FiredUp! is the show for marketers working in early and late-stage startups. Each week, we walk through fresh strategies and tactics to build brand and drive demand for your startup. Featuring interviews with marketing leaders, our take on the latest trends, and practical tips about PR, content marketing and growth marketing, we promise plenty of signal with some noisy fun along the way. FiredUp! is hosted by the team at startup marketing agency, Firebrand. Learn more at firebrand.marketing ...
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Morgan McLintic Podcasts
Extending from the very successful r/publicrelations group on Reddit, Pitch Perfect talks to top PR professionals from a variety of different roles, focus areas, geographies and approaches to gain insight into how to enter the field, do the work, manage the career, deal with the highs and lows, and everything else involved in being a communications professional. Topics include public affairs, investor relations, tech PR, internal communications and, hopefully, not too much celebrity PR.
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B2B Advertising Beyond Google Ads and LinkedIn with Phil Parrish
47:51
47:51
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47:51Is your advertising strategy hitting a wall because you're only spending on Google Ads and LinkedIn? For scaling B2B startups, relying solely on these two networks limits your reach, increases your cost, and prevents precision targeting of high-value accounts. On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive deep into how to build a powerful multi-channel paid…
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Are you worried about your current B2B marketing strategy in the new year? The landscape is shifting rapidly, dominated by AI search and a tightening focus on efficiency. If you're still relying on old SEO tactics and gated content, you're falling behind. On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive into the most critical marketing predictions for 2026. We…
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Is your content strategy for 2026 ready to go? Or have you created your strategy without looking at updated information? Many content marketers are still prioritizing quantity over true audience value, and the rapid evolution of AI tools is demanding a major pivot. On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive into the core findings of the Content Marketing…
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In today's hyper-competitive startup landscape, how far is too far to achieve rapid brand awareness? Many founders are embracing controversial, 'rage-bait' tactics or viral marketing stunts to break through the noise of content clutter. The pain point is clear: in highly competitive, "winner-takes-all" markets, the risk of anonymity often feels gre…
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In saturated markets like San Francisco, AI billboards are everywhere, making your Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising nearly invisible. If your investment isn't building instant brand recognition and credibility, you’re wasting money. On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive into the strategy for making your OOH messaging stand out with Rick Robinson, CEO o…
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The biggest challenge in B2B marketing today is that you no longer fully control what your prospects read. AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are summarizing and repackaging messages about your company, which means any inconsistency in your narrative is amplified. If your core message is shaky, you're losing control of your brand story. On…
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The biggest mistake B2B startups make is writing long, boring content because they haven't taken the time to be concise. If your message is getting lost in a wall of text, you're failing to communicate your value. On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive into the lost art of short form content and concise communication. The team breaks down the framewo…
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Ep. 9 - Katie Pierini, Mindset Agency - Loving your job, integrated programs, women in PR
1:09:36
1:09:36
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1:09:36Katie Pierini is the founder of Mindset Agency in greater Los Angeles, a boutique agency at the leading edge of understanding how integrated communications is done today. Katie herself is a powerhouse, there's no other word to describe her: from her start in tech PR in Chicago to helping build and run a major agency office in San Diego to launching…
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You've issued the press release, but the reporters aren't calling. The truth is, getting media coverage requires a proactive, tailored media pitch, not just a document on a wire. If you're missing out on detailed press mentions that could be building your brand, this episode is for you! On today’s episode of FiredUp!, we dive into the mechanics of …
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Unlocking The Full Power of HubSpot with Fiona Smith
31:52
31:52
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31:52Is HubSpot causing more headaches than pipeline? Many startups and scale-ups fall into the trap of improper setup, leading to chaotic workflow creation and a dysfunctional marketing-to-sales handoff. On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive deep with Fiona Smith on how to unlock the full power of HubSpot. Learn the best practices for setting up scalabl…
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How to Measure Brand Awareness with Alastair Nee
45:31
45:31
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45:31You know brand awareness is vital—especially with the rise of zero-click behavior and AI search—but securing the budget is impossible without clear measurement. Stop guessing and start quantifying! On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive into a practical, accessible framework for measuring brand awareness using simple, free proxy metrics. We'll show y…
