
Create Like the Greats
An investigation & observation of some of the greatest ideas, backgrounds, and strategies used by influential and innovative thinkers. Find insights into what it takes to create things that last, stories that spread, and ideas that move people for decades to come.A proud member of the HubSpot Podcast Network.
Latest episodes

Apr 26, 2025 • 14min
Brands Can Influence LLMs
In this episode of Create Like The Greats, Ross dives into the evolving landscape of digital marketing in the era of artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs). He challenges brands to rethink their approach by understanding that today’s most influential "audiences" aren't just humans—they're machines. Ross outlines how AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews, and others scrape public content to generate recommendations and answers for users, and how brands can strategically position their content to become part of this intelligence loop. Whether it’s SEO, Reddit commentary, or owning bottom-of-funnel content, Ross shares powerful frameworks and tactics to help your brand stay relevant, present, and impactful in the age of AI-driven search results.
Key Takeaways and Insights:
🤖Brands Must Market to Machines
Brands can influence LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.
Marketing today isn’t just targeting people—it's also about reaching the machines that influence them.
AI-generated answers are impacting consumer decisions more than ever.
🔍Understand How LLMs Source and Surface Information
LLMs are trained on public and proprietary web data.
Your content must live on platforms that LLMs can access and trust.
📍 The Realization: You’re Marketing to Machines
Machines are pollinators of your content to future customers.
Brands must understand search intent and align content accordingly.
🧵Why Reddit is a Goldmine for AI Training
Reddit is a top source for unfiltered opinions and bottom-of-funnel content.
LLMs scrape Reddit threads extensively due to their public availability and authenticity.
Tip: Don’t spam Reddit. Instead, add value consistently and transparently.
🪴Practical Example: Plant Delivery B2B Brand
Illustrates how niche brands can create bottom-of-funnel content (e.g., comparisons, Reddit engagement).
Great content can be repurposed across platforms like Reddit and industry forums.
🔄 Content Repurposing + Distribution Strategy
Resurface evergreen content in ecosystems that LLMs crawl.
SEO tactics and AI-driven discovery are not mutually exclusive—they are interconnected.
📈 What Kind of Content Should You Create
Focus on:
Comparison pages
Buying guides
Objection-handling content
Use-case & case-study based content
Localized landing pages can help capture region-specific AI queries.
💡 Where to Distribute Your Content
Distribute into ecosystems LLMs are known to crawl or partner with.
Example: OpenAI Partnerships help identify valuable distribution hubs.
🧠 Build EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust
Include author pages, cite real research, and use industry language.
Demonstrating trust and authority increases visibility in AI responses.
Resources & Tools:
🔗Google: Google AI Overview Info
🔗 Reddit: reddit.com
🔗 Foundation's Generative Engine Optimization
🔗 OpenAI Partnerships: OpenAI Partner Channels
— 👋🏾 Let's stay connected —
╰ Subscribe to my channel: @RossSimmondsTV
╰ Instagram: @thecoolestcool
╰ Twitter / X: @thecoolestcool
╰ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rosssimmonds

