Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 481: AEO in B2B: Earning Your Spot in AI Answers

“How are we going to show up in LLMs?”

That’s the new CEO question keeping B2B CMOs on alert.

As AI-powered search reshapes how buyers find answers, B2B brands need a new organic strategy—Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). In this episode, Drew Neisser brings together two AEO trailblazers: Guy Yalif (Webflow) and Omer Gotlieb (Salespeak). Together, they tackle what it really takes to earn your place in AI answers. Forget keyword stuffing—this is about understanding how LLMs ingest, rank, and cite information, and how B2B marketers can respond now.

You’ll learn how to earn placement in AI-generated answers by mastering the four pillars of AEO:

1. Content: Answer real buyer questions clearly and concisely.
2. Technical: Make your site machine-readable.
3. Authority: Earn credibility where buyers AND models are looking.
4. Measurement: Track share of voice across critical questions, then iterate.

Also in this episode:

• What LLMs want—but often can’t find—on B2B websites
• How to build a question-driven content strategy using sales calls, support tickets, and win-loss data.
• Why share of voice (across buyer questions) is the new metric for AI visibility.
• How to serve two audiences at once: humans and machines

Whether you're losing traffic to AI summaries or just trying to future-proof your content strategy, this episode is your practical playbook for showing up when it matters most.

Join us at 2025’s CMO Super Huddle on November 7th in Palo Alto, where Webflow is a founding sponsor. In a panel on AEO, Guy will share how to get your brand found in AI-powered answers—plus, attendees will receive personalized AEO assessments.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“My last CMO failed me. How do I avoid hiring the wrong CMO?” asked a frustrated CEO from a health tech startup. The audience of nearly 100 marketers leaned in to see how the panelists would handle this lit grenade. Spicy answers to follow, perhaps exaggerated since I wasn’t recording.

Inside a CMO–CEO Disconnect

Let me set the stage. This was my 2nd panel of the evening at the GTM Leader Society Marketing Exec Salon in San Mateo, CA. Still on NY time, I was getting a little punchy. Not sure my fellow panelists could claim this excuse, but we all came out swinging.

First up, Jacob Warwick, master negotiator and founder of Think Warwick, jabbed in his stentorian voice, “How much of that problem is of your own making?” The CEO acknowledged that perhaps 50% of the blame was hers. [Okay, self-criticism is good.]

Then exec recruiting legend Kate Bullis of ZRG Partners asked in an impossibly friendly yet firm manner, “What is it that you wanted your CMO to do?” The CEO shared, “I wanted her to help grow the business.” [Not unreasonable.]

Hugh Marshall of Heidrick & Struggles, a powerhouse in his own right, weighed in with another tough question: “Do you think the CMO understood your vision?” The CEO paused and considered the question, and responded, “Look, I have a background in marketing, and I know most marketers can sell snow to Eskimos, so I should have known better. But this CMO didn’t get anything done.” [Hated hearing this part.]

Lessons from the Panel: What CMOs Must Do

Then it was my turn. Grabbing the mic from Hugh, I blurted, “Maybe you’re not ready for a CMO.” Recognizing that this sounded harsh, I continued, “At the startup stage, it’s fine for the CEO to run marketing – read Allyson Letteri’s book, The Standout Startup – I’m fairly certain she advises this approach.” “Just hire a demand gen person and get on with it,” I advised. [For the record, I couldn’t remember the name of the book on stage.]

The conversation then shifted to other questions closer to the announced topic, Strengthening Your Credibility with the Broader Exec Team. I don’t have space for all the wisdom shared by my esteemed colleagues, so here’s my TL;DR:

• CMOs must set and manage expectations
• CMOs must educate their colleagues on how and when marketing will impact the business
• Savvy CMOs share ownership of pipeline numbers with Sales and do everything they can to “make sales love them.”
• Savvy CMOs share brand tracking data AND revenue-related data in every board presentation (leading + lagging indicators)

Staying Warm in the Coldest Job

Asked to wrap things up, I encouraged the audience to consider the differential temperature inside and outside an Emperor penguin huddle in Antarctica – a mind-boggling 70°. CMOs need to protect themselves from the coldest job in the C-suite. So yes, I suggested they huddle with their fellow CMOs, to share, to care, and to dare each to greatness.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 479: Leading Beyond Marketing: The CMO+

CMO tenure is a hot topic. Everyone wants to know the secret to staying power.

One proven path is stepping out of the narrow marketing lane and showing up as more than the title suggests. Call it CMO+.

The challenge is figuring out what your “plus” will be and how to put it into practice.

To help you understand what CMO+ looks like in action, Nikhil Chawla (Resilience), Isabelle Papoulias (EliteOps), and Ali McCarthy (Amplify Your Voice Studio) share their own pluses, how they discovered them, and what changed when they leaned in. Each story is different, but the theme is the same: Credibility grows when CMOs contribute in ways that extend beyond marketing.