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The Latest Trends in ABM with Stephanie Quinn
38:31
38:31
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38:31Account Based Marketing (ABM) strategy has changed, and if you're relying on old tactics, you're missing out on key revenue. Are you struggling to get a real multi-channel lift and capture deep engagement signals from your target accounts? On this episode of FiredUp!, we dive into the latest ABM trends with DemandBase's Stephanie Quinn to discuss h…
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As AI tools become a gatekeeper to your brand's visibility, a traditional SEO strategy is no longer enough. On this episode of FiredUp!, the team dives into generative engine optimization (GEO) and explains why it's a team sport. We unpack what geo is, its different citation sources, and how to align your PR, content, and SEO teams to improve your …
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Ep. 8 - Noah Dye, Spoken Voice PR - Overwork and the challenges of the agency model, managing career crises, state of comms, business development
1:16:36
1:16:36
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1:16:36Noah Dye is the principal at Spoken Voice PR, a tech-focused communications boutique, after having been EVP of LEWIS PR, one the top mid-sized agencies worldwide. Noah is a battler, and a competitor, and someone who is relentless about his work, his clients and his career. We spoke about the challenges of the agency model both in terms of what it d…
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AI’s Role in Content Creation with Keith O’Brien
44:59
44:59
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44:59Should we be utilizing AI in our content creation? While AI tools like ChatGPT can generate a blog post in seconds, many marketers and writers are questioning if the quality is worth the effort of editing. On this episode of FiredUp!, we explore the real-world implications of using AI for writing with former journalist and content strategist Keith …
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The growing backlash against AI-generated content is finally hitting the marketing sphere. Is your marketing strategy feeling the effects? On this episode of FiredUp!, Morgan, Nicole, and Chris sit down to explore why marketers and B2B buyers are pushing back against the overuse of artificial intelligence in content creation, how use of AI is affec…
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Are you feeling the shift in how B2B buyers are researching and purchasing solutions? In today's landscape, shaped by new AI technology and ongoing economic pressures, the traditional marketing playbook is no longer enough. This episode of FiredUp! dives deep into the data and trends revealing why buyers are more self-reliant and how AI is acting a…
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Ep. 7 - Jackson Wightman - Proper Propaganda - Tech PR in an age of AI search and optimization
1:08:16
1:08:16
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1:08:16Jackson Wightman is the head of Montreal agency Proper Propaganda, which specializes in consumer tech PR and marketing. A prolific contributor to LinkedIn and author, Jackson is especially informative on the topic of conducting PR campaigns with the specific aim of optimizing search results on AI platforms (GEO). We talked about fragmentation of me…
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Are your senior executives ready for media interviews? In today's competitive landscape, being an effective spokesperson is a crucial skill, yet many leaders are unprepared for the challenges of an interview. On this episode of FiredUp!, Morgan McLintic and Chris Ulbrich discuss the fundamentals of spokesperson readiness, from mastering key message…
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Is your content getting lost in the "sea of sameness" created by generative AI? Are your website visitors bouncing before you can capture their interest? As B2B buyers become more dependent on AI for their initial research, it's harder than ever to stand out and capture valuable first-party data. On this episode of FiredUp!, Morgan McLintic and Nic…
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Creating a Category, Closing Series A with Aaron Cannon
38:27
38:27
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38:27Are you a startup founder looking to disrupt an industry with AI, but unsure how to secure significant funding? Do you want to understand what it takes to get noticed by top-tier VCs and build a category-defining company? In this episode of Funded, we speak with Aaron Cannon, Co-founder and CEO of Outset, an AI-moderated research platform, as he sh…
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Executive visibility has become a key priority for startups, but with the rise of LinkedIn and the impact of AI, the rules have changed. In this episode of FiredUp!, Morgan McLintic, Chris Ulbrich, and Nicole Pytel discuss why executive visibility is having a moment, how to get your CEO's content to stand out, and the crucial commitments required f…
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Ep. 6 - Morgan McLintic, Firebrand Communications - Tech PR, being an entrepreneur, switching countries, today's market
1:12:36
1:12:36
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1:12:36Morgan McLintic is CEO of Firebrand Communications in San Francisco and one of the most experienced technology marketers and PR people, after having run US operations for a global agency before striking out on his own. As a brit who crossed over to working in the United States, he also brings a unique perspective. He and I discussed his career path…
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Are you trying to name a new startup or product in the age of AI search? With brand credibility and discoverability being more critical than ever, the old rules of naming no longer apply. Tune into this special 100th episode of FiredUp! as we welcome back our very first guest, naming expert Anthony Shore, to discuss the latest trends and strategies…
