How I Grew This: Real Stories of Digital Growth Podcast Por Branch arte de portada

How I Grew This: Real Stories of Digital Growth

How I Grew This: Real Stories of Digital Growth

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How I Grew This is a podcast hosted by Amanda Vandiver and Adam Landis exploring the real stories behind digital growth. Each episode features candid conversations with leaders in marketing, product, and tech about how they built, scaled, and navigated challenges in an ever-changing digital landscape. From breakthrough strategies to hard-earned lessons, guests share what actually worked—and what didn’t—along the way.2026 Branch Metrics Desarrollo Personal Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo Marketing Marketing y Ventas Éxito Personal
Episodios
  • Reclaim Your Brand Voice and Rise Above the AI Slop with Chris Silvestri

    Reclaim Your Brand Voice and Rise Above the AI Slop with Chris Silvestri
    Apr 9 2026
    What if your messaging could be the infrastructure powering growth instead of just surface-level copy? In this episode of How I Groove This, hosts Amanda and Adam sit down with Chris Silvestri, Founder of Conversion Alchemy, to explore why research and strategy matter more than writing, how to craft messaging that cuts through AI slop and sameness, and the key strategies to balance point of view with value-driven messaging. Whether you're building a brand, launching a product, or navigating the creator economy, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on positioning, personalization, and preparing your messaging for the future of AI agents. Tune in to discover how to make your brand truly stand out. What You’ll Learn: How to Reframe Copywriting as 70% Research and Strategy, Not WritingThe Point-of-View + Value Messaging FrameworkHow to Extract Voice-of-Customer Language Before AI Touches Your CopyWhy Message-Market Fit Matters More Than Message-Product FitThe Three-Layer Research BlueprintHow to Recognize and Avoid AI Slop in Your Brand CommunicationWhy You Need to Validate Messaging Before LaunchHow to Adapt Your Messaging for the AI Agent Economy About the Guest(s): Chris Silvestri is the Founder of Conversion Alchemy, a strategic messaging consultancy that helps B2B and B2C companies clarify their positioning and craft compelling copy that drives conversions. With a unique background spanning over a decade as a software engineer in industrial automation and UX design, Chris brings a technical, infrastructure-focused approach to messaging strategy that goes far beyond surface-level copywriting. In this episode, Chris shares how to balance point of view with value-driven messaging, leverage AI without falling into generic "slop," and adapt your communication strategy for an increasingly attention-scarce market. His methodologies for research, positioning, and testing provide actionable frameworks for organizations looking to stand out authentically and connect meaningfully with their audiences in a crowded digital landscape. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here. Episode Highlights: [00:05:46] Reframe Copywriting as 70% Research and Strategy, Not Writing - Chris reveals that in today's AI-driven world, the mechanical act of writing now represents only 10% of his copywriting work, while research comprises 70% and strategy comprises 20%. This shift is critical because most companies and marketers assume copy is the primary deliverable, missing the foundation that makes copy effective. Without thorough research into internal alignment, customer needs, and competitive positioning, even the most eloquent copy falls flat. The process begins with internal research across product, marketing, support, and customer success teams to identify messaging inconsistencies that undermine brand coherence. Next, external research examines how customers experience transformation through your product, combined with market research analyzing competitor positioning and messaging approaches. This strategic foundation ensures that when copy is finally written, it emerges naturally from deep customer and market understanding rather than guesswork. [00:09:37] Balance Point-of-View with Value-Driven Messaging to Generate Genuine Attention - Chris explains that most companies excel at either showcasing a strong industry perspective or communicating customer value, but rarely balance both effectively—and this imbalance is precisely why they sound generic and forgettable. To create distinctive messaging, ask your team provocative questions like "What misconceptions in your industry drive you crazy?" and "What lies do you want to expose with your product?" These insights form your hook—a unique point of view that makes prospects think "You understand me." However, a strong opinion alone won't convert; you must pair it with clear value messaging that answers "What's in it for me?" When both elements carry equal weight, your messaging becomes a seesaw in perfect balance, generating the attention and engagement competitors cannot replicate. For B2C brands, this point of view shifts from industry-focused to customer-experience-focused, using vivid examples of how your product transforms daily life. [00:17:08] Absorb Customer Language Before Feeding Data to AI Tools - Chris emphasizes that the most common mistake brands make when using AI for messaging is feeding customer data directly into AI models without first deeply absorbing that voice themselves. Before running 500 customer reviews through AI, Chris personally reads every single one to internalize the authentic language, emotions, and concerns customers express naturally. This human-first approach creates an intuitive foundation that allows him to edit and refine AI-generated copy with confidence and accuracy, ensuring it reflects ...
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    31 m
  • Building Through Every Ad Tech Era: AI, Attribution, and What’s Next with Ionut Ciobotaru

