Podcast Summary: Marketing Against The Grain

Episode: I Used Gemini Code Assist to Build a Newsletter App (for Free)
Host: HubSpot Media
Date: November 6, 2025
Speakers: Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot CMO), Kieran Flanagan (HubSpot SVP of Marketing)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kieran Flanagan dives deep into how Google's new AI coding assistant—Gemini Code Assist—enables rapid creation of code-driven marketing experiences, specifically demonstrating how he built an app to capture newsletter subscribers. The discussion moves rapidly from the tactical steps of app creation to broader implications for marketers: interactive tools are becoming as easy to make as static content, shifting how marketers capture leads and engage users.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rise of AI-Powered Code for Marketers

• Trend Overview:
  • The episode opens with the shift from static content (e.g., PDFs, ebooks) to code-powered, interactive tools as a lead generation mechanism ([00:00]).
  • Notable Insight:
    • "It's as easy to create kind of interactive tools and interactive content as it was to create PDFs and static templates and Word docs or whatever else." – Kieran ([03:01])

2. Google AI Studio & Gemini Code Assist Overview

• What is Google AI Studio?
  • An integrated suite of AI tools, including image generation (Nano Banana), video (VO3 1), and now, a coding assistant.
• Benefits of Integration:
  • Seamless combination of different AI services, e.g., building an app with instant access to image and video generation tools ([05:25]).
  • Example:
    • Kieran describes building a fitness coach app capable of having voice conversations.
    • “...It is best to chunk it into parts so the assistant does not get too confused. Now I will say Google's AI coding assistant seems to be able to just one-shot things." ([13:05])

3. Building the Newsletter Subscriber App

• The ‘Cloud Skills Generator’ App:
  1. Problem: Traditionally, growing a newsletter required creating gated content to collect emails.
  2. Solution: Use Gemini Code Assist to build an app where users submit their job, get relevant “Claude skills,” and then, in exchange for their email, can download those “Skill MD” files ([10:29]).
• Process Highlights:
  • Kieran collaborated across AIs (Claude for prompt expertise, Gemini for code execution), showing a “stack” approach.
  • Critical app features were developed step-by-step to ensure clarity: upload job → parse skills → generate properly-formatted Cloud Skills → enable download, gated by email ([14:42]).

4. Lead Capture Is Now Productized

• Email-Gated Downloads (Live Demo):
  • Kieran demonstrates how adding a download email overlay turns the app into a lead generation engine.
  • “Now it has a popup to capture interest in this for my newsletter. And that’s what I mean. That’s the power of these code-powered experiences.” ([18:40])
  • The pattern has flipped: Rather than a newsletter growing an app audience, the app itself becomes a tool for newsletter growth.

5. Tactical & Strategic Tips

• Chunking tasks: Break app features into manageable pieces for better AI assistant performance ([13:05]).
• Cross-tool prompting: Don’t hesitate to use different AI assistants for their strengths—Claude for specialized domain prompts, Gemini for execution.
• App-first marketing: “You can really create code experiences as quickly or even faster than you can create content.” ([20:19])
• Practical Prompts Offer: Kieran teases access to 10 ready-made prompts for Gemini code to build marketing tools at various buyer journey stages ([12:30]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Paradigm Shift:
  • "What’s happening now is these code and assistants mean it’s as easy to create kind of interactive tools...as it was to create PDFs and static templates and Word docs." – Kieran ([03:01])
• On Building With AI:
  • “You have to really get experience about using AI across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, all these different tools. Look, we’re giving you 10 prompts you can plug into Gemini code right now to build interactive tools that actually convert.” – Kieran ([12:10])
• On Power of Productized Lead Capture:
  • “Now I can kind of market this app and I can create actual email signups for my newsletter. In what world prior to AI would I have created an app to grow a newsletter?” – Kieran ([19:04])
• On the Future:
  • “Google are rumored to be launching Gemini 3 very soon and that is going to be apparently an even better coding model. And at the moment this is using Gemini 2.5.” – Kieran ([21:21])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 — Intro & context: The shift from traditional content to AI-generated code-powered experiences.
• 03:01 — Why marketers should care: Interactive tools as easy as static content.
• 05:25 — Exploring Google AI Studio’s powerful integrations.
• 10:29 — From gated ebooks to interactive skills generator apps.
• 12:10 — Cross-AI workflows and 10 ready-made Gemini dev prompts.
• 13:05 — Chunking app features for AI assistant effectiveness.
• 14:42 — Step-by-step: Building, testing, and refining the skill generator app.
• 18:40 — Live: Adding a newsletter signup overlay to the app.
• 19:04 — The paradigm flip: App drives newsletter instead of vice versa.
• 21:21 — Future outlook: Gemini 3 and unlocking even more app creation potential.

Episode Tone

The episode maintains an enthusiastic and pragmatic tone, balancing practical “how-to” tips with big-picture implications. Kieran’s language is informal, fast-paced, and candid, making the concepts accessible even to non-technical marketers.

Final Thoughts

Kieran’s walkthrough gives marketers actionable steps to embrace AI code assistants, democratizing app creation and reframing the process of building audiences and capturing leads. The future isn’t “content-first, sell a tool later”—now, marketers can flip the script with easy, interactive experiences tightly integrated into the lead engine.

Interested in the app or prompts mentioned?
Kieran invites listeners to comment for access and promises to release the tool to subscribers.

This summary captures the flow, practical advice, and the excitement of leveraging Gemini Code Assist for audience growth—all in the original voice and spirit of the episode.