GTM for Early Stage SaaS | Co-founder @ Datapad | SaaS Growth Advisor | Reforge | 1x Exit |

I’m a marketer, 2x entrepreneur with 1x exit, and helped companies to go from 0 to 8 figures.

My achievements:

- Built 2 VC backed startups with one exit

- Built a 7 figure productized marketing agency

- Became a mentor in top accelerators such as: 500, Plug and Play, Techstars

- Got to work with the portfolio companies of amazing investors such as A16z, Craft Ventures, YC

- Built a podcast with 20k downloads in a year-figure

- Transformed my body more times than Christian Bale ☺️

John Ozuysal

SEO and AEO agencies are dead

I replaced my $15k/mo agency with Claude Code.

Here is what my agent does:

- Creates content strategy around topics such as "ultimate guide to xyz" or "what is xyz" - zero defendability for AI search 

- Optimizes each post with [some made-up name] framework

- Found my ICP in 5 seconds, even though I couldn't figure it out for a year 

[screenshot of the flow] - I have no idea what any of this does. Neither does the person who built it.

We used this agent for 6 months, and below are the results from the AI search

[screenshot of Google Search Console]

And yes, we are tracking AI search from GSC, so all the AEO tools are unnecessary

I spoke with a CMO of Series B B2B SaaS last week about their AEO

He was furious.

"ChatGPT is telling people we're too expensive for small teams." - not correct at all

We pulled up the sources AI was citing.

Competitor blog posts. Reddit threads from 2021. A review site that hadn't been updated in 18 months.

His first instinct?

"We need more PR. More brand mentions. More visibility."

No. You don't.

That's not your problem.

Your problem is you never created content that answers the questions buyers are actually asking.

Best tools in your category. Alternatives. Comparisons. Use cases by company size.

You left that to competitors and review sites.

So now they're the source. Not you.

You're not invisible. You just handed the microphone to everyone else.

Early-stage companies have the opposite problem.

AI genuinely doesn't know they exist yet.

PR and brand mentions actually matter there.

But for you?

Create the content that answers buyer questions.

Become the source AI cites.

Stop letting competitors control your narrative.

TLDR: Assess your current situation before you invest in any AEO-related activity

---

If you want us to build a free AEO roadmap for you, apply from the link on my profile

"Recently raised Series A" is not a buying signal. It's a crowded inbox.

The intent data told us they raised a Series A.

What it didn't tell us: where they're actually bleeding cash.

"Recently raised Series A" - yeah, so did 47 other vendors in their inbox.

"Just hired a CMO" - congratulations, you and every other growth agency just sent the same pitch.

We were competing on speed, not relevance.

So we built something different.

Our internal tool doesn't just pull signals. It stacks them.

Series A in last 6 months? Cool. Everyone knows that.

But Series A + running Google Ads + zero organic traffic for their keywords + no competitor comparison pages?

Now we're talking.

That's a company burning cash on paid because their content strategy doesn't exist. That's someone who needs what we actually do.

The tool creates an AI agent that hunts for these signal combinations. The ones we define. The ones that actually matter to our specific service.

Our list went from 2,000 "warm leads" to 47 companies.

But those 47 companies? They actually respond.

Because when you reach out, you're not pitching.

You're diagnosing a problem they didn't realize they had.

We've tried everything. Content. Cold email. Mass outreach. Paid ads.

This signal-based ABM is crushing all of it on ROI. (No random ABM)

Not because the list is bigger.

Because the list is real.

I think AI search visibility trackers are useless 

Why? 

Because I keep seeing AEO case studies with screenshots of the search console

I guess we are all missing something because my GSC is not giving me AI search visibility data 🤣 

Sad thing is, some of these posts are getting 500 comments

HIRING a Short-Form Content Creator — and this one's worth stopping your scroll for.

You'd be joining one of the most exciting companies in AI right now. Fast-growing, cutting-edge, and building technology that's genuinely changing how people create.

The role: make the internet understand (and love) AI image and video models.

