The Dave Gerhardt Show (Exit Five)

Episode: How to Use AI for Content Without Creating Slop with Eoin Clancy (VP Growth at AirOps)

Date: February 4, 2026
Host: Dave Gerhardt
Guest: Eoin Clancy, VP Growth at AirOps

Episode Overview

This episode features a deep dive into tactical B2B marketing with a focus on leveraging AI for content without falling into the trap of producing generic, low-quality "AI slop." Host Dave Gerhardt interviews Eoin Clancy, VP Growth at AirOps, about how his team navigates the technological and strategic challenges of today's rapidly changing content marketing landscape. Topics include the emerging "content engineer" role, actionable frameworks for avoiding unoriginal content, and AirOps' surprising success with ungated, value-driven webinars as a core growth channel.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Is AirOps and the “Content Engineer” Role?

[03:54] – [07:58]

• AirOps is a "content engineering platform," helping companies like Carta and Chime improve their brand visibility in AI-focused search and SEO.
• The rapid rise in demand for content engineers is a testament to shifting marketing needs as companies navigate LLM (Large Language Model) search and new organic discovery mechanisms.
• Content Engineer Definition:
  • Owns and manages contextual knowledge and workflows for content creation, ensuring both internal teams and AI models are fed the right context, not just churning out generic or surface-level material.
  • The role varies by company size: at smaller orgs, more tactical; at enterprises, able to influence strategic product and thought leadership content.
• Career Path Example: Lucy Hoyle at Carta moved from content strategist to senior content engineer, showing the evolution and value of this position within organizations.

Notable Quote:

"A content engineer is someone who really starts to manage your context internally and also builds and maintains your workflows... avoiding AI slop all comes down to what you're feeding a model with."
— Eoin [04:54]

2. Parallels Between Classic SEO and SEO for LLMs

[07:58] – [10:13]

• The principles of creating helpful, user-focused content haven’t changed, even as the algorithms and user interfaces evolve from classic search to AI-driven engines.
• Eli Schwartz’s book Product Led SEO (2016) is cited as a touchstone for content that answers real user intent, validating that strong fundamentals outlive surface-level hacks.
• Being unique and authoritative remains essential—regardless of medium or algorithm.

Notable Quote:

"Their [search engines’] whole motivation is to surface the best content for any given query. Whether that engine is Bing, Google, ChatGPT, or Perplexity—they’re trying to get to ground truth."
— Eoin [08:58]

3. Defining and Spotting “AI Slop”: Three Key Warning Signs

[19:23] – [21:53]

• As the novelty of AI-generated content faded, many marketers defaulted to speed and scale, leading to lower quality ("AI slop").
• Eoin's Three Signs of AI Slop:
  1. Not Unique: Regurgitating what’s already out there (“scraping the first two pages of Google”); not leveraging internal SMEs or customer insights.
  2. Doesn’t Sound Like You: Lacks brand voice and personality—reads like any other company.
  3. Language/Readability Tells: Overuse of unnatural phrases ("utilize" instead of "use"), robotic structure, or too formal—doesn’t feel human or relatable.
• Readability is crucial: “Write for a fifth grader,” benefiting both humans and LLM comprehension.

Notable Quote:

"If it doesn't sound like you, it's in the lower quality bucket. Readability is huge... the LLM still has to digest this, but a human has to engage with it."
— Eoin [19:46]

4. Maintaining Brand Voice & Tone with AI

[23:53] – [26:24]

• Preserving tone of voice is one of the key challenges—AI can’t (yet) truly replicate the “it sounds like us” moment that human writers and editors bring.
• Hybrid approaches are essential:
  • Use AI as a tool, not a replacement; subject matter experts and marketers need to be in the loop.
  • Many teams use existing content samples to train a style guide or synthesize brand voice for LLM inputs.
  • Tone must evolve with the business and be consistently refined.

Notable Quote:

"From their content marketer or head of product marketing, they just come to us with the recurring sentence: ‘This just sounds like us.’ That’s a super hard thing to measure."
— Eoin [23:53]

5. Making Subject Matter Expertise Your X-Factor

[26:24] – [29:29]

• The best content leverages unique insights, IP, and stories from inside the business.
• Even if you lack a charismatic founder or high-profile leadership, source stories from engineers, customers, sales calls—anywhere with real-world nuance.
• Modern AI tools make it easier to collaborate asynchronously (e.g., voice memos, AI-assisted drafting) with busy SMEs.

Notable Quote:

"Interview engineers every day... They’re the ones often solving the problems at 1am."
— Eoin [27:43]

6. Why 10x Content Still Wins Over “More, Faster”

[31:31] – [33:37]

• Quality over quantity: Deep, well-researched content (10x/pillar content) produces lasting results and market impact.
• Example: Josh from AirOps created “10x Content Engineer” by synthesizing interviews, customer context, and SME opinions—a week of effort, but a foundational piece for both SEO and industry positioning.

