brand-and-content-demand-creation

name	brand-and-content-demand-creation
description	Guides B2B marketers on building brand awareness, creating demand-generating content, and structuring content strategy across channels—trigger when a user needs help with content planning, brand building, demand creation, social media strategy, SEO, podcasts, influencer programs, email marketing, or gating decisions.
version	2026-04-21
episode_count	61

Brand and Content Demand Creation

Overview

This skill covers B2B brand building, content strategy, demand creation, and distribution across owned and paid channels. It addresses how to structure content programs, build brand recall, create demand among out-of-market buyers, and integrate brand with pipeline generation. All practices are sourced exclusively from Exit Five podcast guests across 61 episodes; no external best practices have been added.

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Core Strategic Framing

Marketing as a Memory Game

Recognize that in competitive B2B markets, only 3–10% of your target accounts are in-market at any given time. Marketing's primary job is to build brand recall so that when the other 90–97% eventually enter the market, they think of you first. (Source: Gurdeep Dhillon, Episodes #280 and #203; Kait Stephens, Episode #156; Peep Laja, Episode #119)

Frame brand as having "gravity"—the stronger the brand, the stronger its pull on buyers during their research phase. Brand gravity requires "digital mass": consistent, valuable presence across the channels where buyers are searching and asking questions. (Source: Lisa Cole, Episode #315)

(Note: the relative priority of brand building versus integrated demand generation is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

The Ownable Idea and Authority Flywheel

Build a repeatable content loop that reinforces your ownable idea by consistently addressing four elements: (1) the problem you're solving, (2) your point of view on that problem, (3) the big promise or outcome people will get from working with you, and (4) proof or evidence that your approach works. Repeat this cycle across all content and channels. This allows you to say the same thing in a thousand different ways without sounding repetitive, because each piece hits a different angle of the same core idea. (Source: Katelyn Bourgoin, Episode #344)

Pair new positioning with sustained thought leadership across multiple channels over 6–12 months. Positioning is not a one-time launch—repeat the core message across CEO presentations, keynotes, sales decks, product launches, and content. Repetition is what builds market awareness and internal belief. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #254)

Audience Marketing Over Lead Generation

Reframe marketing strategy from generating leads to building an audience of your ICP through authentic, relevant content that makes them better at their jobs. The goal is a trusted advisory relationship where your brand becomes synonymous with expertise and value. (Source: Gurdeep Dhillon, Episodes #280 and #203)

(Note: this framing is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

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Content Strategy and Production

Content as the Foundation

Treat organic content (blogs, podcasts, social media, newsletters) as the core marketing strategy, not as a secondary channel. Content drives awareness, builds trust, and creates the foundation for all other marketing activities. This is especially important in B2B where buying cycles are long and trust is built through demonstrated expertise. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #225)

Build B2B marketing strategy on content as the foundational pillar. Content serves multiple functions: it educates and entertains potential customers, builds brand awareness and trust, generates data about what topics resonate, and creates a pool of warm audiences for paid media retargeting. It also provides the sales team with talking points and air cover. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #141)

Content Flywheels and Repurposing

Build a repeatable content system where a single source feeds multiple downstream formats. Example flywheel: podcast episode → newsletter topic → LinkedIn posts → webinar → content series. Each step provides feedback on what resonates, informing the next step. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #134)

Design your content and demand generation strategy as an interconnected flywheel where each asset creates the next: thought leadership content drives web traffic → website conversion points capture leads → demos are personalized to inbound source → sales calls are recorded and transcribed → transcripts become new content → content performance data informs event topics → events create transcripts that become content again. This creates compounding returns and reduces the need for paid demand generation. (Source: Kyle Coleman, Episode #206)

Build a three-tier flywheel where social media drives traffic to your newsletter, your newsletter reveals what resonates with your audience, and that feedback informs both your social content and product development. (Source: Amanda Goetz, Episode #244)

Conduct podcast-style interviews with internal subject matter experts and external customers/non-customers aligned to a specific strategic message. Repurpose each interview into multiple formats: written content, video clips, and webinar assets. This creates a scalable content machine that injects human personality and authentic voices into brand messaging while serving both awareness and lead generation functions. (Source: Ryan Narod, Episode #330)

Content Cadence and Marketable Moments

Establish a forcing function by launching something from marketing once per month (e.g., first Tuesday of each month) to create consistent momentum and attention. This works alongside product launches but doesn't depend on them. Coordinate with the product team on their roadmap, then fill gaps in non-product months with marketing-owned launches: books, events, swipe files, campaigns, etc. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #214; Dave Gerhardt, Episode #123)

Structure marketing around 2–3 major campaigns per quarter called "Bangers" (or tentpole moments). These are significant, differentiated content or product launches that get the entire company involved. Bangers can be top-of-funnel (fully in marketing's control, e.g., research reports) or bottom-of-funnel (product launches). Plan these on a quarterly calendar so the company has a predictable rhythm of major marketing moments. (Source: Erin May, Episode #337)

Schedule 1–2 major product or marketing moments per year (or quarterly for fast-moving companies) as forcing functions for product and sales alignment. These "lightning strikes" are pre-calendared events where marketing commits to a launch date, product commits to shipping something meaningful, and sales prepares to capitalize on the resulting demand. (Source: Kyle Coleman, Episode #123)

Original Research and Data-Driven Content

Publish original research reports on a regular cadence (e.g., weekly on Tuesdays) on topics relevant to your market. Each report should include: sample size, customer profile, sales cycle length, methodology, and specific metrics. Anticipate controversy and disagreement—this drives engagement and conversation. Use the reports to support product decisions and establish your company as a data-driven authority. Retarget report viewers with ads to extend reach. (Source: Emir Atli, Episode #165)

Run a recurring weekly 30-minute session (e.g., "What You Should Know This Week") featuring internal experts discussing timely topics relevant to your target buyer personas. Distribute content across multiple channels (LinkedIn, communities, events, internal enablement). Use the same content to enable sales teams with messaging and talking points. (Source: Morgan Cole, Episode #315)

