Ryan Quindlen: How to Create Content that Punches Above Your Weight

November 14, 2023
Content Marketing | Direct | Marketing Strategy

Episode Summary

Corrina and Taylor are joined by Ryan Quindlen of Laudable for a chat about how to punch above your weight when it comes to creating compelling content that breaks through the noise. 

They share how empowering employees to take risks and advocating for a culture of innovation and creativity can lead to groundbreaking ideas and strategies.

As we all know, B2B doesn’t have to be boring. Get inspired and walk away with ideas on how to shake up traditional content strategies and adopt unconventional approaches to connect with their audience more effectively.

Connect with Ryan

Check out Ryan’s winning campaign, Grade My Case Study

Learn more about Laudable

Connect with Direct’s hosts, Corrina & Taylor

Featured Guest

Name: Ryan Quindlen
What he does: Customer Success & Content
Company:  Laudable
Noteworthy: Ryan Quindlen: Led Zeppelin tribute artist to Laudable’s marketing innovator.

Key Insights

Embracing a Multi-Hat Role in Startups

Ryan Quindlen’s experience at Laudable epitomizes the startup culture’s demand for versatility. As the first hire, he has navigated through various roles, from customer success to content creation. Ryan’s journey underscores the importance of adaptability and the willingness to embrace diverse responsibilities. His approach to handling multiple facets of the business showcases how startups often require a dynamic skill set, where one’s ability to pivot and take on new challenges can lead to significant contributions to the company’s growth and culture.

The Creative Process: From Boredom to Brilliance

Ryan highlights the creative process behind his content creation, revealing that his best work stems from moments of boredom. This counterintuitive insight sheds light on the importance of unstructured time for creativity. By allowing himself the space to sift through ideas without pressure, Ryan finds that the most engaging and effective content emerges. His strategy involves generating a volume of ideas, knowing that within the multitude, gems will be found. This method has proven successful in his role and serves as a valuable takeaway for content creators seeking to enhance their creative output.

“Grade My Case Study”: Innovation Meets Customer Engagement

“Grade My Case Study” stands out as a testament to Ryan’s innovative thinking at Laudable. This AI-driven tool not only assesses the quality of case studies but also provides constructive feedback, embodying Laudable’s mission to improve customer proof. The tool’s dual purpose as a service for clients and a lead generation mechanism illustrates how innovation can drive business growth. Ryan’s creation is a prime example of how leveraging technology can add value to a company’s offerings and engage customers in a unique, interactive way.

Episode Highlights

The Power of Risk in Marketing

Ryan Quindlen discusses the importance of taking risks in marketing, especially within larger, more risk-averse companies. He encourages marketers to push boundaries and engage in creative, even guerrilla marketing tactics. Ryan emphasizes that the worst-case scenario is often not as bad as one might think, and the potential rewards can be significant. This part of the conversation inspires marketers to consider the full range of outcomes and to focus on the potential for positive impact rather than the fear of failure.

“It is all about adjusting that mindset from minimizing negative variance to maximizing positive variance.”

Content Creation: Punching Above Your Weight

Ryan shares his approach to content creation, aiming to make Laudable appear larger and more influential than it might be at face value. He believes in the power of perception, where creating high-quality content can lead others to perceive a small company as a major player. This strategy has led to positive surprises during his interactions with clients and creators, reinforcing the value of quality over quantity in content marketing.

“One of my favorite things to hear when I’m on a demo call or I’m talking to another creator is, Oh my God, I thought you guys were so much bigger. That’s what I’m looking for.”

The Art of Reactive Content

In this segment, Ryan Quindlen speaks to the need for marketers to be reactive and to take advantage of trends. He shares an anecdote about creating a trend on LinkedIn that gained traction, demonstrating the low-risk, high-reward nature of such marketing tactics. Ryan’s experience shows that sometimes, the best marketing strategies are those that are agile and can quickly adapt to the current social landscape.

“Two dozen plus creators all hopped on a trend that I created, hashtag content purge. I had a bunch of stupid ideas that I wanted to share on LinkedIn. And I would never make each of these their own video. Let me just dump them and see if other people want to do the same. A ton of people jumped on it and it took over LinkedIn for a week. And I find with things like that, you need to be a little bit reactive.”

Maximizing Positive Variance in Marketing

Ryan dives into the concept of maximizing positive variance in marketing efforts. He talks about taking low-risk but high-reward chances, which, although they may not always work, have the potential to significantly pay off when they do. This approach is central to Laudable’s strategy, where they take unconventional swings with the hope that one will lead to a major breakthrough, as evidenced by their “Grade My Case Study” initiative.

“I’m really obsessed with the idea of trying to take actions that have as much positive variance as possible. […] if we take enough of these shots, one of them is gonna blow up.”

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