The Exit Five Podcast

By Exit FiveBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing

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Typical duration
47 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

The Exit Five Podcast episodes

September 14How One Agency Turns One Shoot Day Into 50-Plus Video Ads (With Connor Lewis of Studio Lewis)
#390 | Dasha sits down with Connor Lewis, founder of Studio Lewis, who's produced 800+ B2B video ads for ClickUp, Zapier, and Ahrefs. Connor gives away the formula he tells everyone to copy. Plus, the system he uses to turn customer research into a dozen testable scripts. He breaks down three real ads on the record (why Monday.com's Viking ad works, and where the classic motion-graphics launch video actually belongs). He also explains how he got 56 ads out of a single shoot day using hook alternates and the three proof points that get video budget approved, and why he won't put AI-generated video on the feed.

Timestamps
(00:00) - Intro
(07:51) - Good Ad, Bad Ad: Three Examples Broken Down
(18:03) - Why an Ad Doesn't Land
(23:08) - Script Blocks: Turning Customer Language Into Scripts
(29:54) - The Formula to Copy If You're Starting Out
(32:33) - Human Ads vs Motion Graphics
(34:49) - Structuring a 12 Hour Shoot Day
(38:01) - How Six Creatives Became 56 Ads
(40:37) - Where AI Belongs in Video Production
(45:00) - Getting Video Budget Approved and What It Costs
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
55 min
September 10What to do when Organic Traffic Drops (with Kristina Frunze, Webview SEO)
#389 | Dasha sits down with Kristina Frunze, founder of WebView SEO, who's spent 10 years in SEO and the last 3 running experiments on AI visibility for B2B SaaS. Kristina gives away the framework she uses with every client – SEO is the foundation, AI search is the roof. Plus, the 60/20/20 content split that puts the bottom of funnel pages first. Kristina also talks through the 3-layer attribution model she uses to show leadership what the work is doing when organic clicks are down. She walks through a full client case study on the record (a construction tech company that tripled AI overview citations in six months and lifted bottom of funnel visibility 46%). She also explains the 5-step checklist that makes content worth citing, and why she scores every competitor against real criteria before publishing a comparison page. Also: the Reddit strategy that got her clients' comments wiped out and what replaced it, and why she now believes AI search depends more on off page than on page.

Timestamps
(00:00) - Intro
(03:05) - Decoding SEO, AEO, and GEO
(06:41) - Reframing a Traffic Drop Around Leads
(08:06) - The 60/20/20 Content Split
(14:20) - Three Layers of Visibility Attribution
(21:07) - Tracking AI Traffic Inside GA4
(26:46) - The Checklist for Content LLMs Will Cite
(31:08) - Case Study: Tripling AI Citations in Six Months
(44:26) - The Reddit Strategy That Got Wiped Out
(47:08) - Why Off Page Now Beats On Page
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
51 min
September 08Why B2B Marketers Need to Start Thinking Like Media Companies with Melissa Rosenthal
#388 | Dave sits down with Melissa Rosenthal, co-founder of Outlever and former CCO at ClickUp, CRO at Cheddar, and VP of Creative at BuzzFeed, to talk about why most B2B content strategies fail because they're measured like ad campaigns instead of built like an actual media outlet. Melissa breaks down how she trains writers to think like journalists instead of bloggers, why third-party trade publications tend to outperform company blogs, and what it actually takes to run a media operation instead of just posting content. They also get into her wild LinkedIn distribution playbook - five posts a day, no rules followed - and whether AI can ever replace real editorial judgment.
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Today's guest: Melissa Rosenthal, co-founder of Outlever
(01:58) - - From Buzzfeed to Cheddar to ClickUp
(06:33) - - Why most B2B content strategies get abandoned too soon
(09:20) - - The B2B companies actually winning at content right now
(10:32) - - What building a real media company looks like from the inside
(12:22) - - Training writers to think like journalists, not bloggers
(16:48) - - Should your content live on your own site or somewhere else
(21:57) - - Why separating the newsroom from marketing makes content credible
(24:55) - - Her LinkedIn playbook: five posts a day and breaking every rule
(26:23) - - Why the biggest wins never show up in the analytics
(28:36) - - The obvious question nobody in B2B wants to answer
(32:18) - - Can AI ever replace real editorial judgment
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
38 min
September 03Writing for Humans: The Real AI Workflows Behind Great B2B Content
#387 | Six B2B marketers share tactical plays for using AI to make content that doesn't sound like AI. This Exit Five Live session breaks down a set of specialized agents that lifted blog traffic 700% in six months, a 23-step agent that researches and writes AEO content straight into WordPress, and the winning play: turning original survey data into an ownable narrative. Also on the agenda: a structured review process that replaces vibes-only QA, a Claude skill trained on stakeholder feedback so drafts land pre-aligned, and five rules for using AI to learn faster without outsourcing your thinking. One thing the full group agreed on: the human stays in the loop.