Informational and Educational Content

Invest heavily in educational content and enablement for people who are not yet customers. Educate the broader market on how to use tools and solve problems in your space, positioning your company as a trusted expert. This builds trust, generates organic word-of-mouth referrals, and creates goodwill. When these educated prospects eventually need a solution, your company will be top-of-mind. (Source: Eoin Clancy, Episode #326)

Build brand affinity by creating content that makes your customers smarter and helps them succeed at their jobs, independent of whether they buy from you. When customers associate your brand with education and value that helped them advance their career, they develop long-term loyalty and affinity. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #129)

Treat informational content (e.g., "What is X?", "How to do Y?") as top-of-funnel brand awareness and education, not as a direct conversion driver. Avoid generic, copycat definitions that LLMs can generate themselves; instead, include original examples, case studies, and proprietary data that demonstrate expertise and differentiate your brand. (Source: Andrei Țiț, Episode #269)

Build a content strategy with the explicit goal of becoming the recognized expert and go-to resource for your target audience's problems. If you sell to HR professionals, your entire strategy should be to become the resource HR people turn to when they have payroll questions, compliance questions, etc. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #121)

Customer-Centric Brand Storytelling

Create brand content that addresses what customers care about—their hopes, dreams, and challenges—rather than focusing on product features. Before creating any brand content, ask: "Would I want this? Is this something I would use?" and ensure it connects to customer value before product. (Source: Jaleh Rezaei, Episode #248)

Build brand through customer education and career advancement support. When customers associate your brand with education and value that helped them advance their career or solve problems, they develop long-term loyalty and affinity. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #129)

Internal Expertise as Content Source

Develop a recurring content series that documents and shares the work happening across different functions within your company—engineering experiments, sales approaches, people operations innovations, CRO testing, etc. Frame these as relatable stories and learnings that your target audience can apply, not as self-serving company promotion. (Source: Chelsea Castle, Episodes #262 and #172)

Share your business vision and strategic direction publicly to build awareness, affinity, and involvement. When you let people in on your future direction, they're more likely to engage with your brand today and more likely to want to work with, invest in, or join your company. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #137)

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Brand Voice and Personality

Human Personality in Content

Inject personality into B2B marketing through authentic human details, not corny tactics. Show personality by being genuinely human—use real faces (no stock photos), write copy with authentic tone, and sprinkle in real personal details that signal you're a real person. This works for enterprise too; personality doesn't mean inappropriate or absurd, it means real and relatable. Avoid inserting name tokens or generic personalization tactics. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #214)

Move away from corporate, faceless content. Instead, hire people with distinctive personalities who are comfortable being on camera and being the face of the company. Author content under individual names with clear voice and style. This makes content more trustworthy, memorable, and shareable. (Source: Ryan Narod, Episode #330)

(Note: whether brand should center on a single founder voice or be distributed across many employees is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

AI and Brand Voice

Rather than using AI tools out-of-the-box, create a hybrid workflow where humans guide AI output to match your brand voice. Start by developing key input assets: (1) product context documentation, (2) brand style guides, and (3) a one-page tone of voice guide that captures your brand's personality and linguistic patterns. Feed these assets into your AI workflow alongside unique internal expertise or customer insights. Continuously refine your systems over time as your product, tone of voice, and market conditions evolve. (Source: Eoin Clancy, Episode #326)

Use AI tools to scale brand voice enforcement across the organization. Establish your brand voice in an AI tool and allow individual contributors across functions to generate on-brand content independently. This removes the bottleneck of centralized approval while maintaining consistency. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #136)

Use AI to scale production of thought leadership, customer stories, and customer videos at a pace that would be impossible with manual creation. Distribute this content across channels to build brand visibility and digital mass. Measure all interactions and engagement on this content. (Source: Jean Cameron, Episode #315)

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Social Media Strategy

LinkedIn Strategy

Build LinkedIn engagement through value-first content, then promote when you have something to announce. Establish a pattern of posting valuable, non-promotional content regularly. When you do have something to promote, that promotional post will perform much better because you've built credibility and engagement. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #205)

Use a 5:1 or 6:1 ratio of value-add content to direct response content on LinkedIn. Use a "give, give, give, ask" approach where 5–6 out of every 6 posts provide value, build trust, and share perspectives, while only 1 post is a direct call-to-action. The sales happen through osmosis—repeated exposure, trust-building, and eventual conversion—not through hard sells. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #171)

Organize your LinkedIn content strategy using a content funnel approach: (1) Top-of-funnel (1 out of 5–6 posts): Broad business/entrepreneurship content that helps the algorithm but shouldn't dominate your feed. (2) Middle-of-funnel (bulk of content): Industry-specific thought leadership directly related to your core expertise. (3) Bottom-of-funnel (1 out of 5–6 posts): Direct response content like feature announcements, demo requests, or calls to action. (Source: Tommy Clark, Episode #171)

Commit to posting 5–7 times per week for 6–12 months before evaluating whether LinkedIn works for your business. Don't expect immediate sales results. The channel builds trust and awareness over time through osmosis. Measure success through indirect signals like inbound partnership requests, podcast invitations, and hiring interest, not just direct sales. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #171)

Optimize for comment quality and ICP relevance rather than raw impressions. Track which posts attract comments from your actual ideal customer profile versus broader audiences. A post with lower impressions but comments from decision-makers is more valuable than a post with high impressions but comments from tangential audiences. (Source: Adam Robinson, Episode #157)

Execute a daily engagement routine: (1) comment on 10 target accounts or relevant industry posts, (2) publish your own post, (3) comment on 10 more relevant posts, (4) respond to all comments on your post within the first hour. This routine signals activity to the algorithm, builds relationships with key accounts, and creates content ideas from engagement. (Source: Brad Zomick, Episode #156)

Recognize that 97% of the market is not ready to buy at any given time. LinkedIn founder brand content serves to nurture the other 97% of the market. When these prospects become ready to buy, they will think of the founder and company because of the relationship built through consistent content. (Source: Kait Stephens, Episode #156)

Use your company LinkedIn page to post company news, milestones, webinar announcements, and event details—but don't expect it to drive meaningful business impact. Focus your real engagement and content strategy on personal profiles of 1–3 key executives. The company page is a presence requirement, not a revenue driver. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #139)

