The GaryVee Audio Experience: The #1 Secret to B2B Growth on LinkedIn

Date: April 1, 2026
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk
Episode Theme: Unlocking B2B growth through underpriced attention, specifically on LinkedIn, with tactical advice for both entrepreneurs and brand leaders.

Overview

In this spirited episode, Gary Vaynerchuk (GaryVee) dives deep into why brands—especially B2B companies—are still using outdated playbooks while ignoring the actual landscape of consumer attention, and how LinkedIn now presents a historic opportunity for growth. He’s joined by Allison (founder of Poppy), who shares hard-won insights about pivoting her beverage company from a kitchen startup to a household name. The discussion covers the pitfalls of traditional marketing, executing effective brand strategy, and the reality of building community and brand in today's social-driven world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Outdated Playbook & The Attention Gap

• Gary highlights that many big brands are still running marketing strategies based on 1990s thinking—tracking potential reach instead of actualized reach. The media landscape has shifted, but many are slow to adapt.
  • Quote (00:00, GaryVee):
    "Big brands are still running marketing departments based on a book that was written in 1991...The reality is you could potentially reach this many people and you reach none of them."
  • He stresses that real attention is currently on social—especially LinkedIn—and calls out the "disease destroying Fortune 5000 land: potential reach versus actualized reach."

2. Branding That "Bites": Moving from Logic to Emotion

• Allison recounts her brand's evolution, emphasizing the necessity of both a great product and an emotionally resonant brand.
  • Quote (03:31, Allison):
    "You want to move really, the thinking of what a brand is. You move it from the head to the heart. You want to emotionally connect with your consumer."
• She shares how clarity in brand identity—down to packaging and product descriptors—helped Poppy succeed where competitors faltered.

3. Product Still Comes First

• Gary makes clear that no amount of smart marketing can redeem a bad product—marketing will just speed up the rate at which people discover your product isn't good.
  • Quote (06:01, GaryVee):
    "All that good marketing does against a bad product is speeding up everyone knowing that your product sucks."

4. The Power & Nuance of LinkedIn Content

• Gary urges SMBs to post prolifically—one to three videos per day on LinkedIn, a number that sounds “batshit crazy” to most.
  • Quote (07:57, GaryVee):
    "I am looking for 70% of this room to post one to two to three videos a day on LinkedIn. A day. That is like batshit crazy to most of you."
• He attributes much of his agency's $400M revenue to consistently producing cross-platform content.
• The algorithms now deliver content based on interest, not just follower counts, presenting immense organic growth opportunities.

5. "Social Is Free": Underpriced Attention

• Gary repeatedly bangs the drum on creating content because it's free (organic social) and massively underpriced in today’s economy compared to paid advertising.
  • Quote (09:51, GaryVee):
    "I don't know if you've heard, but social media is free...You can post a video right now on LinkedIn and LinkedIn does not charge you."

6. If Social Isn't Working, It's the Operator, Not the Tool

• Demonstration segment (14:57): Gary asks the audience to stand if they’ve “tried social media and it hasn’t worked,” then bluntly says:
  • Quote (15:25, GaryVee):
    "What it means is the people that are standing just suck. This is very important."
  • He likens mastering social to Elton John and a piano: the tool’s value depends on the user’s skill.

7. Testing, Volume, and Not Getting Discouraged

• Both B2B and B2C companies are reminded that it takes significant volume and persistence to succeed.
• Gary compares LinkedIn to “working out”—it requires discipline and repeated effort, whereas TikTok (for B2C) operates like “steroids," producing viral results from a single post.

8. Actual versus Potential Reach & The Pitfalls of Big-Brand Marketing

• Gary critiques big brands for confusing potential reach (e.g., ad placements) with actual attention, referencing outmoded methods rooted in a TV-centric world.
  • Quote (22:34, GaryVee):
    "They will run banner ads on websites, television commercials, billboards, in places where everyone's on their phone, and they'll say, we reached this many people. The reality is you could potentially reach this many people and you reached none of them."

