Marketing School | Digital Marketing | Online Marketing

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Would you burn an entire year of profit, walk away from your core customer, and bet the company on unproven technology that falls flat for its first twelve months? That is the decision NVIDIA actually made, and Eric walks through it from Thinking Machine. Neil answers honestly. The back half turns personal: Neil is recording from Legoland mid-vacation, and the two get into what it took to actually take the time off, being alone with his kids for the first time, and what that trade looks like when you run a company. Key takeaways◾The bets that look reckless in year one are the ones with no competition in year five◾Founder control is what makes an unpopular decade-long bet survivable◾Time off is an operating decision, not a reward you earn later Chapters00:00 Nvidia's Big Bet04:18 The

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Airtable sold to Bending Spoons for $1.25B in cash, and the internet immediately called it a down round. Eric pulls up Jason Lemkin's numbers and the actual purchase agreement to show what really happened: 3.1x ARR growth since 2021, $900M sitting in the bank, and a reorganization that carved the HyperAgent business out into its own entity before the deal closed. Then Alfred Lin's Empire State Building versus Millennium Tower piece on why speed is the core operating value, and why Jensen Huang has never fired anyone. Key takeaways◾A headline acquisition price tells you almost nothing until you read the reorg clause◾Speed is not a nice-to-have operating value, it is the one that compounds◾Public, brutal feedback can retain people better than quiet firing does Chapters00:00 Airtable De

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric listens to two people argue organic content versus paid ads and calls the whole debate stupid, because the answer is both. From there into the ROI of podcasting after nearly ten years of doing this one, using the Forbes highest-paid list as a reality check, and finally why recruiting is higher leverage than managing when you are small. Key takeaways ◾ Content versus paid is a false binary, and the answer is both ◾ Buying growth can beat building it, if you know what you are buying ◾ Recruit better people and you spend less time managing them Chapters 00:00 Content vs paid ads 05:53 The ROI of podcasting 07:53 Sponsor break 10:51 Recruiting beats managing

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire A full, honest audit of their own social strategy. They set a 2025 plan to ramp volume, raise quality and lean more personal, and here they grade it. Neil puts social at two to three percent of attributable revenue, explains why it works for mid-market and SMB but not for enterprise, and makes the point that an enterprise logo on a five thousand dollar contract is not an enterprise deal. Eric breaks down the webinar formats that convert and why he copies proven ones rather than inventing his own. Key takeaways ◾ Social is 2 to 3% of attributable revenue, and still worth doing ◾ Social opens enterprise doors but rarely closes enterprise contracts ◾ Copy the formats that already convert instead of building from scratch Chapters 00:00 Our 2025 social plan vs mid-2026 reality 07:46 Spons

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil spends 60 to 70% of his time reaching out to companies to buy, and explains when he wants founders to stay and when he does not, plus where global agency RFPs actually come from. Eric makes the case for open weights in marketing, where models like GLM 5.2 and Kimi K3 cut costs 25 to 100x on high-volume creative work. They then get into what nobody in his AI executive group could answer: how you actually measure the ROI of AI, why token usage is a terrible metric, and why revenue per employee is a better one. Closes on Jensen Huang's first post and Anthropic's MCP release finally being practical for non-technical marketers. Key takeaways ◾ Open weights cut 25 to 100x on high-volume creative, and that is the marketing case ◾ Measure AI on revenue per employee, not on token spend ◾

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric open on Google going negative on free cash flow to win the AI race, and ask whether it is a reckless bet or the only move a company with that much distribution can make. They use Naval's point about cheap software pushing value toward vertically integrated businesses to explain why agencies are turning into “brains”, including what the Google Ads team told Eric about traditional agencies this week, and finish on ChatGPT Voice as a genuine daily operating tool rather than a novelty. Key takeaways ◾ Google is spending free cash flow, not spare cash, to win AI ◾ Cheap software moves the value to vertically integrated, opinionated businesses ◾ Voice is turning AI from a tool you open into a system you run the day on Chapters 00:00 Google's AI cash bet 03:40 Naval: cheap sof

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric ran Sol 5.6 against Fable 5 on real marketing work: an Amazon investment analysis, one-shot website builds, YouTube thumbnails that hit 6-7% CTR, and clip selection with hooks. His verdict: Sol finishes jobs with less back and forth. Neil's rule: never marry one model. Then why 62% direct traffic means brand is working, the AI-native org structure Eric's team published, and both hosts' hiring anti-pitch: passion, standards, and moving fast on people. Key takeaways ◾Judge models on finished jobs, not clever answers ◾Direct traffic is the scoreboard for brand strength ◾Hire people who tell you what to do, and move quickly when it's not working Chapters 00:00 Testing AI Models for Marketing 07:09 Brand Power Drives Direct Traffic 09:29 Building AI-Native Teams 21:04 Hiring, Standar

