Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi!Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Tom Haylock, Chief Commercial Officer and former CEO of Sharecat, a chartered mechanical engineer turned growth leader in industrial digitalization. Tom breaks down why inbound SEO is still massively underused in heavy industry, how to align content with long, cautious buying cycles, and why “document problems” are often really data problems in disguise (and vice versa).
 
Key Talking Points
✅ Engineer-to-Growth Journey. Tom started in major energy projects offshore West Africa (BP and others), moved into business development, then jumped into industrial digitalization about five years ago with Sharecat.✅ Selling Is Still Selling. The mechanics of growth and differentiation are universal. What changes is culture, modernization, and how fast an industry adopts proven playbooks.✅ Why Heavy Industry Moves Slowly. Customers invest on 20–40 year horizons. Some facilities operate for 100+ years. That caution shapes buying behavior, tooling, and internal change management.✅ Inbound Is the Sleeping Giant. Industrial firms rely heavily on outbound relationship selling. Inbound is often ignored, creating a wide-open lane for SEO-driven demand capture.✅ Outbound vs Inbound. Outbound is still essential for blue-chip, long-burn deals. Inbound is the scalable pipeline engine because it captures buyers when timing is right and intent is high.✅ The Timing Problem. Many enterprise conversations end with “this is relevant, but not right now.” Outbound deals can take 1–2 years to close. Inbound leads arrive closer to readiness.✅ Project Horizons Are Massive. From idea to producing output can be 6–7 years for major industrial builds. Final investment decision often precedes a ~4 year execution window.✅ Who Searches in Industrial? Engineers (curiosity + improvement mindset), digital transformation teams, and modernization leaders. Decision-makers often still rely on Google, not AI chat tools.✅ AI Adoption Is Cautious. Industrial customers have strict security and licensing constraints. Many will adopt Microsoft Copilot before public LLMs due to safety and compliance realities.✅ From Documents to Data. Industrial orgs think in documents because that’s how information has historically been delivered, but the operational need is often structured, connected, validated data.✅ Content Strategy: Early but Working. Sharecat focused first on core, high-intent terms and foundational optimization, then moved into ramping volume with webinars, how-tos, testing, and conversion improvements.✅ Industry Initiatives as Demand + Authority Drivers. Tom highlights standards and working groups (and regulatory shifts like the EU digital product passport) as opportunities to educate the market and build authority in advance of change.✅ The Mid-Market Opportunity. Enterprise logos are big wins, but scale comes from the thousands of under-served smaller industrial suppliers still stuck in Excel, SharePoint, and manual processes.
 
Quotes from Tom Haylock
📢 “Selling stuff is selling stuff in principle.”📢 “Inbound is largely ignored across industrial sectors.”📢 “Timing is the hardest thing. Inbound means they’re ready.”📢 “Humans love documents. You’ll never kill documents.”📢 “Our customers are cautious. Safety and control matter.”📢 “It’s different flavors of the same issue. Understanding the problem is part of the fun.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧲 Use Inbound to Beat the Timing Game
Outbound is relationship-heavy and slow. Inbound captures buyers when urgency and budget are already aligned.
Build content for “ready-to-buy” searches, then qualify hard on positioning, differentiation, and cost.
🧠 Translate “Document” Pain into “Data” Clarity
Meet buyers where they are (document language), then educate them into the real root cause and a clearer solution framework.
Create content that explains relationships: metadata, tagging, validation, handover requirements, and downstream impact.
📈 Scale Beyond Enterprise Logos
A few big wins can transform revenue, but consistent growth comes from the long tail of under-served industrial suppliers and contractors.
Target operational pain, not just platform comparisons.
🧪 Treat SEO Like Engineering
Form a hypothesis, test with data, iterate.
Add heat mapping, A/B testing, conversion UX, and progressive content refresh cycles once the foundation is stable.
🤝 Build Authority Through Standards and “What’s Coming Next”
Tie SEO content to real industry initiatives and regulatory shifts.
Publish “look what’s coming” explainers that position your brand as future-ready, not just a vendor.
🔐 Plan for AI Discoverability the Safe Way
Assume workplace adoption runs through Copilot and governed environments first.
Create content that works in both Google and AI answer formats: clear structure, direct answers, explainers, and strong entity clarity.
 
