Ryan James niched so hard he renamed his whole company. It paid off.

Chris Nelson sits down with Ryan James, CEO of Rocket SaaS and host of SaaS Marketing Weekly, to unpack how he went from 8 years of going nowhere as a generalist agency to 100% revenue growth in a single year.

From £120K to £250K MRR, bootstrapped, no external investment.

In this conversation they cover:
🎯 Why niching so hard he "basically started a new company" was the turning point
🎙️ Why your podcast should never have your company name in the title
📅 The exact weekly content flywheel: one podcast → newsletter → 5 LinkedIn posts → ebook → webinar → event
🤝 Personal branding vs company posts on LinkedIn — and why founders should own the sales call as long as possible
🏆 Culture-first hiring: why almost no one leaves Rocket SaaS, and what that means for growth
🤖 Why AI hacks won't save you if your marketing fundamentals are broken
Plus: the animated GIF group photo idea that genuinely might be the best LinkedIn post of 2026.

🎙️ Host: Chris Nelson | Human Video
🏢 Guest: Ryan James, CEO, Rocket SaaS & Host of SaaS Marketing Weekly
🔗 Find Rocket SaaS: https://rocket-saas.io
🔗 SaaS Marketing Weekly podcast: available on all major platforms
🔗 Human Video: https://www.human.video


00:00 Introduction: From SaaS Marketing Weekly Fan to Dublin Meetup to Podcast Guest
02:00 8 Years of Treading Water: The Niche Decision That Changed Everything
10:30 Why Your Podcast Should Never Have Your Company Name In It
16:00 The Weekly Content Flywheel: One Podcast, Every Format
24:00 Personal Brand vs Company Page: Where Founders Should Put Their Energy
30:00 Consultative Selling and the Problem of Scaling Yourself
36:00 Culture-First Hiring: Why Nobody Leaves Rocket SaaS
43:00 2026 Marketing Bets: Stop Chasing Hacks, Fix Your Fundamentals

Can AI generate your content but not your credibility? Ashley Faus says yes, and she wrote the book on it.

Chris Nelson sits down with Ashley Faus, marketer, author, and Head of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian, to unpack what human-centred marketing really means when AI is flooding every feed.

Ashley's book, Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI, is a rare thing: a genuinely evergreen take on trust, authenticity and thought leadership that doesn't get dated every time a new model drops.

In this conversation they cover:
🧠 The four pillars of thought leadership, and why most companies are only strong on two
🎭 Why you can outsource content creation but never the thinking behind it
⚠️ The two biggest thought leadership pitfalls (ghost-thinking and thinly veiled sales pitches)
🤖 AI avatars, the uncanny valley, and why transparency builds more trust than hiding it
✋ Why "human crafted" is quietly becoming a luxury signal in a world of AI mass production
🔍 What traditional SEO principles tell us about ranking in LLMs, and why chasing hacks misses the point
Plus: why Ashley insists this isn't an AI book at all. It's a human book.

🎙️ Host: Chris Nelson | Human Video
📖 Guest: Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian | Author, Human-Centered Marketing
📚 Get the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kogan Page
🔗 Follow Ashley on LinkedIn
🔗 Human Video: https://www.human.video

Head of Marketing Patrick Cumming (KlientBoost) joins Chris Nelson to unpack how to market a marketing agency and why being your own ICP changes everything.

Patrick lifts the lid on KlientBoost Kitchen, a media-style engine that ships “recipe” playbooks across YouTube, podcasts, newsletters and LinkedIn carousels.

He breaks down thought leadership that links to product, when thought leader ads outperform, and why LinkedIn video needs a new playbook.

Then it gets tactical: fixing content that fails (ego vs relevance), choosing design that performs over pretty, and measuring brand with his “Measurement Trident”, media mix modelling, geo-based lift tests and validation over the right time horizon.

If you care about human-first content that still drives pipeline, this is your blueprint.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Human Marketing + Meet Patrick Cumming
• (00:53) - From Edinburgh to a US Agency: Role, remit & remote life
• (02:51) - What it’s like marketing a marketing company
• (05:41) - Inside “KlientBoost Kitchen” Playbooks as recipes
• (08:31) - Media-network approach: YouTube, podcast, newsletter, carousels
• (10:36) - Thought leadership that moves pipeline (and when to use TL ads)
• (14:34) - LinkedIn video reality check: formats, reach & what still works
• (21:19) - Why most B2B content flops: ego, relevance & actionability
• (27:22) - Design vs performance: the YouTube thumbnail showdown
• (31:00) - Brand vs attribution: educating the CEO & setting horizons
• (38:00) - The “Measurement Trident”: MMM + geo tests + validation
• (42:00) - Where to find Patrick & follow Client Boost Kitchen

LinkedIn is evolving. In this episode, Phil Ilic from Kiin.co breaks down exactly how he grows B2B demand with an authentic, human-first approach.