9. Balancing Core Community with Expansion

• Allison discusses how Poppy grew its audience (men, sports fans, gamers) while preserving its core (“poppy girlies”) by separating brand exposure from the main social feed.
  • Quote (28:17, Allison):
    "We're working with gamers, we're working with YouTubers, we are working with sports athletes. We're doing all these things, but they actually never come into our social ecosystem..."

10. Platform Nuances & The Rise of Interest Media

• Gary explains the shift from social (follower-based) to “interest media” (algorithmically-targeted), with platforms surfacing content based on audience interest, not who they follow.
  • Quote (31:17, GaryVee):
    "I would actually argue we are past the social media era and I think we're in something I call the interest media era."

11. Community Is the Real Moat

• Gary analogizes true community-building to literal hard work (“working out”), imploring SMBs to reply to every DM and comment.
  • Quote (43:12, GaryVee):
    "Community is like working out, meaning you can't talk about it, you can't read about it, you can't pontificate about it. Y' all either went to the gym this morning or you did not..."
    "Reply to every DM and every comment they get on their brand."

12. Core Advice: Humility and Letting Go of Ego

• Allison:
  • Quote (47:52, Allison):
    "Do not let your ego get in the way of growth."
• Gary seconds:
  • Quote (48:32, GaryVee):
    "Humility is the secret weapon of the successful."
• Allison reinforces:
  • Quote (48:55, Allison):
    "Find out what your superpower is and build a team around you to allow you to get to your best and don't let your ego get in the way of growth."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Big brands are still running marketing departments based on a book that was written in 1991..." — GaryVee [00:00]
• "All that good marketing does against a bad product is speeding up everyone knowing that your product sucks." — GaryVee [06:01]
• "I'm looking for 70% of this room to post one to three videos a day on LinkedIn." — GaryVee [07:57]
• "Social works, it is unequivocally guaranteed. I've watched dozens in the last 12 months double, triple and quadruple revenue by going all in on making content on LinkedIn." — GaryVee [15:25]
• "I'd rather you pay attention to a drug dealer. You know, it's scrappier...It's a different game." — GaryVee [36:42]
• "Do not let your ego get in the way of growth." — Allison [47:52]
• "Humility is the secret weapon of the successful." — GaryVee [48:32]

Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:00 – 01:00: Marketing's outdated playbook and the real meaning of attention.
• 03:31 – 06:55: Allison on Poppy's rebranding and the necessity of both product & brand.
• 07:32 – 09:24: Gary’s call to action for prolific LinkedIn use and content volume.
• 14:57 – 17:20: The “why social isn’t working for you” standing-audience demonstration.
• 22:29 – 27:43: Deep dive into what big brands are getting wrong compared to scrappy entrepreneurship.
• 28:17 – 33:33: Allison on expanding core audiences and smart platform strategy.
• 43:12 – 47:28: Gary’s tactical breakdown of real community-building.
• 47:52 – 49:13: Final success advice: humility, self-awareness, building a team, and moving beyond ego.

Takeaways & Actionable Advice

• Prioritize actual attention, not vanity metrics.
• Produce volume content on LinkedIn (especially B2B); aim for 1–3 daily posts.
• Develop brand strategy grounded in emotion, not just logic.
• Obsess over your product first—marketing can’t save a dud.
• Reply to every audience comment and DM—community is your moat.
• Treat social media as a free, underpriced channel—don’t overthink it, just make and post.
• Stay humble; self-awareness and letting go of ego enable sustained growth.

Original Tone Reflection

Gary’s delivery is punchy, direct, and laced with humor and analogies (“never get high on your own supply”; “the ROI of a piano for Elton John”). The conversation is urgent, practical, irreverent (“I’d rather you pay attention to a drug dealer”), but always actionable. Allison brings warmth and founder’s realism, sharing both mistakes and lessons in a transparent, approachable style.

For listeners who want the playbook:

• Focus on where attention actually is, especially LinkedIn for B2B.
• Invest both in brand and product—neither works without the other.
• Be prolific and relentless in content, but obsess about value and iteration.
• Authentic engagement builds true brand community and outsized returns.

In Gary’s words:
"You're one post away from things being different."