Enable LinkedIn Creator Mode on the executive's profile to unlock the ability to pin gated content in the featured section. Additionally, upgrade to LinkedIn Premium to add a website link in the profile. Use this link to drive traffic to a gated resource (e.g., newsletter signup, whitepaper). (Source: Devin Reed, Episode #196)

Use founder LinkedIn content to generate immediate engagement and leading indicators of product-market fit. Post regularly with authentic, strong points of view relevant to your ICP. Track immediate engagement (likes, comments, warm connection requests) as a leading indicator that your positioning resonates. (Source: Pranav Piyush, Episode #259)

(Note: whether brand should center on a single founder voice or be distributed across many employees is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

LinkedIn Paid Campaigns

Structure demand gen campaigns around the different messages you want to deliver to build long-term memory, rather than organizing by direct response objectives. Common message categories include: product messages, social proof messages, and thought leadership messages. Pair this with consistent branding (logos, characters, mascots) appearing across ads to reinforce memory structures. (Source: Anthony Blatner, Episodes #228 and #152)

Multi-Account Social Strategy

Create separate social accounts for different content types to avoid audience confusion and maximize growth potential. For example: a main brand account (product/educational content), a comedy account (business humor), a street interview account, and a memes account. This allows audiences to follow only the content type they prefer and prevents the main brand account from being diluted by comedy content. The comedy account often outperforms the main brand account because audiences self-select for entertainment. (Source: Chris Cunningham, Episode #347)

Instagram

Align your Instagram brand voice and visual style with your actual company culture and personality. If your company is casual and laid-back, don't post corporate jargon; if you're polished and professional, don't post overly casual content. You don't need a single "face" of the brand—you can use faceless content, team features, or consistent brand voice. The key is consistency between how your brand actually operates and how it presents on Instagram. (Source: Jenn Herman, Episode #168)

Social Media Governance

Hire a social media person whose primary job is not to post what people ask them to post, but to be a gatekeeper and taste enforcer for all social content. This person partners with teams across the business (product, marketing, events) to elevate their content before it ships. They maintain a high bar for quality and consistency, acting as an "air traffic controller" for the company's social presence. (Source: Ryan Narod, Episode #330)

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SEO and Search Strategy

SEO Approach by Company Stage

(Note: whether early-stage B2B companies should invest heavily in SEO is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

Maintain foundational SEO efforts while adding AI search optimization as an additional layer, not a replacement. Data shows Google clicks are relatively flat (down ~5%) despite AI search growth, meaning traditional SEO remains viable. For early-stage companies, PR and brand mentions become critical because being mentioned in publications can surface your startup in LLM answers quickly, even without traditional SEO rankings. (Source: Jess Lytle, Episode #319)

Bottom-of-Funnel SEO

Identify and target bottom-of-funnel keywords (e.g., "CRM alternatives," "CRM for [industry]") with SEO-driven landing pages, comparison pages, and product-led content. This approach directly captures high-intent users actively evaluating solutions. Pipedrive achieved a 33% increase in user signups in 12 months by shifting focus to these commercial and transactional keywords. (Source: Tom Whatley, Episode #224)

Adjacent Category and Buyer-Circling SEO

Map all topics a prospect researches at the top of the funnel, even if not directly related to your product. Create content on adjacent topics to build awareness and consideration with the 80% of prospects not yet ready to buy. Document this in a keyword planning doc and commit to a 6-month content calendar focused on 1–2 primary keywords, updating existing ranking content at least annually. (Source: Marcy Comer, Episode #324)

Instead of competing directly in your product category where demand is low or saturated, identify adjacent product categories where your target personas spend time. Create tutorial/how-to pages for those adjacent tools using interactive product demos instead of text. Use keyword research tools (Ahrefs, Semrush) to identify clusters with 10,000+ keywords; apply 80/20 filtering to focus on the 20% of keywords driving 80% of volume; create pages only for high-volume, low-difficulty keywords. (Source: Madhav Bhandari, Episode #183)

SEO Tools and Programmatic Content

Leverage your product's data enrichment and automation capabilities to build free tools, calculators, and email finders that solve specific problems for your target audience. Use your product on the backend and a website builder on the frontend to create these tools. This approach drives organic traffic through SEO while demonstrating your product's capabilities in action. Focus on both top-of-funnel tools and bottom-of-funnel content (reviews, pricing comparisons) based on keyword intent. (Source: Bruno Estrella, Episode #180)

Category Entry Triggers

Recognize that 95% of your buyer audience is not in-market at any given time. Identify the specific triggers or events that move buyers from out-of-market to in-market (e.g., budget approval, new hire, regulatory change, competitor switch). Create targeted content for each trigger point that helps prospects recognize they have a problem and enter your category. This shifts content strategy from reactive (answering in-market searches) to proactive (creating demand). (Source: Dave Steer, Episode #324)

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Podcast Strategy

Launch a podcast that serves your audience's needs, not your product's narrative. Create a podcast that is valuable to your target audience independent of your product. Focus on problems your audience faces. If you find yourself constantly steering episodes back to your product, scrap the concept and pivot—even days before launch. The podcast should power multiple content formats (newsletter, social clips, written summaries) to maximize ROI. (Source: Jess Cook, Episode #266)

Use a podcast as an "awareness magnet" to build top-of-funnel brand awareness rather than a direct lead generation tool. Measure success not just by direct pipeline attribution (which will be hard to track) but by secondary signals like growth in your personal social following, registrations for related events, and general buzz and air cover for the company. (Source: Jess Cook, Episode #321)

Position podcasts as both brand-building and lead nurturing, not direct response. Podcasts contribute to sales indirectly—someone may listen for 6 months before becoming a customer when a catalyst (budget approval, job change, etc.) triggers a purchase decision. Measure success through brand metrics and long-term engagement rather than immediate conversion. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #137)

(Note: whether a B2B podcast should be completely decoupled from product narrative or strategically aligned to it is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

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Email Marketing and List Building

List Building

Build email lists by creating valuable content first, then promoting it. Start by identifying what content your target audience values and needs. Create that content (e.g., reports, guides, research). Then promote it via paid ads, social media, or events to drive signups. Do not start by trying to build a list; start by creating content worth subscribing for. (Source: Sara McNamara, Episode #256)