About Tom Haylock
Tom Haylock is the Chief Commercial Officer and former CEO of Sharecat, bringing a chartered mechanical engineering background into commercial growth and industrial digitalization. He focuses on modern revenue ops, inbound strategy, and helping industrial organizations manage complex information structures more effectively.🌍 Sharecat (software): sharecat.com🔎 Connect: Find Tom on LinkedIn
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi!Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Amanda Leemis, founder of The Hollydog Blog, a preschool resources brand built on human-made design, practical SEO, and a mission to make teachers’ and parents’ lives easier with free, high-quality worksheets, crafts, and activities. Amanda shares the origin story behind Holly, the shift from classroom packets to a full-fledged website, and the systems that helped her go from zero to 369 posts, 30,000 monthly downloads, and 280,000 downloads in a year.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ The Holly Dog Origin Story. Holly was a rescued stray found tied to a tree. Her personality and emotions became the basis for stories Amanda’s mom told in class, which later evolved into self-published books and eventually the blog.✅ Pandemic Pivot. When schools moved to at-home learning, Amanda illustrated printable worksheets for take-home packets. Strong parent and teacher feedback became the signal to build online.✅ The “Holly Dog Moment” That Made It Real. A student showed up for World Book Day dressed as Holly Dog. That was the turning point that proved the character had real impact and inspired Amanda to launch the site.✅ Learning SEO from Zero. Amanda took online classes, including Stupid Simple SEO, then did hands-on keyword research with tools like Ahrefs and Ubersuggest to find reachable targets and build momentum.✅ Early Backlinks Were Brutal. She sent 100+ outreach emails offering free worksheets for links, landed a handful of wins, and even turned one relationship into paid worksheet work with a larger preschool site that linked back.✅ Strategy Shift as the Site Grew. In the early days it was hard to compete against sites with 400+ posts. With 369 posts now live, Amanda can target bigger competitors and “match and beat” what’s working, while keeping the Holly Dog twist.✅ ChatGPT as a Ruthless SEO Mentor. Amanda uses AI to compare her pages against competitors and identify gaps. Her key recurring takeaway is simple: more backlinks still matters when competing against sites with 10–15 years of authority.✅ Monetization Reality Check. A major benchmark she followed: expect monetization around 250 posts. Amanda started monetizing around 220 posts, after about 1.5 to 2 years of publishing and building.✅ Ads as the Primary Revenue Engine. Most income currently comes from ad revenue. Printables remain free because accessibility for teachers and parents is part of the mission.✅ User Experience as a Differentiator. Amanda does not run ads on the homepage or silo pages, prioritizing clean navigation and fast access. She funnels visitors via a “Start Learning with Holly Dog” path and a teacher vs parent split.✅ Pinterest and Paid Experiments. Pinterest can be powerful for highly visual niches, but it is a roller coaster with risks like stolen pins and spam flags. Amanda has also begun testing Facebook ads and community-building.✅ YouTube Expansion with a Real Puppet and Real Songs. The Hollydog YouTube channel uses a custom Holly Dog puppet, human-produced songs, and calmer “Mr. Rogers” pacing. The goal is learning without sensory overload.✅ Human-First Brand in a Slop-Filled Internet. Everything is hand-made: illustrations, puppet, songs, and the overall aesthetic. Amanda believes this human signal will matter more as AI content floods the space.✅ AI’s Role Going Forward. Amanda sees AI as a productivity layer that frees her from tasks she doesn’t love, while keeping the core creative work human and brand-led. She also wants to lean more into AI search visibility over time.
 
Quotes from Amanda Leemis
📢 “The Hollydog blog actually all started with my dog that I had growing up. Her name was Holly.”📢 “I sent out probably over a hundred emails asking for backlinks. It was so time consuming.”📢 “Tell ChatGPT to be your ruthless mentor. That’s when the feedback becomes useful.”📢 “If they have it, I need to have it too. And it needs to be better. With a little bit of Holly Dog.”📢 “Coloring is so much more than coloring. Kids are building fine motor skills in ways we forget.”📢 “Everything we do is centered around the human element.”
 
Actionable Insights
🔍 Commit to the Long Game
Treat blogging as a volume and consistency play. Expect real monetization closer to 200–250 posts, not 20.
Keep publishing even through early rejection. Those “no’s” are part of the curve.
🔗 Build Backlinks the Unsexy Way
Outreach is slow, but a few wins can change your trajectory. Offer tangible value (free printables, guest resources, collaborations).
Once you have budget, invest in links you cannot realistically earn alone.
🧠 Use AI for Gap-Finding, Not Identity
Ask ChatGPT to compare your content to competitors and point out missing sections, visuals, formatting, and clarity.
Prompt it as a ruthless mentor, then implement only what fits your brand voice and audience needs.
🧭 Protect UX Even If It “Costs” Short-Term Revenue
Reduce clutter. Keep navigation simple. Make it easy for visitors to find exactly what they need fast.
Consider removing ads from key “entry” pages if return visits and trust are the long-term goal.
📌 Master One Channel Before Expanding
Start with the channel most likely to compound (Google for Amanda).
Then add Pinterest, Facebook, or YouTube once you have stable systems and capacity.
🎨 Win with a Real Brand Signal
Hand-made assets, recognizable characters, and consistent design choices create memory.
In a world of AI content, “human-made” becomes a defensible moat, especially in education niches.
 
