The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

#279 Content Strategy | In this episode, Dave joins Holly Xiao from HeyGen for an unfiltered conversation about where AI and video marketing are headed. Holly leads B2B marketing at HeyGen, an AI-powered video platform, and she sat down with Dave to dig into what’s working (and what’s not) when it comes to creating content that actually connects.Dave and Holly cover:Why video hits differently in B2B and how to make yours stand out without blowing your budgetHow AI is reshaping the content production cycle and freeing up marketers to focus on storytellingWhy early adoption matters, and how small teams can use AI to punch above their weightYou can expect a candid, practical conversation about how to scale content, stay relevant, and make the most of AI.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (01:27) - – Why this conversation matters (02:44) - – AI is making marketing exciting again (03:53) - – Dave’s early bet on video (05:53) - – How LinkedIn video exploded (07:10) - – ROI vs. brand building (08:25) - – From connection to conversion (10:10) - – Why video feels more human (12:16) - – “Maybe your videos suck” (14:22) - – The problem with corporate videos (16:10) - – The value of repetition and reps (18:34) - – How AI speeds up content cycles (20:51) - – Real AI tools Dave is using (22:28) - – Decks, data, and automation (24:53) - – Why creativity still wins (27:15) - – The return of the creative CMO (31:14) - – Personalized content at scale (33:13) - – AI vs. in-person experiences (35:55) - – Do audiences care if it’s AI? (38:41) - – What makes an AI video work (41:18) - – Using AI to test and scale video (43:59) - – What small teams should do first (47:37) - – Final advice: be an early adopter Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#278 Content | In this episode, Dave brings together five B2B marketers who aren’t just talking about AI, they’re actually using it to change how their teams work. Each finalist from the Exit Five x Walnut AI Sessions takes the (virtual) stage to demo their workflow, share results, and answer questions from the judges.Here’s what you’ll hear:Jillian Hoefer’s “content concierge” GPT trained on proprietary research to surface stats, quotes, and data for blogs, sales decks, and thought leadershipJake Heap’s workflow using Meshy + VEO 3 to turn a simple mascot into animated 3D brand characters in minutesJessica Lytle’s no-code ROI calculator built in Lovable that sales reps now run live on calls to build business casesUgi Djuric’s high-volume content engine that scrapes industry news and sales call transcripts, then uses AI to summarize, generate content ideas, and even score leadsAnton Ruis’ AI-powered buyer brief builder that pulls real-time economic data and tailors sales messaging to specific personasIt’s part workshop, part competition, and packed with creative, tactical ways to put AI to work in B2B marketing today.Timestamps(00:00) - – Dave kicks off in a tux (02:44) - – Record-breaking registrations (03:22) - – Meet the judges: Benny & Jess (08:10) - – Jillian’s “victim of repurposing” intro (08:50) - – Building a “content concierge” GPT from research data (10:14) - – Injecting stats + quotes into blogs and decks (14:10) - – How one report fueled 9+ months of content (19:10) - – Jake on bringing AI into marketing ops (20:33) - – Turning a mascot into a 3D character with Meshy (21:18) - – Animating it in VEO 3 (no designer needed) (24:33) - – Cutting animation time from weeks to minutes (30:32) - – Jessica builds a no-code ROI calculator in Lovable (33:41) - – AEs use it live on sales calls (34:25) - – Adding benchmarks + transparency to ROI math (41:43) - – Ugi’s AI engine scrapes + summarizes industry news (44:00) - – Training custom GPTs on expert insights (50:40) - – Anton’s real-time buyer briefs from economic data (53:15) - – Tailoring briefs for CROs, enablement, PMMs (56:59) - – Judges crown the winning use case + Dave’s wrap-up Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#277 Growth | Dave is joined by Emma Robinson, Head of B2B Marketing at Canva, and Kristine Segrist, VP of Consumer Marketing at Canva. Together, Emma and Kristine lead the teams driving Canva’s growth across both enterprise and consumer audiences, helping the company scale into a platform now used by over 95% of the Fortune 500.Dave, Emma, and Kristine cover:How Canva balances brand-building with pipeline accountability, and why they view brand investment as long-term growth.The playbook Canva uses to turn bottom-up adoption into enterprise deals, including how product signals guide upsell and expansion.How their team structure, data science investments, and creative bets (like the Love Your Work campaign) work together to scale B2B marketing without losing Canva’s approachable brand identity.This episode offers a practical look at how one of the world’s most recognizable platforms approaches B2B growth.