Tom Rudnai's research at Demand Genius reveals a structural flaw in how SaaS companies approach AI Engine Optimization: they're measuring citations, but AI generates zero retrieval at the awareness and consideration stages—the phases where buying criteria are actually set.

By the time a citation appears, the buyer's frame is already locked. This means the entire content playbook built around keywords, citation tracking, and share of voice is aimed at a sliver of the funnel, while the real influence goes unmeasured.

Rudnai introduces two frameworks that reframe the problem for SaaS leaders: "information gain" (a tiered model for producing content AI considers worth incorporating, versus content it simply ignores) and "content debt" (the cumulative maintenance burden that grows with every piece published).

For any SaaS company trying to compete in a world where buyers use AI before they talk to sales, the implication is direct: influence the problem frame, or someone else will.

How do nonprofits compete for attention, donations, and impact in a noisy digital world?

In this episode of the Marketing Spark podcast, host Mark Evans speaks with Javan Van Gronigen, co-founder of Donate.ly, a fundraising platform that has helped nonprofits raise hundreds of millions of dollars.

Javan shares the story behind Donate.ly and how his experience working with nonprofits revealed a major gap in fundraising technology. Many organizations struggle with complex systems and tools that slow them down instead of helping them grow. Donate.ly was built to simplify fundraising while giving organizations the flexibility to scale.

During the conversation, Javan and Mark explore:

• Why many nonprofits struggle with fundraising technology
• How campaigns like the Barstool Fund raised tens of millions of dollars for small businesses
• The marketing strategies that helped Donate.ly grow in a competitive landscape
• Why education and content marketing are essential for reaching nonprofit leaders
• How AI is transforming marketing, automation, and fundraising strategy
• Why founders and marketers need to experiment with AI now or risk falling behind

Javan also shares his perspective on the future of fundraising technology and how AI-powered systems could soon automate large parts of marketing and donor engagement.

In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mark Evans sits down with Caren Cioffi, co-founder and CEO of Agenda Hero, an AI-powered platform designed to eliminate manual calendar work and save billions of hours.

After more than a decade at Brightcove, where she helped scale the company from startup to global public enterprise, Caren made the leap into entrepreneurship to solve a problem she experienced firsthand: the hidden time cost of managing schedules. What began as personal frustration with juggling work, travel, and family logistics evolved into a startup tackling one of the most persistent workplace inefficiencies.

Caren explains how Agenda Hero uses AI to convert text, images, and PDFs into structured calendar events across Google, Outlook, Apple and more. She shares how the breakthrough came when AI made it possible to automate tedious form filling that calendars have required for decades.

The conversation also explores:

• How to validate product-market fit before scaling marketing
• Why building a product people genuinely love is the best early marketing strategy
• Lessons learned from pivoting within her own product
• How she approached raising venture funding for the first time
• The role of influencer and advocacy marketing in early-stage growth
• Why founders need conviction and the right believers around them

Many companies are rushing to adopt AI tools hoping to unlock new levels of productivity and innovation — and failing. Why? According to Sarah Jeannault, former FinTech founder and now VP Marketing at ProcedureFlow, it’s because they skipped a crucial step: building a strong operational and knowledge foundation. In this episode, Sarah dives into why AI initiatives fall flat, how to fix broken knowledge systems, and what a true AI-ready organization actually looks like. We also talk about marketing’s evolving tech stack, change management, and why AI must empower frontline teams — not just leadership.

In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mark Evans sits down with Dan Sanchez, a former podcasting leader turned AI marketing consultant, to explore his incredible transition into the world of artificial intelligence. From feeling behind the curve with ChatGPT to becoming a trusted voice in AI for marketers, Dan shares the pivotal moments and painful lessons that led him to reinvent himself.

You’ll learn how chain prompting changes how we use AI tools, why top-of-funnel SEO is dying, how to build a personal brand that stands out in an AI-saturated world, and what marketers can do right now to catch up and stay ahead. Whether you're AI-curious or all-in, this episode delivers a roadmap for future-proofing your marketing strategy.

Topics We Cover:

• The AI wake-up call that changed Dan’s career path
• What most marketers still misunderstand about chain prompting
• The “30-30-30” framework for becoming a trusted voice in any niche
• How AI is reshaping SEO, blogging, and brand trust
• The 5 categories of essential AI tools every marketer should use
• How to stand out when everyone is using the same tools

In this episode of Marketing Spark, we dive deep into the world of LinkedIn with Florian Decludt, a renowned strategist who's been guiding entrepreneurs on leveraging this powerful platform.

Florian's insights are gold whether you're looking to build your brand, network effectively, or supercharge your content engagement.

Discover the dos and don'ts of posting, tactical advice to maximize engagement, and the secrets behind a standout LinkedIn profile.

If LinkedIn is on your radar (and it should be!), this is an episode you won't want to miss.

When should a B2B SaaS company change its pricing and how often should it happen?

How do free trials and freemium play within the pricing equation?

In this episode of Marketing Spark, Dan Balcauski and I explore the pricing landscape.

We look at who should be responsible for pricing, know when prices have to be increased and know when your pricing is working.

Pricing may not get the attention it deserves so Dan has great insight into its role and how to think about it.

In marketing, nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes, it’s about taking risks and leaps of faith.

In a data-driven world, data doesn’t deliver all the answers. Marketing is an unpredictable and often surprising creature.

Last year, a lot of B2B wanted to de-risk marketing. They pulled back on spending, chopped staff, and counted every dollar.

But that approach only works for so long. At some point, you need to get back in the game and take risks to succeed.

On the Marketing Spark podcast, Mano Guiragossian talks about how he has navigated the risk journey with clients.