Alex Circei

Performance agencies sometimes think they need to differentiate by building proprietary tech. I’ve seen that story many times — and I disagree. I recently had a check-in with two C-level execs at a performance agency. We’d been delivering exceptional results for their clients, including a $33 CPA using our machine learning optimization engine, compared to $120 manually. But performance wasn’t their focus. They'd decided to build new tech in-house. “If other agencies can use tvScientific,” they said, “we’re not unique.” It brought to mind the New York Times’ decision to build its own ad server — a costly, years-long detour that ended with a move back to DFP. The problem was a lack of clarity about what business they were really in and what they were positioned to excel at. The same applies to performance agencies. They’re not in the business of building ad tech (which is a constantly evolving, capital intensive business and is an entire business in its own right). They’re in the business of delivering outcomes. That means using the best tools available on the market and winning on superior client service. Not rebuilding tools from scratch. The edge comes from execution — knowing how to evaluate, adopt, and apply best-in-class technology to drive better results. Trying to be both a tech company and a service business is a recipe for subpar results on both fronts. Instead, invest in identifying cutting-edge technology, use it better than your competitors, and deliver both superior results and superior client service. That’s the path to agency differentiation. Just my .02. More detailed thoughts on this topic in my weekly newsletter (see comments).

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Your PMM role is changing: How to build human+AI workflows that define what's next That's what I'll cover on April 1 at Product Marketing Alliance's Product Marketing Summit in Denver. I will show HOW I guide AI live using various AI platforms. Your launch campaign workflow could connect positioning, messaging, content, and sales enablement in one flow. Your sales enablement workflow could build pitch decks, dynamic sales prep dashboards, and interactive ROI calculators. This becomes possible when you move from using AI to building with it. The PMM's job is changing. Trailblazing PMMs are building AI teammates trained on their expertise, connecting them into workflows across functions, and deciding how humans and AI work together. They're writing the new job description themselves. You'll see real workflows for product launches and sales enablement, and a tool that helps you identify which workflows to build and which AI teammates to connect. You'll learn: ► How to find workflow ideas and decide which are worth building for PMM work ► How to design workflows that create new value, not just speed up existing processes ► How to evolve your role from AI user to builder and orchestrator Looking forward to learning from an insightful line-up of speakers on April 1-2. Come join us. See link in comments for more info and to register.

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On AI and SaaS Sales. Just listened to Adam Robinson and Pete Crowley's (from RB2B) podcast with the G2 CEO Godard Abel. Got me thinking. Basically, the conversation was about how an (early-stage) startup can get on G2 and Reddit, and it can have people talk about it, and appear larger than it is and, which would lead to great results and also for AI discovery. All true because - as Godard noticed - AI values user-generated content - reviews, Reddit threads, YouTube. I kind of wish the conversation made a more drastic distinction between Reddit conversations and conversations that happen on platforms like G2 and how AI treats both. Pete Crowley 💡 mentioned that Reddit is hard to influence, and I've heard this on a number of podcasts now. I don't think it's really true. The common line is that the community is self-policing, but if you spend enough time on Reddit (I do), you start seeing tons of manufactured threads, and mods are clearly not catching very many of them. Plus Reddit is anonymous. So people do influence it, regularly, producing fantastic results. But I find it hard to believe this stage will last for long bacuse AI is getting smarter (I hope so). And this is where the difference between Reddit and G2-like platforms kicks in. Software directories hold a pretty unique position - they have structured data on products, those products are categorized, compared and rated and they also have reviews to which vendors can respond. But the difference is, in order to leave a review you have to get verified. And the platforms scrutinize people big time before they approve a single reviews from them. The best verification if via Linkedin (where you cannot be anonymous) or work email. So in fact it's a double verification. And if you've ever tried to collect or leave reviews on G2, you know what I'm talking about. So when an AI system is trying to recommend software, a hundred anonymous Reddit comments and twenty G2 reviews should not be treated as the same input. And yet they probably are now. So I'd be curious to hear more about that - the trust layer and how companies like G2 are working to solve it (if at all). Otherwise, a great episode, I recommend listening. P.S. Adam - on your Capterra and G2 comparison, there's a fascinating story on how the founder of Capterra Michael Ortner launched reviews back in 2008 (!) and how the idea was super controversial at the time, because the company was also making money from vendors.