(Note: whether to use a gated offer to build your list is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

Build an owned audience (email list, social following) before launching products or events. The success of any launch depends on having an engaged audience. Rather than relying on paid ads or viral tactics, leverage your existing audience to announce new offerings. This requires consistent content and community building over months or years. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #147)

Use a waitlist 6–7 days before launch to create real scarcity and test demand. Create a waitlist landing page without full event details and promote it as early access for a limited-capacity venue. This pre-tests demand, builds anticipation, and creates genuine urgency rather than artificial FOMO. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #147)

Email as Relationship Channel

Position email as a relationship-building channel, not a conversion-centric channel. In B2B, email should be designed to build relationships with your audience over time, not to drive immediate conversions. Recognize that 95% of your audience is not in-market at any given time. Integrate email with other channels (social, paid, events) to surround your audience and reinforce your message. (Source: Jaina Mistry, Episode #241)

Define who you are as a sender and what role you play in your audience's inbox. For example, assign a specific team member as the consistent sender and build a narrative around their voice and perspective. This creates continuity and gives recipients a reason to opt in—they're subscribing to a person and their perspective, not just a company. (Source: Alyssa, Episode #312)

AI's strongest use case in email marketing isn't generating the email itself—it's supporting the entire funnel around email. Use AI to create compelling lead magnets, power chatbots for customer support that capture emails, and automate list-building workflows. Focus AI on the top-of-funnel activities that feed your email list. (Source: Alyssa, Episode #312)

Nurture Strategy

Establish a strong content strategy across owned channels (newsletter, podcast, social media, blog) before building nurture email sequences. A consistent content machine that delivers value across multiple channels does much of the nurturing work automatically. Only after this foundation is in place should you layer in targeted nurture emails. (Source: Matt Carnevale, Episode #129)

Simplify nurture sequences to a two-week window with clear exit criteria. Send a concentrated series of emails during this window, then move non-responders to a different treatment (e.g., monthly broader updates). If someone hasn't responded after 5–7 emails, additional emails are unlikely to change behavior. Map the actual buying experience first, then build nurture around that. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #129)

Layer multiple touchpoints into nurture strategy beyond email alone. Incorporate multiple channels and signals: website retargeting, paid ads, podcast listening, video consumption, and other owned properties. Track when prospects return to your website or engage with other content properties as signals of engagement, not just email opens and clicks. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #129)

When buying slows due to budget freezes or economic conditions, maintain relationship-building through content and thought leadership rather than aggressive sales tactics. Prospects may not buy today due to external constraints, not lack of interest. Position your company as a trusted resource during difficult times; when budgets reopen, you'll be top-of-mind. (Source: Anthony Kennada, Episode #145)

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Content Gating Decisions

(Note: this is one of the most actively contested areas in this skill—see Where Experts Disagree for the full breakdown.)

When gating is used, place the gate after the prospect has already experienced some value from your content or product demo. For example, gate an interactive demo after 5–8 steps rather than at the first step. This increases conversion because prospects understand what they're signing up for and have already seen enough to be interested. Avoid gating the first thing visitors see. (Source: Natalie Marcotullio, Episodes #178 and #122)

If you must gate an interactive demo for lead capture, placing the gate at step 5 increases engagement by 15% compared to gating at the start. However, ungated demos (73% of top performers) still outperform gated ones. (Source: Natalie Marcotullio, Episode #122)

Build an ungated content hub that aggregates your best content—videos, shows, podcasts, blog posts—organized by category. Use your own analytics/attribution product to track engagement and match that engagement to known prospects via email or CRM data. Measure lift: compare conversion rates for users who spend 5+ minutes on the hub vs. those who don't. (Source: Emir Atli, Episode #165)

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Website and Conversion Strategy

Always-On Conversion Points

Create multiple, always-on conversion opportunities on your website that don't require a demo request: personalized event banners (using persona matching), product tours (ungated to reduce friction), blog subscription options, calls to follow subject matter experts on LinkedIn, and on-demand content. These conversion points should be relevant to the content or use case the visitor is viewing. (Source: Kyle Coleman, Episode #206)

Rather than driving all traffic to a demo request, create valuable middle-of-funnel assets (e.g., interactive tools, calculators, assessments, on-demand content, webinars) that solve a real problem or provide insight for your audience. These assets build trust, demonstrate value, and create multiple conversion opportunities before asking for a demo. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #206)

Free Tools and Mid-Funnel Assets

Build free assessment tools, guides, or resources that provide real value to prospects and help them solve problems related to your category. This approach builds trust, demonstrates expertise, and creates authentic touchpoints that LLMs and humans both value. The principle is to help your audience first, with conversion as a secondary outcome. (Source: Dave Steer, Episode #324)

Replace traditional gated content (ebooks, whitepapers) with interactive tools that solve a specific problem for prospects in the mid-funnel. Examples include website graders, A/B test previews, or product trial tools. These tools provide immediate value, capture intent data, and create engagement moments that move prospects closer to sales conversations without requiring a demo request upfront. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #271)

Create free tools or calculators that solve a specific problem your product addresses (e.g., Excel spreadsheet replacement, assessment tool, calculator). These serve as mid-funnel assets that introduce your brand and demonstrate value without asking for a demo immediately. They work well in paid campaigns because they provide genuine utility and can be shared, extending reach. (Source: John Short, Episode #201)

Build free, downloadable tools (calculators, templates, job description builders) that solve a specific problem your target audience faces, without requiring a product demo or sales conversation. Use these tools to capture intent and educate buyers about their own needs before introducing your product. (Source: John Short, Episode #148)

Place interactive product demos on your product page on review sites like G2. Prospects viewing your page on G2 are high-intent and actively comparing you to competitors. An interactive demo directly shows how you differ rather than relying on written explanations. (Source: Natalie Marcotullio, Episode #176)

Nurturing Non-Converters

For the 99% of website visitors who don't convert, build a content strategy that captures them across multiple touchpoints: email newsletter signup, podcast, social media, and webinars. Start by understanding where visitors are coming from (organic, social, paid) and do more work in those channels. Then create middle-of-funnel capture mechanisms to get contact information and maintain ongoing engagement. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #141)

