There's a New Way to Win at Search

This Week

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Zero to Unicorn. I’m covering a new AI search strategy, Ted Talks, Hubspot’s latest AI features, the rise of AI native work apps, and more. Read on!

There’s a New Way to Win at Search

Researchers have discovered a new strategy for ranking with SGE and answer engines like Perplexity. It’s called strategic text sequence or STS.

STS is an algorithmically crafted message designed to make content more noticeable to LLMs that help people find information. It's similar to writing SEO-optimized copy but focused on emotion and storytelling. SEO doesn't recognize context—it's just looking for keywords. STS, in contrast, favors content that mirrors a user's intent and the query context.

To implement STS effectively, you really need a computer science degree. For the rest of us, here are some tips for getting your content featured in an answer engine:

1. Identify target keywords and phrases that focus on user intent. What questions is a user trying to answer when searching? In what context?

2. Generate a list of potential STS phrases and incorporate them into your content.

3. Test and optimize by monitoring search engine rankings for the version of your pages with STS versus without. Watch featured snippets to see if the versions with STSs appear more frequently.

If you have the appetite for some academia, you can read the research paper at Cornell.

AI Will be Our Most Trusted Companion

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman says AI is like a new digital species. Before long, it won't just be people with personal AI assistants. Every organization, town, building, and object will have its own unique interactive AI. And none of them will sound like HAL. They'll be warm and empathetic companions — as unique as we are.

Suleyman acknowledges the risks of advancing AI, but his 20-minute speech is uplifting and inspiring and worth watching if you want to know where AI is headed.

You can watch Mustafa’s Ted Talk here. 

The Rise of AI Native Work

Most people don't enjoy the software they use for work because it's outdated—think old slide builders or complex photo editors. These tools are either too rigid or too complicated. Luckily, AI is changing all that. New platforms are making it easier and faster to get our jobs done—Canva’s Magic Studio, Descript’s AI voice clone, or Runway’s text-to-video generation are just a few examples.

In a recent Andreezon Horowitz article, analysts examined the challenges we face with today’s AI tools and how that’s changing. They predict we’ll move from single-task platforms with “one-shot” outputs (like Midjourney) to multimodal platforms that can work on any content type in a multitude of ways.

Read the article at a16z.

The Recipe for AI Startup Success

Last year, it felt like everyone was window-shopping for AI technologies, but we're starting to see cautious rollouts this year. Juliet Bailin, General Catalyst, Partner thinks 2025 is when we'll see truly impactful developments. She says shifting consumer preferences will show us which solutions stick and which fizzle out.

Here's a bit of wisdom she shared on a recent Section webinar for winning the startup race:

1. Customer Delight is Key: This golden rule hasn’t changed with the advent of AI. Ensure your customers are thrilled with your product, and always make it your top priority.

2. Create a Stronghold: Really dig into a specific problem area. The more embedded you are, the more defensible your position.

3. Tolerance for Imperfection: Autonomous cars aren’t mainstream yet because the stakes are incredibly high. However, AI can still offer a significant advantage in less critical applications. Startups that thrive despite imperfections are green flags for potential.

4. Reduction of Drudgery: Consider all those lawyers dreaming of making landmark cases but bogged down by endless paperwork (and using LLMs to cite non-existent cases). An AI tool that lightens that load (with factual information) is a hot pick for investors.

If a startup checks these boxes, it's not just interesting—it's compelling and will capture the lion’s share of funding. 

Hubspot Launches Latest AI Features

Hubspot just dropped its first-ever Hubspot Spotlight, and it’s overflowing with AI functionality. You’ll find text-to-video, auto-generated replies, blog post narration, automatic social media replies, content remixes… and the list goes on.

Check out the 117 updates at Hubspot.

AI for Marketers Summit On-Demand

Want to brush up on your AI marketing trends and knowledge? You’ll find six hours of AI-focused content and sessions covering AI-powered storytelling, how to leverage AI for GMT strategy, and how to market smarter, not harder, with AI.

Watch the Summit on demand.