Talking-head videos. Live demos. Model launches. Tutorials that make complex tech feel obvious. If you can turn a product update into a piece of content people actually want to watch — this is your seat.

What you'll be working on:
→ Launching new AI models on TikTok, YouTube Shorts & Instagram
→ Model comparisons and use-case showcases
→ AI workflow videos and trend content
→ Collaborating directly with product and engineering to get the story first

This is not a content farm job. You'd have real access, real creative input, and a product that makes for genuinely compelling content.

Remote-friendly. US or European time zones preferred.

If you're strong on camera, fast with an edit, and can make technical topics land — DM me or drop a link to your work in the comments.

Know someone perfect for this? Tag them 👇

We are running an AI search sprint free for 3 SaaS companies

👇

We're opening up 3 free pilot slots to show you exactly where you stand on AI search and what to do about it.

Here's what you'll get:

- A full AI search audit of your brand vs your top competitors

- Your 30-day AI search content strategy + the brand mentions you need to build

- Your first revenue-focused content — written and ready to publish

We hand-pick the companies. We're not looking for volume. We're looking for fit.

That means Series A B2B SaaS. $1M+ ARR. A category worth owning. And a team that will actually execute on what we hand them — because we're not interested in doing great work that sits in a Google Doc.

Q2 2026 cohort has 3 spots.

If you think you're the right fit, apply from here: https://tally.so/r/442j4A

Haven't invested in AEO yet? 

Don't start with content 👇

Start with a diagnosis.

Before creating any content, figure out whether the issue is visibility, representation (citation control), or both.

Later-stage companies usually already have visibility. The risk is how they’re being represented.

 AI search often pulls from competitor blogs, old Reddit threads, reviews, and third-party posts that don’t reflect the company’s current narrative.

The first step is to identify the URLs influencing AI answers and audit them for accuracy.

In parallel, build earned content quickly so AI systems learn from the company’s own materials, not someone else’s.

Earlier-stage companies typically have a visibility problem and a representation problem.

Start by mapping the prompts you want to win, then identify which URLs currently influence those prompts (often listicles and Reddit threads).

From there, focus on earned visibility by participating in those conversations and getting included where influence already exists.

Once there’s more budget, expand into creating content designed to compete for broader, category-level prompts.

We recently ran an AEO audit for a later-stage SaaS company.

They had 85% visibility across 100 high-intent AI prompts we were tracking for them.

Sounds great, right?

It wasn't.

They're an industry leader. Big brand. Strong PR. Their TAM knows them well. So visibility wasn't the problem.

The problem was what AI was saying about them.

A competitor's blog post from two years ago claimed our client didn't have a specific enterprise security certification. That blog was never updated. But ChatGPT was citing it.

So when enterprise buyers asked AI about this CRM, the answer included: "doesn't have [security certification]."

In reality, they absolutely have it. They serve enterprise clients. It's a requirement.

But they never created their own content around their competitive landscape. They never monitored what competitors and Reddit threads were saying about them. And they had nobody responding to community discussions where people were spreading incorrect information about their product.

Here's our game plan to fix this:

First, we're building their owned content inventory. Blog posts targeting every high-intent prompt so that AI pulls from our client's own words, not from a competitor's outdated blog.

Second, we're mapping every third-party source AI is citing for their target prompts. We're breaking them into UGC (Reddit) and publisher blogs (competitor and industry blogs). From there, we're running outreach campaigns to get the outdated and incorrect information corrected at the source.

Third, we identified YouTube videos influencing AI answers where our client isn't getting mentioned at all. The plan is to partner with micro-influencers and create "best CRM" style comparison videos. The goal is to secure both visibility and citations on the prompts where we currently have gaps.

The takeaway? Visibility without narrative control is dangerous. If AI knows you but is saying the wrong things, that's worse than being invisible.
When was the last time you checked what AI is actually saying about your product?

👉 If you want us to run a free AEO roadmap for your company, apply from the on my profile

We just increased AI search visibility for a B2B SaaS client by 100% in 30 days.