In this episode:

• Nikhil on adding customer voice as his plus, linking post-sale and product, and feeding live feedback into roadmap and revenue calls.
• Isabelle on bringing operations into marketing, using V2MOM to align goals, resources, and execution across sales, enablement, finance, and ops.
• Ali on leading with emotional intelligence, coaching leaders to read the room, ease friction, and keep teams focused on the customer journey.

Plus:

• How to spot the plus that fits both your strengths and your company’s needs
• Why credibility comes from saying yes to the right opportunities
• The link between curiosity, influence, and long-term career resilience
• How CMOs expand their impact without burning out

If you’re ready to grow your role beyond marketing, this one’s for you!

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“I’m struggling to understand CMOs,” shared a co-founder of a martech company, adding, “I mean, how is LinkedIn followership a top priority?” He then shared a screen grab with a CMO’s boast about follower growth. Fortunately, this was a text thread, so I could pause and think about this from multiple angles...

The Problem With Follower Obsession

At first glance, follower growth appears to be a classic CMO vanity metric.

Like site traffic and leads, followers of the company’s LinkedIn page are a far cry from SQOs and revenue. Given the limited organic reach that LinkedIn provides for brand posts, it’s unclear whether a larger follower count equals greater reach. Depending on the mix of new followers, it’s quite possible that engagement rates (and reach) will actually drop over time.

So, where is the business value in LinkedIn follower growth of company accounts?

Honestly, I'm not sure. It’s definitely not the same as an increase in newsletter subscribers, since typically open rates remain consistent, assuming you’re attracting the right target. More subscribers, more reach.

And reach does have business value. The 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report highlights the hidden buyer phenomenon and the need to reach a much broader audience to persuade the whole buying committee.

When LinkedIn Growth Actually Means Something

Can’t you find one positive in growing LinkedIn followers?

Yes! Assuming this growth is not driven by ads, it is a clear indication that the company’s LinkedIn posts are resonating with its target. In other words, that company’s content is above average and getting noticed. And that doesn’t suck.

Would you recommend that other CMOs put energy here?

Absolutely not. There’s one important statistic that every business should acknowledge. LinkedIn posts from individuals garner 5 times the organic engagement of corporate posts. 5X. To increase your company's exposure on LinkedIn, help your executives to post thoughtfully multiple times a week. This will drive a dramatic increase in reach.

But seriously, does anyone care about individual content anymore? Isn’t everyone just watching TikTok videos?

First, short videos rock, and viewership is skyrocketing across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. So, help your execs create short vertical videos. However, and more importantly, high-quality thought leadership remains crucial. According to the LinkedIn/Edelman study, 95% of hidden buyers say that high-quality thought leadership makes them more receptive to sales and marketing outreach.”

So, Do Followers Matter After All?

Given this last statement, our boasting CMO may be gaining more corporate followers due to the consistent “high-quality thought leadership” they are producing. In which case, there may indeed be significant business value hidden in this otherwise seemingly insignificant metric. Yes, I just waffled.

Having come full circle, I told the CEO, “Yup, you may not always understand CMOs, but God bless you for trying!”

Written by Drew Neisser

“I’m done being an operator,” shared a 3x CMO with an extraordinary track record of driving double-digit growth year after year. Fresh out of a tech company that grew from $100 to $300 million in 4 years, he lamented, “The job just stopped being fun.” I nodded empathetically and pondered, Why does this keep happening to highly competent CMOs, and what, if anything, can be done about it?

The Great CMO Burnout is real.

And it's not just about long hours or demanding CEOs. It's about brilliant marketers getting buried under operational quicksand—drowning in budget reconciliations, vendor negotiations, and endless attribution debates while the strategic thinking that got them hired gets pushed to nights and weekends.

Too Much Ops, Too Little Strategy

Most CMOs spend 70% of their time on tasks that don't require a CMO.

Let me say that again. Most CMOs spend 70% of their time on tasks that don't require a CMO. They're debugging marketing automation, reviewing keyword buys with junior reps from the PE-firm, and sitting through vendor demos for tools that promise to solve problems they didn't know they had. Meanwhile, the board wonders why marketing isn't driving more strategic value.

The promotion trap is killing marketing leadership.

Here's the cruel irony: the better you get at marketing, the more operational responsibilities get dumped on your plate. You start as a strategic thinker who can craft compelling narratives and identify untapped growth opportunities. But success means bigger budgets, which means more vendors, which means more meetings about meetings. Before you know it, you're a glorified project manager with a marketing title.

Delegation as a Lifeline

The solution isn't more hours—it's radical delegation.

Smart CMOs are building mini-COOs within their marketing organizations. Call them Marketing Operations Directors, Revenue Operations Managers, or Chief of Staff—whatever works. The point is creating a buffer between strategic thinking and operational execution.