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How Projectworks Closed its Series A Funding with Mark Orttung
36:23
36:23
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36:23Are you a startup CEO or co-founder struggling to secure VC funding? Do you want to understand the intricate details of the funding process, from navigating venture capital firms to managing international complexities? In this episode of Funded, we dive deep into the real-world experience of Mark Orttung, CEO of Projectworks, as he shares the nitty…
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Are you struggling to get your press releases seen in the age of AI search? With buyers increasingly using tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for their research, traditional PR strategies need an update. Tune into this episode of FiredUp! to discover how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is reshaping the press release landscape and what you must …
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Is your corporate blog feeling a bit… dusty? Are you questioning if the effort you put into blogging still pays off in today's fast-changing digital world? Many marketers in early and late-stage startups grapple with whether corporate blogging is dead, especially with new AI tools and shifting buyer behaviors. In this episode of Fired Up, we dive d…
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Driving Leads in Fintech Today with Bill Rice
44:48
44:48
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44:48Are you struggling to generate leads in the rapidly evolving Fintech landscape? With buyers increasingly using AI for their search and a surge in competitive pressure, traditional marketing tactics might not be cutting it. Tune into this episode of FiredUp to discover how FinTech companies are adapting their marketing strategies, leveraging AI, and…
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Ep. 5 - Chris Kettmann, DGA Group - Investor relations
1:10:17
1:10:17
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1:10:17Chris Kettmann is a partner at DGA Group, a global communications and public affairs consultancy, where he helps lead the Investor Relations and Financial Communications practice areas. He and I discussed how to get into IR, what the qualifications are and what the mindset needs to be, some trends in investor communications, and the state of affair…
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We’ve reached the halfway point of the year, and what a busy six months it’s been! To offer a retrospective of the year so far, Firebrand experts Morgan and Nicole sit down to discuss the marketing trends observed this year from Salesforce and LinkedIn, among others. From the explosive growth of generative AI tools to the rise of zero-click content…
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In an era of constant change in the digital marketing world, email marketing remains a powerful and consistent channel for connecting with audiences. To better understand how this seemingly old-school communication method has not just survived but thrived in the AI era, Firebrand experts Nicole and Morgan sit down to unpack the historical significa…
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Ep. 4 - Kelly Capizzi, Lincoln Financial - Communications in the financial industry, managing your career, work-life balance
1:04:25
1:04:25
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1:04:25Kelly Capizzi Herring is Vice President, Corporate Communications at Lincoln Financial. The focus of the interview is about the college experience, and how to go about choosing a path, trying to get the most out of it, and lining yourself up for that first job. We also talked about finding areas of interest in various industries, the specific chall…
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Last year, over $700 billion was spent on digital marketing. Of that, $140 billion was stolen by fraudsters. Let’s face it: it’s no longer a question of whether you have fraud, but a question of how much fraud is affecting your business. To address these massive concerns, Rich Kahn, co-founder and CEO of Anura.io, an ad fraud solution, joins us on …
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Ep. 3 - Paul Nolan, The Hoffman Agency - Tech PR, starting your own agency, neurodivergence and its impact on work
1:07:54
1:07:54
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1:07:54Paul Nolan is the co-Managing Director for the UK of The Hoffman Agency and the Chief Operating Officer for CCGroup, a London-based tech PR agency. Paul takes us through his exerience as an entrepreneur, partnering to buy the agency relatively early in his career and then the work of building and growing it. A big part of our discussion was on the …
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Building a CEO's Personal Brand with Loreta Tarozaite
40:07
40:07
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40:07With the increase in AI-created content, having an authentic personal brand built by your CEO is more important than ever to stand out. But how does one go about deciding what their personal brand even i, and what are the steps they need to take to start building it? To answer these questions, we sit down with Loreta Tarozaite, founder of strategic…
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Ep. 2 - Alexandra Priola, FTI Consulting - Internal communications, career management, work-life balance
1:00:32
1:00:32
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1:00:32One question PR people are always asking themselves is, "How do I get out of the grind of media relations and pivot to a role that uses my communications strengths?" Alexandra Priola is an answer to that question: she's a Managing Director in the People and Change practice at FTI Consulting, one of the world's foremost consulting firms, and a globa…
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Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is rapidly emerging as the next frontier of search strategy. As AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google’s AI overviews transform how people seek information, brands must adapt their content to be not just searchable but AI-friendly. One of our very own Firebrand team members, Shane Jordan, joins us on the podcast th…