About Amanda Leemis
Amanda Leemis is the founder and creative director of The Hollydog Blog, a playful preschool learning resource hub built around hand-drawn printables, crafts, and educational videos. With a teacher-informed approach and a clear brand identity, she’s grown the site into a large content library with hundreds of posts and hundreds of thousands of downloads annually.🌍 Website: thehollydogblog.com📬 Email: [email protected]🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-leemis-90035818b/ 
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com
 

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi!Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Bobby Steinbach, founder of Mean Pug Digital and former Director of Engineering at Morgan & Morgan. Bobby shares how seeing massive legal budgets paired with painfully undifferentiated marketing sparked Mean Pug, why brand matters more than ever as AI reshapes the SERP, and how firms should balance PPC, SEO, and referral networks across short, mid, and long-term horizons.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ From Startup to Morgan & Morgan to Mean Pug. Bobby and his co-founder Andrew were “poached” to run engineering and paid digital at Morgan & Morgan, where they saw enormous spend in legal paired with weak differentiation. That gap became Mean Pug.✅ Why “Mean Pug” Works. The name polarizes. Some hate it, some love it. Either way, people remember it, which is the point in a market full of same-sounding brands.✅ Legal Marketing in Late 2025. AI has crushed SERP CTR, changed how people discover firms, and forced everyone to reconsider channel mix and brand.✅ Traditional Media Is Back When Budgets Expand. As more capital enters legal, firms revisit out-of-home and traditional buys for scale, even if attribution remains imperfect and often qualitative.✅ PPC Spend Splits by Firm Size.✅ The Portfolio Approach to Growth. Bobby frames marketing like investing. Short-term: PPC. Long-term: brand + SEO. Mid-term: building referral networks at scale with complementary firms.✅ “SEO Is Dead” Is Mostly Marketers Talking. Bobby argues answer engines are still a small slice of total search and pull from the same ecosystem of content and authority that powers organic visibility.✅ Brand Starts With a “Brand Bible”. Mean Pug often begins with a 35 to 40-page “brand bible” including visuals plus the critical intangibles: voice, promise, pillars, mission, slogans, and positioning.✅ AI SEO Reality. Most AEO tactics are still evolving, but Bobby’s view is that classic SEO fundamentals transfer, with potential upside in making sites easier for LLMs to parse using structured information like schema.✅ Authority Loops Beyond Links. Offline credibility and real-world signals matter. Sponsorships, alumni involvement, podcasts, and community participation create both brand lift and high-trust mentions that feed search ecosystems.✅ Organic Social Is a Risk Tradeoff. TikTok fame can work, but only if you commit hard and accept polarizing outcomes. Many firms should keep organic social “clean and on-brand” so it never deters a prospect.✅ Private Equity and Consolidation. For personal injury, outside capital changes competition fast. Bigger players push into smaller markets, PPC auctions get worse, and the pressure for growth can increase reliance on lead gen. The best defense is building a brand before the market gets crowded.
 
Quotes from Bobby Steinbach
📢 “We saw how much money was being allocated into legal, and how bad most firms are at creating differentiated brands.”📢 “It’s always one of two things. That’s the worst name ever, or the best name ever. Either way, you remember us.”📢 “SEO is dead is mostly marketers saying it. Where do you think answer engines pull results from?”📢 “You wouldn’t put all your investments into high-risk stocks. Marketing needs the same portfolio approach.”📢 “I’ll never post anything I’m not ready to be deposed on.”📢 “If you wait until after outside money moves in, you’re already late. Carve out your brand now.”
 
Actionable Insights
📊 Build a Marketing Portfolio, Not a One-Channel Plan
0 to 3 months: PPC for immediate cases.
6 to 12 months: referral network building with complementary firms.
12+ months: brand + SEO compounding into lower CAC and defensibility.
🧠 Start With Differentiation
Create a “brand bible” that locks in voice, promise, pillars, mission, and slogans.
Use it as the baseline for every ad, landing page, email, and creative asset.
🧲 For Mid-Sized Firms, Avoid the PPC Bloodbath Where Possible
Lean into LSA, local SEO, and organic if you can be selective and do not need massive spend allocation.
Invest in channels that produce high-intent leads without auction-driven inflation.
🔗 Earn Better Authority Signals
Go beyond directories. Build links and mentions competitors are not willing to work for: alumni podcasts, sponsorships, community involvement, and high-trust collaborations.
Prioritize credibility that creates both brand lift and search impact.
🤖 Use AI Carefully
AI can speed up drafts and ideation, but do not let it invent your positioning. Garbage in, garbage out.
Focus on structured clarity: readable content, fast answers, and strong entity signals (like schema) to make parsing easier.
🧱 Plan for Consolidation If You’re in PI
Expect more money and more competition. PPC gets more expensive. Lead gen gets more tempting and riskier.
The safer long-term play is a stronger brand, better creative, and diversified acquisition channels.
 