Use content performance data to identify which topics, themes, and messaging resonate most with your audience. Use this data to inform paid media creative and targeting. A strong content machine provides tested ideas, audience feedback, and high-performing topics that can be quickly turned into ad campaigns. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #141)

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Brand Awareness Campaigns

Large-Scale Awareness Campaigns

When running large brand awareness campaigns (out-of-home, digital, TV), create landing pages and CTAs that drive B2B actions (demo signups, contact sales). This allows you to measure both brand perception lift and immediate business outcomes from the same campaign. The brand awareness creates the top-of-funnel lift, while the landing pages and CTAs capture intent and drive pipeline. (Source: Kristine Segrist, Episode #277)

For large awareness campaigns, start by identifying a specific market problem or perception gap. Research the market to find a relatable, broad entry point. Build the campaign around that insight with storytelling and credible talent. Measure impact through brand tracking (perception shifts), media mix modeling, geographic experiments, and conversion lift. Thread the campaign through to targeted B2B motions (ABM, field marketing, lifecycle email) to drive enterprise outcomes. (Source: Emma Robinson, Episode #277)

Allocate marketing budget to build brand awareness among accounts that show high propensity to convert (based on lookalike modeling and predictive scoring) even if they show no current intent signals. This creates predictable pipeline growth 2+ quarters out. Requires leadership alignment on different metrics and measurement than demand-capture campaigns. (Source: Morgan Cole, Episode #315)

Unscalable, High-Touch Tactics

Allocate budget and time to marketing activities that don't scale easily and are difficult to measure directly, but create meaningful brand impact and trust. Examples: hand-writing and mailing 100 personalized invitations, placing a billboard in a high-traffic area, publishing a physical book, filming a TV commercial with real actors. These tactics break through the noise of AI-generated content and create memorable experiences. While you may not be able to attribute specific pipeline to them immediately, they build brand authority and trust that shows up in the funnel over time. (Source: Tom Wentworth, Episode #304)

"Search Everywhere" Visibility

Identify where your target buyers are asking questions and seeking information (communities, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, in-person events, analyst reports, tech partner channels). Ensure your brand is visible and adding value in each of those places. Rather than assuming traditional search engines or paid channels, map buyer research behavior and allocate content and presence accordingly. This requires ongoing research into how your buyers' research behavior is evolving. (Source: Lisa Cole, Episode #315)

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Influencer and Partner Programs

Influencer Campaigns

Structure an influencer campaign as a three-month pilot where each month aligns with a specific company initiative (product launch, survey results, etc.). Partner with 7–12 micro-influencers (10k–15k followers) rather than large accounts. Mix customer influencers with non-customer influencers who have established trust in your target community. Give influencers loose creative briefs and 24-hour advance notice of posts to review messaging, but allow them to write content in their own voice and choose whether to include links. Track results by setting up alerts in call recording software (e.g., Fathom) for influencer names and LinkedIn mentions, plus a "how did you hear about us" field on your form. (Source: Jess Cook, Episode #321)

The offer in an influencer campaign must resonate with the audience, not just your product. In B2B, this might not be a direct discount or free trial—it could be a gift card, exclusive access, or something that creates a pattern interrupt. Understand what short-term wins and long-term wins look like for your audience, then design incentives that encourage continued engagement throughout the campaign, not just a one-time click. (Source: Brianna Doe, Episode #305)

Move beyond one-off sponsored posts to integrating influencers into intentional, curated customer journeys. Pair influencer content with follow-up email nurture, webinars, product demos, or community experiences that lead prospects through a deliberate progression. The influencer's role is to initiate trust and awareness; your job is to guide that audience through a designed journey with clear next steps and messaging alignment. (Source: Brianna Doe, Episode #305)

When influential people in your space casually mention your product in comments or posts (without being paid), it drives significant awareness and trust. Focus on building relationships with influencers in your space so that organic mentions occur. (Source: Peep Laja, Episode #119)

Partner Content and Database Leverage

When you partner with other companies on content or campaigns, you gain access to their email lists and audiences. By featuring partners in your content and distributing that content to both your database and theirs, you multiply your reach at minimal cost. Partners benefit from exposure to your audience, and you benefit from exposure to theirs. This is one of the cheapest customer acquisition channels available because you're building trust through voices your audience already knows. (Source: Jared Fuller, Episode #174)

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Employee Advocacy and Company-Wide Amplification

Amplify major campaigns by running a paid incentivized contest where employees compete to get the most social shares on the campaign content. Provide employees with starter copy, links, and images, but encourage them to personalize the message. Offer cash prizes to winners. This approach: (1) extends reach beyond company channels, (2) leverages employee networks, (3) motivates participation through financial incentive, and (4) works best when the content is genuinely good and employees are proud to share it. (Source: Erin May, Episode #337)

After a major campaign launches and employees amplify it on social, wait 1–2 weeks, then have the sales team follow up with everyone who engaged with the content (liked, commented, shared, or visited). Sales reaches out to try to book meetings with engaged prospects. Incentivize sales for booking these meetings. This creates a two-phase approach: marketing generates awareness and engagement, then sales converts engaged prospects into meetings. (Source: Erin May, Episode #337)

Empower dozens or hundreds of employees to create content authentically rather than centralizing brand around one founder or executive. This creates a brand that's stronger than any individual and survives personnel changes. Recruit and retain talent who are both excellent at their jobs and willing to create content publicly. (Source: Dan Cmejla, Episode #134)

(Note: whether brand should center on a single founder voice or be distributed across many employees is contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

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Community Building

When building community, prioritize creating a shared identity and mindset that exists across multiple open channels (social media, podcasts, email, events, content) rather than investing primarily in walled platforms like Slack communities or private forums. A strong identity can be moved into a walled space later if needed, but a walled community without underlying identity tends to die. (Source: Brian Kotlyar, Episode #118)

Identify where your actual customers spend time—industry trade shows, local meetups, networking groups, forums, or other venues—and build a presence there with your brand narrative and point of view. The channel matters less than reaching customers where they actually are. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #129)

Focus your messaging and positioning on resonating with digital-native audiences who discover products through peer recommendations and online communities, rather than optimizing for analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester). Use language that is familiar but recasted through your point of view, and make conversations easy for people to have about your company. (Source: Kyle Coleman, Episode #206)

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Where Experts Disagree

1. Should B2B marketers gate content behind forms?

Support summary: 6 vs 2 vs 2

This is one of the most actively debated questions across Exit Five episodes, and the disagreement persists even among guests addressing the same company type and context.