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire A VC asked Eric the classic question about SingleBrain: if anyone can build it, what's the moat? His answer: maintenance, optimization, and upgrades are the real business. Then Ben Affleck sells InterPositive to Netflix for $587M in cash: a 16-person team that taught AI how real films are made. Chamath's warning on restricting Chinese AI models, and a full masterclass on networks: the double opt-in, Neil's box-derby story that led to a Hearst introduction, and why you build a network by not trying to. Key takeaways ◾Industry craft is the moat: vertical tools built by people who know the work win ◾Target buyers who pay for outcomes, not tech teams who build in-house ◾Networks compound through genuine relationships, not business cards Chapters 00:00 Netflix Buys AI Startup 07:08 AI Too

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric shares Sahil Lavingia's chart: June 2026 was the first month Gumroad spent as much on AI tokens as on human payroll. They debate what that means at scale, then dig into Elon's Economist interview: AI timelines, universal income, fear marketing, and why 87% of Chinese respondents are net positive on AI while most Americans are afraid. Eric closes on open-source models catching the frontier and why regulation can't put the genie back. Key takeaways ◾AI spend matching payroll is coming for more companies; the only question is speed ◾Fear is a marketing choice: how leaders talk about AI shapes adoption ◾Open-source models catching up changes the whole regulatory debate Chapters 00:00 Gumroad's AI Payroll Shift 01:59 Elon's AI Future Debate 07:48 Free Markets vs Regulation 08:33 Home

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric brings marketing lessons from Lake Como: a fourth-generation craftsman selling $1,000-quality shoes for $150, and why a couple of grand a month on a hotel display case beats most ad spend. Then the World Cup: Haaland won the brand game, and Beckham proves popularity is not the same thing as profit. Neil shows ChatGPT at 77 on Google Trends vs Claude at 19, while Anthropic wins on revenue. They close on Junior Bridgman's quiet path from NBA bench to $1.4 billion and IM8's billion from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund. Key takeaways ◾The best-known brand is not automatically the most profitable business ◾Compounding beats stardom: interest plus time wins ◾Sometimes the right move is not scaling Chapters 00:00 Marketing Lessons from a Lake Como Conference 03:10 World Cup Bran

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric tested GPT Sol 5.6 against Claude Fable 5 on real marketing jobs: websites, thumbnails, clips, recruiting, and growth analysis. Final score: Sol 4, Fable 0 - even though Fable had better ideas and design. They also unpack Anthropic and Blackstone's $1.5B bet that implementation is the next trillion-dollar AI business, model wars, valuations, and why marketing pressure is finally easing. Key takeaways ◾The new model benchmark is finishing jobs, not sounding smart ◾Implementation, not models, is the next AI gold rush ◾Expectations are normalizing: marketing pressure is easing Chapters 00:00 Sol 5.6 vs Fable 5 and the model wars 08:24 Chips, bottlenecks, and AI demand 09:41 Valuations, PE, and services 18:19 Marketing pressure is easing

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric shows Neil the AI marketing loops Single Grain actually has live: a CRO loop, an AEO/SEO loop that drafts TOFU-MOFU-BOFU content straight to the CMS, and a sponsorship loop that negotiates $25k minimums on its own. Plus why you should stop using LLMs for math and route tokens to cheap deterministic systems, and how compounding loops beat one-off prompts. Key takeaways ◾Loops that report back and improve beat one-off prompts ◾Route math to deterministic systems, not LLMs ◾A sponsorship loop can handle the back and forth for you Chapters 00:00 Stop using LLMs for math: token routing 03:50 AI marketing loops you should build today 07:05 Travel, recruiting, and follow-up 11:48 Cold calling and the brand payoff

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric answer the question Eric asked a room of 9-10 figure operators: what part of your company would you rebuild from scratch if AI were native from day one? They dig into fully automated recruiting funnels, the dentist model for agencies where seniors diagnose and agents do the repetitive work, and why SEO conferences feel like they are lagging the actual market. Key takeaways ◾Almost every operator would rebuild recruiting first ◾The new agency model: humans diagnose, agents execute ◾SEO is lagging: AEO and agents are where attention is going Chapters 00:00 What would you rebuild from scratch with AI? 02:28 AI-powered recruiting and deals 05:32 The new agency model: everyone as a dentist 08:15 MozCon and why SEO is lagging