About Bobby Steinbach
Bobby Steinbach is the founder of Mean Pug Digital, a legal marketing agency helping law firms build differentiated brands and full-funnel growth systems across SEO, creative, performance, and traditional media. He previously led engineering at Morgan & Morgan and has deep experience building growth engines where ROI has real consequences.🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steinbachr/ 🌐 Learn more: meanpug.com📬 Email: [email protected]
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi!Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Mark Jackson, founder of SwagDrop and a 35-year veteran in branded merchandise. Mark shares how he got his start when a neighbor literally threw a phone book at him and told him to go find customers, how the pandemic reshaped the industry, and why print-on-demand stores and hybrid swag programs are the next big wave for companies that want flexibility without warehousing headaches.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ Accidental Start, Real Sales Training. Mark entered promo at 21 or 22, got handed a phone book as a prospect list, bought the original company, sold it, then built what became Swagdrop.✅ Swag Is Still Last-Minute. Even after decades of tech change, gifting is still often an “afterthought”, driven by events, holidays, or a CEO request.✅ Industry Reality: Fragmented Market. Thousands of distributors and suppliers, with “top 10%” surprisingly small by revenue standards. Swagdrop is under $10M, serving primarily North America but shipping globally.✅ Pandemic Pivot: From Events to Employees. When sales hit zero, the comeback came from companies caring for culture, connection, and remote teams. HR became a major buyer, not just marketing.✅ What Actually Drives Growth. Outreach triggers are hard because buyers do not plan swag well. Mark credits SEO, technical foundations, content, plus client portability, where buyers take Swagdrop with them to new companies.✅ Why Paid Ads Didn’t Stick. Swagdrop is built for complex programs, not one-off mugs or 11 shirts. Paid tends to attract low-fit traffic, not solution buyers.✅ Print-On-Demand Pop-Up Shops. Companies give employees a link and a budget. Employees pick sizes, styles, and colors. Some opt out, often bringing programs under budget but raising satisfaction.✅ Fast “Gift” Without Fast Fulfillment. Even in December, companies can launch a shop before holidays, employees select items, and product ships after. The “gift” still lands psychologically on time.✅ Supply Chain Still Has Curveballs. Geopolitics, events, and unexpected logistics issues are constant. China remains key, but Mark flags growth in India and apparel manufacturing in the Caribbean.✅ The Future: Hybrid Programs. Large brands will mix bulk inventory for events with print-on-demand for employee gifting to reduce warehousing and SaaS storage fees.
 
Quotes from Mark Jackson
📢 “He literally threw a phone book at me. He said, ‘Those are your customers. Go talk to them.’”📢 “Swag is almost an afterthought. It’s the last thing people think of.”📢 “Triggers are extremely difficult. Most people don’t know when they’re going to use swag.”📢 “SEO isn’t dead. You pull a little bit on every lever, then increase what works.”📢 “People reach out to 20 companies. You’re the first one that got back to me.”📢 “The future is hybrid. Some inventory for corporate needs, print-on-demand for employees.”
 
Actionable Insights
🎯 Stop Guessing, Let Employees Choose
Use a pop-up shop with a budget so recipients pick what they actually want.
Add options by size, gender fit, color, and let opt-outs reduce waste.
🧩 Build a Hybrid Swag Strategy
Keep in-stock inventory for events and urgent needs.
Use print-on-demand for employee gifting, onboarding, and evergreen company stores to avoid huge warehousing costs.
🔍 Invest Where Intent Is Highest
In a last-minute industry, SEO can win because searches are often urgent and high intent.
Use content that answers program-level questions, not product-only queries.
⚡ Win With Responsiveness
Many vendors hide behind forms. If you sell complex programs, speed-to-human matters.
A fast call plus real guidance can become your biggest differentiator.
📦 Plan Around Reality, Not Best-Case Logistics
Event-based swag has hard deadlines. Build buffers for production, shipping, and unexpected supply chain disruptions.
 
About Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson is the founder of SwagDrop and a long-time leader in the promotional products industry. He started in promo over 35 years ago, built and sold earlier ventures, then scaled Swagdrop from its earlier identity as Promotion Resource Group into a digital-first swag partner during the pandemic.
🌐 Swagdrop: swagdrop.com 📬 Contact: [email protected]🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-jackson-6010751
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi!Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Cassie Wilson-Clark, a fractional content strategist and fractional CMO/CGO who builds lean content systems that drive real pipeline. Cassie breaks down what’s actually changing with AI search, why classic SEO fundamentals still matter, and how to plan content around prompts and real customer language, not just keywords.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ From “Stuff the Keywords” to Clean Answers. AI search rewards clarity. Cassie sees a shift toward direct, structured content that hits the question fast, then expands only where needed.✅ AI Search Is Real, But Not Universal Yet. Many audiences still default to Google. Strategy depends on who your buyers are and how they already search.✅ SEO Still Matters for AI Overviews. A strong SEO foundation supports visibility in Google’s AI surfaces. AI SEO is not a full replacement for SEO.✅ Freshness and Updates. Small edits matter. Updating definitions, adding FAQs, tightening paragraphs, and keeping content current can improve performance in both Google and AI tools.✅ Think in Prompts, Not Keywords. Cassie recommends mapping content to full question-style prompts, then answering in the same phrasing buyers use.✅ Reddit as a “Prompt Library”. If people ask it on Reddit, they’ll likely ask it in ChatGPT and Perplexity. Cassie uses ChatGPT Agent mode to pull real questions and wording from specific communities.✅ One Question per Post vs Mega Guides. She’s actively testing whether AI engines prefer focused “one prompt, one page” answers or broader guides that cover multiple questions.✅ Be Everywhere Your Audience Is. AI engines pull from blogs, YouTube, podcasts, and social. Distribution plus repurposing is now part of search visibility.✅ Repurposing That Actually Scales. Cassie turned 12 podcast episodes into 6 months of content in minutes, and helped a webinar-heavy client unlock years of posts from existing recordings.✅ Tracking AI Visibility Is Still Messy. Most brands are stuck with manual checks, screenshots, and proxy signals like AI referral traffic and branded search lift.
 