We dig into what no longer works on LinkedIn (automation blasts, AI slop) and what does: a tight content cadence, warm outbound to engagers, and one killer Loom video that consistently books calls.

Phil explains why Thought Leader Ads outperform company posts, how to boost customer and community posts for powerful social proof, and the three creative buckets, Social Proof, Features/Benefits, and Education, that keep your pipeline warm.

We also talk practicalities: getting your team to post, repurposing winners, and running simple experiments that create original insights.

If you market on LinkedIn, this is your playbook.

Connect with Philip on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-ilic/

Follow Kiin.co - LinkedIn Ads Agency on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kiin-linkedin-ads/

Visit Kiin.co - LinkedIn Ads Agency's Website
https://www.kiin.co/

Hosted by Chris Nelson, Founder of Human Video

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-nelson-human-video/

Follow Human Video on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/human-video/

Video Podcast Remotely Developed, Produced, Edited & Distributed by Human Video
https://www.human.video

• (00:00) - Welcome & intro to Phil and Kiin Agency
• (00:35) - How Chris and Phil connected via LinkedIn social selling
• (01:31) - Phil’s LinkedIn journey, experiments & what no longer works
• (03:45) - LinkedIn’s clampdown on automation & AI spam
• (04:25) - Human vs. AI video: authenticity, “no soul” avatars
• (07:54) - The growth system: content cadence + warm outbound
• (12:21) - The Loom play: one deep-dive video that drives calls
• (15:52) - Thought Leader Ads explained (why boost people, not pages)
• (20:09) - Supercharging social proof: boosting other people’s posts
• (22:37) - Creative buckets that convert: Social proof, Features/Benefits, Education
• (31:03) - Getting teams to post: processes, goals & internal encouragement
• (35:31) - Recycling hits & running original experiments for standout content

LinkedIn strategist and author Michelle J. Raymond joins host Chris Nelson to unpack what’s really working on the platform right now.

Michelle shares her path from B2B sales to building a thriving LinkedIn community, why podcasting drives the most loyal clients, and how to repurpose one recording into newsletters, shorts, and search-friendly YouTube content.

We dig into the recent LinkedIn algorithm shift (lower impressions, higher relevance), what video formats are worth your time, and how to use AI for efficiency without losing your voice.

Michelle also lays out a practical playbook for company pages, the “Power of Two” (brand + person), simple page wins that build trust, and why a live, credible page can tip deals your way.

If you care about human-first content, measurable growth, and protecting brand trust in the AI era, this episode is a keeper.

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn

Follow B2B Growth Co in LinkedIn

Visit The B2B Growth Co's Website

Hosted by Chris Nelson, Founder of Human Video

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Follow Human Video on LinkedIn

Video Podcast Remotely Developed, Produced, Edited & Distributed by Human Video

• (00:00) - Welcome + Michelle’s Backstory: From B2B Sales to LinkedIn Growth
• (02:30) - Building a Niche Community That Sells (Before “Community” Was Cool)
• (05:39) - Why She Podcasts (Even Though She Doesn’t Listen) Loyalty & Leads
• (10:00) - Turn One Recording Into 20+ Assets: Transcripts, Clips, Newsletters
• (14:18) - Beat the “Episode 8” Curse: Solo vs Guests, What Actually Works
• (21:00) - Cracking YouTube: Titles, Thumbnails & Doing It Your Way
• (29:30) - LinkedIn’s Algorithm Shake-Up: Impressions Down, Relevance Up
• (34:02) - Video on LinkedIn: What Works Now (and What Doesn’t)
• (38:43) - Use AI Without Losing Your Voice: Tools vs. Authenticity
• (45:00) - Make Company Pages Win: The “Power of Two” (Person + Brand)
• (49:24) - Red Carpet, Not Ghost Town: Easy Page Wins that Build Trust
• (53:26) - Where to Find Michelle + Newsletter to Track LinkedIn Changes

What happens when sales, marketing, and authenticity collide?

In this episode, Dreamdata’s Laura Erdem joins Chris Nelson to unpack why LinkedIn is crushing Google for B2B, how she built a powerful personal brand without a plan, and why Dreamdata’s podcast is a secret growth machine.

From attribution benchmarks to thought leader ads, and even AI-generated episodes, Laura shares bold insights on building human-first marketing in a noisy, AI-driven world.

