As trust replaces reach in B2B marketing, David’s GenAI community leads a new era-where authentic connections, curiosity, and shared purpose matter more than clicks. Belonging and thoughtful influence are quietly reshaping the future of how we learn, connect, and grow together.

The New Playbook: How David Is Rewiring B2B Marketing with Community and Thought Leaders

David isn’t just another name in the GenAI gold rush-he’s quietly building the kind of high-signal, closed-door community that’s redefining how B2B marketing gets done in 2025. When we sat down with him, the conversation didn’t orbit around the latest AI tool or growth hack. Instead, it zeroed in on a fundamental market shift: trust is the new currency, and industry experts are the new power brokers.

The Old Playbook Is Broken

David is blunt about the state of performance marketing: “The playbook is decaying.” Click-through rates are in free fall, white papers gather dust, and even the once-golden outbound formulas are now just noise in an oversaturated inbox. The result? Brands are increasingly looking for trusted, high-signal communities to reach real buyers.
The pendulum is swinging back to something that feels almost retro: branding, word-of-mouth, and gated circles of influence. “We’re shifting from broadcast to belonging,” David notes-a sentiment that echoes across his posts and community calls.

Real Thought Leaders: The New Distribution Engine

The real action, David argues, is with thought leaders and builders: people with niche, highly-engaged audiences who move the needle because their followers actually listen. His campaigns are engineered with a blend of scraping, LLM-powered scoring, and tactical outreach. Brands choose between “plug and post” (brand provides copy, expert posts) or “storycraft” (the expert crafts bespoke content), with the latter commanding a premium but delivering authenticity that lands.

The numbers are hard to ignore: a single post during a key launch can net impressive views and signups-far outperforming paid ads. Twitter, not LinkedIn, is currently winning on organic reach, especially when campaigns are timed to major events.

Moat That Can’t Be Copied

At the heart of David’s strategy is a 350-member, invite-only GenAI community with a churn rate that would make SaaS founders jealous. It’s not just a Slack group-it’s a curated brain trust with monthly sessions on marketing, AI, and implementation, run on Circle and WhatsApp, with a RAG system for weekly recaps. Growth is strictly word-of-mouth and LinkedIn content; there’s a waitlist, a vetting process, and a palpable sense of FOMO.
This isn’t just about engagement metrics. It’s about building a space where buyers, not just lurkers, show up to learn, share, and buy. “Open platforms are becoming less trustworthy. Reach doesn’t mean trust anymore. And virality doesn’t mean legitimacy,” David wrote recently-a line that sums up the new ethos of B2B marketing.

Monetization: Execution Over Advice

Brands are waking up to the reality that access to these closed communities is worth a premium. But David is clear-eyed about the challenge: “High CAC is the tax you pay for trust.” His advice to early-stage founders? Skip the endless advisory decks and focus on execution. Results, not theory, win the next contract.

What’s Next?

David’s approach is a masterclass in first-principles thinking: strip away the noise, focus on authenticity, and build systems where trust compounds. In a landscape where bots and fake engagement are the norm, his community is a signal in the noise-a place where influence is earned, not bought.
If you want to see where B2B marketing is headed, watch what David does next. The future isn’t open. It’s closed, curated and high-signal-exactly the way he likes it.