Quotes from Cassie Wilson-Clark
📢 “AI search is still pretty new. For most brands, SEO is still kind of the thing for now.”📢 “A good SEO foundation is kind of what’s making GEO work.”📢 “Don’t think about just a keyword. Think about an entire prompt.”📢 “If someone is on Reddit asking a question, they’ll most likely use that same phrasing in ChatGPT.”📢 “I put my first 12 episodes in and it gave me six months of content.”📢 “Right now I’m tracking it with manual searches and screenshots. It takes so much time.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧠 Build Prompt-Led Content
Take your core topics and rewrite them into full questions your ICP would ask.
Use the question as a visible H2/H3, answer immediately, then expand with supporting context.
🔍 Use Reddit for Real Language
Pick 3 to 5 relevant subreddits where your buyers hang out.
Use ChatGPT Agent mode to extract the top recurring questions and phrasing, then turn each into a post.
🧼 Write for Clarity First
Lead with a direct answer.
Break up content with definitions, bullets, short sections, and FAQs.
Avoid overly narrative intros when the intent is informational or comparison-based.
♻️ Repurpose What You Already Have
Drop podcast/webinar transcripts into ChatGPT.
Generate: blog outlines, LinkedIn posts, short scripts, FAQs, email snippets, and “one prompt, one answer” pages.
Edit for voice and add real examples or quotes, do not publish raw AI drafts.
🔁 Update on a Cadence That Matches Your Industry
Fast-changing industries need more frequent refreshes.
Start with “quick wins”. definitions, FAQs, tightened paragraphs, and an updated publish date when truly revised.
📈 Track With Proxies (For Now)
Monitor AI referral traffic in analytics.
Watch for lift in branded search as AI discovery drives people back to Google for verification.
 
About Cassie Wilson-Clark
Cassie Wilson-Clark is a fractional content strategist and fractional CMO/CGO who helps brands build lean content systems tied to pipeline, not vanity metrics. She hosts the Founding AI podcast and is experimenting with multi-channel visibility across content, podcasting, and YouTube.
🌐 Website: https://cassieclarkmarketing.com/ 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtQK-qhh0MGcdp6NXxWdaLA 💼 LinkedIn: Cassie Wilson-Clark
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Benjamin Schieken, founder and CEO of Fincast. a privacy-first mortgage tool that lets borrowers shop, verify, and save without handing over their data. Fincast turns one confusing offer into a one-to-many bidding process, then shows clear savings and trade-offs.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ The Real Problem. Most borrowers cannot tell if an offer is good. Offers mix rate, points, fees, and timelines. Confusion creates expensive mistakes over 30 years. ✅ “Rate” Is Not Everything. The real comparison is rate plus cost over your expected time in the loan. Optimize to monthly payment, upfront cash, or lowest total cost. ✅ Bidding Marketplace. Upload an offer, Fincast normalizes the details, anonymizes you, and invites multiple lenders to bid directly against your exact structure. ✅ Primary vs Secondary Markets. Best price comes from the lender that needs your product today on the secondary side, not whoever happened to quote you first. ✅ Measured Impact. Fincast sees over 1% rate spread in real deals at times. On average, about 12% of loan amount in total savings is findable. Roughly 27% already have a great deal, the rest leave money on the table. ✅ Compliance and Flexibility. Rules like LO Comp can limit discount wiggle room, yet product-market matching still unlocks better pricing. ✅ Privacy by Design. Fincast redacts PII, compares offers, and lets you choose if and when to engage. No lead-gen spam. ✅ Go-to-Market. Started by helping people on Reddit with unbiased guidance, earned evangelists, then layered social proof, PR, and partnerships with an embeddable widget so users can “Fincast” offers on trusted third-party sites. ✅ Retention Loop. Buyers return to refinance when rates change. Word of mouth compounds through real savings stories.
 
Quotes from Benjamin Schieken
📢 “People just want to know. Am I getting a good deal or leaving money on the table.” 📢 “The right lender is the one whose secondary-market demand perfectly fits your loan today.” 📢 “We normalize the offer, we anonymize the person, then let lenders bid. Simple, fair, and transparent.” 📢 “A smart mortgage choice is rate plus cost plus time. Not rate alone.” 📢 “We are a value-creation startup. Borrowers win. Good lenders win. The market gets cleaner.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧮 Compare the Whole Deal
Gather an official Loan Estimate. Compare rate, points, fees, credits, MI, and term against your expected time in the loan.
Calculate breakeven for any points paid. If you will move or refi before breakeven, do not buy them.
🔧 Set Your Preference
Pick one optimization: lowest monthly payment, lowest cash at close, or lowest total cost over a realistic horizon. Re-price the offer for that goal.
🔐 Protect Your Data
Use a privacy-first comparison. Share PII only when you choose a finalist. Avoid broad lead forms that trigger endless calls.
🏦 Force Competition
Put your structured offer into a bidding environment. Ask lenders to beat your exact structure, not a generic rate table.
🔁 Revisit at Rate Moves
Re-run the math when rates drop or your horizon changes. Refinancing can reset the optimal mix of rate and cost.
 
