When I sat down with Kyle Jepson, HubSpot’s evangelist and the voice so many of us know from HubSpot Academy, the atmosphere was electric. We’d just stepped out of the rush of INBOUND, where over 200 product updates and countless conversations had left leaders buzzing with both excitement and anxiety. Kyle was calm, focused, and ready to get real about what matters next in sales and marketing.
“Just having content on your website doesn’t work the way it used to, with AI mediating a lot of searches now,” he told me early in our conversation. And that was the moment I realised: we were entering a new chapter in sales and marketing.
From Education to Authority
For years, inbound marketing meant educating your prospects—publishing blog posts, guides, and resources that drew people into your funnel. But Kyle reminded me that things have shifted. Prospects don’t always click anymore. Instead, they get quick summaries from AI tools. That means your content strategy can’t just be about traffic. It has to be about authority.
“You need to become an authoritative source that when the AI looks for an answer … will say, this company knows what they’re talking about,” Kyle said.
That’s a powerful shift. It means leaders can’t just ask their teams to churn out another article or whitepaper. They need to make sure their company’s expertise and voice are consistent, clear, and present across the digital landscape—on their site, on social, and in the communities where buyers are asking questions.
More Than Just Speed
We also talked about speed. Business leaders often get caught in endless approval loops, waiting weeks for polished content to be signed off. Kyle was quick to point out that AI can help here, but not in the way most people assume.
Too many treat AI like a shortcut: “AI, write me a blog post.” The result? Bland content with no point of view. Kyle argued the opposite: use AI after you’ve defined your unique identity, not before.
“If you skip that step, if you don’t have a clear identity as an organisation… the AI will just produce very bland, very generic content.”
In other words: define your perspective first, then let AI scale it. That’s how you move fast without losing authenticity.
Kyle Jepson and Bart Kowalczyk at Inbound 2025 in San Francisco
Clear Suggestions for Leaders
Kyle gave several pieces of advice for those leading sales and marketing teams into this new era. Here’s how he framed it—simply, but powerfully:
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Have a strong point of view. Don’t just describe your product or service. Take a stand on how your industry should work. Customers trust leaders who have convictions.
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Be everywhere your audience is. It’s not enough to post on your site. Share insights on LinkedIn, join conversations on industry forums, even show up on Reddit if that’s where your buyers hang out. The more touchpoints, the more authority.
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Move faster. Cut down on the red tape in your content creation. Publish more frequently. Don’t let perfection stop you from being present.
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Use AI wisely. Let it help with formatting, repurposing, and distribution. But never outsource your voice, values, or strategy.
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Educate your teams. Sales, marketing, and even operations staff need to understand this shift. That’s why HubSpot Academy is launching a new course on building AI-led organizations—because every leader needs a framework for what to automate and what to keep human.
A Personal Story That Resonates
What makes Kyle so convincing is that he’s lived the old way. He told me about his first job out of university: endless cold-calling with nothing but a name and a number. He was miserable. Prospects were annoyed. He often found himself calling the wrong people entirely.
But then he discovered HubSpot and joined HubSpot Academy, where he found a mission: showing the world that sales doesn’t have to be painful. That sales can be educational, human, and even enjoyable—for both sides.
He’s carried that mission for nearly a decade, first through certifications, then through teaching, and now as HubSpot’s evangelist, hosting live events and sparking conversations that help businesses rethink growth.
The Human Advantage
So, how do you stay human in a world of AI? Kyle’s final answer was simple:
“Now is the time where your experiences and your point of view matter more than ever. AI knows a lot of information, but it doesn’t have any life experiences.”
That’s the key. Your lived experiences, your stories, your lessons learned - they can’t be copied by an algorithm. They are your edge.
Final Thoughts
As leaders, we face a choice. We can treat AI as a way to churn out more noise, or we can see it as a chance to amplify what makes us human: our voice, our opinions, our expertise.
Kyle Jepson’s message is clear: don’t just automate, don’t just educate. Lead with authority. Share your perspective. And remember, in a world where AI speaks like everyone, it’s your human story that will stand out.
Connect & Learn More
Want to dive deeper or connect with the voices behind this conversation?
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Connect with Kyle Jepson: linkedin.com/in/kyleanthonyjepson
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Connect with Bart Kowalczyk: linkedin.com/in/bart-kowalczyk
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Explore the new HubSpot Academy course — Building an AI-Leading Organization: academy.hubspot.com/courses/building-an-ai-leading-organization