14 snips
Apr 17, 2025 • 47min
Conscious Leadership
In this episode of Create Like The Greats, Ross offers a transparent reflection on a book that has significantly impacted his leadership and personal growth journey in 2025 — The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp. Ross walks through all 15 commitments outlined in the book, sharing real-life examples and insights from his entrepreneurial journey. If you're striving to lead consciously, foster better teamwork, and level up your self-awareness, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways for you.Key Takeaways and Insights:1. Radical Responsibility
Embrace ownership for every situation
Avoid blame, shame, and guilt — they stem from toxic fear
Replace blame with curiosity: "What can I learn from this?"
2. Learning Through Curiosity
Always stay in learner mode
“Above the line” vs “Below the line” mentality
Stay open, curious, and committed to truth—not being “right”
Framework: What I know / What I know I don’t know / What I don’t know I don’t know
3. Feeling All the Feelings
Fully experiencing emotions to completion
Use head, heart, and gut to inform decisions
Yoga, breathwork, and meditation as helpful tools
4. Speaking Candidly
Tell the truth with kindness
Speak unarguable facts and feelings: “I feel ___ because ___”
Avoid conflict avoidance and passive communication
5. Eliminating Gossip
Address issues directly with the person involved
Gossip is rooted in unmet communication and inability to process feelings
Test for gossip: Negative intent or unwilling to say it to the person? Then it’s gossip.
6. Practicing Integrity
Express truth, keep agreements, and take 100% responsibility
Framework for impeccable agreements:
Make clear commitment
Keep it
Renegotiate if needed
Clean up broken commitments
7. Generating Appreciation
Practice giving and receiving appreciation fully
Celebrate the small things and appreciate yourself and your team
Create a culture of gratitude and acknowledgment
8. Excelling in Your Zone of Genius
Identify what you’re uniquely talented at and enjoy doing
Ross shares his own strengths: presenting, writing, people leadership
Reallocate more time to activities in your “genius zone”
9. Living a Life of Play and Rest
Incorporate humor, spontaneity, and celebration into work
Rest is a challenge, but vital for sustainable leadership
Play isn’t frivolous—it’s a leadership asset
10. Exploring the Opposite
Train your mind to challenge your own stories and embrace opposing truth
Ross advocates for intellectual debates to stretch perception
Ask: “What am I not seeing?”
11. Being the Source of Approval, Control & Security
Identify the root wants driving your behavior
Seek internal rather than external validation
Approval, control, and security must be self-sourced, not dependent on others
12. Having Enough of Everything
Abundance mindset vs scarcity
Perspective: Ross shares personal examples of past financial hardship
GRATITUDE = enoughness
13. Seeing the World as an Ally
Every person and situation is an opportunity to grow
Learn from everyone, regardless of status or age
Let go of ego and embrace humility in learning
14. Creating Win-for-All Solutions
Build solutions that serve everyone involved—self, others, organization, and the whole
Ross: “I’m rooting for you, whether you’re at Foundation or not.”
15. Being the Resolution
Don’t just wait for change — BE the change
Leave the world better because you existed
Make an impact beyond yourself
Resources & Tools:🔗 The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership🔗 Foundationinc.co— 👋🏾 Let's stay connected —╰ Subscribe to my channel: @RossSimmondsTV ╰ Instagram: @thecoolestcool ╰ Twitter / X: @thecoolestcool ╰ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rosssimmonds

Apr 11, 2025 • 13min
Reflections from Spryng 2025
Fresh off Spring 2025, Ross dives into the dynamic intersection of AI and marketing, revealing how pervasive these discussions have become. He highlights the importance of genuine human connections that can still thrive in a digital landscape. Innovative insights from attendees spark new ideas for personalized marketing strategies. Ross also introduces Distribution.ai, a tool designed to help marketers repurpose and promote their content effectively. Get ready for a deep dive into creativity, community, and professional growth!

Apr 4, 2025 • 11min
What I'm Hoping to Learn at Spryng 2025
In this episode of Create Like The Greats, Ross Simmonds, founder of Foundation and Distribution.ai, opens up about his expectations and goals ahead of attending Spryng 2025, a gathering of senior B2B SaaS marketers in Austin, Texas. For the first time in a while, Ross is attending an event not as a speaker but as a participant. He shares how this shift changes his experience and outlines his motivations for attending: learning, connecting, and gathering feedback for his new project, Distribution.ai.Key Takeaways and Insights:1. Introducing Distribution.ai
A new tool/platform from the Foundation team
Helps automate, repurpose, distribute, and amplify content
Built on strategies the team has manually implemented for years
Aims to scale content efforts with the assistance of AI
2. Three Primary Goals for Spryng
🌐 Step Outside the Speaker Role
Without being on stage, Ross must network the “normal” way
As a self-described introvert, this brings excitement and challenge
🧽 Embrace Curiosity
Wants to listen and absorb, not pitch
Hopes to capture meaningful insight and real-world pain points
🤝 Build a Like-Minded Network
Aims to deepen relationships with people who share values around creativity, ambition, and innovation.
Resources & Tools:🔗 Distribution.ai— 👋🏾 Let's stay connected —╰ Subscribe to my channel: @RossSimmondsTV ╰ Instagram: @thecoolestcool ╰ Twitter / X: @thecoolestcool ╰ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rosssimmonds

