Storytelling, Not Spin: Founder-Led Marketing with Dan Woods

In this episode of "How Many CTOs Does It Take?" podcast, hosts Scott Porad and Brad Hefta-Gaub are joined by Dan Woods, an expert in founder-led marketing. Dan shares his extensive experience in helping software engineers and product management professionals tell their stories better. The discussion spans Dan's career journey from working on early internet projects like Starwave and thestreet.com, to founding Evolved Media. Dan emphasizes the importance of authentic, founder-driven communication in building an audience and discusses the nuances of applying founder-led marketing in tech companies. The episode also covers the risks and adjustments needed in the traditional playbook for effective founder-led marketing.

• 00:00 Introduction and Welcome
• 00:37 Guest Introduction: Dan Woods
• 00:54 Dan's Early Career and Pre-Internet Era
• 02:27 The Street.com and Early Internet Journalism
• 08:58 Transition to Evolved Media
• 09:49 Founder-Led Marketing Explained
• 12:36 Challenges and Strategies in Founder-Led Marketing
• 18:10 The Role of Authenticity in Marketing
• 20:53 Expanding Founder-Led Marketing Beyond LinkedIn
• 25:48 Leveraging Founder-Led Marketing for Various Business Needs
• 29:00 Understanding Client Interests and Passions
• 30:10 Creating Detailed Personas
• 32:19 Challenges in Founder-Led Marketing
• 33:05 The Role of AI in Marketing
• 34:11 The Future of Marketing: Drama and Storytelling
• 41:09 Risks and Downsides of Founder-Led Marketing
• 47:10 Getting Started with Founder-Led Marketing
• 49:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources:

• How Many CTOs Pod: https://howmanyctospod.com
• Scott Porad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottporad/
• Brad Hefta-Gaub: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradheftagaub/
• Dan Woods: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danwoodsearly/
• Evolved Media: https://www.evolvedmedia.com/

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