Position A — Anti-gating (6 supporters): Gating written content degrades trust and brand perception, creates a bait-and-switch experience, and provides weak intent signals since email addresses are obtainable via tools like Apollo or ZoomInfo anyway. In an AI-driven research environment, gating prevents content from being discovered, indexed, and shared.

• Tom Wentworth (Episode #304): "In an AI-driven buying world where prospects do extensive research before engaging, gating prevents content from being discovered, indexed, and shared by AI systems and humans alike. Free distribution increases the likelihood content surfaces in AI research."
• Chelsea Castle (Episodes #262 and #172): "Gating written content typically degrades trust and brand perception because it creates a bait-and-switch experience. For B2B SaaS, email addresses obtained through gating are often not strong intent signals anyway (can be obtained via Apollo, Clay, ZoomInfo). Reserve gating for truly exclusive, high-value experiences."
• Andrew Davies (Episode #195): "If your product allows free signup and self-serve onboarding, eliminate gated ebook and content asset strategies entirely. Drive traffic directly to your website and product signup instead."
• Emir Atli (Episode #165): Built an ungated content hub and used their own analytics product to track engagement and match it to known prospects via email or CRM data, measuring lift in conversion rates for engaged users.
• Dave Gerhardt (Episode #271): Recommends replacing traditional gated content with interactive tools that solve a specific problem for prospects in the mid-funnel, providing immediate value without requiring a demo request.

Position B — Pro-gating with high-value offer (2 supporters): Gating is a valid and effective tactic when the asset is genuinely high-value (e.g., original research, benchmark data, exclusive reports). Use a gated offer to build an opt-in email list of engaged subscribers, then nurture them.

• Dave Gerhardt (Episode #256): Recommends creating a valuable gated asset (report, guide, benchmark data) based on customer research, gating it behind a form to capture emails, and promoting via paid ads to build a high-quality opted-in subscriber list.
• Devin Reed (Episode #196): Using LinkedIn Creator Mode to pin gated content in the featured section has been shown to drive significant lead generation and is a top growth lever for driving MQLs and website traffic.

Position C — Gate after value delivery (2 supporters): Rather than a binary gate/no-gate decision, place the gate after the prospect has already experienced some value. For interactive demos, gate at step 5 rather than at the start.

• Natalie Marcotullio (Episodes #178 and #122): Gate an interactive demo after 5–8 steps rather than at the first step. This increases conversion because prospects understand what they're signing up for. However, ungated demos (73% of top performers) still outperform gated ones.

Context dependency: The anti-gating camp often specifies B2B SaaS with self-serve models or AI-era research behavior, while the pro-gating camp focuses on genuinely high-value assets like original research. However, even within the same context (B2B SaaS), Chelsea Castle and Dave Gerhardt give conflicting advice across different episodes, making this a genuine disagreement that persists beyond context.

Trend note: The anti-gating position is more prevalent in recent episodes (2025), while the pro-gating-with-high-value-offer position appears in earlier episodes (late 2024). This may reflect a shift in thinking driven by AI search behavior reducing the value of gated content.

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2. Should B2B marketing prioritize brand building and audience marketing over lead generation?

Support summary: 8 vs 5

Position A — Brand and audience first (8 supporters): Marketing's primary job is to build brand recall, mental availability, and trusted advisory relationships with target audiences—not to generate leads. Most of your target accounts are not in-market at any given time (90–97%), so the long game of brand building is more important than short-term lead generation.

• Gurdeep Dhillon (Episodes #280 and #203): Reframes marketing strategy from generating leads to building an audience through authentic content. The metric of success is whether your brand is remembered when accounts are ready to buy, not how many leads you generate.
• Peep Laja (Episode #119): When you are the only player in a category, 100% of marketing focus should be on awareness via LinkedIn because mental availability—ensuring buyers think of you when they have a problem—is the priority over conversion.
• Andrew Davies (Episode #195): When your market doesn't yet understand the category or the problem you solve, focus marketing efforts on education and awareness rather than lead generation.
• Dave Gerhardt (Episode #225): Positions organic content as the core marketing strategy rather than one channel among many. Content is the game in B2B marketing.
• Jaina Mistry (Episode #241): In B2B, email should be designed to build relationships with your audience over time, not to drive immediate conversions. Recognize that 95% of your audience is not in-market at any given time.
• Gurdeep Dhillon (Episode #280): In competitive markets, marketing's primary job is to win the memory game. Only 10% of target accounts are in-market at any given time.
• Jess Cook (Episode #321): A podcast should be an "awareness magnet" to build top-of-funnel brand awareness rather than a direct lead generation tool. Measure success through secondary signals, not direct pipeline attribution.

Position B — Integrate brand with demand pull-through (5 supporters): Brand awareness campaigns should be integrated with demand generation pull-through mechanisms (landing pages, CTAs, demo signups) so you can measure both brand perception lift and immediate business outcomes from the same campaign. Brand and demand are not mutually exclusive.

• Kristine Segrist (Episode #277): When running large brand awareness campaigns, create landing pages and CTAs that drive B2B actions. This bridges brand and performance marketing in a single campaign.
• Morgan Cole (Episode #315): Allocate marketing budget to build brand awareness among high-propensity accounts even without current intent signals, creating predictable pipeline growth 2+ quarters out.
• Tom Whatley (Episode #224): Achieved a 33% increase in user signups in 12 months by shifting SEO focus to bottom-of-funnel commercial and transactional keywords, directly capturing high-intent users.
• Andrew Davies (Episode #195): When your business model allows self-serve signup, eliminate gated content strategies and drive traffic directly to product signup.
• Marcy Comer (Episode #324): Commit to a 6-month content calendar focused on adjacent topics to circle the buyer—a demand creation rather than pure brand play.