    Building Through Every Ad Tech Era: AI, Attribution, and What’s Next with Ionut Ciobotaru
    Mar 19 2026
    What if the future of performance marketing wasn't about controlling every detail, but about measuring what matters and experimenting beyond the obvious channels? In this episode of How I Grew This, Amanda and Adam sit down with Ionut Ciobotaru, CEO and Co-founder of Hypd.ai, to explore why measurement is the foundation of marketing success, how AI agents are reshaping advertiser workflows, and the untapped channels that savvy marketers should be exploring next. From building PubNative into an ad tech powerhouse to launching a pretzel bakery in Berlin, Ionut shares hard-won lessons about pivoting, scaling, and knowing when to double down. Whether you're optimizing a single channel or managing complex multi-platform campaigns, this conversation is packed with strategic insights to help you allocate your budget smarter and stay ahead of the curve. Tune in to discover why your next competitive advantage might lie in channels you haven't considered yet. What You’ll Learn: How to identify and capitalize on emerging technology wavesWhy pivoting your core product based on market realities is essential for survivalThe "international advantage" of digital-native businessesHow to structure acquisitions and integrations for maximum valueWhy measurement and attribution must come before experimentation in performance marketingHow AI agents will unlock access to fragmented, non-programmatic channels About the Guest(s): Ionut Ciobotaru is a serial entrepreneur and AI-driven performance marketing innovator, currently building Hypd.ai, an AI agent platform designed to streamline marketing operations across multiple advertising channels. With a distinguished career spanning mobile ad tech, programmatic advertising, and strategic business scaling, Ionut co-founded PubNative—a native mobile ad network that was acquired by MGI (now Verve Group)—where he served as Co-CEO overseeing significant M&A integration and product development. In this episode, Ionut shares hard-won insights on building successful ad tech ventures, navigating complex acquisitions, and leveraging AI to solve real-world challenges facing modern performance marketers. His deep expertise in channel innovation, measurement attribution, and emerging advertising platforms provides actionable strategies for entrepreneurs and marketers looking to stay ahead in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape. Whether discussing the evolution from mobile-first advertising to today's omnichannel environment, or the future of AI-powered marketing automation, Ionut's perspective offers invaluable guidance for those seeking to drive measurable business growth. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here. Episode Highlights: [00:01:06] Recognize Technology Inflection Points Before the Market Saturates - Ionut's early career demonstrates the power of identifying emerging tech waves—he moved from web to mobile specifically because he recognized the iPhone represented a fundamental shift in how users would access digital experiences. Rather than starting his mobile venture in Romania where the infrastructure didn't support it, he strategically relocated to Berlin to position himself at the center of mobile innovation. This insight reveals that successful founders don't just follow trends; they **position themselves geographically and professionally where new technologies are being adopted first**. For performance marketers and entrepreneurs, this means **continuously scanning the horizon for the next wave** before it becomes obvious to everyone else. The timing advantage of being early allows you to build expertise, relationships, and credibility that compound over years. Ionut's entire career—from native ads to AI agents—reflects this principle of finding emerging channels before they become commoditized. [00:05:11] Pivot Your Product When Market Forces Demand It, Not When Your Vision Says Otherwise - PubNative began as a native-only ad network designed to replace banner ads, yet by the time Ionut sold the company, it had pivoted to selling primarily banners and programmatic formats—the exact formats he originally opposed. Rather than viewing this as failure, Ionut explains that **sometimes you cannot push against the market itself as a single company**, and larger advertisers demanded standardization across channels. This teaches a crucial lesson: **your founding thesis matters less than your ability to serve what customers actually need**. Large brands wanted consistency, so PubNative adapted rather than die on principle. For performance marketers building products or services, this means **staying obsessed with solving real customer problems** rather than being married to your original feature set. The companies that survive are those flexible enough to follow customer demand while maintaining their core mission of creating value. ...
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    35 m
  • AI won’t replace your artists, but it will free them to create more with Jen Taylor

