Brand Building Advice for $5M ARR Startups

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 POV

• The 3 levels of content that actually earn attention (data, surveys, opinions)

• Inside Gong’s Content Council and how 21 employees drive organic reach

• How to safely build a “courageous” marketing culture that rewards risk-taking

• Udi’s biggest lessons from Gong’s Super Bowl ad (what worked, what didn’t)

• Balancing personal brands vs. company brands — and how Gong grew both

• What founders should do first when building brand at $5M ARR

• How Gong adapted its LinkedIn strategy as it moved upmarket

• The “Punch Above Your Weight” principle that’s inspiring campaigns worldwide
  

Perfect For:

• Founders building an early-stage marketing motion

• CMOs creating brand differentiation in crowded categories

• Marketing leaders trying to activate their team on LinkedIn
  

Connect 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/03CXzsZp7wdqIRVDcqPTFH

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/

• Website: https://www.project33.io/

00:00 — Intro: from Gong’s first marketer to $300M+ ARR
02:00 — Why best practices lead to boring marketing
03:40 — How courage creates differentiation
05:00 — Examples of bold B2B marketing done right
06:20 — Dreaming of product placement for B2B
07:40 — The truth about ROI from Gong’s Super Bowl ads
09:40 — “Show the damn product” what Udi learned the hard way
11:00 — Building internal influencers: Chris Orlob & Devin Reed
13:00 — Personal brands vs. company brand: how Gong balanced both
15:00 — Why Gong lets employees post freely on LinkedIn
17:00 — The structure and role of Gong’s “Content Council”
20:00 — How onboarding includes LinkedIn training for every employee
23:00 — Turning customers into advocates: Gong Love Week
25:00 — Why celebration fuels consistency
27:30 — How Gong’s LinkedIn content evolved as the company scaled
30:00 — How to build brand at $5M ARR (Udi’s playbook)
33:00 — Why paid ads don’t work for early-stage startups
35:00 — The 3 levels of content: data, surveys, and opinions
38:00 — Why being polarizing beats being agreeable
42:00 — How strong opinions build categories
44:00 — The story behind Gong’s viral “group therapy” CEO post
46:00 — Building a courageous team: psychological safety in practice
50:00 — Why boldness is Gong’s real competitive advantage
52:00 — Writing Courageous Marketing — and what surprised Udi most
54:00 — “Punch Above Your Weight”: the framework inspiring global campaigns