HubSpot is making moves to change the SaaS Marketing AGAIN in front of everyone's eyes - but no one seems to pay attention. 👀 In 2005 HubSpot set the tone for what would become the dominant strategy in SaaS customer acquisition: Inbound Marketing 15 years later, HubSpot seems to realize that growth driven solely by inbound marketing strategies (such as SEO) may not be entirely futureproof. That’s why they are again leading the pack by transforming HubSpot's Marketing Engine into a Media Company. Not only did they acquire TheHustle (an actual media company), but they’re also building out a massive creator program. 🤯 This means they’re not simply looking to use influencer marketing by sponsoring posts… But they’re building a network of media assets run by independent creators while having exclusive rights to sponsor those assets. ⭐ Their podcast network is already up and running with 34 podcasts and new ones get added frequently. 🔜 📹 They’ve also announced their next step: A YouTube creator network and channels like TikTok, Instagram, and others to likely follow suit. But why the heck are they doing it? 🤔 Here is the genius behind their play: 1️⃣ Build trust through creators: People listen to a roster of 3-5 podcasts on a weekly basis and build a deeply trusting relationship with the hosts due to the intimacy of the medium. Now HubSpot has the opportunity to intersect that relationship, week by week, with ad-reads that are tailor-made to fit each creator's audience and unique style. This way, the trust that the audience has in the creators rubs off on HubSpot. 2️⃣ Building a true network effect (aka a Flywheel 🛞): HubSpot knows that creators want to keep creative freedom, own their IP, and most importantly grow their audience. That's why in a stroke of genius HubSpot decided on the following strategy: 50% of Ad-Slots are used to cross-promoting other shows/creators in the network and 50% are used for HubSpot ads. “Okay great - but why is this important? 🤔” That means the more creators join the network, the better the cross-promotion strategy, which in itself makes for a better offer to get more creators to join the network. In short simple: ➡️ More creators in the network… ↪️ Means more reach and potential for audience growth by cross-promotion… ↪️ Thus, making the HubSpot Creator Network even more attractive for creators to join🤝 PS I study one SaaS veteran per week and publish the learnings in a free newsletter. To subscribe just to go https://earlynode.com/subscribe