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:09) - – Canva’s marketing org structure (06:09) - – Blurring B2B and B2C (11:09) - – How Canva measures marketing impact (16:09) - – Turning free users into enterprise deals (21:09) - – Data science’s role in marketing (24:09) - – Balancing brand bets with ROI (30:54) - – Inside the “Love Your Work” campaign (37:54) - – How Canva executes large campaigns (41:54) - – Building enterprise credibility and trust (44:54) - – FedEx case study on brand governance (48:54) - – Lessons from Google and Meta (52:54) - – Why creativity is a marketing superpower (54:54) - – Closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#276 Career Growth | Dave is joined by Kady Srinivasan, CMO at You.com, an AI-first company building infrastructure for enterprise agents. Kady has led marketing at some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Dropbox, Klaviyo, and Lightspeed, where she scaled teams, drove massive revenue growth, and navigated ICP pivots. Now, she’s bringing that experience into the fast-changing world of AI.Dave and Kady cover:How to evolve as a CMO across industries, personas, and business modelsThe three core systems CMOs need to scale teams and drive alignmentHow AI is reshaping marketing roles, workflows, and the skills future CMOs will needYou’ll walk away with lessons you can apply to your own career, no matter what market or role you’re in.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:24) - – From engineer to reluctant marketer (04:58) - – Gaming years and “coolest mom” cred (07:13) - – The story behind You.com’s domain (08:52) - – Why she jumped into AI (11:21) - – Reinventing yourself as a CMO (13:21) - – Fundamentals that never change in marketing (15:34) - – Aligning marketing with company strategy (18:45) - – Pivoting the ICP at Lightspeed (21:47) - – Lessons on cross-functional alignment (24:29) - – Letting go to grow as a leader (27:14) - – Systems every CMO should set up (34:14) - – Why no single playbook works (35:55) - – How AI is reshaping marketing roles (50:35) - – Building an AI-first marketing org and closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#275 LinkedIn Strategy | In this episode, Dave is joined by Brad Zomick, a B2B marketing consultant and host who has helped founders and executives build their presence on LinkedIn. Together they break down why a strong LinkedIn strategy is no longer optional for founders, it’s one of the most effective growth levers in B2B today.Dave and Brad cover:Why LinkedIn is still the best channel for founders to build authority, attract talent, and connect with customersHow to turn everyday founder communications into high-impact LinkedIn contentThe unexpected ROI of founder-led content, from recruiting and partnerships to real-time message testingIf you’ve been wondering how to turn LinkedIn into a real growth engine for your brand, this episode is your blueprint.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:09) - – Early days of LinkedIn (08:39) - – Building Drift with founder brand (14:39) - – Why every founder needs LinkedIn (18:39) - – The hidden ROI of posting (27:24) - – Dave’s personal posting system (30:54) - – How to never run out of content (34:54) - – Unexpected benefits of being visible (39:24) - – Is it too late to start? (42:24) - – Who inspires Dave today (44:39) - – What’s next for Exit Five (46:24) - – Closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#274 Growth | In this episode, Dave is joined by Sean Lane, Founding Partner at BeaconGTM and RevOps expert, to talk about scaling RevOps in B2B. With over a decade of experience at Drift and other B2B SaaS companies, Sean shares actionable tips for marketers looking to align operations with business goals.Dave and Sean cover:How to build alignment between sales, marketing, and opsWhy early-stage companies must align operational complexity with their growth maturityHow continuous planning helps marketing and ops teams stay agile as business challenges come upTimestamps(00:00) - - Intro to Sean (06:32) - - Going From Founder Led Sales