Want to see how we did it?

You can't. The case study doesn't exist. I made it up.

But you'd have believed it, right? Because you've seen 15 posts this month saying almost exactly that.

Here's the problem: a lot of people claiming to grow AI search visibility are backing it up with Google Search Console screenshots.

It does not tell you how often your brand appears in AI-generated responses. 

It does not tell you what AI systems say about you. It does not measure anything that would reasonably be called "AI search visibility."

Posting a GSC screenshot as proof of AEO results is either a misunderstanding of how this works or a deliberate misdirection aimed at people who don't know the difference.

If someone is showing you clean dashboards and confident attribution, ask them which tool produced it and how it works.

If the answer is a Google Search Console screenshot, walk away.

The first sales conversation your buyer has is with ChatGPT. Your team is the second call, if you're lucky enough to get one.

Your buyers trust ChatGPT more than your sales team.

That's not an insult. That's just how people make decisions now.

They ask AI for recommendations. They get a shortlist. They do follow-up questions. By the time they land on your site, they've already decided whether you're a contender.

But here's the problem:

Most B2B SaaS companies have zero control over what AI says about them.
AI is citing outdated competitor blog posts. Old Reddit threads. Review sites that haven't been updated in over a year. And it's confidently presenting that information as if it's current.

I've seen AI tell buyers a product is "too expensive for small teams" based entirely on a competitor's comparison post from 2022. Completely inaccurate. But that's what the buyer heard.

So how do you take back control?

You become the source.

Step 1: Identify the 20-30 buying questions your ICP is asking AI right now. Turn your paid search keywords into questions.

Step 2: Ask those questions yourself. Look at what AI cites. What source types? Who gets mentioned?

Step 3: Fill the gaps. If AI cites a listicle, get on that listicle or create a competing one. If it cites a forum thread, go give a real, transparent answer. If it cites a video, make one.

Step 4: Optimize your help center so it answers every specific feature, integration, and use case question a buyer could ask in a follow-up.

Do this consistently for 6 weeks, and you'll see the shift.

The brands that control their AI narrative now will own their category later.

4 types of competitor-focused content I use to generate pipeline for SaaS

👇

1. Competitor vs You

You must own this story. If a prospect types “[competitor] alternative” into Google and only sees their page, you already lose. Create clean “You vs Competitor” pages that talk in revenue, churn, onboarding time, not vague feature lists. Show how you reduce risk, cut time-to-value, or lift expansion revenue.

2. Competitor alternatives

These people are in market now. They already pay for a tool. They just hate something about it. Create list posts like “7 alternatives to [competitor] for remote CS teams” and rank for those terms. Include your product in the list, show screenshots, add simple pricing context, and link to a focused trial or demo page. This brings high-intent trials fast.

3. Competitor comparisons

Big brands fund your pipeline. Use their demand. People search “[competitor A] vs [competitor B]” every day. Write posts and pages like “[A] vs [B] vs [You]” and speak to a specific ICP: “best for product-led teams”, “best for agencies”, “best for low-ACV SaaS”. You ride their brand search while positioning your product as the right fit for a clear segment.

4. Competitor use case content

Show how to do a key job in competitor tools, then show the simpler version in your product. “How to build a QBR dashboard in [competitor]” → then you show it takes 9 steps there and 3 in your app. If a competitor cannot support that use case, say it clearly and own the gap. This is where many of your best switch deals come from.

----

If you want us to generate a free AEO report, check the link on my bio !

Most B2B SaaS companies I talk to make the same AEO mistake.

They skip the diagnosis.

They hear "AI search is important," they read a couple of posts, and they jump straight into tactics. Get us mentioned on Reddit. Build some landing pages. Maybe hire an AEO consultant.

But they never asked the basic question first: what is our actual problem?
Because in AEO, there are two very different problems. And the strategy for each is completely different.

🔴Problem 1: Visibility. AI doesn't know you exist. You don't show up for any of the prompts your buyers are typing in. This is common for earlier-stage companies.