One recovering CMO told me, "I hired someone whose job was literally to go to meetings I didn't need to be in. Best investment I ever made."

Protecting Strategic Time

Reclaim your Mondays (and your sanity).

Block every Monday morning for strategic thinking. No meetings, no Slack, no email. Just you, a whiteboard, and the big questions: Where are we winning? Where are we losing? What bets should we make next quarter?

The operational stuff will still be there on Monday afternoon. But your ability to think strategically? That disappears the moment you let urgency crowd out importance.

Bottom Line

If you're not having fun, take a break. Then rejigger your schedule so you're just focused on the big stuff.

The most successful CMOs I know protect their strategic thinking time as if it were their most valuable asset. Because it is. Your team can execute campaigns, optimize funnels, and manage vendors. But they can't replace your ability to see around corners and connect dots that others miss.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 477: Retention as Your Revenue Engine

Putting the customer at the center has been preached for years, yet too often, B2B marketers are told to chase net new logos and leave expansion for someone else. That approach leaves growth on the table. Delighted customers are your advocates, your storytellers, your engine for long-term success.

Every company says it listens to customers. In this conversation, Drew and guests Allyson Havener (HG Insights), JD Dillon (Tigo Energy), and Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue) show how listening turns into concrete action, how feedback becomes a system, and how customer voices drive lasting growth.

In this episode:

• Allyson on how reviews, surveys, and customer spotlights at TrustRadius feed marketing and influence buying decisions early
• JD on how Tigo’s Green Glove Program creates loyalty through installer support and a seal of quality
• Alan on why retention is a financial driver CMOs must track as closely as revenue

Plus:

• Why framing churn as retention keeps teams motivated
• How to bring the customer voice into leadership discussions
• The metrics that capture customer impact, from adoption to earned growth
• How to operationalize cross-functional alignment around the customer

Catch this episode to hear how customer voices shape strategy, culture, and growth.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 476: GenAI Isn’t a Toy—It’s a Culture Shift

Adopting AI isn’t about tools. It’s about trust, training, and transformation. And yes, about CMO’s getting their hands on the keyboard.

In this Huddles Quick Take, GenAI consultants Tahnee Perry and Liza Adams break down the most common mistakes CMOs make when rolling out GenAI—from skipping change management to misunderstanding what “hands-on” really means for leaders.

They also share practical use cases (like reducing a six-week video workflow to two) and explain why a great AI strategy is rooted in empathy, context, and curiosity—not just efficiency.

In this episode:

• Why productivity gains mean nothing without training and team buy-in
• The difference between thought partnership and bad prompting
• What to measure when making the case for GenAI investment

Join us

Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com.

“A top consulting firm recommended a reorg and now our CMO reports to the CRO,” shared a stunned senior executive from a S&P 500 company. A funeral dirge drummed in my head not just for the CMO but for their whole department. Rant to follow.

A Demotion in Disguise

When a CMO reports to a CRO after having reported to the CEO, that’s a demotion.

And a demoralizing demotion at that. The CMO has to explain to their team why their department no longer has a seat at the executive table. And how do you do that when you can’t explain it to yourself? Most self-respecting CMOs will pretend to accept the decision publicly while privately alerting their favorite recruiters that they’re ready to move on.

CMO Exit Countdown

Most likely, that CMO will leave in the next 6 months.

That will hurt the company a lot more than they realize. First, finding a qualified CMO to replace the old one will be time-consuming and expensive. Second, experienced CMOs, who are accustomed to having a seat at the “grown up's” table, won’t take a job that reports to a CRO. Third, it will take the new CMO time to get up to speed, and inevitably, they will make mistakes that the former CMO wouldn’t have. And finally, key staffers will also seek new opportunities, perhaps following their former CMO to their next gig. They’ll want to work at a place that respects marketing as a critical growth lever.

The CRO Problem

Most CROs have no experience in marketing.

Let me say that again. Most CROs have no experience in marketing. They are salespeople. Maybe even great salespeople. They could sell ice to penguins. No doubt, they are effective hunters and closers. They may even understand the inherent benefits of selling a product or service that is better known than competitors. But they sure as heck don’t know what it takes to build a marketing engine or run a highly diverse team with varied expertise (brand, martech, comms, content, product marketing, websites, etc).

Even a Former CMO Doesn’t Fix This

If the CRO is a former CMO, does that change the discussion?

Not really. Even if that particular CRO has a great understanding and appreciation for marketing, it doesn’t change the fact that the CMO is no longer part of the leadership team driving strategy. It might even be a fantastic job for many marketers. It’s just not a CMO role. Call it a VP of Marketing. And there’s nothing wrong with that title.

Is There More to Debate Here?

