Podcast Summary: AI-Driven Marketer – "The 30-60-90 Day Authority System"

Host: Dan Sanchez
Co-host: Ken Frere
Date: December 10, 2025

Episode Overview

In this practical and actionable episode, Dan Sanchez and Ken Frere wrap up their "Own the Show" book series with a detailed guide to becoming an authority in the age of AI-powered marketing. They discuss the challenges AI presents to marketers—particularly eroding trust and increasing job competition—and provide a 90-day plan to help marketers, consultants, and creators stand out through expertise, original content, and audience-building strategies. The plan is divided into two tracks: for those starting from scratch and for those already established in their niche.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Authority in the AI Age (00:05–03:00)

• Setting the Stakes: As AI threatens to decrease marketing jobs, those who succeed will master AI and differentiate themselves by becoming authorities.
• “I think there will be less jobs in marketing in the future because of AI, which means the people who are left are probably the ones who master AI and generally build up some kind of authority...” — Dan Sanchez (03:40)
• The authority-building roadmap is aimed at helping marketers stay relevant, competitive, and potentially entrepreneurial.

2. Track 1: The Student/Beginner Phase (03:40–30:03)

Days 1–30: Niche Selection and Deep Learning (03:40–13:31)

• Pick Your Niche (04:13):
  • Choose a focused area with 5–30 books published; this focus is crucial for building real authority.
  • “You need to niche down into something small... If there’s more than 30 books, you’re too big. Go down.” — Dan Sanchez (04:43)
  • It's okay if the niche changes later. “...you’re niching down now and it doesn’t mean you’re niching down forever.” — Ken Frere (05:18)
• Aggressive Reading:
  • Listen to/read all available books, audiobooks, and resources—use 2x speed and take actionable notes (06:47).
  • Sharing your growing bookshelf (physically or virtually) increases perceived credibility.
• Learning Out Loud:
  • Post daily (ideally 1–3 times) on a short-form platform (e.g., LinkedIn, X/Twitter) about key insights and experiments at work. This starts building audience trust and authority organically.
  • “Learn in the light and gain authority while you’re learning.” — Dan Sanchez (12:38)

Days 31–60: The Connection Phase (13:31–21:54)

• Start a Podcast:
  • Begin interviewing niche experts, authors, and practitioners—even as a total beginner.
  • “There’s something valuable even in being asked to be on a show, even if there’s no audience.” — Dan Sanchez (15:08)
  • Keep tech simple—Zoom or Zencast is enough for your first episodes (17:19–18:08).
  • “Until you’re past episode seven, screw the mic—you don’t need a mic to podcast.” — Dan Sanchez (17:58)
• Networking & Relationship Building:
  • Leverage interviews to build meaningful relationships, not just for knowledge or prestige.
  • The act of side-by-side content and repeated public engagement begins to transfer authority to you.

Days 61–90: Output and Synthesis Phase (21:54–30:03)

• Create Authority Content:
  • Publish long-form answers to the industry’s top 30 FAQ (blog posts, newsletter entries, or solo podcast episodes).
  • “All you’re doing is synthesizing everything you learned to answer the 30 most frequently asked questions. Hence the 30-30-30 plan.” — Dan Sanchez (23:14)
• Embrace the Basics:
  • Even core principles are new to many people—don’t be afraid to repeat and explain foundational knowledge (28:32–29:21).
  • “Sometimes the things that hit the hardest for people are the simple, profound truths that I post.” — Ken Frere (29:29)

3. Track 2: The Practitioner/Experienced Phase (31:02–50:07)

Days 1–30: Packaging Unique Ideas (31:02–36:11)

• Idea Audit:
  • Review and inventory all your content (posts, articles) for unique ideas—AI tools can assist (“Ask ChatGPT: Based on all our conversations, are there any ideas unique to me?”).
  • Organize ideas into clusters, start giving them names, and create summaries for each (use ChatGPT to polish, then have marketing friends review).
• Positioning and Messaging:
  • Update your website, LinkedIn, and other profiles to reflect your core ideas and unique approach.
  • “You need to find something that’s unique about a bunch of these ideas… then start repositioning yourself around these ideas across all these profiles.” — Dan Sanchez (36:11)

Days 31–60: Growth Through Content and Engagement (36:11–44:17)

• Double Down on Content:
  • Go “all in” on two key channels (ideally podcast + LinkedIn), publishing long-form weekly and short-form daily (or more).
• Engagement:
  • Block focused time for high-frequency, high-quality engagement (20–50 comments daily), especially on LinkedIn to maximize distribution and audience building.
  • “If you’re not cranking the engagement wheel, man… you’re putting content into a feed and they’re just falling flat.” — Dan Sanchez (40:58)
• Consistency vs. Action:
  • Prioritize creating content—even imperfectly—over chasing perfect consistency or polish.

Days 61–90: Retention Phase (44:17–50:07)

• Build a Lead Magnet and Depth Asset:
  • Create a simple, high-value lead magnet (guide, template, scorecard) to capture and engage new audience members.
  • Follow up with a “depth asset”:
    • Course, workshop, or book to offer deeper value and build community.
    • “Eventually, once you’re farther on, you want to start creating these larger assets, starting with one, then eventually two.” — Dan Sanchez (47:43)
• Continuous Learning & Community:
  • Never stop consuming new material and re-engaging with your network.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fear of AI Displacement:
  “The whole point is that you’re becoming the authority that AI is going to actually use if you start writing about this.” — Ken Frere (23:37)

• On Authority Foundations:
  “You have to be known as an expert before you can become a thought leader for unique ideas.” — Dan Sanchez (27:06)

• On Overcomplicating Tech:
  “If you can do a Zoom call, you can make a podcast. That’s the same thing.” — Dan Sanchez (17:56)

• On Action vs. Waiting:
  “Imperfect action is always going to be way better than no action at all.” — Ken Frere (51:35)

Important Segments and Timestamps

• AI’s Impact on Marketing Jobs & Importance of Authority: 00:05–03:40
• Track 1: 30-60-90 Plan for Beginners: 03:40–30:03
  • Niche selection and reading: 04:13–10:48
  • Learning in public: 10:48–13:31
  • Podcasting and connections: 13:31–21:54
  • Synthesizing knowledge/content: 21:54–30:03
• Track 2: 30-60-90 Plan for Practitioners: 31:02–50:07
  • Audit & package your ideas: 31:02–36:11
  • Growth and audience-building: 36:11–44:17
  • Retention and building depth: 44:17–50:07
• Final Action Steps & Philosophical Close: 50:07–End (52:04)

Style & Tone

• Candid, practical, and slightly urgent—rooted in lived experience and a desire to see marketers take action and thrive.
• Supportive, coaching style: “Just take action! Don’t wait for perfect.”

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

• Whether you’re new to authority-building or already have an audience, you need a system to stand out—especially as AI transforms marketing roles.
• The 30-60-90 day plan is built on what you can control: learning intently, publishing consistently, building relationships, and repackaging your expertise.
• Use AI as a support tool—not a replacement—for creating original, insightful, and trustworthy content.
• Don’t wait for perfection: ship content, iterate, and double down on real engagement.

End message:
“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to help people to know, like, and trust us—and we’re trying to do it in a genuine way, a human way, in a way that works best with AI so that we can actually stand out and be the most helpful that we can be.” — Dan Sanchez (52:04)

For more details, listen to the full episode or check out their upcoming book. Start your authority journey now!