Ross sits down with Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot, for a deep dive into AI’s impact on SEO, content strategy in a post-search world, and the real story behind the "HubSpot traffic drop.

Kieran breaks down why conversions—not clicks—have always been at the core of HubSpot’s strategy, how AI is reshaping team structures, and why co-citation and brand authority are the future of SEO. They also cover LLM optimization, the importance of tools in training sets, and what separates influential content from purely informational posts.

Plus: Why lazy AI marketers will fail, what The Hustle acquisition means for HubSpot’s media strategy, and how to build long-term influence through POV-driven content.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Did HubSpot Really Lose 80% of Blog Traffic?

02:00 – HubSpot’s Real Metrics: LTV: CAC, Not Just Clicks

04:00 – Google’s AI & the New Era of Search Disruption

06:00 – What Content Will Be Cannibalized by LLMs

08:00 – Influence or Information: Winning with Point of View

10:00 – From Links to Mentions: Co-Citation SEO Strategy

12:00 – Optimizing for LLMs: Citations, Not Just SERPs

14:00 – AI, Brand Authority & The Repetitional Layer

17:00 – Tools, Training Sets, and the Battle of Ideas

20:00 – Inside HubSpot’s Media Play: The Hustle, Podcasts & Creators

24:00 – Why Interactive Tools Still Work (If Done Right)

26:00 – Gated Content & Moving the “Free Line”

28:00 – New Team Models: Journalists, Generalists, and Engineers

32:00 – Kieran’s Leadership Framework: Manage Problems, Not People

35:00 – Contrarian Bet: Buying The Hustle & Building Influence

38:00 – Lessons from Zapier vs HubSpot’s Go-To-Market

40:00 – Why Lazy AI Marketers Will Fail

42:00 – Is M&A Still a Growth Lever for HubSpot?

44:00 – Final Thoughts & Where to Follow Kieran

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Show Links

Did Hubspot Lose 80% of Blog Traffic?

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBHoJMOkL6Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBHoJMOkL6Y)

Contrast Ratio by Siege Media

[https://www.siegemedia.com/contrast-ratio](https://www.siegemedia.com/contrast-ratio)

Interactive Content Data Use

[https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/content-marketing-trends#interactive-content](https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/content-marketing-trends#interactive-content)

The Hustle by HubSpot

[https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/page/1](https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/page/1)

Kieran Flanagan on LinkedIn

[https://linkedin.com/in/kieranjflanagan](https://linkedin.com/in/kieranjflanagan)

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