- Don't Feed The Algorithm
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- Don't Feed The Algorithm: Issue 023
Don't Feed The Algorithm: Issue 023
The algorithm never sleeps, but you don’t have to feed it.
🐊 Editor's Note
Hey there,
Welcome back to another Don’t Feed The Algorithm, your weekly dispatch from Averi — where we explore the intersections of marketing, AI and the future of work.
Funnels, stacks, strategies — none of it matters if you can’t execute. That’s why this week’s feature breaks down how to build an AI-driven growth funnel that actually scales, not just one that looks good on a whiteboard.
We’re also digging into:
→ The best ChatGPT alternatives that are actually built for marketers, not students cramming essays.
→ How to make your brand’s content citation-worthy so AI models start pulling your insights instead of someone else’s.
And because we don’t just talk strategy — we execute:
→ In our new Run This Play section, you’ll find the exact workflow to Double Your Organic Traffic — broken down into steps you can launch today inside Averi.
→ We’re also spotlighting big expert wins this week — including the operators who are already scaling SEO + AI in ways that double traffic and fill pipelines. And yes, you can work with them directly inside Averi.
Because the future of marketing isn’t just about knowing what to do. It’s about having the experts and workflows to make it happen in days, not quarters.
— ZC & The Averi Team
📝 The Good Sh*t
Building an AI-Driven Growth Marketing Funnel: A Comprehensive Guide
Your competitor just launched a campaign that perfectly targets your best prospects, delivers personalized experiences at scale, and automatically optimizes based on real-time behavior.
They did it in three days.
This isn't some dystopian future… it's literally happening right now.
19.65% of marketers plan to use AI agents to automate marketing in 2025, but they're treating AI like a fancy content generator instead of what it actually is: the first technology that can think strategically about your entire customer journey.
Here's what building a truly AI-driven growth funnel looks like, and why everything you think you know about funnels is about to change.
The Best ChatGPT Alternatives for Marketing → Read online
Building Citation-Worthy Content: Making Your Brand a Data Source for LLMs → Read online
🎉 This Week’s Wins
Every week we’re spotlighting three heavy hitters who did big things. Tap a win to work with them, or get matched to your perfect expert in Averi.
Nikhil Rao — B2B SaaS PMM + Demand Gen
Win (for a B2B fintech platform): Nikhil cut launch from 3 weeks → 4 days by turning positioning into GEO “Answer Kits,” mid-funnel proof, and a LinkedIn/Meta split that primed demos. Demo rate rose 29% and CPL fell 27% as SDRs hit a 15-minute SLA on warm intent routed straight from paid.
Best for: Seed–Series C SaaS, pipeline sprints, GEO/SEO + paid alignment
 |  |
Jordan Kline — Performance + UGC Strategist (Meta/TikTok) Win (for a consumer wellness app): In 10 days, Jordan rebuilt the creative testing matrix with a creator pod (18 UGC variants), dropping CPI 31% while scaling spend 2.3× at stable ROAS. She paired thumb-stopping hooks with event-based retargeting (watchlists → trial) so paid traffic converted instead of just viewing. Best for: Mobile apps, SMBs, DTC launches, offer testing | Anaïs Laurent — Lifecycle & Retention Architect (Klaviyo/SFMC) Win (for a DTC subscription skincare brand): Anaïs stood up a zero-discount winback in 72 hours, lifting 30-day repeat by 24% through dynamic routines, zero-party skin profiles, and micro-education. He then rebuilt checkout recovery (+17% completions) with browse/abandon flows that feel concierge, not coupon-code spam. Best for: DTC/commerce, subscription brands, email/SMS overhaul |
🔥 In Case You Missed It…
HubSpot bets on “The Loop” — not just traffic HubSpot’s Inbound 2025 unveiled the new “Loop” framework—a full-cycle AI marketing system built on Express, Tailor, Amplify, and Evolve—and over 200 Breeze AI agents to support human-AI teamwork at scale. See the framework →
AI implementation speeds up—no matter the economy A surge in generative and agentic AI adoption is reshaping agency models and enabling brands to do more with less—even amid economic headwinds. Read the momentum →
“SEO is dead. Meet GEO.” A shift from search to answers is changing marketing forever. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) helps content get cited by AI platforms—while SEO continues to fade. Get GEO savvy →
AI agents are taking over travel planningTravel platforms like Booking.com and Expedia are partnering with OpenAI to enable autonomous trip booking bots—potentially bypassing traditional OTA models. See how →
Publishers sound the alarm: Google’s AI is killing clicks Some publishers report organic referral traffic drops of up to 89%, thanks to Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode disrupting traditional click-through models. Read the crisis →
AI search tools overtake search engines for tasks A new survey reveals 55% of U.S. users prefer AI like ChatGPT or Gemini over Google when planning travel, drafting emails, comparing products, and more. See usage shift →
Quickplay’s AI Studio debuts at IBC2025 Broadcasting meets generative tech: Quickplay’s new platform auto-generates short-form, vertical video clips from library archives—optimized for TikTok, YouTube, and social feeds. Check the showcase →
Startups betting on AI search, not SEO As Google search declines, ventures like Athena, Profound, and Scrunch AI are emerging to help brands optimize for AI-powered visibility and answer prompts directly. Meet the contenders →
🎮 Run This Play
This is where we hand you a ready-made growth move you can drop straight into Averi. No theory, no bs — just execution you can actually launch in minutes.