🔴Problem 2: Narrative. AI knows you, but it's saying the wrong things. Competitors and outdated sources are controlling what AI tells your buyers about you. This is common for later-stage companies with brand presence but no owned content strategy.

Most companies don't know which problem they have because they never checked.

Here's how we figure it out in the first week of working with a client:

Step 1️⃣ : We identify the buyer intent prompts that actually matter. Not every AI search prompt is winnable. We focus only on the high-intent ones, either related to competitors or directly related to the client's software category.

Step 2️⃣ : We check if the client has content that answers those prompts. If they don't, they have a narrative problem. Even if they're getting visibility, AI is pulling the narrative from someone else's content.

Step 3️⃣ : We look at the off-site sources AI is citing for those prompts. Reddit threads, competitor blogs, YouTube videos. That tells us where the influence is coming from and where we need to show up.

Skipping the diagnosis is how companies waste 6 months and a lot of budget on tactics that don't match their actual problem.

👉If you want us to run a free AEO roadmap for you, check the link on my bio

Why you don’t show up in AI search?

Here’s the simplest answer:

You have no content.

And nobody knows, mentions, or talks about your brand.

That’s it.

AI systems don’t “discover” brands magically.

They reflect what already exists on the internet.

Once you accept this, everything else makes sense.

Only then do details start to matter:

Entity optimization
Query fan-outs
Topical authority etc..

AI is selling your competitor using your outdated content.

You’re funding their pipeline for free.

Your buyers trust ChatGPT more than your sales team.
Not because sales is bad.
Because this is how people make decisions now.

They ask AI for:
- Shortlists
- Comparisons
- Pricing context
- “Is this tool right for a company like mine?”

By the time they land on your site, they already “know” you.
Or they think they do.

Here is the problem I see with B2B SaaS teams I work with:

AI is pulling from:
- Old competitor blog posts
- Stale Reddit threads
- Year old review pages

I saw AI call a product “too expensive for small teams”
based only on a competitor comparison from 2022.
Totally wrong.
Still, that is what the buyer heard.

You need to take back control.
You become the source.

Here is the play I use with clients:

1/ Map the real buying questions
Turn your main paid search keywords into questions.
You want 20–30 questions your ICP would ask AI today.

2/ Audit what AI says
Ask those questions in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity.
Note:
- Who gets mentioned
- What sources get cited
- What formats show up

3/ Fill every gap
If AI cites a listicle, get on that list or build your own.
If it cites a forum thread, go answer with a clear, honest take.
If it cites a video, create a stronger, updated one.
If a competitor listicle is sharing outdated info about you - ask them to fix it

4/ Fix your help center
Make sure it answers:
- Features
- Integrations
- Use cases
In the same language buyers use in follow up questions.

Do this for 8 weeks with focus, and you start to see the shift.

The traditional approach to winning in search was built around one goal:

Get your URL to rank #1 on Google.

But that playbook doesn't work exactly the same in the age of AI search.

You need to go from optimizing a single page to showing up across multiple sources.

In Google, if your blue link shows up first, you win. Done.

In an LLM, your URL can be the #1 citation, and you still lose the answer because you won't get recommended! You need to be the source, and other people should be mentioning you as well.

AI doesn't just read one page; it summarizes many sources. The brand that gets mentioned the most across those sources wins the recommendation.

This way, you're not just competing for a ranking. You're competing for the narrative.

That means your website alone is not enough. You need presence across the types of sources AI actually cites: your own pages, YouTube videos, Reddit threads, affiliate review sites etc.

If you optimize for just one of those, it's not enough.

The B2B SaaS companies I work with that are winning in AI search aren't doing one thing really well. They have good content + they are trying to get visibility in every place AI cites from

B2B SEO & Web Design For Revenue Not Vanity | DM To Discuss | Host @ Business Growth Show (Top 10 B2B Marketing Podcast, Cognism)

Your website struggling to drive a steady flow of qualified demos/leads?
Tired of losing leads to competitors ranking higher on Google/AI?
Frustrated your SEO agency isn't delivering demos & revenue?