Mar 29, 2025 • 23min
Tapping Into the Power of Deep Research in ChatGPT
In this episode of Create Like The Greats, Ross Simmonds takes us behind the scenes of one of the most exciting AI developments in recent months—ChatGPT's Deep Research feature built on OpenAI's O3 reasoning model. This episode provides a detailed breakdown of how Deep Research can help with competitive analysis, persona building, content strategy, and thought leadership. If you're someone who works with data, content, or digital strategy, this episode is packed with actionable insights.Key Takeaways and Insights:🔍 Introduction to Deep Research
"Deep Research" is the latest tool from OpenAI leveraging the O3 reasoning model.
It enables multi-step, web-based research directly within ChatGPT.
It rivals the expertise of high-paid consultants at a fraction of the cost.
💰 Cost & Value of Deep Research
Priced at ~$200/month as part of OpenAI’s advanced plan.
Can analyze web pages, PDFs, forums like Reddit, review sites, and blogs.
Capable of returning rich reports using 20+ external sources.
📊 Use Cases for Marketers
Comprehensive Competitive Analysis
Generate full-stack brand reports in McKinsey-style format.
Pulls competitor messaging, tactics, and public sentiment from platforms like G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, SimilarWeb, and Reddit.
Case Study: Foundation Marketing’s own deep report generated in 6 minutes from 27 sources.
Persona Development and Review Mining
Create buyer personas from Reddit threads, product reviews, and social media chatter.
Identifies pain points, motivations, and message framing.
Case Study: A stealth competitor analysis for Distribution.ai revealed valuable data on solopreneurs and feature gaps.
Content Opportunity Discovery
Surface high-value keywords with low coverage across your and competitors’ content.
Instructions on how to feed a keyword spreadsheet to Deep Research and ask it to identify gaps.
Strategic Thought Leadership Development
Input white papers from Gartner or McKinsey.
Ask Deep Research to extract trends and suggest new ideas aligned with your niche.
Synthesizes expert-level content into actionable ideas for upcoming quarters.
🧠 Pro Tips for Using Deep Research
Be specific with your prompt—clarity leads to better results.
Supply background context, goals, documents, and keyword datasets.
Avoid uploading sensitive data, but enrich inputs where possible for maximum output quality.
Resources & Tools:🔗 ChatGPT Plus (includes Deep Research)🔗 Foundation Marketing🔗 Distribution.ai🔗 Review Platforms: G2 Capterra TrustRadius🔗 SimilarWeb🔗 Reddit— 👋🏾 Let's stay connected —╰ Subscribe to my channel: @RossSimmondsTV ╰ Instagram: @thecoolestcool ╰ Twitter / X: @thecoolestcool ╰ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rosssimmonds

9 snips
Mar 22, 2025 • 19min
Unlocking the Power of Reddit for Brands
Reddit's remarkable growth is reshaping the digital landscape, achieving profitability and surging daily active users. Marketers must recognize its influence, as Google emphasizes community-driven content and Reddit shines in search results. The podcast offers practical tips for brands, such as creating dedicated subreddits, engaging authentically with users, and ensuring brand protection against impersonation. Unlocking Reddit's potential could transform it into a powerful engine for brand growth. Dive into actionable strategies to connect with your audience!

Feb 28, 2025 • 22min
Questions From The B2B Community
Delve into the intricate world of B2B marketing strategies. Discover the key differences between B2B and B2C purchases, focusing on the complex decision-making process and multiple stakeholder involvement. Learn how the B2B buyer's journey has evolved with AI and automation, making personalized messaging essential. Explore effective lead generation channels, particularly the rising dominance of LinkedIn. Uncover tactics to engage decision-makers with tailored content, ensuring your marketing efforts cut through the noise.

Feb 21, 2025 • 12min
Mastering Customer Success Stories with Anthropic
Discover how a leading AI company leverages customer success stories to stand out in a crowded market. Learn about their approach of crafting short, impactful case studies that effectively showcase their problem-solving capabilities. Featuring well-known clients, these stories significantly enhance their brand's credibility. With a solid strategy in place, they drive impressive traffic to their website, demonstrating the measurable impact of strategic storytelling.

Feb 14, 2025 • 18min
Google Ads Mistakes To Avoid
Explore the pitfalls SaaS companies face with Google Ads, from misdirecting traffic to homepages to using poor bidding strategies. Discover why dedicated landing pages boost conversions and the critical need for a compelling above-the-fold experience. Uncover how an instant impact through clear headlines and strong CTAs can enhance engagement. Learn the importance of social proof in swaying decisions, and find out actionable tips to avoid costly mistakes and maximize the return on your advertising investments.

15 snips
Feb 10, 2025 • 52min
100 Content Marketing Tips You Can Steal Today
Discover 100 actionable content marketing tips that elevate your strategy today. Learn to develop clear goals and leverage AI tools for efficient content creation. Prioritize quality over quantity with unique, unscalable content that resonates. Explore the Double-E-E-A-T strategy for building trust and expertise. Stay ahead in the digital landscape by mastering SEO alongside innovative engagement techniques like influencer collaborations and interactive content. It's a treasure trove of insights for marketers at any level!
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