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Harlan Teller is a legend in the PR business. Harlan led the corporate communications function at Burson Marsteller for America, for Hill & Knowlton worldwide, for Financial Dynamics (then FTI), and then was an Executive Director at APCO. Switching to the education sector, he's been C-level in comms and marketing for Northern Illinois University, N…
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TechCrunch has been a pivotal publication in the startup and tech ecosystem since its founding in 2005 by Mike Arrington. From its origins as a tech blog to becoming a major media property, TechCrunch has undergone significant changes through multiple ownership transitions and, more recently, has gone through yet another transition. This week, epis…
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What's New in Cybersecurity PR with Nick Lagalante
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46:45The world of PR is constantly changing, but nowhere is it evolving as fast as in the cybersecurity space. The stakes are higher, threats lurk around every corner, and well-planned PR strategies often need to take a back seat when crisis arises. Nick Lagalante, the founder and CEO of Fractional 360, joins the podcast today to uncover the intricate s…
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In the world of startup marketing, uncertainty isn’t just a buzzword– it’s a daily reality. Whether it’s tariffs, rising interest rates, or the rising popularity of AI, marketing leaders are finding themselves in a challenging position to navigate the industry and reach their audience through the extra noise. That said, we wanted to take some time …
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Converting Trials Into Paying Customers with Claire Heginbotham
52:56
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52:56As marketers, we spend a lot of our time getting people to sign up on our website, converting them into leads. Too often, the job can feel done after this, but we’re far from it. Those free trial and freemium users need to be onboarded, engage with the product, and get enough usage out of it to be willing to pay for it. Claire Heginbotham joins the…
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Getting your startup’s message heard can feel like an uphill battle. And in the crowded startup market, making your message crystal clear isn’t just a nice-to-have but a matter of survival. To help you stay afloat, Nicole and Ian sit down on the podcast this week to explore how startups can cut through the noise and communicate their value proposit…
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How to Attract VC Attention with Kyle York
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40:25Navigating the competitive world of venture capital can be challenging for emerging entrepreneurs in need of funding. So, to uncover the secrets of VC engagement, we sat down with Kyle York, the co-founder and CEO of York IE, to get an idea of how VCs are making their deals, where they source their pipelines from, and how startups can strategically…
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Choosing the right digital marketing agency can be a complex and challenging process for businesses, especially startups. Fortunately, we have considerable insight into this process and know exactly what it takes to navigate the selection process, so you can set yourself up to maximize the agency’s effectiveness within your startup. This week, epis…
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With the uptick in people integrating AI into their workflow, we’re starting to uncover some of the downsides of this rapidly evolving tool. Marketers are finding themselves in a crossroads and asking the question, will generative AI elevate our strategies or reduce us to a sea of bland, algorithmic sameness? The answer: It all depends on how you u…
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We’ve heard time and time again over the years that PR is dead or content marketing is dead, but we beg to differ. We live in one of the most exciting times of being a marketer. Still, with the rising population of AI tools and the changing buyer behaviors, marketing is certainly becoming more challenging. What worked before doesn’t necessarily kee…
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Brand Experiences in the AI Era with Brian Tillman and Joe DePalma
42:32
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42:32AI search is changing the game with tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity providing instant answers and affecting website traffic. Even so, your website is a vital asset. So what does a startup need to do to make the most of the traffic they are still getting? To answer this question, we are joined by Brian Tillman and Joe DePalma from Punch, a creativ…
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How to Build a Thought Leadership Campaign
42:49
42:49
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42:49We’ve already established that thought leadership is a powerful strategy for startups to build credibility, reduce churn, and drive sales. But where should you start when implementing a thought leadership campaign? The Firebrand team sits down today to dive deep into what it takes to create an effective thought leadership campaign that transforms a…
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Marketing's Role in Business Leadership with Juliana Pereira
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45:15As marketers, it’s easy to get pulled into the day-to-day tactical operations of marketing and lose focus of the big picture. Juliana Pereira joins us as we take a step back and highlight the ways in which marketing impacts various milestones in a startup’s lifespan. From early-stage hiring to fundraising and eventual exit strategies, marketing has…
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