AI: https://clickhubspot.com/efeg

To get started with YouSpot, go to  https://youspot.com/pricing/pro?promo=BRAINTHEGRAIN You'll then see the coupon code automatically applied on checkout.

Ep. 453

Did you know that 86% of all new companies started aren’t expected to hire any employees?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Dharmesh Shah (Founder of HubSpot) dive into the rapidly growing world of one-person businesses and how AI is fueling a new wave of solopreneurs. Learn more on the evolution of the "second brain" for entrepreneurs, how agentic AI harnesses are changing the game, and why rethinking CRMs for solo operators is unlocking new levels of productivity.

Mentions

• Dharmesh Shah https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharmesh/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• YouSpot https://youspot.com/

• Agent.ai agent.ai

• SecondBrain https://youspot.com/about/secondbrain

• Obsidian https://obsidian.md/

• Fable 5.1 https://www.anthropic.com/claude-fable-and-mythos-5-1

Go to YouSpot.com and use code BRAINTHEGRAIN at checkout for the special Marketing Against the Grain price.

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/@matgpod 

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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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.

Free Meta Ad Creative Prompt Pack: https://clickhubspot.com/prgl

Ep. 452

Could your company grow to $20M in revenue in just 20 months by focusing 80% of your ad budget on a single channel?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Danny Yeung (CEO and co-founder of IM8) dive into the marketing strategy behind the explosive growth of IM8 and how Meta became their powerhouse for customer acquisition. Learn more on how to master Meta’s platform with creative-first tactics, build a high-performing marketing team for rapid scale, and leverage offline strategies to make your brand unforgettable.

Mentions

• Danny Yeung https://hk.linkedin.com/in/dyeung22

• IM8 https://im8health.com/

• Prenetics https://www.prenetics.com/

• Allianz https://www.allianzlife.com/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

Ask Kipp and Kieran a question!

https://form.asana.com/?k=U4n5W_3WC2SkQO1bwK8Xzg&d=8587152060687

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/@matgpod 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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.

Build your AI marketing department with this Claude skill: ⁠https://clickhubspot.com/rlcb⁠

Ep. 451

Is the CMO role dying?

Kipp and Kieran dive into why marketing’s highest seat is under pressure and what founders and marketers should do about it. Learn more on why the expectations for marketing leaders are higher than ever, how the evolution of marketing skills and AI are shaping the talent pipeline, and what strategies companies can use when they can’t find the perfect head of marketing.

Mentions

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/

Ask Kipp and Kieran a question!

https://form.asana.com/?k=U4n5W_3WC2SkQO1bwK8Xzg&d=8587152060687

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/@matgpod 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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.

Turn social comments into leads with Claude + Blotato: https://clickhubspot.com/rkhv

Ep. 450

How can one Reel drive $120,000 in annual recurring revenue for your business?

Kipp, and guest Sabrina Ramonov of Blotato dive into how high-performing social content and automated DMs can be seamlessly converted into real revenue and loyal customers. Learn more on building viral social funnels, the power of DM automation for lead capture and monetization, and why treating short-form video as advertising for your long-form brand is the ultimate growth strategy.

Mentions

• Sabrina Ramonov https://www.youtube.com/@sabrina_ramonov

• Blotato https://www.blotato.com/

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• Claude https://claude.ai/

• ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/

Ask Kipp and Kieran a question!

https://form.asana.com/?k=U4n5W_3WC2SkQO1bwK8Xzg&d=8587152060687

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/@matgpod 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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.

*Build your AI Research Desk in Codex:* https://clickhubspot.com/inyh

Ep. 449

Is informational content on the internet dead?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Matt Wolfe (Future Tools) dive into how you can reclaim hours each week by automating newsletter reading, brand mentions, and industry news updates with your own personal AI system. Learn more on building a custom info dashboard with AI agents, the future of media consumption and creator-business relationships, and how you can leverage open-source tools to create a second brain for your work and life.

Mentions

• Matt Wolfe https://www.youtube.com/@mreflow

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• GitHub https://github.com/

• Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/build-with-gemini-omni-1-1-flash/

• Codex https://chatgpt.com/codex/

• Claude https://claude.ai/

• Obsidian https://obsidian.md/

Ask Kipp and Kieran a question!

https://form.asana.com/?k=U4n5W_3WC2SkQO1bwK8Xzg&d=8587152060687

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/@matgpod 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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.

Build your AI marketing department with this Claude skill: https://clickhubspot.com/uyon

Ep. 448

Can you really fire your entire marketing team and replace them with AI?

Kieran dives into the reality behind agentic marketing systems by putting an AI-powered marketing “team” to the test for a fast-growth AI company. Learn more on how AI audits and rewrites website copy, tackles product positioning, competes in search and LLMs, and whether these emerging systems can actually outperform the average marketer or just generate average results.

Mentions

• Open Source GitHub system https://github.com/Yuzzyuk/marketing-os

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• Claude https://claude.ai/login

• ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/

• Ramp https://ramp.com/

• 1Mind https://www.1mind.com/

Ask Kipp and Kieran a question!

https://form.asana.com/?k=U4n5W_3WC2SkQO1bwK8Xzg&d=8587152060687

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/@matgpod

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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 our anti-AI slop checklist: https://clickhubspot.com/lhug

Ep. 447

For most people, AI is making your marketing worse. For a select few, it's making it 10 times better. 

Kipp and guest David Epstein (author of Range (#1 NYT bestseller) and the new Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better (May 2026)) dive into why AI is creating a wave of “slop marketing” and what marketers can do to protect—and strengthen—their critical thinking in an age of automation. Learn more on proven frameworks for defining the right problems, the power of independent team thinking, and how cutting through complexity helps you deliver clear, remarkable marketing.

Mentions

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• David Epstein https://davidepstein.com/

• Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better https://a.co/d/0dSEv0R5

• Nest https://home.nest.com/

• Scite https://scite.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/@matgpod

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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.

Free: build a Claude-powered content engine https://clickhubspot.com/mslb

Ep 446

What does it actually take to 5x your solo marketing business in a year using AI?

Kipp, Kieran, and guest Barbara Jovanovic (Founder of Startup Cookie) dive into how top solo marketers are scaling agencies with agentic AI systems, and why most automated LinkedIn content totally misses the mark. Learn more on how agentic systems drive efficiency and scale for one-person teams, the difference between building a real content workflow versus relying on prompts, and why authentic insights—not just automation—are the secret to standout founder-led growth on LinkedIn and X.

Mentions

• Loop: Outlearn. Outmarket. Outgrow https://www.hubspot.com/loop-marketing-book

• Barbara Jovanovic https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-startup-cookie

• StartupCookie https://startupcookie.com/

• Claude https://claude.ai/

• ChatGPT https://claude.ai/

• ChatGPT Codex https://chatgpt.com/codex/

• Granola https://www.granola.ai/

• Buffer https://buffer.com/

• Wispr Flow https://wisprflow.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/@matgpod

Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod 

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

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  

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.