#279 Content Strategy | In this episode, Dave joins Holly Xiao from HeyGen for an unfiltered conversation about where AI and video marketing are headed. Holly leads B2B marketing at HeyGen, an AI-powered video platform, and she sat down with Dave to dig into what’s working (and what’s not) when it comes to creating content that actually connects.

Dave and Holly cover:

Why video hits differently in B2B and how to make yours stand out without blowing your budget
How AI is reshaping the content production cycle and freeing up marketers to focus on storytelling
Why early adoption matters, and how small teams can use AI to punch above their weight

You can expect a candid, practical conversation about how to scale content, stay relevant, and make the most of AI.

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro
(01:27) - – Why this conversation matters
(02:44) - – AI is making marketing exciting again
(03:53) - – Dave’s early bet on video
(05:53) - – How LinkedIn video exploded
(07:10) - – ROI vs. brand building
(08:25) - – From connection to conversion
(10:10) - – Why video feels more human
(12:16) - – “Maybe your videos suck”
(14:22) - – The problem with corporate videos
(16:10) - – The value of repetition and reps
(18:34) - – How AI speeds up content cycles
(20:51) - – Real AI tools Dave is using
(22:28) - – Decks, data, and automation
(24:53) - – Why creativity still wins
(27:15) - – The return of the creative CMO
(31:14) - – Personalized content at scale
(33:13) - – AI vs. in-person experiences
(35:55) - – Do audiences care if it’s AI?
(38:41) - – What makes an AI video work
(41:18) - – Using AI to test and scale video
(43:59) - – What small teams should do first
(47:37) - – Final advice: be an early adopter

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.

AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.

That’s where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.

Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?

Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.

The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.

Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.

You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

The Unfiltered Truth About Video Marketing and AI with Holly Xiao and Dave Gerhardt

The Dave Gerhardt Show