Introducing Fan Out Podcast, a show about AI search.

In our very first episode, hosts Krista Doyle and Kaleigh Moore sit down with Nick Lafferty, Head of Growth Marketing at Profound, to break down what's actually happening in AI search right now and separating signal from noise.

Nick shares what he's learned from Profound's explosive growth (Series A → B → C in 10 months), debunks popular AEO myths, and makes the case for why SEOs have never been more important. We dig into attribution, the rise of the "marketing engineer," why brand is the cornerstone of AI search visibility, and how to actually get started.

🔑 Key topics:
• Why SEOs are "sexy" now and how to lean into the moment
• AEO myths debunked: markdown sites, programmatic content, and more
• SEO vs. AEO: is there really a difference?
• The future "marketing engineer" role
• LinkedIn's surprising rise as a B2B citation source
• Attribution: how "how did you hear about us?" changes the picture (3% → 15%)
• Why brand and human-in-the-loop still matter in AI search
• How to get started with AEO today

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to Fan Out Podcast
01:00 Meet Nick Lafferty, Head of Growth at Profound
04:05 AEO myths debunked: markdown sites & programmatic content
05:55 SEO vs. AEO — what's actually different?
08:40 Why SEOs are "sexy" now
10:20 Topical ownership & the role of brand
11:50 What makes great content in 2026
13:35 The "marketing engineer" role of the future
16:40 LinkedIn as a B2B citation powerhouse
19:40 AEO vs. GEO — what should we call it?
20:55 Staying up to date: tinkering, MCPs, and Cloud Code
22:30 Balancing AI agents with human authenticity
24:20 Brand as the cornerstone of AI search
27:15 Attribution in AI search: the 3% to 15% gap
29:50 How people actually search with AI
31:30 From keyword research to topic strategy
33:25 Why marketers should sit on sales calls
34:55 How to get started with AEO
35:55 Profound Sheets & the future of AI search tooling

—
Fan Out is a show about AI search, helping marketers sort through the noise and figure out what's actually working. New episodes dropping regularly. Subscribe so you don't miss one.