Marketing Against The Grain

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

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

Claude https://claude.ai/login

ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/

Ramp https://ramp.com/

One Mind https://onemind.org/

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.

Ep. 445

Everybody online is telling you that the only marketers who will survive in the AI era are systems builders. But what does that even mean—and how do you actually build your own AI-powered marketing system?

Kieran dives into the essential starting stack every marketer can implement to become a systems builder and thrive with AI. Learn more on the key layers of a marketing AI system, how to create a personalized intelligence layer that powers your skills and plugins, and the tools you can use to automate your workflow, scale yourself across your team, and stand out with a differentiated product story.

Mentions

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

Claude https://claude.ai/

ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/

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

Resource

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

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

YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/@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 knowledge base (template + kit): https://clickhubspot.com/fhfs

Ep. 444

Stop outsourcing your intelligence to AI assistants—build your own personal intelligence layer instead!

Kieran dives into how to construct your own marketing intelligence layer that you can plug into any AI assistant for a serious competitive edge. Learn how to capture and structure career learnings, keep your intelligence portable and up-to-date, and turn your unique insights into the biggest differentiator in the age of AI.

Mentions

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

ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/

Claude https://claude.ai/

Gemini https://gemini.google.com/

Obsidian https://obsidian.md/

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

Resource

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

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

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.