#165: Strategy | How to Create Data-Driven Content to Build Trust and Stand Out with Emir Atli of HockeyStack

B2B Marketing with Dave Gerhardt

Dave is joined by Emir Atli, the founder and CRO of HockeyStack. Emir shares insights on his strategic content creation on LinkedIn to building a robust attribution platform that helps B2B marketers optimize revenue and understand customer journeys.

Emir and Dave cover:

• How Emir and his team built a LinkedIn audience before launching their product and turned engagement into a strategic advantage
• Using custom reporting and attribution to make better B2B marketing decisions
• Creating data-driven content with HockeyStack Labs to build trust and establish thought leadership

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro
• (05:16) - - Early Days at HockeyStack: Outreach and Launch
• (12:53) - - Scaling Content Distribution and Launching Podcasts
• (14:18) - - Transitioning to Event and Field Marketing
• (19:25) - - Transitioning from CMO to Media Company CEO
• (26:39) - - How to Build Trust at Scale
• (30:33) - - Content Marketing Benchmarks and Data
• (33:17) - - Sample Sizes, Metrics, and Context in Research Reporting
• (41:42) - - How to Actually Use Reporting Tools
• (42:59) - - Creating Custom Reports and Templates
• (45:39) - - Tracking Traditional Touch Points Digitally

Send guest pitches and ideas to [e-mail]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.

Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?

You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.

That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.

AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:
– Cut down on back-and-forth

– Automate content, research, and reporting

– Eliminate busywork

– Make space for strategy

We’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.

Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.

Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more