Timestamps
(00:00) - - Intro and the Exit Five Live Format
(03:47) - - Meet the Lineup
(07:38) - - Build a Digital Team of Specialized AI Agents
(14:33) - - Before the Prompt and After the Prompt
(21:42) - - A 23-Step Agent That Writes AEO Content for LLMs
(30:11) - - Turn Original Research Into a Content Differentiator
(33:20) - - Treat Your Edits as Training Data
(35:55) - - Faster to Content and Faster to Internal Buy-In
(43:19) - - Rules for Learning With AI
(49:16) - - The Winning Play
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
53 min
August 31B2B Ads that Don't Suck (with Shlomo Genchin, Unbore.com)
#386 | When your ad budget is zero but your creative ambition isn't, three simple techniques can still make you scroll-stopping. Dasha Shakov sits down with Shlomo Genchin, founder of unbore.com, the "unofficial school for B2B ads," to break down what actually makes a B2B ad good. Shlomo walks through his two-part research process for beating the blank page, then unpacks three frameworks - A World Without, Visual Analogy, and Personification - behind some of his highest-performing client campaigns. They also get into hiring actors on a budget, winning over a nervous CEO, and why Shlomo believes advertising should follow culture instead of trying to lead it. Plus his honest take on where AI actually helps and where it still falls flat.
Tools & swipe files
reddit.com/answers
adfolio.design
blackcamel.agency/b2b-video-ads-library
Ads referenced (but not shown)
Fibbler’s AI ad