WE FIX THAT.

OUR GROWTH STRATEGIES:

→ SEO to get top of Google & LLMs, bringing revenue-focused demos and signups
→ Start driving pipeline from AI and Google organic as fast as 90 days

BREAKING B2B - B2B MARKETING & DEMAND GENERATION PODCAST

Grow your b2b/SaaS company without the BS. Weekly top 2.5% podcast with actionable marketing tips to grow your revenue: www.breakingb2b.com

STILL NOT CONVINCED?

→ See our work, client results & starting rates here: www.breakingb2b.com

BOOK A CALL:

💻: www.breakingb2b.com
📧: Connect & DM Me
✉️: sam@samdunning.org

CORE SERVICES:

→ B2B SEO strategy and execution
→ Content marketing
→ Digital marketing for SaaS

WHY BREAKING B2B?

→ We focus on revenue, not vanity metrics
→ Our strategies are data-driven and results-oriented
→ We have a proven track record with B2B and SaaS companies
→ Our podcast (Breaking B2B) gives you free, valuable insights into B2B marketing

About time your website became your best (24/7) salesperson?
Get in touch today, and let's start growing your business.

P.S.
Agencies: We offer white-label SEO to help you deliver results on time and within budget.

Sam Dunning

I ask the public: whats the point of linkedin?

Founder @ Breaking B2B | B2B SEO For Revenue Not Vanity | SaaS & B2B Teams Hire Us To Scale Organic Pipeline From Google & AI Search | DM To Discuss | Host @ Breaking B2B (Top 2.5% B2B Marketing Podcast)

Marketing: please don't rely on AI for SEO

CEO:


Watch full B2Backstreet Boys vid: https://lnkd.in/e9warMqW

RB2B are coming for the incumbent with AI search. 2yr old vs 14yr old SaaS. Here's our game-plan this month for Adam Robinson to keep ramping organic market share and pipeline from SEO/AEO:

QUICK SNAPSHOT.

Our focus is to continue driving sign-ups as quick as humanly possible from SEO/AEO and earning mindshare for RB2B whenever ICPs need visitor identification software, are comparing vendors, annoyed with their current provider or have the expensive problem we solve.

We've seen solid AI & search wins against long-term competitors (see images).

We’ll keep prioritizing competitor-focused bottom funnel KWs to capture high-intent demand. The plan includes 2x product listicle articles and 2x pricing-intent pages, targeting folks in evaluation or purchase mode.

“Uplead alternatives” pages across multiple domains are currently driving high-value traffic, indicating strong switch intent. RB2B can intercept this demand with a differentiated alternative page. “Hunter io pricing” represents a high-volume BOFU query where capturing comparison-driven traffic to directly influence purchase decisions.

We're crafting a comprehensive guide on “Lead scoring best practices”, a strong mid-funnel topic for RB2B because buyers searching it are actively trying to improve lead prioritization and sales efficiency. It allows RB2B to reframe why traditional scoring fails and position real-time website intent as the missing input that makes lead scoring actionable.


NET NEW CONTENT CREATION.

listicle articles:
- uplead alternatives
- happierleads alternatives

a quick summary and intro, why listen to us, what is uplead/happierleads, why look into alternatives (based on what prospects say e.g. on G2), list of 10 alternatives, RB2B at #1 with why customers choose them, show product in action, pricing and feature info, where we are a good + poor fit then list of 10 other options below with fair summary + conclusion and FAQs.

listicle and alternative/competitor content on your own site is solid for being cited and recommend in AI search and enables you to control the narrative with dream clients on ChatGPT and google ai overviews.

pricing guides:
- hunter io pricing
- snitcher pricing

these pages review the software pricing, share user feedback, breakdown of costs and share where RB2B is differentiated and why customers choose them. plus they often rank well within 90 days.

mid-funnel guide:
- lead scoring best practices


EARN BACKLINKS.

