Podcast Summary: "How B2B Marketers Are Actually Using AI at Work with Jess Lytle"

The Dave Gerhardt Show (Exit Five) | Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Dave Gerhardt | Guest: Jess Lytle (Head of Marketing, Exit Five)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dave Gerhardt is joined by Jess Lytle, Head of Marketing at Exit Five and author of the AI-focused newsletter, The Prompt. They share a candid, insightful conversation about how B2B marketers are actually deploying AI in their day-to-day work, the shifting landscape of marketing roles thanks to automation, actionable use cases for tools like NotebookLM, and what it means to create truly valuable content in an era dominated by generative AI. The discussion covers team structure, content strategy, the evolving skill set for marketers, practical examples, and advice for navigating AI skepticism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jess Lytle’s Journey to Exit Five (06:34–11:12)

• Non-traditional Hiring Story:
  Jess shares her unique path to Exit Five, being recruited after demonstrating AI marketing use-cases on a webinar (06:47).

  "I showed, like, a real tactical AI use case of how I prompt, like, Vibe coded a ROI calculator for a client..." — Jess Lytle [06:54]

• Building and Sharing in the Community:
  She offered to send her prompt to anyone interested, leading to a flood of LinkedIn DMs and dynamic interactions with marketers putting her prompts into practice (07:51).

• Background as a Teacher and Demand Gen Marketer:
  Jess discusses her stint teaching marketing analytics and prompts at FIU, highlighting how “learning by teaching” deepens her expertise and love for sharing knowledge (09:31; 11:00).

2. Goal-Setting and the Science of Subconscious Focus (02:09–04:12)

• Manifestation and Goal Setting:
  Both hosts discuss personal and professional goal setting, writing down long-term ambitions, and the psychology behind speaking intentions into existence.

  "If you know what the outcome is that you're trying to drive for, in so many micro decisions of your life, you will start to navigate towards that direction." — Jess Lytle [03:52]

3. The Marketing Mindset: Early Adoption and Skepticism (11:31–14:03)

• Adopting (and Questioning) New Tech:
  Jess explains why she became an early adopter of AI tools, contrasting skepticism of traditional MarTech—often oversold and under-delivered—with hands-on AI tools that actually solve real problems fast (11:44–12:39).

• Hands-On Experience & Trust:
  Dave notes that AI tools like ChatGPT break barriers by being instantly accessible and demonstrably useful in daily work, unlike legacy MarTech (13:03).

4. The Changing Nature of Content in the AI Era (17:08–23:39)

• Content Moats: Originality and Expertise:
  Jess insists the 2026 content battleground belongs to original research, unique insights, and expert voices—not generic, AI-generated “slop” (17:08–19:46).

  "75% of content out on the Internet right now is not written by humans...having something that's new is what's going to be important and relevant." — Jess Lytle [17:26]

• Trust & Founder-Led Content:
  Humanized, experience-based content becomes a powerful differentiator. As Dave puts it, marketers must “resource gather” and leverage the most authentic nuggets a company can share—often through the founder’s unique journey (22:34–23:39).

5. Standout AI Tools: NotebookLM and Lovable (25:50–34:12)

• NotebookLM (Google): Practical Use Cases:
  Jess is a vocal advocate for NotebookLM, sharing how it organizes vast information sources (onboarding docs, sales notes, event plans, study materials) and reduces hallucinations compared to ChatGPT (26:24–29:37).

  “NotebookLM...takes your sources and then you can kind of do a lot with it. You can chat it like you would ChatGPT, but it’s only from your sources.” — Jess Lytle [26:24]

• Real Workflow Improvements:
  Dave recognizes the power of consolidating transcripts, decks, and competitive docs for launches, while Jess details major time-saving for tasks like building ROI calculators in Lovable, previously expensive and time-consuming with developers (30:49–31:08).

• Stacking Tools for Best Results:
  Combining tools like GenSpark and Gamma for better presentation outputs; recognizing there isn’t a one-size-fits-all AI solution, but strategic combinations create the most leverage (36:58).

6. Building an AI “Brain” for Marketing Teams (34:12–35:24)

• Creating Internal Knowledge Bases:
  Dave contemplates building an AI-curated “company brain” of customer insights, FAQs, competitive intelligence—a project Jess encourages as both an internal resource and a replicable use case for other teams.

• Jess’s Mission:
  She sees her responsibility as vetting tooling, mapping best-in-class use cases, and being a practical “translator” for busy marketers.

