Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast

EP 16 - The Ultimate LinkedIn Ads Playbook from $200M in Spend | AJ Wilcox

$200M+ in LinkedIn ad spend. 14 years on one channel. Here's the playbook AJ Wilcox swears by. In this episode of Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast by Hawky, we spoke to AJ Wilcox - Founder of B2Linked, host of The LinkedIn Ads Show, and author of LinkedIn Ads Demystified. AJ is widely regarded as the world's most concentrated authority on LinkedIn Ads, having managed over $200M in spend across some of LinkedIn's largest accounts globally, including 5 of LinkedIn's top 10 spending advertisers. In this masterclass, AJ unpacks his complete LinkedIn Ads playbook - from the 3 default settings silently killing your budget, to why he's pulling clients off Conversation Ads, to the 3-stage retargeting funnel that actually converts B2B buyers. If you run LinkedIn ads, this is the deepest tactical hour you'll spend this year. 🎯 Key Topics Covered: 00:00 – 02:35 — AJ's journey: From SEO to founding the world's first LinkedIn-only ad agency 02:35 – 07:54 — Conversation Ads vs Message Ads + when Thought Leader Ads actually win 07:54 – 10:33 — Why AJ bet his entire agency on ONE channel (and how AI is reshaping it) 10:33 – 17:06 — 3 default LinkedIn settings killing your budget + the 3-stage retargeting funnel 17:06 – 24:08 — The most expensive mistakes from $200M+ in LinkedIn ad spend 24:08 – 33:16 — The creative playbook: founder-led, witty B2B, and format stack rank by funnel stage 33:16 – 47:00 — AI in agency workflows, lead magnet posts, and LinkedIn vs Google Ads 47:00 – End — Future of LinkedIn Ads + rapid fire: overrated metrics, CTV, advice to his 2014 self Meet Surender (host and co-founder at Hawky): https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/] Meet AJ Wilcox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilcoxaj/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilcoxaj/] 🎧 Listen to The LinkedIn Ads Show by AJ Wilcox: https://b2linked.com/podcast [https://b2linked.com/podcast] 🌐 Learn more about B2Linked: https://b2linked.com [https://b2linked.com] About Hawky: A creative intelligence platform that transforms marketing guesswork into data-driven success. From Ad Creative Analysis to AI-powered optimization, we help B2C brands and agencies achieve higher ROAS and predictable campaign performance. 👉 Book a Hawky demo: https://hawky.ai/get-demo [https://hawky.ai/get-demo] #LinkedInAds #B2BMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #AJWilcox #B2Linked #DigitalMarketing #PaidSocial #LinkedInAdvertising #CreativeIntelligence #MarketingPodcast

EP 15 - Breaking down the "AI Native" Enterprise | Nishith Srivastava

In this episode of Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast by Hawky, we sit down with Nishith Srivastava (Nish), Founder of Agentics (the "Anti-Consultancy") and a 26-year veteran of global giants like Ogilvy, JWT, and Tech Mahindra. Nishith breaks down the structural shift required to survive the next decade: moving away from "strategy on slides" toward multi-agent orchestration where 100+ AI agents work in sync to solve complex business problems. 🎯 KEY TOPICS COVERED: 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY] - From Digital to Intelligence: Nishith’s 23-year evolution through the world's biggest agencies. 05:47 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=347s] - The "Anti-Consultancy" Philosophy: Why strategy without execution is just a deck. 08:19 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=499s] - The Multi-Agent Opportunity: Scaling beyond one chatbot to 100+ autonomous agents. 13:34 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=814s] - The "Validation First" Framework: How to scale AI across 100 stores without breaking the system. 18:43 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=1123s] - AI Transformation vs. AI Native: Moving from "Rule Engines" to "Reasoning Engines". 23:29 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=1409s] - The 10x Productivity Leap: Why AI shouldn't replace humans, but make them superhuman. 34:35 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=2075s] - Rapid Fire: Why Claude is for research, and why Grok has "advertising flair". 35:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnkkwd5CXNY&t=2145s] - Build vs. Buy: The CMO’s roadmap for custom AI implementation. MEET THE SPEAKERS: Surender (Host & Co-Founder at Hawky):https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/] Nishith Srivastava (Founder, Agentics):https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishith/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishith/] Ready to scale your creative production like the pros? https://hawky.ai/ [https://hawky.ai/]

EP 14 - How Topmate Turns Creators into ₹4L+/Month Earners | Anuj Niranjan

How Topmate Turns Creators into ₹4L+/Month Earners | Creator Economy Sales Playbook Followers don't pay bills. Sales systems do. In this debut episode, Anuj Niranjan reveals how Topmate built a sales-assisted engine that takes creators from inconsistent revenue to ₹4L+/month — without needing a single new follower. From cold-calling 200 people to land his first cohort, to building a 25-person sales floor that closes for creators across AI, product management, and tech — this is the BOFU playbook no one talks about. In this episode of Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast by Hawky, we spoke to Anuj Niranjan, VP of Creator Growth at Topmate and an IIT Bombay alum who's gone from Citibank risk modelling to trading floors to running creator monetization at one of India's fastest-growing creator economy platforms. KEY TOPICS COVERED: 00:00 - Introduction: Meet Anuj Niranjan & the Velocity Podcast 04:30 - From Citibank to Manali: The unconventional path to Topmate 11:00 - The pilot that proved it: 9 creator sales in 12 days 18:30 - Pull vs Push: The sales philosophy behind ₹50K cohort closes 29:30 - Followers ≠ Revenue: Why trust beats follower count every time 37:00 - How performance marketers can start selling courses as a side stream 40:30 - Hiring freshers at speed: 3-day onboarding vs 30-day campus cycles 47:30 - AI's real impact on creators: What it replaces and what it never will Meet Surender (Host & Co-Founder at Hawky): https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/] Meet Anuj Niranjan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anujniranjan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anujniranjan/] About Hawky A creative intelligence platform that transforms marketing guesswork into data-driven success. From Ad Creative Analysis to AI-powered optimization, we help B2C brands and agencies achieve higher ROAS and predictable campaign performance. Ready to scale your creative production like the pros? https://hawky.ai/get-demo [https://hawky.ai/get-demo]