Timestamps
(00:00) - - Welcome: Shlomo Genchin
(01:51) - - How ad school and B2B's "Wild West" pulled Shlomo out of the agency world
(07:05) - - Beating the blank page: practical research vs. personal research
(13:15) - - The biggest myths about creativity, and how to "steal like an artist"
(16:29) - - The three pillars of a great B2B ad, and technique #1: World Without
(21:35) - - Technique #2: Visual analogy, and why a winning ad can run for years
(29:45) - - Technique #3: Personification, and how to hire actors on a budget
(38:05) - - Getting a nervous leadership team to say yes to a fun idea
(42:04) - - AI philosophy: why advertising should follow culture, not lead it
(46:11) - - The highest-leverage move for a team with zero ad budget
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
50 min
August 27How to Win with Webinars: 5 B2B Marketing Pros Share Revenue-Driving Plays
#385 | Five B2B marketers share their single best-performing webinar play - with the real numbers to back it up. This Exit Five Live session breaks down the exact tactics behind a signup flow that 5x'd conversions, a post-webinar follow-up system that closed $1M in pipeline in a week, and a series format built to compound results instead of resetting with every session. You'll also get a look at running a webinar program like an in-person conference, and how to borrow an influencer's audience to solve the cold-start problem. Real plays, receipts, and step-by-step mechanics you can steal for your own program.
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Why Exit Five Live exists, and today's webinar bracket format
(06:01) - - Turning the thank-you page into a qualifying survey to 5x conversions
(13:06) - - Building a webinar series that compounds instead of resetting each time
(20:01) - - The post-webinar follow-up system that closed $1M in pipeline in a week
(23:14) - - Building AI agents to personalize that follow-up at scale
(27:31) - - Structuring a webinar series like an in-person conference
(33:09) - - Borrowing an influencer's audience to solve the cold-start problem
(35:55) - - Automating content repurposing from one webinar transcript
(40:09) - - Why first-party research is the real lead magnet
(40:49) - - Live vote, the winning play, and closing announcements
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
47 min
August 24Marketing to B2B buyers who aren't on LinkedIn (with Clare Corriveau, VP Marketing, Tekmetric)
#384 | A lot of people say B2B marketing is boring - those people couldn't possibly be in B2B. Take Clare Corriveau, VP of Marketing at Tekmetric: her buyer is an auto repair shop owner who isn't on LinkedIn, doesn't check email, and isn't downloading anything. Clare walks through how Tekmetric built its messaging around a founder who ran a shop for a decade, why every new hire visits an actual shop before touching a campaign, and how peer groups and an unmanaged 6,000-member Facebook community became a real lever in the company's growth engine. This episode focuses on marketing to an overlooked B2B category, and the huge upside that comes with it. The opportunity is anything but boring.
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Why "boring" B2B categories are actually the biggest opportunity
(06:00) - - Why a founder who ran a shop for 10 years shapes every messaging decision
(11:00) - - Events at scale: 100+ a year, plus a 1,000-person first-time conference
(17:00) - - What the VP of Marketing job really is
(21:00) - - Hiring humans when everyone is saying AI will replace them
(24:00) - - Betting on channels the team almost skipped: Bing and Facebook
(26:00) - - Peer groups and a 6,000 member Facebook community
(30:00) - - How to get customers to love, support, and defend your brand
(37:00) - - The real competitor is status quo
(38:00) - - Why new hires visit a real shop before they touch a campaign
(45:00) - - The opportunity: 5% market share in a category growing 50% a year
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
47 min
August 20YouTube for B2B Marketing (with Samu Kovács)
#383 | YouTube is the second-largest search engine on the planet, yet few B2B marketers know how to use it optimally. Dasha Shakov, the newest Exit Five podcast host, sits down with Samu Kovács, founder of the B2B YouTube agency KS Media, to unpack why he calls YouTube the hedge against AI slop. Samu breaks down the research process his team runs before writing a script, what belongs in a hook that keeps people watching, and how clients repurpose high-performing LinkedIn posts into YouTube videos instead of starting from zero. They also cover the realistic 90-day timeline for results, how to tell if YouTube is lifting your other channels, and the exact AI stack his team uses for scripting and thumbnails.
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Why YouTube is B2B marketing's hedge against AI slop
(02:19) - - Who hires a B2B YouTube agency, and why YouTube still scares most marketers
(06:26) - - The direct and indirect ROI of nailing YouTube
(08:33) - - Where YouTube fits in the funnel, and when a niche is too small for it
(13:33) - - Mapping ICP pain points, then reverse-engineering proven video formats
(19:54) - - Doing the research yourself, and diagnosing a failed YouTube strategy
(22:39) - - The hook, the structure, and repurposing LinkedIn content into scripts
(33:09) - - Publishing cadence and the realistic 90-day timeline
(35:44) - - Shortening sales cycles and proving YouTube's impact across channels
(39:42) - - Where AI fits in the process, from research to scripting to editing
(44:22) - - Samu's exact AI model stack
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
48 min
August 17From Startup to IPO: How the CMO of Varonis Has Kept the Same Job for 15 Years, ft. Rob Sobers
#382 | Rob Sobers has been CMO of Varonis for 15 years - through its growth from startup to public company doing over $700 million in revenue. Dave talks with Rob about how he's stayed sharp enough to keep the job this long, starting with the fact that as an engineer, he still writes JavaScript and even fixes bugs on the Varonis website from time to time. Rob explains why no manager on his team oversees work they don't do themselves, why he'd rather keep marketing simple than layer on complexity as the company scales, and his "reasonableness test" for deciding which programs don't need to be forced into a pipeline number. They also cover his approach to saying no to his own team, and why longevity gives him a wider lens on the business.
Ever listen to our podcast and think: "Exit Five should feature me"? This is your opportunity to get in front of 40k+ B2B marketers, including CMOs, VPs, and marketing leaders, who are looking for talent, inspiration, and ideas to improve their marketing.
Apply to the Experts Network for a chance to be our next podcast guest.
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Meet Rob Sobers, CMO of Varonis for 15 years
(01:18) - - Why Rob still writes JavaScript and fixes bugs on the website
(05:06) - - Learning a new marketing discipline every time he was out of his depth
(05:55) - - Why there are no career middle managers on the Varonis marketing team
(07:24) - - The communication tax of overstaffing a team
(09:59) - - Keeping goals dead simple: opportunity creation as the north star metric
(14:28) - - Getting good at saying no to his own team, but not too good
(18:02) - - The reasonableness test: why not everything needs a pipeline number
(20:49) - - Reverse-engineering the marketing budget from the revenue number
(23:04) - - What separates a CMO from a VP of Marketing
(26:26) - - The ClickUp $1M "one-person marketing team" debate
(35:26) - - Marketing to skeptical CISOs, acquisitions, and why B2B brands need a mascot
Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:
Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.
Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.
Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.
Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.
Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.
***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more
52 min
August 13The Strategy Behind Canva’s B2B Growth with Emma Robinson and Kristine Segrist
#381 | Dave sits down with Emma Robinson, Head of B2B Marketing at Canva, and Christine Siegrist, VP of Consumer Marketing at Canva, to talk about how the two teams operate as one org instead of fighting over lead credit. They get into Canva's matrixed structure across consumer, B2B, and international, how signals from free users turn into team and enterprise upgrades, and why Canva built a dedicated data science team so marketers can make bigger creative bets instead of smaller, "provable" ones. They also unpack the Love Your Work campaign, why out-of-home ads make a consumer brand feel legitimate to enterprise buyers, and the lessons Emma and Christine carried over from their time at Google and Meta.
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49 min

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The #1 resource for B2B marketing professionals. Each week, hosts Dave Gerhardt and Dasha Shakov sit down with B2B marketers to break down everything from strategy and leadership to the channels and tactics that drive growth, plus what it takes to build a career in marketing. You'll find real ideas you can put to work right away, and the gut check and inspiration to keep getting better at your job.