Secure niche relevant da50+ backlinks for:
- sales outreach strategy
- sales outreach plan
- lead capturing
- how to identify website visitors


EXTERNAL LISTICLE ARTICLE PLACEMENTS.

Secure placements on articles evaluating software like ours that are well ranked in google and AI searches for:
- sales prospecting platforms

___

Grab a call to see if Breaking B2B can scale demos quick as 90 days for your SaaS: https://lnkd.in/e7XuM6au

Watch my 34-minute SEO/AEO breakdown video for RB2B: https://lnkd.in/eiZfaXXq

I’m seeing SaaS execs burn time and cash on the AI prompt tracking goldrush…and it’s KILLING me. Do this instead if you wanna drive pipeline:

Rather than tracking every prompt under the sun that has a tiny bit of relevance to your brand that someone may or may not type into ChatGPT needing your solution…

…Just because it looks cool and gives a great looking chart on a LLM visibility tool.

It reminds me of SEO agencies that would push top funnel articles and content to get max traffic at all costs that drove little to no pipeline and revenue.

The better way?

Focus on what your ICP search on Google and AI search when:

- needing your solution now
- comparing different vendors
- looking to move from the incumbent 
- having the crisp problem you solve

and starting with those 5% in market.

get your brand recommended in LLMs and rank on Google for these money terms first. 

often these have less search volume but high buying intent, can rank and get you cited on AI faster and often drive pipeline fast as 90 days with the right strategy.

PS. grab my 90 days to revenue SEO/AEO video guide: https://lnkd.in/et7yce7s

I started Breaking B2B because I’m selfish as fudge.

Rewind a few years.

At my last agency.

Monthly cash flow was up and down

We’d sell a few projects and be on an up.

And the next month have low sales and be struggling.

A stressful life.

Then it clicked.

We had a steady flow of daily leads from our organic #1 money keywords on Google.

Why not offer the same for our clients 

Do something we can deliver well on.

Get organic search working to drive solid leads for them.

And secure us some monthly recurring revenue.

After some time…

I learnt B2B SaaS companies were the ones we got best results for 

They had the problems we solve around:

- lacking SEO resource in house
- competitors outranking them on Google & AI search
- relying too much on paid ads or outbound
- last agency delivering traffic but not pipeline 

So in Feb 2024 Breaking B2B began with one focus. 

B2B SaaS SEO & AI search for revenue NOT vanity.

This strategy is cooking demos for us weekly and I'm yet to find a more powerful SaaS marketing engine...but it's not one channel. It's a DEADLY TRIO:

- Linkedin (exec brand + paid)
- SEO & AI search
- Youtube

In 22 minutes you're gonna learn:

- The results they drive
- How they work together
- Exactly how to leverage each one
- Why these deadly 3 channels crush it

This playbook helped Breaking B2B go from 0-$2M ARR in 2yrs.

Watch the full breakdown: https://lnkd.in/ejQkzPVR

RB2B just hit $7.8M ARR w/ 3 FTEs. We've ran their SEO/AEO engine since $5M ARR (7mos ago). Peek our exact strategy for Adam Robinson' SaaS this month:

BACKGROUND & RESULTS SO FAR.

Our focus driving sign-ups as quick as humanly possible from AI and google organic search. So far we have great coverage with top spots on google and consistent brand recommendations on LLMs for all major competitor alternative searches, visitor identification software searches, comparison searches and a bunch more use case and integration ones. Through a mix of customer research focused content, light technical works, link building and external listicle placements. Per below screenshot and Adams words...its paying off. Let's dive into the strategy this month.


NET NEW CONTENT

listicle articles:
- best lead intelligence software (400 searches/mo)
- opensend alternatives (90 searches/mo)
- lead qualification checklist (600 searches/mo)

comparison landing page:
- leadfeeder vs lead forensics (150 searches/mo)

3x bottom funnel pieces and 1x mid funnel piece. All manually crafted.

