Your guided tour of the world of growth, performance marketing, customer acquisition, paid media, and affiliate marketing.
We talk with industry experts and ...
#72 Optimizing Publisher Earnings with AI | Cornelius Frey, CEO, NucleusLinks
We had an incredible conversation with Cornelius from Opinary, now part of Affinity, about the transformative power of AI in affiliate operations and the future of content monetization.
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34:58
#71 Navigating the Complexities of Fragmented Marketing Strategies | Ian Martins, EVP, Managing Director | Zenith
In this episode of Always Be Testing, Ian Martins, Managing Director of Zenith, explores marketing fragmentation and the need for integrated, client-focused strategies. He discusses balancing brand building with performance marketing, the rise of D2C, and the shift toward hybrid in-housing models. Ian also highlights media trust, influencer marketing, and the challenge of attracting top talent. The episode wraps up with his personal insights on media, technology, and industry trends.
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45:28
#70 Understanding Partner Promotional Methods and Data Points | Nate Ivie, RVP Sales, Impact
In this episode of Always Be Testing, I sit down with Nate Ivey from Impact to talk about what’s working in partner marketing today.We cover why diversifying partners is key, how trust and authenticity drive better results, and what brands need to know about Google’s crackdown on-site reputation abuse. Nate also shares insights on the shift to performance-based influencer models and why consistent recruitment keeps programs strong.We wrap up with some personal stories—including sports, family, and parenting.
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46:14
#69 Unlocking True Activation: Strategies for SaaS and Marketplaces | Ely Lerner
Ely Lerner delves into his role as an advisor, distinguishing it from consulting by emphasizing his focus on advising rather than delivery. He works closely with founders in software verticals such as consumer marketplace, fintech, SMB SaaS, enterprise SaaS, AI, and dev tools, but avoids hardware, DTC, biotech, and crypto sectors. Lerner highlights the importance of integrating product strategy, growth strategy, and go-to-market strategy, spending an hour weekly with each CEO to focus on key priorities and learning.
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43:29
#68 Role of Thoughtful Attribution in Effective Marketing
In this episode of Always Be Testing, I talked with my longtime friend and Round Bar Labs COO Mike McElhaney. We explore affiliate influencer marketing, Meta ads, algorithmic machine learning, and B2B lead optimization. Mike highlights leadership traits like low ego, high empathy, and continuous learning, inspired by books like The Captain’s Class and Extreme Ownership. The discussion blends marketing insights, personal anecdotes, and fun topics like family vacations, favorite TV shows, and Giants predictions for 2025—offering practical takeaways for marketers and leaders alike.
Your guided tour of the world of growth, performance marketing, customer acquisition, paid media, and affiliate marketing.
We talk with industry experts and discuss experiments and their learnings in growth, marketing, and life.
Time to nerd out, check your biases at the door, and have some fun talking about data-driven growth and lessons learned!