7. Democratizing Content Creation—You Don’t Have to Be a Pro Writer

[33:37] – [34:59]

• New tools lower the barriers for those who aren’t “natural” writers—skills like ideation, research, and understanding hooks now play a bigger role.
• Social media and AI have changed what it means to be good at content—authenticity and depth trump technical writing skills alone.

8. AirOps’ Webinar-Driven Growth Playbook (Q4 2025)

[34:59] – [53:24]

• Webinars are AirOps’s top-performing growth channel—even in 2026, and without gating the content.
• Webinar Tactics and Funnel:
  • Focus on market-relevant, hot topics (e.g., Claude code, AI search changes) rather than product pitches.
  • Invite stories and practical demos from both internal and outside experts.
  • Build quarterly “skeletons” to address different personas and trend topics.
  • Stay flexible—respond to shifting industry conversation (example: pivoting topics for a Mark Williams Cook webinar).

Notable Quotes:

"Webinars are back. That was the story for 2026, at least for us."
— Eoin [34:59]
"Begin with the end in mind... these are people who care about these things, so let's deliver value, not just product pitches."
— Dave [38:01]

• Follow-Up Strategy:

  • Personalized post-event engagement based on attendee history, content consumed, and pre-webinar questions.
  • Goal: engagement and education first, not just “book a demo.”
  • Use tools like Luma, HubSpot, Zoom, and enrichment/personalization platforms (Clay, Trigafy, Smartlead, Zapier).

• Measurement:

  • Success measured in long-tail influence (30–90 days to revenue), not just immediate MQLs.
  • Attribution is nuanced, blending qualitative feedback from sales with CRM journeys.

Notable Quote:

"We're trying to create the best content, give it away for free. When someone has their problem or needs a solution in the future, we're the first name top of mind."
— Eoin [45:15]

• Getting Attendees:
  • Focus on storytelling and delivering real value—the market will amplify your signal (organic sharing, UGC).
  • Most effective promotion comes when giving “as much value as possible,” not hoarding content behind gates.

9. Other Channels & Strategic Focus

[53:24] – [55:14]

• Channels that build trust (enablement, education, community) and agent/brand visibility perform best.
• Community and events (virtual and in-person) help create strong networks—sometimes even leading to organic grassroots meetups from webinar regulars.
• Fast experimentation is prioritized—unsuccessful bets are cut quickly, resources flow to what’s working.

Notable Quote:

"The channels marketing should focus on... establish trust and agent visibility. They all come back to authenticity."
— Eoin [53:24]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Not Chasing the Easy Button:

"Good content actually does take time... That is what makes it good."
— Dave [29:29]

• On Attribution & Internal Buy-In:

"You need to get into a rhythm... the hamster wheel starts to move. Then when it starts to move, you’re more easily finding proof points, better equipped to tell a story internally."
— Eoin [47:44]

• On Not Gating Content:

"Don’t gate. That will feel so hard to let go of. But give away the value. Your users will do the distribution for you."
— Eoin [51:54]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 03:54 | AirOps intro & content engineer role | | 07:58 | SEO for LLMs vs. “classic” search | | 19:23 | Three signs of AI slop | | 23:53 | Maintaining and measuring brand tone with AI | | 26:24 | Subject matter expertise is (still) the X-factor | | 31:31 | The enduring power of 10x/pillar content | | 34:59 | AirOps’ webinar strategy breakdown | | 39:24 | Webinars: Audience-driven, not product-centric | | 40:18 | Webinar tech stack and post-webinar engagement | | 45:15 | Attribution: long-tail, not short-term | | 53:24 | Other channels: trust, enablement, community | | 55:14 | Fast experiments and intelligent resource allocation|

Key Takeaways

• AI is a multiplier, not a magic bullet: Content success still depends on strategy, subject matter expertise, and authentic brand voice—AI simply provides leverage.
• Quality > Quantity: Invest in deep, unique, human-driven content—AI can't deliver differentiation on autopilot.
• Webinars (done right) are thriving: Focus on education and topical value, build deep funnels via engagement rather than direct response sales tactics.
• Don’t gate, give value freely: Trust the long game—your audience will reward authenticity and helpfulness with loyalty, referrals, and pipeline.
• Rapidly experiment, relentlessly cut what doesn’t work: Allocate resources to channels showing actual signals of impact.

For listeners seeking real-world, up-to-the-minute B2B marketing strategies—including how to leverage AI effectively without losing human touch—this episode is a tactical, energizing resource.