Marketing Against The Grain

Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (Hubspot's SVP of Marketing), lead you down the rabbit hole of marketing trends, growth tactics and innovation. On the way you’ll pick up undiscovered strategies to give you that slight edge for success. These are not your typical twitter thread regurgitated marketing tactics that everyone is doing. These are new methods, with unfiltered examination of successful fresh ideas.

  1. 2d ago

    Zero-Click Marketing: How to Win When Google Stops Sending Traffic

    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  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.

  2. 4d ago

    Dharmesh Shah: “The New AI Era Will Create Millions of One-Person Businesses

    [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  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.

  3. Sep 10

    I Spend $400K/Day on Meta Ads. Here's What's Working Right Now

    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.

  4. Sep 8

    Is the CMO Role About to Disappear Forever?

    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: 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.

  5. Sep 3

    I Built a $120K/yr Social Media Funnel w/Claude (Full Demo)

    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.

  6. Sep 1

    How I Turned Codex Into My Personal Research Assistant (Matt Wolfe)

    *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: 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.

  7. Aug 27

    Claude vs. Human Marketer: Which Is Actually Better?

    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.

  8. Aug 25

    How to Stop AI from Killing Your Critical Thinking w/ David Epstein

    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.

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Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (Hubspot's SVP of Marketing), lead you down the rabbit hole of marketing trends, growth tactics and innovation. On the way you’ll pick up undiscovered strategies to give you that slight edge for success. These are not your typical twitter thread regurgitated marketing tactics that everyone is doing. These are new methods, with unfiltered examination of successful fresh ideas.

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