About Benjamin Schieken
Benjamin Schieken is the founder and CEO of Fincast. Previously a partner in three B2B SaaS companies, he turned his focus to consumer finance after seeing how hard it is to shop mortgages fairly. Fincast gives borrowers clarity, confidence, and control by matching real offers to real lender demand.
📬 Connect with Fincast and Benjamin: gofincast.com · https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-schieken/ 
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Mark Williams-Cook. Director at Candour. Founder of AlsoAsked. Veteran SEO of 20 years who ships products, runs e-commerce brands, and speaks plainly about where search is actually heading.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ SEO is not dead. AI search often equals “three web searches in a trench coat.” Retrieval still relies on real indexes, ranking, and links✅ Why the browser wins. Agentic tasks need a real browser that executes JS, passes “are you human” checks, and respects privacy. Expect lightweight on-device models✅ Google’s advantage. Massive index, cash flow, control of distribution. Others burn cash while renting Google or Chromium, which tilts the field✅ Freshness bias and listicles. LLM surfaces are easy to game with recency and “best X” lists. Short-term only. It will not last✅ Brand as the durable signal. Your brand footprint inside models and across trusted sources will outlive tactic chasing✅ Digital PR for AI era. Mentions on authoritative sites shape both link graphs and in-model weightings✅ LLM-aware research. Generate persona prompts to reveal the web searches LLMs trigger. Then build pages that answer intent clearly✅ Measure what matters. Prompt tracking dashboards are a comfort blanket. Focus on in-model understanding and real outcomes✅ Community as a moat. Smaller brands should seed real communities where customers advocate on platforms like Reddit
 
Quotes from Mark Williams-Cook
📢 “AI search is still built on information retrieval. It is not magic. It needs an index.”📢 “The browser will be the agent. That is where execution, privacy, and verification actually work.”📢 “Short-term tricks like fresh listicles will get patched. Invest in signals that survive updates.”📢 “Ask a model to act like your persona, then watch which web searches it fires. That is your content map.”📢 “If your marketing activity has no value without search, it probably has no long-term value.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧭 Design for Agentic Workflows
Make key flows executable in a real browser. Clean HTML. predictable selectors. minimal anti-bot friction on basic info pages
Publish concise “do this task” guides that an agent can summarize and follow
🔎 LLM-Ready Content Research
Use personas to generate conversational prompts, then inspect which queries LLMs trigger
Prioritize pages that map to those triggered queries. Structure with clear headings, FAQs, and explicit constraints
📰 Digital PR That Moves Models
Target high-trust publications and expert communities. Mentions plus links shape both rankings and in-model priors
Ship evidence assets. data cuts, original research, tool outputs. that media can cite
🧠 In-Model Understanding
Audit “what AI knows about you” style outputs to see how models describe your brand
Reinforce missing truths across your site, docs, bios, schema, and PR
📏 Rethink Measurement
Treat prompt tracking as directional at best. Anchor your plan to leads, assisted revenue, branded search lift, and referral quality
Report share of voice only with clear caveats. focus updates on shipped assets and earned authority
👥 Build Community First
Invest where your buyers gather. Run useful AMAs, teardown threads, and office hours
Let real customers seed Reddit and forums. authenticity scales better than aged accounts
 
About Mark Williams-Cook
Mark Williams-Cook is Digital Marketing Director at Candour, founder of AlsoAsked, and host of Search with Candour. He blends technical rigor with brand-first strategy. He speaks frequently on the future of search, agentic browsing, and why digital PR matters more in an LLM world. 
📬 Connect: LinkedIn: Mark Williams-Cook · CoreUpdates.com newsletter
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder & CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Max Liporace — Strategy Director at LendFriend Mortgage and former real estate attorney — who helped LendFriend pivot from retail lending to brokerage, then scale back up by leaning into SEO and LLM (AI) search for high-intent, non-QM borrowers.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ From Law to Lending — Ex-NY real estate attorney joins a fast-growing Austin lender; pandemic pivot → retail to broker model (lower overhead, more products)✅ Boom → Cooldown → Pivot — Purchase-led growth and online leads: $300M (2020) → $380M (2021); rates surge in 2023–25 forces reinvention✅ SEO as a Lifeline — Started in May, built on HubSpot: focused on quality pages answering buyer intent, not blog volume; tracked by source (Google, ChatGPT/Grok/Perplexity)✅ LLMs Drive Real Deals — Today 60–70% of inbound finds them via LLMs; November: ~50% of closed volume from Google + LLM search✅ Win the Niche, Not “Mortgage” — Target self-employed, asset-depletion, and crypto-supported mortgages; less commoditized, higher margins, faster close✅ Geographic Expansion for Demand Capture — From TX/GA/FL to additional states (e.g., NH) to serve inbound SEO/LLM demand wherever it originates✅ Crypto Mortgage, De-Risked — Treat BTC/ETH as assets with haircuts (e.g., ~50%) + 25% down; income “constructed” via asset utilization (no custody pledge required post-close)
 