EP 13 - Real Estate Marketing 101: Moving from Lead Gen to Revenue Accountability | Kapil Arora

In this episode of Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast by Hawky, we dive into the complex world of real estate marketing with Kapil Arora, Assistant Vice President of Business Strategy & Marketing at ANAROCK. With over a decade of experience across leading firms like Shriram Properties and Xanadu , Kapil reveals how marketing in the "realty" space is shifting from selling mere specifications to selling a lifestyle. Discover how ANAROCK operates as an end-to-end "mandate firm" for developers , the role of Anarock.ai [http://Anarock.ai] in optimizing the buyer journey , and why "trust" remains the most valuable currency in an industry with increasingly long decision cycles. Kapil also breaks down the evolving persona of millennial and Gen Z home buyers and why influencer marketing is becoming a dominant force in property sales. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Journey to the C-Suite: From Direct Sales to Marketing Strategy 3:51 - The ANAROCK Blueprint: Scaling Real Estate via the Mandate Model 6:59 - Decoding the Modern Buyer: Content Strategy for Millennials & Gen Z 15:03 - Performance Over Hype: The Site Visit Metric & Pricing Psychology 21:11 - The Digital Shift: Anarock.ai [http://Anarock.ai], Influencers, and the Future of AI 31:57 - Closing Thoughts & Industry Recommendations Meet Surender (Host & Co-founder at Hawky): https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/] Meet Kapil Arora: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapil-arora-598072101/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapil-arora-598072101/] About Hawky: A Creative Intelligence Platform that transforms marketing guesswork into data-driven success. From Ad Creative Analysis to AI-Powered Optimization, we help B2C brands and agencies achieve higher ROAS and predictable campaign performance. More Episodes: https://hawky.ai/podcast [https://hawky.ai/podcast]

EP 12 - 10 Years of Insurance Industry Secrets | Varun Kaushik

How Insurance Marketing Actually Works: 10+ Years of Industry Insights with PolicyBoss CMO Building trust in a skeptical market takes more than flashy ads. In this deep-dive episode, Varun Kaushik shares how he's transformed insurance marketing at PolicyBoss over the past decade, moving from pure B2C to B2B2C, scaling a 40,000+ agent network across 800+ PIN codes, and discovering why traditional marketing channels still outperform the latest trends. In this episode of Velocity: Performance Marketing Podcast by Hawky, we spoke to Varun Kaushik, Chief Marketing Officer at PolicyBoss and a marketing veteran with 18+ years across IT, B2B SaaS, and InsurTech. Varun leads marketing for one of India's largest insurance broking platforms, managing the critical bridge between business, technology, and customer experience. KEY TOPICS COVERED: * 00:05 - Introduction: Varun's versatile marketing journey across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C * 01:45 - From IT to Insurance: Why Varun made the contrarian career move 10 years ago * 05:04 - PolicyBoss's unique positioning: Comparison, convenience, and trusted advisory * 09:12 - The POSP model explained: How sub-broking transformed insurance distribution * 12:40 - Trust as the defining factor in insurance vs other financial services * 18:25 - Brand vs Performance Marketing: When PolicyBoss chose performance-first * 22:30 - Multi-channel vs Omni-channel: Why insurance needs different personas per channel * 28:15 - The creative bottleneck: Why 200+ creatives/month aren't enough * 32:40 - Attribution challenges in insurance's long buying cycle (6-12 months) * 38:20 - Why celebrity endorsements don't work as well as customer testimonials * 43:15 - Regional marketing strategy: Scaling across 800+ PIN codes * 47:30 - The brand awareness mistake most insurance companies make * 52:45 - Why SMS and email are resurging as marketing channels in 2025 * 57:22 - Rapid Fire: Customer testimonials vs celebrity endorsements Meet Surender (Host & Co-Founder at Hawky): https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/say2surender/] Meet Varun Kaushik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varunkaushik82/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/varunkaushik82/] PolicyBoss: https://www.policyboss.com/ [https://www.policyboss.com/] About Hawky A creative intelligence platform that transforms marketing guesswork into data-driven success. From Ad Creative Analysis to AI-powered optimization, we help B2C brands and agencies achieve higher ROAS and predictable campaign performance. Ready to scale your creative production like the pros? Book a Demo [https://hawky.ai/get-demo] #PerformanceMarketing #InsuranceMarketing #B2B2C #MarketingStrategy #CreativeOptimization #DigitalMarketing #InsurTech #AgencyLife #MarketingPodcast #PolicyBoss #Hawky