Perhaps. Last month my friend Erica Seidel tackled this topic with Daniel Incancela and Sandra Lopez (here’s an article on that). The discussion centered on the five critical considerations for CMOs before accepting this unacceptable reporting structure.

Written by Drew Neisser

CMO Huddles Names HG Insights as Official GTM Partner

Partnership empowers B2B CMOs with unparalleled market intelligence to accelerate growth

New York, NY — [September 8, 2026] — CMO Huddles, the #1 B2B CMO Community where savvy CMOs learn, network, and build their brands, today announced HG Insights as its official Go-to-Market (GTM) partner. HG Insights, the global leader in Revenue Growth Intelligence, equips organizations with actionable insights to drive revenue growth, reduce risk, and win more deals.

Through this partnership, CMO Huddles’ 500+ members, representing some of the world’s most innovative B2B brands, will gain access to HG Insights’ expertise, data, and thought leadership on GTM excellence. The collaboration underscores CMO Huddles’ commitment to arming CMOs with not only peer-driven learning and support but also cutting-edge resources to help them make smarter decisions in an increasingly complex market.

“At CMO Huddles, our mission is to make B2B CMOs the most effective executives in the C-Suite,” said Drew Neisser, Founder & CEO of CMO Huddles. “HG Insights is the perfect GTM partner for our community—helping Huddlers sharpen their strategies with the kind of precision data and intelligence that today’s fast-changing environment demands.”

“We are thrilled to partner with CMO Huddles and support the world’s top B2B CMOs,” said Shekar Heriharan, SVP Marketing at HG Insights. “By combining HG Insights’ market, account, and buyer intelligence with the collaborative power of the CMO Huddles community, we can help marketing leaders uncover the smartest paths to revenue growth.”

As the official GTM partner, HG Insights will be featured at CMO Huddles programming throughout the year, including Peer Huddles, Bonus Huddles, Dinner Huddles in multiple markets, panels during Dreamforce (October 14-16, 2025) and the flagship CMO Super Huddle on November 6-7, 2025, in Palo Alto, CA. The collaboration will also deliver exclusive content, research, and practical frameworks for CMO Huddles members.

About CMO Huddles

CMO Huddles is the only marketing community dedicated exclusively to B2B CMOs. Built on a foundation of Share, Care, Dare, the community unites marketing leaders through expertly moderated Huddles, curated peer-matching, and exclusive PR opportunities. With over 500 members across industries, CMO Huddles empowers CMOs to solve challenges faster, expand their networks, and be flocking awesome. CMO Huddles proudly donates 1% of revenue to the Global Penguin Society. Learn more at www.cmohuddles.com.

Media contact:
Drew Neisser
CEO & Founder, CMO Huddles
drew@cmohuddles.com 

About HG Insights

HG Insights delivers AI-powered Revenue Growth Intelligence (RGI) that transforms how B2B technology companies go to market. HG Insights solutions provide comprehensive market, account, and buyer insights; signal-triggered workflows; and in-market leads to help leaders modernize GTM decision-making and efficiently identify, engage, and win the most promising opportunities. 

AI-driven analytics, copilots, and agents empower marketing, RevOps, sales, and strategy teams to:

• Streamline market analyses

• Leverage deep account and buyer intent details

• Optimize campaigns and sales execution

All of this is powered by billions of market data points covering 22,000+ technologies across 20 million companies worldwide.

That’s why 95% of Fortune 1000 B2B tech companies and all major hyperscalers rely on HG Insights to help increase pipeline, accelerate revenue, and drive GTM success. 

For more information, visit www.hginsights.com.

Media contact:
Shekar Hariharan
SVP Marketing, HG Insights
shekar.hariharan@hginsights.com
(650) 868-1071

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 475: Customer Centricity: The Art of Picking Favorites

Most marketers still treat all customers like they’re created equal. Spoiler: they’re not. Some will buy once and vanish, others will stick with you for years and fuel your growth. The challenge and opportunity is learning to tell the difference, predicting their future value, and acting accordingly.

That’s where Wharton professor and The Customer Centricity Playbook co-author Peter Fader comes in. He shows why real growth starts with admitting that not every customer is equally valuable, then using lifetime value as the north star for smarter acquisition, retention, and development moves. Forget chasing volume or squeezing acquisition costs. Peter makes the case for putting your chips on the customers who matter most and letting their behaviors guide your strategy.

In this episode:

• Why chasing “average” customer value hides real growth
• How lifetime value sharpens acquisition, retention, and upsell
• The blind spots of treating CPA as a north star

Plus:

• What B2B and B2C leaders can borrow from each other’s strengths
• How sticky offerings reveal your best customers
• Why performance metrics must connect to customer value
• How customer-based valuation is “reshaping how finance values companies

If you want to see how lifetime value separates your best customers from the rest and why that changes everything, this one’s for you.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/