to Having A Professional GTM (09:13) - - How Ops Bridges Business Goals (13:03) - - How To Align Sales, Marketing, and Operations (17:12) - - Why You Need A Clear Marketing Strategy (19:38) - - How To Build A Partnership Between Marketing and Operations (26:02) - - Guidelines for long term vs short term budgeting and planning (31:50) - - Marketing’s Role At The Bottom Of The Funnel (36:45) - - How To Get “Hand-raisers” For Your Product In The Customer Journey (40:37) - - Do Engaged Accounts Measure The Success Of Marketing? (42:27) - - Sean’s Podcast ROI (44:43) - - AI Use Cases In Ops (49:45) - - How To Hire A Good Ops Person (53:13) - - Closing Remarks Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#273 Leadership | Matt is joined by Rachel Weeks, a veteran B2B marketing leader with over 20 years of experience guiding companies through acquisitions, layoffs, and tech disruption. Rachel has led both corporate and field marketing teams and is passionate about recognition-driven team cultures that retain and empower top talent.Matt and Rachel cover:How to build a recognition strategy that actually improves retention (without needing a big budget or fancy platform)Why employee motivation dips during times of stress, layoffs, or AI disruption and what great leaders do differentlyThe role of marketing in internal culture: from branding the program to building peer-driven engagementWhether you’re managing a small team or leading an entire department, this episode is packed with practical insights to help you build a culture where marketers feel valued, motivated, and ready to stay.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:09) - – Rachel’s background and leadership lens (05:39) - – What actually makes a recognition program work (08:09) - – How marketing supports internal culture building (11:09) - – Recognition during org changes, stress, and funding rounds (14:09) - – The impact of AI on morale and motivation (17:39) - – What happens when recognition disappears (19:39) - – The “10 minutes by Friday” habit (22:09) - – Easy, no-budget ways to recognize team members (25:09) - – Performance-driven vs. values-driven recognition (30:24) - – Monetary vs. non-monetary rewards (and what people really want) (33:54) - – Recognition vs. pay raises: what the data says (37:54) - – Why people leave even when they’re paid well (41:54) - – How to ask for (and give) better feedback (46:54) - – Using AI to create space for strategic work (53:54) - – Final thoughts on leadership, retention, and culture Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#272 Presentation Skills | Matt is joined by Vincent Pierri, a speaking coach who helps executives and marketers craft compelling, high-stakes talks. With a background as a pastor and public communicator, Vincent has developed a repeatable framework that helps B2B marketers improve how they show up in front of a room, whether it’s a conference keynote, a boardroom pitch, or a weekly team update.Matt and Vincent cover:The 4-part framework behind talks that stick: Tension, Trust, Teaching, TakeawayHow to pick the right topic for your talk (and avoid cramming in too much)Why authenticity and simplicity matter more than slide design, and how to keep your delivery grounded and effectiveWhether you’re prepping for Inbound, Exit Five’s Drive, or just your next big internal presentation, this episode will help you nail the structure and mindset behind a talk that resonates.Timestamps(00:00) - - Intro (02:19) - - Vincent’s unusual path to speaking coach (06:09) - - Why marketers need this framework (not just keynote speakers) (08:49) - - The first step: pick one real person you want to help (11:59) - - How to narrow your talk down from too many ideas (15:09) - - The 4-part structure: Tension, Trust, Teaching, Takeaway (17:59) - - Why your talk should start with a problem (not your points) (19:34) - - How to build trust by showing vulnerability (22:39) - - The 3 Cs: Catchy one-liner, Creative analogy, Concrete example (29:54) - - How to make your points memorable (and not Googleable) (32:59) - - Why authenticity beats sounding “smart” (35:09) - - What a strong closing takeaway looks like (38:24) - - When (and how) to start practicing your delivery (39:39) - - Why you should build your talk before your deck (42:04) - - How many slides is too many? (45:54) - - Connecting without slides: lessons from the pulpit (48:09) - - Final advice for marketers prepping talks this fall Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#271 GTM Engineering | In this episode, Dave is joined by John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Marketing, along with Cammy Keiler, Justin Johnson, and Dan Guenet. Together, they break down the rise of GTM engineering, what it is, how it differs from RevOps, and why B2B teams are investing in it.Dave and the crew cover:The core difference between RevOps and GTM engineering (and why the latter is more focused on building than just integrating)Real GTM engineering use cases, from AI-powered sales tools to mid-funnel campaigns that go way beyond ebooksHow GTM engineers are driving higher revenue per employee and why this role should be one of your first five marketing hiresWhether you’re hiring or just GTM-curious, you’ll leave this episode with a clear definition of the role, real-world examples, and tactical ways GTM engineers drive impact.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:54) - – Why this topic resonated with 1,200+ registrants (05:09) - – What even is **GTM engineering? (07:24) - – GTM engineering vs. RevOps vs. Marketing Ops (10:39) - – How AI is driving this role forward (13:49) - – Real examples: ABM campaigns, mid-funnel tools, sales call analysis (18:59) - – Tools GTM engineers are using today (Clay, Unify, GPTs) (22:24) - – Role of GTM engineering in revenue per employee (26:39) - – How GTM engineers enable sales + reduce headcount (31:04) - – What Dan actually does all day as a GTM engineer (35:54) - – Custom GPTs for sales and marketing teams (39:09) - – What MCP servers are (and why they matter) (43:39) - – Claude, Gamma, and AI-powered content systems (46:24) - – Why this isn’t just PLG (or ABM, or RevOps) (50:14) - – When to hire a GTM engineer (52:54) - – Big feelings about the role (and why they exist) (55:04) - – Closing thoughts + what to take away Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#270 Strategy | Dave is joined by Holly Xiao, Head of B2B Marketing at HeyGen, an AI video generation platform that helps teams produce personalized, high-quality content, fast. Holly has led marketing at high-growth startups and now runs the enterprise GTM motion at HeyGen, where she blends strategy, creative execution, and AI-powered workflows to reach modern B2B buyers.Dave and Holly cover:The 4 channels her lean team is betting on to drive enterprise pipeline (and what’s not working anymore)How B2B marketers are using AI video for event marketing, sales enablement, onboarding, and beyondWhy SEO is falling short and how HeyGen is shifting focus to webinars, events, and YouTube insteadIf you’re figuring out how to use AI in your marketing or just trying to do more with less, this one’s full of practical ideas to help you think differently about team structure, channels, and strategy.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:09) - – Holly’s nonlinear path to marketing (06:09) - – Getting started in marketing ops (08:09) - – Why she joined an AI startup (10:09) - – How HeyGen’s marketing org works (13:09) - – PLG vs SLG: Key differences (15:09) - – The 4 channels driving pipeline (17:09) - – What’s working: Events + webinars (19:09) - – Booth strategy that stands out (23:54) - – Brand vs demand events (25:54) - – Building community and user events (27:24) - – SEO is declining. Now what? (29:54) - – Running marketing in 2-month sprints (32:54) - – Aligning product and marketing cadence (34:54) - – Her daily AI tools (36:24) - – ChatGPT vs Gemini workflows (37:54) - – Real AI video use cases (39:54) - – Personalized event promos with avatars (40:54) - – Support, training, and onboarding videos (41:54) - – Fortune telling and music videos?! (42:54) - – Why AI won’t replace marketers Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#269 AI Search & SEO | In this episode, Dave is joined by Andrei Țiț, Head of Product Marketing at Ahrefs, a leading SEO tool trusted by marketers around the world. Andrei has been on the front lines of how AI is reshaping search and what that means for marketers trying to stay visible in an AI-first world.Dave and Andrei cover:Why branded search volume is now a top indicator of visibility in AI-generated results (and how to grow it)The new playbook for SEO in 2025, including what metrics to track beyond traffic and backlinksActionable tactics to get your brand mentioned by AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI OverviewsWhether you’re a marketing leader or an SEO newbie, this episode will help you rethink your approach to content, attribution, and brand in the AI era.