Quotes from Max Liporace
📢 “We’re singing SEO’s praises. I couldn’t believe clients would come in this way—now they do, every week.”📢 “If we do well on Google, we tend to do well on ChatGPT and Grok—same fundamentals, better trust handoff.”📢 “Compete where the big brands aren’t: non-QM niches beat a race-to-the-bottom on price.”📢 “It’s not more content—it’s better, buyer-intent content: landing pages that answer the exact question.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧭 Own Non-QM Search
Build intent pages for self-employed, DSCR/asset-depletion, ITIN, and crypto use-cases with clear docs, scenarios, and timelines.
Map FAQs to queries LLMs echo (e.g., “self-employed mortgage Austin,” “buy house with Bitcoin income,” “asset-depletion vs. traditional”).
🔎 LLM-Ready Content
Add trust markers LLMs surface: licensing states, NMLS, reviews, BBB, media mentions, underwriting guardrails (LTV, reserves, haircuts).
Use schema, tidy UX, and a concise “Who we help” section to improve summarizability.
📈 Attribution & Scale
Track source (Google vs. ChatGPT/Perplexity/Grok), state, product, close rate, and margin in HubSpot.
When a niche page starts converting, add a new state and replicate the asset (localize + compliance review).
🪙 Crypto Mortgage Clarity
Explain how it works (asset custody window, haircut, min down, post-close flexibility).
Publish volatility safeguards and side-by-side BTC/ETH vs. stock asset-utilization examples.
🏗️ Brand for the Long Game
Secure expert explainers, case studies, and borrower stories to build brand queries—a durable signal for both Google and LLMs.
Guest on niche podcasts (crypto/creator/self-employed finance) to earn relevant links and mentions.
 
About Max Liporace / LendFriend
Max Liporace is Strategy Director at LendFriend Mortgage, where he leads growth across non-QM niches (self-employed, asset-depletion, and crypto-supported mortgages). After a retail-to-broker pivot, LendFriend rebuilt volume by expanding licensing and investing in SEO + LLM visibility.
Max's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-liporace-66b41a25/ LendFriend Contact: [email protected] · ☎️ 512-888-5099 · 🌐 lendfriendmtg.com
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder & CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome James Ewens — E-commerce Director at Green Feathers — a wildlife tech operator who shifted the brand from B2B/marketplaces to D2C, pairing paid search → SEO and digital PR to grow fast in a niche where the product story sells itself (and is about to hit Netflix/Amazon).
 
Key Talking Points
✅ D2C Shift & Growth — From ~60% B2B/marketplaces to ~75% D2C; ~30–35% revenue growth in ~2 years; current run rate ~£2.2M (c. 35–40% organic traffic) ✅ PPC → SEO Flywheel — Front-loaded PPC for demand capture while rebuilding Shopify theme for UX + SEO; PDPs designed so buyers never need to click back ✅ Marketplace Strategy — Keep Amazon for discovery (seasonal surge) but pull back from long-tail UK marketplaces; focus on brand.com experience ✅ Digital PR That Lands — “Birds, not rats” story → tabloids + lifestyle pickups; TechRadar & Telegraph product reviews; HuffPost features; traffic lift that sticks ✅ Product-Led Advantage — Ease of setup/reliability > spec sheet; reviews validate claims; A+ content parity on Amazon, richer narrative on site ✅ Media & Credibility — Incoming TV features (Netflix/Amazon/ITV) where the brand can be shown (unlike BBC). Expect halo spikes + search lift ✅ AI Reality Check — Treat LLMs as research accelerators, not “true AI”; good SEO + reviews + clarity → higher odds of being referenced by LLM overviews ✅ Seasonality & Timing — Peak gifting (Nov–Dec); birds begin scouting now → mid-January; be ranked for “bird box camera” before Springwatch/Autumnwatch spikes
 
Quotes from James Ewens
📢 “On a PDP, there should never be a reason to click back.” 📢 “We’d love not to need Amazon — but for first impressions, you have to be where shoppers start.” 📢 “Digital PR wasn’t a spike; the traffic and authority stayed.” 📢 “Stop calling everything ‘AI’. Use LLMs to answer faster — your brand & UX still win the sale.” 📢 “When TV shows a bird-box camera, the sales story is done — you just need to be discoverable.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧭 D2C Migration Playbook
Pull budget from low-ROI marketplaces; reinvest in PPC capture + site UX/SEO.
Keep Amazon for discovery and seasonal demand; push brand.com with content, bundles, and support.
🧱 PDP/PLP that Convert
Answer every question on the PDP: what’s in the box, setup ease, example footage, reviews, returns, support.
Build category pages that preview options & use cases before the click.
📣 Digital PR & Reviews
Run news-friendly hooks (e.g., urban wildlife, garden habitats) + expert quotes.
Proactively seed independent product reviews with tier-one outlets; track assist to organic.
📐 SEO for LLM Era
Clean tech SEO, schema, trust signals (reviews/awards), and crystal-clear USP copy.
Own “what/why/how” explainer content so Overview/Chat pulls your brand.
🗓️ Seasonality Ops
Editorial calendar: Sept–Jan gift content; Jan/Feb nesting explainers; re-surface “install now” guides.
Ensure inventory, support, and how-to video coverage ahead of TV-driven search spikes.
📊 Measure & Learn
Attribute DPR/reviews with landing-page cohorts and brand search lift, not just last-click.
Watch Copilot/ChatGPT referral hints and Google Trends around wildlife TV windows.
 