Context dependency: The brand-first camp often cites the 90–97% out-of-market reality and category creation scenarios, while the integrated camp focuses on companies with established categories and measurable demand. However, both camps are addressing the same general B2B marketing context, making this a genuine strategic disagreement.

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3. Should a B2B podcast focus on your product/industry narrative or on your audience's broader needs?

Support summary: 4 vs 2

Both positions agree the podcast should serve the audience. The real tension is whether the podcast should be completely decoupled from product narrative or strategically aligned to it.

Position A — Audience needs, not product (4 supporters): A B2B podcast should be valuable to your target audience independent of your product. It should not be about selling your solution. If you find yourself steering episodes back to your product, scrap the concept and pivot.

• Jess Cook (Episodes #266 and #321): Create a podcast that is valuable to your target audience independent of your product. Focus on problems your audience faces. If you find yourself constantly steering episodes back to your product, scrap the concept and pivot—even days before launch.
• Dave Gerhardt (Episodes #189 and #137): A B2B podcast doesn't need to discuss your product or even your industry directly. Focus on topics that resonate with your target audience to build familiarity, trust, and brand affinity. Podcasts are not direct-response channels and won't generate immediate sales.

Position B — Audience needs with strategic alignment (2 supporters): The podcast should serve your audience's needs, but it should also be strategically aligned to a specific message or problem that connects to your company's positioning. Content should power multiple downstream formats to maximize ROI.

• Ryan Narod (Episode #330): Conduct podcast-style interviews with internal subject matter experts and external customers/non-customers aligned to a specific strategic message. Repurpose each interview into multiple formats.
• Katelyn Bourgoin (Episode #344): Build a repeatable content loop that reinforces your ownable idea. Content should always connect back to your core idea.

Why it matters: A podcast that feels like a product pitch will fail to build the trust and audience loyalty that makes podcasts valuable as brand assets; but a podcast with no strategic alignment may build audience without building pipeline.

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4. Should B2B brand building center on a single founder/executive voice or be distributed across many employee voices?

Support summary: 3 vs 3

Position A — Founder/single voice (3 supporters): Build marketing strategy around the founder's expertise, background, and unique perspective as the primary content asset. In the AI era, audiences are skeptical of generic content and trust human expertise and voice—the founder's authentic story is the most differentiated asset.

• Dave Gerhardt (Episode #319): Founders often have deep domain experience that becomes the most compelling marketing content. Rather than generic company messaging, surface the founder's authentic story, expertise, and insights as the primary content asset.
• Pranav Piyush (Episode #259): Post regularly on LinkedIn with authentic, strong points of view relevant to your ICP. This creates a low-cost, repeatable channel for founder-led brand building and can eventually drive significant inbound pipeline.
• Peep Laja (Episode #119): Peep's existing audience of 100k emails and 250–300k monthly website visits (built around his personal brand) drove the first 10,000 signups for Wynter before any paid acquisition.

Position B — Distributed multi-voice (3 supporters): Build brand around multiple employee voices rather than centralizing around one founder or executive. This creates a brand that's stronger than any individual, survives personnel changes, and scales reach far beyond what a single person can achieve.

• Dan Cmejla (Episode #134): Empower dozens or hundreds of employees to create content authentically rather than centralizing brand around one founder or executive. This creates a brand that's stronger than any individual and survives personnel changes.
• Ryan Narod (Episode #330): Hire people with distinctive personalities who are comfortable being on camera and being the face of the company. Author content under individual names with clear voice and style. Individual personalities become brand assets.
• Erin May (Episode #337): Amplify major campaigns by running incentivized contests where employees compete to get the most social shares. This extends reach beyond company channels by leveraging employee networks.

Context dependency: Founder-led brand building is most relevant for early-stage companies or solo founders, while distributed employee advocacy scales better for larger organizations. However, both camps include examples from companies of varying sizes, and the disagreement persists even within similar company stages.

Why it matters: Choosing between founder-led and distributed brand building determines your content org structure, hiring profile, and long-term brand resilience—a brand built entirely on one person is vulnerable to that person leaving or burning out.

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5. Should early-stage B2B companies invest heavily in SEO?

Support summary: 4 vs 1

Position A — No heavy SEO at seed stage (1 supporter): Seed-stage founders should not heavily invest in SEO because it is too time-intensive with a slow payoff. For early-stage companies, PR and brand mentions are more critical because being mentioned in publications can surface your startup in LLM answers quickly, even without traditional SEO rankings.

• Jess Lytle (Episode #319): Strategy varies by company stage: seed-stage founders should not heavily invest in SEO (too time-intensive with slow payoff), but Series A/B companies should increase SEO investment while simultaneously building AI search presence.

Position B — SEO as core early strategy (4 supporters): SEO and content-driven organic traffic should be a foundational marketing strategy. Building bottom-of-funnel SEO pages targeting commercial and transactional keywords can drive significant signup growth. Organic content is the core engine of B2B marketing strategy, not a supporting tactic.

• Tom Whatley (Episode #224): Pipedrive achieved a 33% increase in user signups in 12 months by shifting focus to bottom-of-funnel SEO keywords. Positions SEO-driven content as a direct signup driver, not just a long-term brand play.
• Marcy Comer (Episode #324): Recommends committing to a 6-month content calendar focused on 1–2 primary keywords and creating content for adjacent topics to build awareness and consideration.
• Dave Gerhardt (Episode #225): Positions organic content (including blog/SEO) as the core marketing strategy rather than one channel among many.
• Bruno Estrella (Episode #180): Leverage your product's data capabilities to build free tools that drive organic traffic through SEO while demonstrating your product's capabilities in action.

Context dependency: This disagreement is explicitly stage-dependent: Jess Lytle's advice is specifically for seed-stage companies, while the pro-SEO camp does not always specify stage. The disagreement partially dissolves if you account for company stage, but it remains a genuine disagreement for early-stage companies specifically.

Why it matters: For early-stage B2B companies with limited resources, choosing between SEO investment and PR/brand mentions determines where scarce time and budget go—and SEO has a notoriously long payoff horizon that may not suit pre-product-market-fit companies.