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:09) - – Why this was Exit Five’s most-registered webinar ever (04:29) - – Meet Andrei from Ahrefs (06:09) - – Is SEO dead? Not quite, but it’s harder than ever (07:49) - – AI traffic is growing fast (63% of sites already see it) (08:39) - – Why brand is your best SEO defense (11:09) - – How Google measures brand impact (keywords, mentions, clicks) (14:09) - – Calculating content ROI with traffic value (16:39) - – Why branded search volume predicts AI visibility (20:39) - – How to track brand mentions in ChatGPT, Perplexity & AI Overviews (23:39) - – AI traffic = fewer clicks, better leads (28:54) - – How to improve your visibility in AI-generated answers (35:54) - – Why backlinks matter less and PR matters more (42:54) - – New rules for writing content LLMs can surface (51:54) - – Final takeaways: metrics to watch and content to prioritize Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#268 Solo Marketing | In this episode, Matt is joined by Sara Lattanzio, Head of Marketing at Stryber, a venture-building consultancy that helps corporates launch new startups. Sara runs the entire marketing function solo, from strategy and content to outbound and brand, and has built a powerful personal brand along the way with 40,000+ LinkedIn followers and partnerships with tools like Semrush.Matt and Sara cover:What it really looks like to run full-stack B2B marketing without a teamHow to scale content and campaigns using AI (while keeping your voice)Why outbound should roll up to marketing and how to build campaigns that aren’t ignoredYou’ll leave this episode with practical ideas for scaling content, running smarter outbound, and staying strategic, no matter your team size.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro and Sara’s role at Stryber (03:29) - – What full-stack marketing looks like for a solo marketer (05:19) - – Why generalist marketers are thriving right now (07:49) - – Using AI to speed up execution (without losing strategy) (09:39) - – How Sara manages freelancers and internal resources (11:54) - – Taking ownership of outbound as a marketer (14:09) - – Why cold outreach is failing and what works better (16:49) - – How she uses AI to write, edit, and shape short-form content (19:09) - – Voice note workflows and turning them into posts (21:09) - – Strategic planning and vertical-based positioning (26:59) - – The future of content marketing and newsletter cadence (30:54) - – Why people connect with creators more than brands (33:36) - – How Sara built a trusted, high-engagement personal brand (39:09) - – Turning sponsored content into actual demand (45:24) - – Final advice for solo marketers and closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#267 Product Marketing | Matt is joined by Jennifer Cannizzaro, VP of Product Marketing at Responsive and former marketing leader at Whoop and DocuSign. Jennifer brings deep experience in building strategic, insight-driven marketing teams at high-growth B2B companies and she’s at the forefront of using AI to scale smarter, not just faster.Matt and Jennifer cover:How product marketing can become a company-wide growth lever through tighter GTM alignment, strategic planning, and better customer intelPractical ways her team is using AI to reduce content workload, cut freelancer spend, and increase speed-to-marketHow to coach marketers to use AI responsibly, and why curiosity and judgment matter more than everIt’s a tactical, behind-the-scenes look at what high-impact product marketing really looks like in 2025, including strategy, systems, and AI.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:12) - – What product marketing owns today (05:59) - – Launch and learn vs launch and leave (07:09) - – How PMM drives company strategy (10:34) - – Aligning teams around growth levers (14:09) - – Gathering customer and market intel (18:14) - – Quick, AI-powered research tactics (19:54) - – Sharing insights across the org (24:04) - – Real examples of AI in use (27:24) - – Eliminating freelancer spend with AI (29:04) - – What to feed AI to get results (31:54) - – Coaching teams to use AI well (35:24) - – Weekly AI spotlights and team habits (37:39) - – Building a team-wide AI culture (41:09) - – Setting realistic AI expectations (44:54) - – Example prompts and experiments (47:11) - – The role of community and mentorship (53:24) - – Final thoughts and wrap-up Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#266 Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Matt is joined by Jess