Marketing Against The Grain: Episode Summary – "Use This Free Tool To Win Traffic From ChatGPT"
Release Date: June 19, 2025
In this insightful episode of Marketing Against The Grain, hosted by HubSpot Media, Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (HubSpot's SVP of Marketing) delve into the evolving landscape of search marketing. They explore innovative strategies to harness AI-driven search traffic, particularly from platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other Large Language Models (LLMs). The episode centers around a groundbreaking free tool designed to optimize content for AI search engines, offering marketers a competitive edge in the digital arena.
The Decline of Traditional Search Traffic
The episode kicks off with a candid discussion about the diminishing returns from conventional Google search traffic. Kipp Bodnar highlights the pressing need for marketers to pivot towards AI search engines to maintain and grow their online visibility.
Kipp Bodnar [00:00]: "One of the biggest things happening in marketing right now is the evolution of search. And people's traffic from old school Google search is going down, down, down."
Introducing AI Search Optimization
Recognizing the shift towards AI-driven search, Kieran Flanagan emphasizes the importance of adapting content strategies to cater to AI search engines. He underscores that succeeding in this new landscape requires a deep understanding of AI SEO principles.
Kieran Flanagan [02:13]: "The first thing you need to do is understand how to do that. If you haven't already, go back and watch our show with Asia Frost. We do a massive deep dive in AI SEO."
The Free Tool: AI SEO Content Builder
At the heart of the episode is the introduction of a free tool designed to help marketers create AI-friendly content effortlessly. Kipp Bodnar walks listeners through the process of building a custom GPT agent within ChatGPT, termed the AI SEO Content Builder. This tool aims to generate content that AI search engines can easily cite and summarize, thereby enhancing visibility and traffic.
Kipp Bodnar [02:13]: "I'm gonna show you how to make a custom GPT to do that and a custom GPT setting an agent inside of ChatGPT."
Step-by-Step Creation Process
Kipp provides a detailed walkthrough of creating the custom GPT using the O3 Pro model. He explains how to input specific instructions and prompts to ensure the generated content aligns with AI SEO best practices. The process involves:
- Defining Clear Instructions: Setting the GPT’s mission to produce comprehensive articles that AI assistants can reference verbatim.
- Incorporating Research: Uploading extensive research on AI SEO to inform the GPT’s content generation.
- Optimizing for AI Consumption: Ensuring the content structure, keyword density, and formatting are tailored for AI readability and ranking.
Kipp Bodnar [04:30]: "It's telling it your mission is to write one source article so thoroughly that leading AI assistance... can cite it and hopefully even say it verbatim when answering the target query."
Demonstration and Results
To showcase the tool’s efficacy, Kipp demonstrates generating content for a specific query: "How is HubSpot CRM better than spreadsheets in 2025?" The AI SEO Content Builder produces a well-structured, keyword-optimized page complete with JSON formatting suitable for web editors.
Kipp Bodnar [09:54]: "It gave you that tldr, right? That's part of the instructions. It followed it really well."
He highlights the quality of the output, noting aspects like word count, reading level, and keyword density, all of which are crucial for AI search optimization.
Emphasizing Quality Over Speed
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the trade-off between speed and quality in AI content generation. Kipp advocates for prioritizing high-quality content to achieve better rankings, even if it requires more time.
Kipp Bodnar [09:04]: "I love O3 Pro. O3 Pro has been great and I've been using it for a lot of tasks. It's very, very smart. But that smartness comes at a trade off. It is not that fast relative to all the other AI models."
Practical Applications and Accessibility
Kipp underscores that the AI SEO Content Builder eliminates the need for hiring consultants by automating the content optimization process. He encourages listeners to utilize the tool by providing a link in the podcast description, offering a hands-on approach to enhancing their AI search presence.
Kipp Bodnar [09:54]: "You can go and put it in your website builder, add a couple images and have a really good and compelling page that can start ranking in AI search engines, all for free if you want."
Conclusion
This episode of Marketing Against The Grain serves as a crucial guide for marketers navigating the transition from traditional to AI-driven search. By introducing and demonstrating a free tool for AI SEO content creation, Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan equip listeners with the necessary strategies and resources to thrive in the rapidly changing digital marketing landscape.
Listeners are encouraged to implement the AI SEO Content Builder to stay ahead of the curve and secure their online visibility in the era of AI search engines.