  “That’s my job. ...to do that research and figure out, is this just a Claude vs. GPT or ...a tool that actually can do something better?” — Jess Lytle [35:39]

7. The Reality of AI-Generated Content (“Slop”) (24:20–25:50)

• AI Increases the Bar for Content:
  Both agree that generic, high-volume AI-generated content will kill trust and deals. Marketers need to obsess over creating meaningful, original, and human content.

  “AI slop is going to kill deals, kill brand, and kill trust...It's on us to create things that actually matter.” — Jess Lytle (Sponsor Message) [24:29]

8. SEO vs. AEO: What’s Changed and What Matters (38:43–42:09)

• SEO is Not Dead:
  Despite the rise of AI-powered search (AEO), traditional SEO continues to deliver. Click-through on Google's “10 blue links” remains steady (within 5% variance) according to data from Graphite (38:50–40:23).

  “Where we've been hearing 'SEO is dead'... It's just not the case. ...Foundational SEO tactics are still really viable.” — Jess Lytle [39:12]

• AEO as Layered Strategy:
  AI-powered engines are an additional layer, not a replacement, and can especially help newer brands gain traction if referenced externally (41:12).

9. Culture, Burnout, and Creativity in Founder-Led Content (46:18–48:16)

• Managing Burnout and Staying Creative:
  Dave’s candid take:

  "99.9% of the time my answer is, just suck it up, buttercup...I keep that [perspective]." — Dave Gerhardt [47:15]

• Jess adds that routine, helpful feedback, and mixing things up are key.

10. Lightning Round: Listener Questions & Fun (48:33–51:28)

• AIM Usernames, Marketing Advice, and Timeless Lessons:
  Both reflect on the now-obvious timelessness of foundational marketing—community, brand, relevance—regardless of shifts like AI.

  "Everything can work, and everything has worked. There is not one playbook..." — Dave Gerhardt [50:04]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Manifestation and Goal Setting:

  “If you know what the outcome is...you will start to navigate towards that direction.” — Jess Lytle [03:52]

• On Surviving in the Age of AI Content:

  “AI doesn’t care how much content you publish, it cares whether you’re saying something new.” — Jess Lytle [17:08]

• On NotebookLM as an AI ‘must-have’:

  “Every once in a while you’ll come across, like, just an insane tool that you know you’ll never work without. ...NotebookLM, it's great.” — Jess Lytle [26:24]

• On Marketing Empowerment:

  “That’s what’s nice: marketing doesn’t have to wait for this stuff anymore.” — Jess Lytle [31:17]

• On Sifting AI Tools:

  “Work backwards from what it is you’re trying to solve, then figure out which tool is best at doing that one thing.” — Jess Lytle [36:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:06] Goal Setting & Manifestation
• [06:34] Jess’s path to Exit Five & AI community building
• [11:31] Adopting AI vs. skeptical MarTech
• [17:08] The new content moat: originality and expertise
• [25:50] Why NotebookLM is a game-changer for marketers
• [31:08] The shift from developer-heavy to marketer-driven AI solutions
• [36:58] The importance of tool selection and process
• [38:43] SEO vs. AEO: Is SEO dead? Foundational tactics still work
• [46:18] Burnout, creativity, and founder-led content realities
• [48:33] Listener questions: AIM nostalgia, outdated advice, holiday cheer

Takeaways for B2B Marketers

• AI Expertise is the New Differentiator:
  Marketers must combine subject matter expertise with AI tool fluency to build credibility and work faster and smarter.

• Human-Centered Content Still Wins:
  Authentic, original, and founder-driven narratives rise above generic, AI-generated material.

• Practical AI Applications Are Key:
  Tools like NotebookLM, ChatGPT, Lovable, and GenSpark are moving from ideation to product creation, onboarding, and collaborative knowledge management.

• SEO Remains Relevant, But Layer On AEO:
  Foundational search strategies are still effective, but be proactive about AI engines for emerging discoverability.

• Learning in Public Drives Opportunity:
  Jess’s own journey shows the power of sharing tactical, value-driven work—in public and within the marketing community.

Resources & Further Reading

• Subscribe to Jess’s newsletter, The Prompt, for AI marketing deep dives.
• Connect with Jess Lytle on LinkedIn for continuing insights and community discussions.
• Explore practical AI tools mentioned: NotebookLM, ChatGPT, Lovable, GenSpark, Gamma.

Closing Tone

Light, direct, and actionable – Dave and Jess keep the conversation fun, unscripted, and focused on what’s actually working for marketing teams on the ground. With insightful war stories, helpful tool breakdowns, and open calls for listener participation, this is an episode tailored for marketers navigating (and building) the future.