Cook, Head of Marketing at Vector, a platform pioneering the contact-based marketing category. Jess has spent her career building standout content strategies at B2B brands like LASSO and Fastly, and she recently made the jump from Head of Content to first-time Head of Marketing.Jess and Matt cover:How content marketers can transition into marketing leadership and what gaps to prepare forThe strategy behind building a brand that stands out in B2B (and why Vector leans into being “a little unhinged”)How Jess built her first marketing budget from scratch and sold it in using storytelling, not spreadsheetsYou’ll walk away with tactical insights on running a modern B2B marketing org, from content and brand to budgeting and team structure.Timestamps(01:00) - – Jess’s B2C roots at McDonald’s and Kellogg (04:09) - – Jumping into B2B and growing through content (05:54) - – Why she moved from Head of Content to Head of Marketing (08:29) - – Hiring product marketing first (and why it matters) (12:39) - – How Vector built a bold B2B brand with personality (16:39) - – What Jess looked for in her first marketing hire (19:59) - – Building and pitching her first full marketing budget (25:24) - – Creating a 30/60/90 plan that actually drives buy-in (26:54) - – Category content, SEO, and early wins with AI (31:24) - – The podcast pivot: ditching “Funnel Cake” for something better (35:04) - – How she knew Vector was the right fit (38:44) - – Going all-in on YouTube and video-first strategy (42:54) - – Short-form content, brand building, and trust (45:24) - – Biggest lesson: balance long-term planning with quick wins (49:54) - – Leading with action and setting the tone as a new marketing leader (51:54) - – How Jess communicates vision and builds internal alignment (55:24) - – Wrap-up and final takeaways Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#265 Non-SaaS Marketing | In this episode, Matt sits down with Sandra Rand, a fractional head of marketing who works with early-stage, non-SaaS B2B companies. She’s led marketing for PE-backed, self-funded, and services-based businesses, where big budgets and SaaS-style playbooks aren’t the norm. She’s also building the Non-SaaS Marketers subgroup inside Exit Five to support others facing the same challenges.Matt and Sandra cover:How non-SaaS teams drive growth without demos, PLG, or huge lead volumeWhy events, word of mouth, and referrals often outperform funnels in these orgsTactical ideas for gifting, partnerships, and pipeline-building on a lean budgetWhether you work in SaaS or not, you’ll walk away with creative, scrappy strategies to build trust and drive results in B2B.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:39) - – Why Exit Five launched the Non-SaaS group (07:59) - – What makes non-SaaS marketing different (11:19) - – Budgets, sales cycles, and team structure (16:09) - – Why brand and trust matter more (18:19) - – Events > funnels in non-SaaS (27:44) - – How to build brand on a budget (33:14) - – Word-of-mouth and referral tactics (37:54) - – Gifting and relationship-driven growth (43:54) - – Scrappy, creative plays that actually work (49:24) - – What’s next for the Non-SaaS community Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#264 Async Work | In this episode, Dave is joined by Ashley Faus, Director of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian, and Dr. Molly Sands, Head of the Teamwork Lab at Atlassian. Ashley brings deep experience in cross-functional B2B marketing leadership, while Molly leads a team of behavioral scientists designing better ways for teams to collaborate. Together, they unpack how Atlassian has rethought marketing org structure, internal comms, and meetings to drive higher output with fewer syncs.Dave, Ashley, and Molly cover:The framework Atlassian uses to reduce meetings and communicate asynchronously (including how to structure updates that actually get read)How to balance transparency with clarity and avoid information overload across Slack, Loom, and ConfluenceTactical ways to structure team rituals, recurring meetings, and brainstorms to focus on output, not performative busyworkYou’ll walk away knowing how to run a leaner, more effective marketing team (without drowning in Slack and Zoom).Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:09) - – Why marketers showed up live: too many meetings, too little output (06:09) - – Meet the guests: Ashley Faus and Dr. Molly Sands from Atlassian (08:39) - – What “Team Anywhere” means at Atlassian (10:39) - – The difference between information sharing and real connection (13:09) - – Why marketing updates often fall flat internally (15:09) - – How to communicate clearly inside the org (and get your message read) (18:39) - – Structuring updates: topic, who it’s for, action, context (21:39) - – When you need a meeting vs. when async works better (25:39) - – “Sparring” meetings: real-time collaboration between equals (28:09) - – What actually builds team connection (hint: not team happy hours) (31:54) - – Async tools Atlassian uses across marketing (34:24) - – Getting quiet team members to contribute in meetings (36:54) - – How Atlassian runs recurring team rituals without wasting time (40:54) - – Cross-functional alignment: structure, scorecards, and shared goals (43:54) - – Best practices for async tools like Loom and Confluence (46:54) - – Do brainstorming meetings even work? Here’s when they do. (49:54) - – What to share with non-marketers (and what to skip) (52:54) - – Why creating focus is the most underrated leadership skill (54:54) - – Final takeaways from Ashley and Molly Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#263 Marketing Strategy | Dave is joined by Jason Lyman, CMO at Customer.io, a customer engagement platform used by over 7,500 companies. Jason has led marketing at Dropbox, BetterCloud, and now heads a 30-person team driving growth across both PLG and sales-led motions.Dave and Jason cover:How to structure a B2B marketing org for scale, alignment, and channel ownershipWhy events are their #1 channel and how creative formats drive real pipelineThe KPI + OKR system they use to prioritize work and measure marketing’s impactYou’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of how to design your team, focus your strategy, and invest in channels that actually drive results.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:09) - – What Customer.io does and who they serve (03:09) - – Growth story: from bootstrapped to private equity-backed (05:09) - – Team size and breakdown of the 30-person marketing org (07:09) - – Balancing PLG and sales-led within one team (09:09) - – How the org is structured: focus teams vs. centers of excellence (11:09) - – Aligning team goals to sales motions and funnel stages (13:09) - – How Customer.io prioritizes internal marketing requests (15:09) - – Avoiding the “who bangs the table loudest” trap (16:09) - – Cross-functional alignment with sales and product (18:09) - – KPI vs. OKR: how Customer.io uses both (21:54) - – Examples of key KPIs for the business (23:54) - – How OKRs cascade across the org (25:54) - – Why structured goal setting leads to better marketing impact (27:54) - – What channels are working: events are back (28:54) - – Examples of creative event formats that build community (30:54) - – Building pipeline without pitching at events (32:54) - – How Customer.io defines and tracks long-term influence (35:54) - – The decline of SEO and rise of AI-influenced buying (37:54) - – Why positioning is more important than ever (39:54) - – Product and marketing alignment in a modern org (41:54) - – Selling both the product and the roadmap (42:54) - – Jason’s one wish for marketers: better customer data (44:54) - – Personalization, adaptability, and breaking through the noise (45:54) - – Closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#262 Content Strategy | Dave sits down with Chelsea Castle, Head of Content and Brand at Close. Chelsea talks about her experience in B2B SaaS and shares how to build impactful content that resonates with your audience.Chelsea and Dave cover:How leveraging internal and cross-functional knowledge can create a content goldmineWhy it is important to repurpose podcast episodes, webinars, and other media into multiple forms of content to maximize their valueStrategies for integrating SEO with authentic, valuable content that resonates with your audience, beyond just ranking for keywordsTimestamps(00:00) - - Intro to Chelsea (01:09) - - Merging Brand and Keyword-Driven Content (01:10) - - Aligning Brand and Content Strategy with Your Goals (01:17) - - New Content Channels for B2B (01:21) - - How to Measure Content Engagement (01:43) - - LinkedIn for B2B (01:47) - - Chelsea’s Experience at Chili Piper (01:52) - - Improving Content for Podcasts (01:57) - - Driving Website Traffic Through Brand Content Strategy (01:57) - - Skyscraper SEO Content Strategy (02:05) - - How to Craft a Brand Strategy (02:06) - - How to Grow Using Gated Content (02:08) - - How to Maximize Search Impact Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#261 