About James Ewens / Green Feathers
James Ewens is the E-commerce Director at Green Feathers, the UK wildlife-camera brand helping people bring nature back into their gardens — and actually see it. Since pivoting to D2C, Green Feathers has scaled on paid → SEO, digital PR, and creator content, with upcoming features across major TV platforms.
🛒 Explore: green-feathers.co.uk
James Ewans LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-ewens-268a84ba/ 
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
 
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder & CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.
In this episode we welcome Brian Tran — founder of 50 Hills Real Estate (SF Bay Area) and VA Hub PH — a top-producing agent turned multi-business operator who scaled via content, community, and systems, while flipping across California with a tight 6-month buy box and real, measurable margins.
 
Key Talking Points
✅ Why Content = Recruiting + Deal Flow — Early scrappy videos → consistent output → brand familiarity → inbound agents, sellers, and partners ✅ Events That Convert — Short talks (8-minute cap), entertainment + networking, free mass events with optional VIP dinners for depth ✅ Brokerage Without Handcuffs — No Zillow leads; teach agents to hunt (skills, systems, community) instead of renting low-intent lead lists ✅ Flip Buy Box & Discipline — Prefer finishes in ~6 months, target ≥10% net of ARV (or 20–25% if >12 months/heavy reno); money is made on the buy ✅ Lead Gen for Flips — Mix of PPC (Google/Bing), direct mail (incl. “check” mailers), YouTube/content, and relentless realtor outreach ✅ VAs as an Ops Multiplier — Train-first staffing via VA Hub PH; treat VAs as admins/ops pros embedded across every workflow ✅ AI: Practical Now — Use AI to analyze channels and geos, reallocate spend (mail/PPC/YouTube) and script follow-ups; your seller demo still answers mail & TV ✅ Agents Should Flip — Present seller A/B/C options; when they want “done now,” make an ethical offer and capture upside while keeping the future listing ✅ Culture → Scale — Start small and aligned; invest in people who become leaders, then scale organically (now 5 offices / ~70 agents)
 
Quotes from Brian Tran
📢 “Your vibe attracts your tribe. Content is how people figure out if they want to work with you.” 📢 “I buy for a six-month turn and 10% net. If it’s a year-long project, I want 20–25%.” 📢 “You don’t need Zillow leads—you need skills, systems, and community.” 📢 “Events should be show + value + networking. No 60-minute monologues.” 📢 “Top producers who aren’t flipping are leaving money on the table.”
 
Actionable Insights
🧱 Content & Community Engine
Publish consistent video (lo-fi is fine); show your ops, wins, and lessons.
Run quarterly events: 3–4 short talks (8 min each), breaks/icebreakers, then long networking. Add VIP tier for 1:1 depth.
🧰 Flip Buy Box & Deal Screening
Aim for ≤6 months from purchase → paid; target ≥10% net of ARV (post-fees/commissions).
If timeline >12 months/heavy reno: target 20–25% net.
Walk away if the buy doesn’t lock in the margin; don’t rely on market lift.
📣 Lead Gen Stack (Investors)
PPC (Google/Bing) targeting distress terms;
Direct mail (including “check” formats) to motivated lists;
Agent outreach (daily), + YouTube for authority & inbound.
🗂️ Scale with VAs
Centralize admin, coordination, CRM hygiene, disclosure handling, follow-ups, scripting.
Train-first model (English, tools, AI basics) so hires plug in day one.
🤖 Use AI Where It Wins Today
Let AI analyze channel performance and suggest budget shifts (e.g., which county/list, which offer).
Draft scripts/emails and prioritize daily call lists from CRM notes.
💼 Brokerage Growth Without Lead Leases
Teach agents organic playbooks (events, email, hyperlocal content) so their pipeline isn’t platform-dependent.
 
About Brian Tran
Brian Tran is the founder of 50 Hills Real Estate (5 offices / ~70 agents) and VA Hub PH. He’s flipped luxury homes, scaled a national rental portfolio, and built brands around transparency, culture, and operational discipline — powered by content + community + systems. 📬 Connect with Brian: 
Socials: @MrBrianTran
Web: http://mrbriantran.com 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-tran-77b65580/ 
 
🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links
 
At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today: 🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call
 
👋 Connect with your hosts: 👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn 👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn
 
🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes: 🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com