“SMASH that like button,” the host says, and your eyes roll back so far you can see your own medulla. “And don’t forget to subscribe!”

Like your weird uncle, nobody knows exactly how AI engines choose the sources they cite. But experiments are starting to point to ways you can get on their radar.

Lights dim. Sounds hush. The aerialist spins into the air. Sequins sparkle in the warm light of a followspot, and my weird little brain wonders: “What does marketing look like for a travelling circus where every other week brings a totally new market?”

When I saw a LinkedIn post from today’s master declaring, “Marketing’s job is not to drive revenue,” I did a little shimmy and thought, “She gets it!”

Sam Meller is the Head of Social for The Hustle, but we briefly got to borrow her for Masters in Marketing, because she makes everything she touches better.

If you think balancing your content calendar and your Monday meetings is too much, imagine if you also had to factor in superstition, literal witch trials, and being a magical mecca for millions.

Today’s master has things kinda backward. But she shared with me one of the most clever strategies for collaborative content and brand awareness that I’ve ever heard. (And I talk to a lot of marketers, so that’s saying something.)

It’s time to drop the baggage around the word “influencer.”

There are some lessons you only learn when life hits you hard. This week’s master stared down the loss of his business —

I’m not saying I exploited my position as managing editor to meet one of my favorite YouTubers…

Today’s master bucks more trends than probably anyone I’ve interviewed. She ignores the competition. She refuses to put ✨AI sparkles✨ on everything. She runs on intuition as much as data.

If I told you about a local business that’s seen 239% growth since the pandemic, what channel would you guess they were leading with? Paid ads? TikTok? Blood magic?

One of the hardest parts of our three-lesson format is deciding what NOT to include, and a lot of really useful advice is gathering dust in my Google Drive.

Each week, Laura, Caroline, and I get to sit and chat with some of today’s most innovative marketing masters. We’ve run down the rabbit hole with folks from Spotify, Liquid Death, Oatly, New Balance, Zapier, Hootsuite, the Brooklyn Nets, and even the makers of Chicago’s most beloved tirefire-flavored liquor.

Over at Masters in Marketing, Caroline, Laura, and I have interviewed some very bright minds from some very bold brands. We’re talking Liquid Death, New Balance, Oatly.