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What does a founder need most? Hx is our internal agent team, built to add real, daily value to our portfolio companies using AI. Think, a go-to-market agent that creates and tests multiple ICPs with synthetic users, instant legal guidance so founders can move faster and rely on external counsel only when it truly adds value, a marketing agent focused on positioning and messaging... all focused on the heaviest, most expensive workflows of building a startup. Seriously, beyond capital, what does a founder need most?

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"As building product becomes easier, the real moat is around marketing and distribution." I couldn't agree with this mention by Grant Singleton more, especially when it comes to marketplaces. This clip is also one of the most practical breakdowns & advice for founders on how to leverage AI when building a marketplace today.

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Linkby’s “Performance PR” model flips the traditional content playbook on its head. Instead of paying for ad space and hoping for impact, Linkby lets brands: - Brief premium publishers in real time - Have editorial teams create native articles - Pay only when readers click through Why it works: 1) Publishers get freedom to write in their own voice → more engaging content 2) Brands get scale, trust, and measurable results 3) Audiences get stories that actually matter to them It’s how challenger brands stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global giants, without the giant budget. Adrian Fagerlund, cofounder and CRO of Linkby, breaks down the model and the lessons in scaling it globally in Ep#29 Listen → https://lnkd.in/eEXRGTFg Watch→ https://lnkd.in/e_EjBZfX Subscribe → https://lnkd.in/e4nu_exn

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This is the 12th year for which I've published predictions for the mobile marketing ecosystem. What’s striking about the process of writing predictions for 2026 is how baked-in the continued penetration of AI into the entire marketing operations stack is. While end-to-end automation seems unlikely to materialize in 2026, it’s entirely plausible to emerge as the dominant workflow before 2030. So while the precise timing of deployment is uncertain, the overall timeline range isn’t especially long. Six predictions for the mobile marketing category for 2026: https://lnkd.in/eYP2uB77

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You were hired to grow relationships and impact—not to wrangle CRMs and pull manual lists. If your “donor management” role has turned into a “spreadsheet firefighter”, it’s probably time to rethink your systems. With the right partner, you can: ✅ Untangle and connect your systems ✅ Clean up your data for reliable reporting ✅ Free up your team to focus on the mission work that matters most Nonprofits deserve tools that make fundraising easier, not harder! #NonprofitCTO #FractionalCTO #NPTech #NonprofitLeadership #Fundraising #DonorLove #WorkSmarter

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More proof assets do not equal credibility. When proof is thin, don't make loud claims. Use a repeatable way to prove what you’re saying. The failure mode is simple. Startups makes claims without evidence and buyers can see the guess work As a PMM fix it with stacked proof One layer per core claim and standardizes it- claim → proof → measurement. Level 1: Mechanism proof Share screen flow, workflow diagram, demo steps that customers can relate to Level 2: Workflow proof Show steps removed, steps added, handoffs changed in the customer's process Level 3: Early signal proof Activation, time-to-first-value, usage frequency, retention trend, pilot completion. Level 4: Outcome proof Show potential win rate, conversion, cycle time, costs saved, revenue impact. Only if you can attribute it. Operating rule: Do not publish a claim above your highest proof level. If you don’t have outcomes, you still have options. Run a pilot to validate what is sticking and that can be the proof point Define the pilot user and workflow. Define one success metric tied to the workflow. Define one adoption metric tied to usage. Define the time window. Show what “good” looks like. At Awvent when we had no customer we applied this process with countless potential customer..refined it with every feedback...eventually landing our first customer ( always a sweet feeling) As early stages startup this is one way you stay credible while the product is still earning outcomes.

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I'm bullish on the impact of the internet. Even more bullish on the impact of web-native, browser-native payments and the endless possibilities for builders around the world to build a true internet economy. Excited that x402 is now live on Stellar!

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