This week’s play is all about growth the old-fashioned way — but optimized for 2025. SEO alone won’t cut it anymore. To double organic traffic, you need to feed both Google and the new world of AI Overviews and LLMs. This play gives you the exact workflow to do it without a bloated team or endless planning.
Goal: Double your organic traffic in 90 days.
Outcome: More traffic, more qualified leads, less time wasted.
Play: Double My Organic Traffic
1️⃣ Audit & Cluster — Feed AI your site + analytics data to uncover hidden keyword gaps and technical issues holding you back.
2️⃣ Activate Your Expert — Layer in a strategist to validate the AI analysis and create the roadmap.
3️⃣ Expand the Keywords — Use AI to dig deeper, map intent, and uncover long-tail opportunities your competitors are missing.
4️⃣ Implement the Fixes… — Site speed, crawlability, indexing, internal linking… you’ll prioritize what moves the needle first.
👉 But that’s just the first 30 days. The real traffic doubling happens in Phases 2 + 3…
📺 The Algorithm Could Never
StreetEasy – “Win the Game of Real Estate”
StreetEasy turned the chaotic NYC housing market into something everyone could relate to: a board game. Subway ads, OOH, and digital placements reimagined apartment hunting as a series of cheeky game tiles — “Roommate Roulette,” “Microwave in the Bathroom,” “Broker’s Fee Blues.”
Why We Love It:
Because it tapped directly into the shared pain and humor of New Yorkers.
No algorithm would have pitched “make house hunting look like Monopoly.” It’s too contextual, too tongue-in-cheek, and too rooted in the culture of one city. But StreetEasy knew that leaning into local truths would resonate more deeply than generic real estate ads ever could.
They weren’t just selling listings. They were selling the feeling of having a guide through NYC’s most unpredictable game.
Do we dig it? |
Want to see more of the best marketed companies on the planet? 👇
🗓️ Make Friends
Stanford AI Summit – Imagination in Action | Stanford, CA | | September 9 | → Register
TRUE AI & Cloud Innovation Summit | Honolulu, HI | | September 10 | → Register
CIBB 2025 – AI in Bioinformatics | Milan, Italy | | September 10–12 | → Register
Leaders in AI Summit – NYC | New York, NY | | September 17 | → Register
AI Infra SummitThe AI Infra Summit is the world's largest and most established AI conference that focuses on the infrastructure layer of AI & Machine Learning. Originating as the AI Hardware Summit back in 2018, the summit has evolved from a semiconductor conference into a full-stack AI infrastructure event.
| AI for Marketers SummitUnlock the AI edge. Discover the tools and strategies transforming marketing teams—and careers. Get insider access to live walkthroughs that show you how to embed AI into your stack, step by step.
|
🦄 Averi Stories & Startup Spotlight
ProRata.ai — The Publisher-Friendly AI Search Tool
ProRata.ai is giving publishers back control—by turning search into a revenue opportunity. Their AI-powered “Gist Answers” embeds helpful summaries and reading recommendations directly on publishers’ sites, delivering value to readers and new monetization potential.
The Backstory: ProRata.ai recently closed a $40M Series B, led by Touring Capital, to scale its AI search capability and expand its team from 75 to 100 employees—covering tech, sales, and customer success. This move comes as publishers increasingly face scraping and monetization challenges.
Key Innovation: The platform transforms content into self-serve AI insights, making publishers the go-to information source. It embeds AI-generated highlights and smart suggestions while ensuring the original publisher gets paid—not bypassed. A win for both accuracy and survivability.
💡Ask Averi
AI + Human Marketing Tip
"Don’t automate the whole funnel — automate the friction."
AI is brilliant at handling repetitive tasks: routing leads, drafting nurture emails, personalizing outreach at scale. But the moments that actually close deals — positioning, narrative, taste — still need a human hand.
The winning funnel isn’t AI-only or human-only. It’s AI smoothing the path so humans can spend their energy on the high-leverage moves.