    AI won’t replace your artists, but it will free them to create more with Jen Taylor
    Mar 5 2026
    What if AI could actually amplify human creativity instead of replacing it? In this episode, Amanda and Adam chat with Jen Taylor, Director of AI Strategy and Integration at Capacity Interactive, about how arts and culture organizations can adopt AI thoughtfully and strategically. From building ethical frameworks and training teams to unlocking practical use cases that drive real business results, Jen shares how to position AI as a thought partner rather than a shortcut—and why keeping humans in the loop is essential to avoiding "AI slop." Whether you're a marketer looking to level up your strategy or an arts administrator curious about where AI actually fits into your workflow, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on how to use these tools to work smarter, not just faster. What You’ll Learn: How to position AI as a thought partner for strategy, not just a workflow optimizer—unlocking deeper thinking on target audiences, messaging, and campaign refinementThe three-phase adoption framework: establish clear organizational policies, invest in training and prompting literacy, then identify business outcomes tied to measurable resultsWhy ethics matter differently in arts organizations: address ownership concerns, environmental impact, and imitation risks by making active, intentional choices about tool useHow to build consistency across departments using branded AI tools that understand your voice, style, and mission without sacrificing human oversightThe "human-driven AI" principle: keep humans in every loop—from prompting strategy through verification—to avoid "AI slop" and ensure quality outputHow to use AI for audience insights and personalization by testing messaging across multiple audience segments, then letting AI surface unexpected audience opportunities About the Guest(s): Jen Taylor is Director of AI Strategy and Integration at Capacity Interactive, bringing over 15 years of experience building and engaging audiences across streaming and digital platforms. With a background in theater marketing and digital audience growth at A&E Networks—where she managed strategy for both ad-supported and subscription streaming businesses—Taylor has become a leading voice in helping arts and culture organizations adopt AI responsibly. In this episode, she shares practical strategies for arts administrators looking to leverage AI for operational efficiency while preserving human creativity and artistic integrity. Her work bridges the gap between cutting-edge technology and the arts community, offering actionable frameworks for organizations seeking to enhance their marketing and administrative workflows without compromising their values. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here. Episode Highlights: [00:20:14] Use AI to Elevate Strategy, Not Just Speed Up Tasks - Jen Taylor emphasizes that while AI excels at automating repetitive tasks, its real power lies in serving as a thought partner for strategic thinking. Many organizations get excited about efficiency gains, but miss the opportunity to use AI for deeper strategic work like audience analysis and campaign refinement. The distinction between "making a plan" and "making a strategy" is critical—AI can help you move beyond constant tactical execution into thoughtful, intentional strategy development. Ask AI to stress-test your plans, identify misalignments with specific audiences, and explore angles you might have missed. This approach transforms AI from a time-saving tool into a strategic advisor that elevates your entire marketing function. [00:07:11] Implement a Three-Phase AI Adoption Framework - Rather than rushing to use AI tools, Jen recommends a structured, phased approach: establish clear organizational policy first, invest in training and prompt literacy second, then identify business outcomes tied to specific results. Many arts organizations worry about ethics and values alignment, so beginning with policy ensures AI adoption stays true to your mission. The nuance matters deeply—approving ChatGPT is just the start; you must then decide what features and capabilities team members can actually use. Following this framework prevents scattered adoption and ensures your organization gains consistent, measurable value from AI investments. [00:12:26] Address AI Ethics Head-On by Making Active, Intentional Choices - Jen identifies three critical ethics concerns for arts organizations: ownership and fair compensation for artists whose work trained AI models, environmental impact from computational demands, and the risk of imitation and copyright violation. Rather than paralysis, she advocates for making deliberate choices that mitigate these risks. For example, opening a new chat when changing topics reduces computational load, and applying the same ethical standard you'd use offline—don't ask AI to ...
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    34 m
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