Connect with Laura Erdem on LinkedIn

Follow Dreamdata on LinkedIn

Visit Dreamdata's Website

Subscribe to the 'Attributed' podcast on YouTube

Hosted by Chris Nelson, Founder of Human Video

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Follow Human Video on LinkedIn

Video Podcast Remotely Developed, Produced, Edited & Distributed by Human Video

Learn more at Human Video's Website

• (00:01) - Moving to New York for Sales Mastery & Dreamdata's Growth
• (04:30) - What Dreamdata Actually Does, and Why Marketers Love It
• (07:00) - Why LinkedIn Beats Google for B2B Marketing ROI
• (12:30) - The Unplanned Personal Brand That Changed Everything
• (17:00) - LinkedIn Content Strategy: Metrics, Culture & AI Tools
• (19:50) - The Rise of Video on LinkedIn: Formats, Features, and Tactics
• (25:00) - Thought Leader Ads: The New Era of LinkedIn Influence
• (28:30) - Attributed Podcast: From Internal Experiments to Content Engine
• (34:00) - How Dreamdata Turns a Podcast into a Sales & Brand Powerhouse
• (38:30) - The Controversial AI-Generated Episode, And Why They Tried It
• (45:00) - Human Creativity vs. AI Outputs: What Really Builds Trust

Chris Bogue joins Chris Nelson on Human Marketing to unpack the real power of video in sales, content, and comedy.

From Second City improv to viral LinkedIn skits, Chris shares how he helps brands and sales pros connect through pattern-breaking video.

They dive into scripting with soul, the limitations of AI tools, and how to craft video DMs that actually get replies.

Plus, why human imperfections, not cinematic polish, are what drive connection in the feed.

Connect with Chris Bogue on LinkedIn

Chris' Free Pattern Breaker Course

Hosted by Chris Nelson, Founder of Human Video

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Follow Human Video on LinkedIn

Video Podcast Remotely Developed, Produced, Edited & Distributed by Human Video

Learn more at Human Video's Website

• (00:01) - Meet Chris Bogue: From Improv Stages to Video Strategy
• (03:00) - Accidental LinkedIn Stardom & Video Prospecting Breakthrough
• (08:30) - Scaling with Courses: Selling on Video & The Pattern Breaker
• (13:05) - Serious People Still Laugh: Entertainment in B2B Content
• (19:00) - Inbox vs Feed: Why Your Sales Videos Shouldn’t Be Weird
• (22:44) - Is AI Ruining Video? Authenticity vs Perfection in the Feed
• (28:30) - Why Human Connection Beats Perfect Production Every Time
• (34:00) - Fighting ChatGPT: Creative Control in the Age of AI
• (39:00) - Crafting Better Scripts & The Power of Point of View
• (45:00) - The LinkedIn Video Shift: What Works (and What Doesn’t)
• (49:00) - Sending Great Video DMs: Tactics That Actually Work
• (55:30) - The Sales Funnel and Where Video Really Belongs

In this episode of Human Marketing, Chris Nelson is joined by Toni Hopponen, founder of Landing Rabbit and previously Flockler, to explore how to build human-first SaaS products and landing pages that actually convert.

Toni shares how he grew Flockler over 13 years without a sales team, the emotional challenges of exiting, and why Landing Rabbit is his answer to broken landing page workflows.

From AI-driven optimisation to the power of customer testimonials, this is a candid deep dive into founder-led marketing, authentic growth, and how to scale trust in a noisy world.

Connect with Toni Hopponen on LinkedIn

Follow Landing Rabbit on LinkedIn

Visit Landing Rabbit's Website

Hosted by Chris Nelson, Founder of Human Video

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Follow Human Video on LinkedIn

Video Podcast Remotely Developed, Produced, Edited & Distributed by Human Video

Learn more at Human Video's Website

• (00:01) - From DMs to Podcast: Meet Toni Hopponen
• (01:30) - Building Flockler: 13 Years of User-Generated Content Innovation
• (06:14) - Scaling Without a Sales Team: SEO, Content, and Founder Hustle
• (12:00) - Why Founder-Led Sales Doesn’t Scale, and What to Do Instead
• (16:05) - The Flockler Exit: Walking Away and What Came Next
• (23:06) - Landing Rabbit Is Born: From Personal Pain Point to Product Vision
• (28:30) - Humanising Landing Pages: Trust, Design, and Real Stories
• (34:00) - Why Video Testimonials Work, and How to Use Them Right
• (43:37) - Who’s Landing Rabbit For? SaaS Marketers, Agencies & Lean Teams
• (47:30) - Founder-Led Marketing: LinkedIn Strategy, SEO and Warm Conversations
• (54:50) - Trust at Scale: Why Small Teams with Big Hearts Will Win