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric break down what Eric learned hosting a dinner of 9-10 figure AI operators, and why AI is forcing companies to redesign compensation. They get into AI margin expansion showing up in boring workflows, the burnout wave hitting tech, and how to keep pay fair when AI-native A-players produce 5-10x output. A candid episode on incentives, culture, and looking after your team while everything changes. Key takeaways ◾9-10 figure operators would rebuild recruiting and ops AI-native first ◾AI-native A-players break same-title salary bands ◾Margin wins are hiding in boring workflows, not sexy demos Chapters 00:00 What a 9-10 figure AI operators dinner revealed 03:07 AI margins and compensation 07:32 Burnout and the tech survey 15:18 AI productivity and fair pay 17:30 Fairness, sacr

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric and Neil go behind the scenes on raising for SingleBrain: building a clean story for VCs, what the numbers have to say, and how to position a services-plus-software narrative. They cover conference networking that actually compounds, managed revenue agents as a new service line, and why creators are becoming real channel partners that drive B2B pipeline, not just awareness. Key takeaways ◾VCs buy a clean story before they buy the numbers ◾Managed revenue agents are a new service line ◾Creators are becoming channel partners, not just reach Chapters 00:00 Raising for SingleBrain 08:49 A clean story for VCs 12:19 Conference networking strategy 13:11 Managed revenue agents 20:32 Creators as channel partners

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric argue the B2B website is turning into a sales rep, a proof engine that has to sell before the sales call. From there the conversation turns to investing and business economics: betting on SpaceX, treasury strategy, debt versus venture, and the mechanics of buying distressed businesses. A candid look at how operators think about risk, leverage, and where durable value gets created. Key takeaways ◾Your website has to sell before the sales call ◾Debt vs venture changes who controls the outcome ◾Distressed businesses can be the best entry point Chapters 00:00 Websites are becoming sales reps 02:09 Betting on SpaceX 05:53 Debt versus venture 10:49 Buying distressed businesses

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric dig into AI search visibility: why your brand may be invisible when buyers ask ChatGPT, how organic click behavior is changing, and what still moves revenue. They react to Kai-Fu Lee's prediction that 50% of companies will need new leadership and that 95%+ of AI transformations fail, then break down a survey showing 89% of teams now give AI agents write access, up from 52%, and what that means for security, governance, and permissioning. Key takeaways ◾Track visibility in answer engines, not just Google ◾95% of AI transformations fail by bolting AI on the edges ◾Agent write-access is exploding, so is the security opportunity Chapters 00:00 Your brand is invisible in AI search 04:27 AI leadership shift (Kai-Fu Lee) 10:20 Bottom-funnel marketing wins 12:50 AI permissions

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Neil and Eric explain why software itself is becoming the best marketing channel: free tools, calculators, agents, and lightweight products now do the demand-gen work blog posts used to do. They break down how every feature launch becomes a marketable moment, why free products drive outsized buzz, and how conferences and events still generate real pipeline when you show up to give rather than sell. Plus how they think about valuing AI-pilled talent and staying focused. Key takeaways ◾Software is the new lead magnet, not the PDF ◾Every feature launch is a marketable moment ◾Win the hallways at events, don't just speak Chapters 00:00 Software is becoming marketing 03:03 Free products drive buzz 06:59 Events and conferences as lead gen 14:41 Valuing AI-pilled talent 19

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric breaks down what Marc Andreessen calls the single best marketing strategy he has ever seen: Alex Karp goes on CNBC and talks about the military, super intelligence, and AI sovereignty while barely naming his own company, and the number behind it is striking. They contrast it with Snap, where Evan Spiegel talked up the future of his 2,000 dollar Spectacles instead of the product and watched a billion in market cap evaporate. From there it is Jason Lemkin's ICONIQ quota data, the reports Neil actually reads every morning, his "you have a budget problem, not a money problem" framework, and the command through negation directive Eric now sends four times a day. They close on Skills Dojo, their new free GitHub for marketers. The strategy is hiding in plain sight, and the number proves i

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/ Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire Eric pulls up a Financial Times chart showing that the companies spending most on AI are hiring more people, not fewer, and he and Neil use it to take apart the everyone-loses narrative. Neil recounts debating Search Atlas co-founder Monik, who is convinced AI will gut white collar work, and explains why he is seeing the exact opposite across thousands of client companies. They run the historical receipts on radiology, ATMs, and the spreadsheet, argue over whether Google is simply bloated, and look at why HighLevel scaled from 2,000 to roughly 3,000 staff. A detour into an employee who stole from both their companies turns into a lesson on where to spend your attention. The headline fear is loud, but the data underneath tells a different story. Key takeaways ◾Companies with the highest