The first piece targets “lead intelligence software”, a keyword with solid search demand. A product listicle will allow RB2B to capture decision-stage traffic from buyers actively evaluating lead intelligence and visitor identification tools. Positioning us as the #1 backed by why customers choose us, pros and cons, pricing, showing our product in action + CTA...then a fair evaluation of other tools. Solid to control the narrative and these pages often get cited in AI search.

We'll also publish a competitor comparison page, sharing where RB2B is a stronger alternative across different use cases for users evaluating website visitor identification or intent data platforms. 

Another BOFU page will target OpenSend alternatives and competitors, helping intercept comparison-driven traffic.

Lastly, a listicle article around lead qualification checklists, aimed at attracting sales and RevOps teams looking to improve their lead qualification processes and naturally introducing RB2B as part of the workflow.


BACKLINKS.

We'll earn da50+ niche relevant links for:
- data enrichment tools
- 6sense alternatives
- 6sense competitors
- intent data types	


EXTERNAL LISTICLE PLACEMENTS

Huge for LLMs to cite. Top 3 placements. Great for classic SEO too with a solid backlink.

___

Wanna see if we can scale demos quick as 90 days for your B2B/SaaS?

Visit the Breaking B2B site to check our results, pricing and grab a call: https://lnkd.in/e7XuM6au

Watch my 34-minute SEO/AEO breakdown video for RB2B: https://lnkd.in/eiZfaXXq

Breaking B2B went from $50k/mo to $185k/mo last yr. George Coudounaris runs our LinkedIn Ads and most enquiries mention LinkedIn on calls. Here’s exactly what he did (and our plan to hit $400k/mo this year):

BACKGROUND.

With organic reach tanking like crazy I knew LinkedIn ads would be key to keep top of mind for our SEO/AEO services for B2B SaaS marketing leaders and to amplify my organic content. 

Plus, fixing our funnel of SEO/AEO and YouTube traffic who hit our site but didn't convert.

Getting the deadly trio: SEO, YouTube and LinkedIn cookin'


THE STRATEGY.

(1) George made me get brutally clear on ICP 

With a very limited budget to start (1.2k/mo), we weren’t going to rely on LinekdIn’s native filters. We wanted a TIGHT company list that matched his ICP of B2B SaaS companies he serves best. 

So he asked me:
Who are your best clients? 
Who gets the most value?
Which companies do you want more of? 

Turned that into firmographic filters, pulled a list, looked through it manually - so we knew we were getting in front of the right companies from Day 1. 


(2) Thought Leadership Ads became the growth engine

Thought Leadership Ads are winning right now for many b2b orgs with execs already organically posting with a following. Its high engagement rates mean you get better bang for your buck, and is a great place to start.

(my engagement rates are 8-15%) 

But we don’t just boost any content. 

Before we started,
We mapped best performing posts to the 5 Stages of Awareness

• Stages 1-3 → cold audiences
• Stages 3-5 → warm audiences

Then filled any content gaps.

Next step: every post needed a CTA.

Early-stage posts link to helpful resources.
Later-stage posts push toward booking a call.

Result?

Thought Leadership Ads consistently hit engagement rates as high as 15%, which meant Sam was everywhere his buyers looked.

Since then, we’ve layered in:

• Company page ads so Breaking B2B grows beyond my face
• Amplifying clients/partners getting results posting about Breaking B2B

So the brand scales, not just me.


(3) Constant Optimisation of Thought Leadership Ads

Judge the top performing Thought Leadership Ads by looking at:
Engagement rate
Cost per landing page click (a custom metric not available in platform)
New subscribers
High intent pages
Calls booked

And have a tight feedback loop on what’s landing to closed-won. 


(4) Acknowledge the reality of the buying journey 

Most prospects aren’t in-market today. Many have an SEO vendor they’re probably not seeing value from. 

Others are getting their business to the point where they can finally invest in SEO/AEO. 

The ads keep us top of mind. So when they’re ready, they come straight to Breaking B2B.

—

What’s next as we push toward our stretch goal?

