Gong's Executive Content & LinkedIn Thought Leadership Playbook w/ Udi Ledergor

Udi Ledergor joined Gong as their first marketer in 2016, back when “revenue intelligence” wasn’t even a thing.Nine years later, Gong is one of the most recognizable B2B brands in the world, doing well over $300M ARR and followed by 300,000+ people on LinkedIn.In this episode, Udi breaks down the marketing playbook that made that possible, and why best practices are just boring practices. We talk about: Why best practices are boring practices and how to replace them with a sharp POVThe 3 levels of content that actually earn attention (data, surveys, opinions)Inside Gong’s Content Council and how 21 employees drive organic reachHow to safely build a “courageous” marketing culture that rewards risk-takingUdi’s biggest lessons from Gong’s Super Bowl ad (what worked, what didn’t)Balancing personal brands vs. company brands — and how Gong grew bothWhat founders should do first when building brand at $5M ARRHow Gong adapted its LinkedIn strategy as it moved upmarketThe “Punch Above Your Weight” principle that’s inspiring campaigns worldwidePerfect For:Founders building an early-stage marketing motionCMOs creating brand differentiation in crowded categoriesMarketing leaders trying to activate their team on LinkedInConnect with Udi:Udi’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor/Gong: https://www.gong.io/ Udi’s new book: https://a.co/d/djoOhWR Connect with Finn:Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFHLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/Website: https://www.project33.io/00:00 — Intro: from Gong’s first marketer to $300M+ ARR02:00 — Why best practices lead to boring marketing03:40 — How courage creates differentiation05:00 — Examples of bold B2B marketing done right06:20 — Dreaming of product placement for B2B07:40 — The truth about ROI from Gong’s Super Bowl ads09:40 — “Show the damn product” what Udi learned the hard way11:00 — Building internal influencers: Chris Orlob & Devin Reed13:00 — Personal brands vs. company brand: how Gong balanced both15:00 — Why Gong lets employees post freely on LinkedIn17:00 — The structure and role of Gong’s “Content Council”20:00 — How onboarding includes LinkedIn training for every employee23:00 — Turning customers into advocates: Gong Love Week25:00 — Why celebration fuels consistency27:30 — How Gong’s LinkedIn content evolved as the company scaled30:00 — How to build brand at $5M ARR (Udi’s playbook)33:00 — Why paid ads don’t work for early-stage startups35:00 — The 3 levels of content: data, surveys, and opinions38:00 — Why being polarizing beats being agreeable42:00 — How strong opinions build categories44:00 — The story behind Gong’s viral “group therapy” CEO post46:00 — Building a courageous team: psychological safety in practice50:00 — Why boldness is Gong’s real competitive advantage52:00 — Writing Courageous Marketing — and what surprised Udi most54:00 — “Punch Above Your Weight”: the framework inspiring global campaigns This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.executivebrand.org