AI & Creativity | In this episode, Dave is joined by Mark Schaefer, marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and author of 11 books, including his latest, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World. Mark has spent decades studying the intersection of marketing, tech, and human behavior, and his ideas have helped reshape how B2B brands think about relevance, creativity, and differentiation in a noisy digital world.Dave and Mark cover:Why playing it safe is the biggest threat to B2B marketers in the AI eraHow to create marketing that actually connects by disrupting the story, the channel, or the storytellerReal examples of B2B brands ditching “best practices” and standing out with emotional, human-first marketingYou’ll come away with a fresh perspective on how to stay relevant, creative, and impactful, especially as AI becomes a bigger part of your marketing stack.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:09) - – Why most marketing is boring (07:39) - – The danger of “best practices” (11:39) - – Why AI is amplifying bad marketing (15:09) - – The rise of raw, lo-fi, human content (18:09) - – What AI can’t replicate: shared experiences (21:39) - – Fear, risk, and the big brand trap (25:09) - – Using AI to enhance, not replace, creativity (30:54) - – The real framework behind Audacious (33:54) - – B2B examples that break the mold (39:24) - – Why now is the time to stand out (43:54) - – Making bold marketing happen inside your org (48:24) - – Liquid Death, Nutter Butter, and brand disruption (52:54) - – B2B doesn’t mean boring (56:54) - – The one question every marketer should ask Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

#260 Product Marketing | Dave is joined by Matt De Vincentis, VP of Product Marketing at Atlassian. With a background that spans engineering, product marketing, and leadership at companies like VMware and Palo Alto Networks, Matt shares how Atlassian structures its product marketing team, prioritizes work, and stays tied to business outcomes, even at massive scale.Dave and Matt cover:How Atlassian connects product marketing to revenue and pipeline (and why PMMs need to “own the outcome”)How to build high-trust, high-impact marketing teams, drawing on lessons from firefighting and enterprise leadershipThe async work philosophy Atlassian uses to eliminate unnecessary meetings and increase productivity across a global teamWhether you lead a team or want a seat at the table, this episode breaks down how to structure, scale, and lead product marketing the Atlassian way.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:39) - – Matt’s path from engineer to Atlassian VP (05:54) - – Why technical backgrounds can be both a strength and a curse in PMM (09:39) - – What product marketing looks like at a $5B company (10:39) - – “Own the outcome, not the task”: tying PMM to revenue (12:59) - – Why product marketers should care about pipeline (even if they don’t own it) (14:24) - – How brand and creative marketers can still align to business outcomes (16:54) - – Measuring inputs vs. outcomes (and how to stay focused on the right one) (17:39) - – How Matt applies firefighting lessons to leading marketing teams (19:19) - – Triaging “fire drills” and protecting your team’s focus (21:09) - – How to prioritize ruthlessly (and what real prioritization means) (23:39) - – From IC to VP: how your mindset and responsibilities shift (27:39) - – Why leaders should double down on strengths—not fix weaknesses (29:54) - – How self-assurance became Matt’s superpower as a leader (32:54) - – The StrengthsFinder approach Matt uses with his team (34:54) - – The value of executive coaching for marketing leaders (36:24) - – The goal: build the best marketing team anyone’s worked on (37:54) - – Why trust and 10x thinking unlock great marketing work (40:24) - – Where product marketing sits inside Atlassian’s org (41:54) - – How Atlassian uses Loom and async work to eliminate unnecessary meetings (44:24) - – What qualifies as a real meeting at Atlassian (45:54) - – Why async work helps global teams move faster (48:54) - – How Atlassian balances async with intentional in-person gatherings (50:54) - – Why trust changes how Slack and email are interpreted (51:39) - – How Atlassian thinks about AI’s role in marketing (53:54) - – Why it’s hard to stand out in an “AI-washed” market (55:09) - – Matt’s mission: help make work suck less (56:24) - – Final thoughts and wrap-up Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5