• Upload a new company list to double audience size
• Increase spend to scale reach
• Scale top-performing ads into the expanded audience
• Grow company page ads so demand scales beyond me


Follow along as George and I share results!

VP Marketing: "how do we justify more investment in content, SEO, or AEO when traffic is less reliable, attribution is messy, and every tool promises charts that go up and to the right?"

Me: stop treating AI search like a vanity traffic game.

Treat it like a consideration set game.

Wynter asked 101 SaaS CMOs which channels they use to discover and research vendors.

84% said they use AI tools.

Instead of scaling content for the sake of volume, focus first on high-intent, bottom-of-funnel pages that earn mindshare and drive pipeline.

strong comparison and alternative pages.

industry pages, verticals pages, product listicles.

clear positioning on your own site.

external mentions on the sites LLMs are pulling from for pipeline driving prompts and keywords.

Control the narrative on your own site.

Build credibility on third-party sources.

Measure pipeline impact, not just visibility metrics.

and the best part?

done right, this playbook gets you ranked well on google organic

and mentions on AI search for high intent buyers.

a double win.

PS. grab my 90 days to revenue SEO/AEO mini-guide and video: https://lnkd.in/et7yce7s

Here's the 7 top pipeline channels for SaaS marketers & founders....based on 24 months of data and 755 discovery calls:

(755 sales call transcripts analysed across 2 years).


1. Paid Ads (Google + LinkedIn): 28%

Most explicitly stated dominant channel.

Quotes:
“70% of our inbound comes from Google ads, LinkedIn…” 
“We’d kind of spent money on Google ads for a few years… last year we got two inbound inquiries qualified.” 

Often described as:
- Majority of inbound
- Primary measurable driver
- First lever to scale or cut


2. Outbound Sales: 24%

Extremely common among:
- Early-stage SaaS
- Bootstrapped companies
- Technical founders

Examples:
“Outbound, sort of outbound work.” 
Hiring AEs / BDRs to fill pipeline 

Many companies say:
- Inbound is low
- Sales team drives growth


3. Referrals / Word of Mouth: 18%

Example:
“Word of mouth, referrals, they trust way more…” 

Often described as:
- Best quality leads
- Hard to scale
- Relationship-driven


4. SEO/AEO: 14%

Rarely dominant, but often present.

Quotes:
“30% coming from direct or organic.” 
“It’s not doing that at the moment.” 
“I want it to be a big jumping off point for inbound… and it’s not doing that at the moment.” 

Common answers:
- A desired channel
- Underperforming
- “Trickle of leads" 

Organic search often described as:
- Secondary
- Under-optimized
- Desired but not yet performing


5. Partner / Ecosystem (marketplaces, integrations): 7%

Usually:
- Supplemental
- Not fully controlled


6. Social Content (LinkedIn, Podcast, YouTube): 6%

More common among:
- Founder-led brands

Organic linkedin posting and social selling is big here.

YouTube massively neglected still in B2B SaaS.


7. Events / PR / Community: 3%

Mentioned occasionally but rarely primary pipeline driver.

Often:
- Trade shows
- Speaking
- Industry PR
- Slack/Discord groups

____

PS. join 1,951+ b2b legends enjoying the Breaking B2B newsletter (instantly unlock 90 days to revenue SEO/AEO playbook): https://lnkd.in/et7yce7s

RB2B (24mnth startup) are catching the 14 year old incumbent…7 months after starting SEO & AEO w/ Breaking B2B: 

Owning positioning for the niche.

Controlling the narrative.

Recommended in AI search.

Top of Google organic.

No vanity traffic.

Focused on high intent buyers.

Hunting for their software now.

Comparing options available.

Needing a specific integration.

Frustrated with current provider.

Having a crisp painful problem to solve.

Driving sign-ups and revenue.

___

Peek the full video breakdown we run for Adam Robinson’ SaaS: https://lnkd.in/eiZfaXXq

Grab my 90 days to revenue SEO & AEO playbook: https://lnkd.in/et7yce7s

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