Strategy You Can Steal
Turn Your Content Into “AI Bait”
Most teams still optimize for Google. Smart teams are now optimizing for LLMs. The goal? Make your content the kind of signal AI models love to surface and cite.
Here’s how:
1️⃣ Lead with data — Original stats, benchmarks, or survey insights are the new SEO gold. AI models grab numbers first.
2️⃣ Structure like an answer — Write in clean Q&A or listicle formats that LLMs can parse and summarize easily.
3️⃣ Use schema markup — Give models clear metadata to recognize what your content actually is.
4️⃣ Publish consistently — AI models weigh freshness; steady updates keep you relevant in their training.
5️⃣ Repurpose across channels — Take the same dataset or insight and format it into short posts, visuals, or video. More surfaces = more chances to be cited.
This isn’t about clicks anymore. It’s about making your brand the source AI pulls from when customers ask questions.
— Averi
This Week’s Prompt Highlight
“Audit our content calendar for the next quarter and propose three experiments using AI tools to improve engagement, retention and conversion.”
This team was already thinking ahead into 2026.
Averi’s Strategic Cortex analyzed past performance, identified gaps and delivered a test plan that sparked double‑digit gains.
🏆 Expert of the Week
 | Sasha Marin: Growth Hacker Who Thinks Like a Concert Pianist🌍 Background: After training as a classical pianist in Moscow, Sasha moved into growth marketing and discovered that scales and funnels have a lot in common. She now orchestrates campaigns with the same precision she once applied to Rachmaninoff. ⚡ Achievement: Sasha helped an ed‑tech startup 5× its freemium conversions by choreographing an onboarding “concerto” — each email, in‑app message and push notification was timed like a musical movement. Averi’s adaptive workflows handled the automation while she focused on the composition. 🎼 Quirk: Still practices two hours of piano daily and uses music theory to explain funnel drop‑offs. Believes every A/B test should end on a high note. |
💼 Don’t Let AI Replace You
PeopleConnect Staffing
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote (United States)
Define go‑to‑market strategy and craft compelling messaging for a conversational‑AI platform, translating technical capabilities into clear, customer‑centric. → Apply hereDeepLearning.AI
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Hybrid – San Francisco Bay Area / Remote
Help bring world‑class AI education products to life by creating go‑to‑market strategies and engaging the developer community; collaborate with teams to launch courses and craft. → Apply hereRezolve AI
Position: Senior Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote (Toronto, Austin or New York)
Own positioning and go‑to‑market strategy for Rezolve’s AI‑first e‑commerce search and product discovery solutions, partnering with sales and product teams to craft messaging and launch. → Apply hereAnzen
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote (United States or San Francisco)
Shape the go‑to‑market strategy and messaging for a next‑generation AI insurance platform, working across product, sales, design and leadership to translate complexity into. → Apply hereLevel AI
Position: Senior Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote (India)
Articulate the value of AI‑powered customer‑service solutions, collaborate with product and sales teams to craft positioning and enablement materials, and drive go‑to‑market plans for contact‑center. → Apply hereMistral AI
Position: Senior Product Marketing Manager
Location: Hybrid (New York)
Be an early member of Mistral’s U.S. marketing team, developing messaging and positioning for open‑source AI models and working closely with engineering and sales to drive. → Apply herePointClickCare
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Remote (United States)
Lead go‑to‑market and product‑launch planning for advanced analytics and AI solutions in healthcare; collaborate with cross‑functional teams to develop messaging, sales tools and buyer. → Apply hereWebMD Ignite
Position: Product Marketing Manager
Location: Hybrid – Newark, NJ / Remote
Own go‑to‑market strategy and value‑proposition development for WebMD’s digital healthcare engagement solutions, translating complex capabilities into compelling messages and sales. → Apply hereOutreach
Position: Marketing Operations Manager
Location: Remote (United States)
Administer and optimize the marketing technology stack, manage data and campaign operations, and develop analytics and reporting to drive revenue for an AI‑powered revenue workflow. → Apply hereEve (Legal Tech)
Position: Marketing Operations Manager
Location: Remote (United States)
Serve as the first marketing operations hire at a legal‑tech startup; own the tech stack, build dashboards, improve lead routing and support campaign execution across the demand. → Apply here
Looking to fill an open role on your marketing team? Averi can help!
We have access to the best marketers in the world at our fingertips.
Fill out the form below and we’ll work with you to find great candidates for your roles.
Did You Know? — 65% of marketers admit they don’t have a strategy for AI-first search yet. That means most brands are still optimizing for Google alone — while AI overviews and LLMs are already reshaping where and how buyers discover answers.
Til next time,
DFTA
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