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What NOT To Do

Don't treat your company LinkedIn page as a primary engagement driver. Use it as a news ticker for company milestones and announcements, but focus real content strategy on personal profiles of 1–3 key executives. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #139)

Don't post only promotional content on LinkedIn. If every post is promotional, the channel won't work. Maintain a 5:1 or 6:1 ratio of value-add content to direct response content. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #171)

Don't evaluate LinkedIn ROI after 3 weeks. Commit to 6–12 months of consistent posting before drawing conclusions. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #171)

Don't gate content unless it is genuinely high-value and exclusive. Most gated content is mediocre, creating a bait-and-switch experience that damages the brand. (Source: Chelsea Castle, Episodes #262 and #172) (Note: contested—see Where Experts Disagree.)

Don't gate the first thing visitors see. If you must gate, place the gate after the prospect has experienced some value. (Source: Natalie Marcotullio, Episodes #178 and #122)

Don't build a podcast that steers every episode back to your product. If you find yourself doing this, scrap the concept and pivot. (Source: Jess Cook, Episode #266)

Don't rely solely on email for nurture. Incorporate multiple channels and signals: website retargeting, paid ads, podcast listening, video consumption, and other owned properties. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #129)

Don't build complex multi-step nurture flows before establishing a content strategy. A consistent content machine does much of the nurturing work automatically. (Source: Matt Carnevale, Episode #129)

Don't use stock photos or generic corporate content. Use real faces, authentic tone, and real personal details that signal you're a real person. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #214)

Don't author content under "the [Company] team." Author content under individual names with clear voice and style. (Source: Ryan Narod, Episode #330)

Don't use AI to generate email copy out-of-the-box without brand voice guidance. AI-generated email copy can feel generic. Focus AI on top-of-funnel activities that feed your email list, and use hybrid human-AI workflows with brand voice documentation. (Source: Alyssa, Episode #312; Eoin Clancy, Episode #326)

Don't optimize for analyst validation (Gartner, Forrester) over word-of-mouth. Focus messaging on resonating with digital-native audiences who discover products through peer recommendations and online communities. (Source: Kyle Coleman, Episode #206)

Don't abandon non-converting leads during buying slowdowns. Maintain relationship-building through content and thought leadership rather than aggressive sales tactics. (Source: Anthony Kennada, Episode #145)

Don't build a walled community platform without first establishing a shared identity. A walled community without underlying identity tends to die. (Source: Brian Kotlyar, Episode #118)

Don't spread marketing budget evenly across many small initiatives. Create 1–2 major "lightning strike" moments per year (or quarterly) that align product, marketing, and sales around a single focused effort. (Source: Kyle Coleman, Episode #123)

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Sources

Episode	Guest	Date
#347	Chris Cunningham	2026-04-16
#344	Katelyn Bourgoin	2026-04-07
#337	Erin May	2026-03-12
#330	Ryan Narod	2026-02-17
#326	Eoin Clancy	2026-02-04
#324	Dave Steer	2026-01-27
#324	Marcy Comer	2026-01-27
#321	Jess Cook	2026-01-15
#319	Jess Lytle	2026-01-08
#319	Dave Gerhardt	2026-01-08
#315	Jean Cameron	2025-12-25
#315	Morgan Cole	2025-12-25
#315	Lisa Cole	2025-12-25
#312	Alyssa	2025-12-15
#305	Brianna Doe	2025-11-20
#304	Tom Wentworth	2025-11-17
#280	Gurdeep Dhillon	2025-09-08
#277	Kristine Segrist	2025-08-28
#277	Emma Robinson	2025-08-28
#271	Dave Gerhardt	2025-08-07
#269	Andrei Țiț	2025-07-31
#266	Jess Cook	2025-07-21
#262	Chelsea Castle	2025-07-07
#259	Pranav Piyush	2025-06-26
#256	Sara McNamara	2025-06-19
#256	Dave Gerhardt	2025-06-19
#254	Dave Gerhardt	2025-06-12
#248	Jaleh Rezaei	2025-05-22
#244	Amanda Goetz	2025-05-08
#241	Jaina Mistry	2025-04-28
#228	Anthony Blatner	2025-03-17
#225	Dave Gerhardt	2025-03-06
#224	Tom Whatley	2025-03-03
#214	Dave Gerhardt	2025-01-27
#206	Kyle Coleman	2024-12-30
#205	Dave Gerhardt	2024-12-26
#203	Gurdeep Dhillon	2024-12-19
#201	John Short	2024-12-12
#196	Devin Reed	2024-11-25
#195	Andrew Davies	2024-11-21
#189	Dave Gerhardt	2024-10-31
#183	Madhav Bhandari	2024-10-10
#180	Bruno Estrella	2024-09-30
#178	Natalie Marcotullio	2024-09-23
#176	Natalie Marcotullio	2024-09-16
#174	Jared Fuller	2024-09-09
#172	Chelsea Castle	2024-09-02
#171	Tommy Clark	2024-08-29
#171	Dave Gerhardt	2024-08-29
#168	Jenn Herman	2024-08-19
#165	Emir Atli	2024-08-12
#157	Adam Robinson	2024-07-11
#156	Brad Zomick	2024-07-08
#156	Kait Stephens	2024-07-08
#152	Anthony Blatner	2024-06-24
#148	John Short	2024-06-10
#147	Dave Gerhardt	2024-06-06
#145	Anthony Kennada	2024-05-30
#141	Dave Gerhardt	2024-05-16
#139	Dave Gerhardt	2024-05-09
#137	Dave Gerhardt	2024-05-02
#136	Dave Gerhardt	2024-04-29
#134	Dan Cmejla	2024-04-22
#134	Dave Gerhardt	2024-04-22
#129	Dave Gerhardt	2024-04-04
#129	Matt Carnevale	2024-04-04
#123	Kyle Coleman	2024-03-11
#123	Dave Gerhardt	2024-03-11
#122	Natalie Marcotullio	2024-03-04
#121	Dave Gerhardt	2024-02-29
#119	Peep Laja	2024-02-22
#118	Brian Kotlyar	2024-02-19