Welcome to episode 5 of Maximus & The Founder Quest! In this monthly series, Max Greenwald (Co-founder & CEO of Warmly) continues his founder brand journey with Dave Gerhardt (Author of Founder Brand & Founder of Exit Five).
This month, Max shares updates on his role models and anti-role models, including finding a mentor in Derek Schoettle (former CEO of ZoomInfo) and following Peter Walker from Carta for data-driven content inspiration. Max reveals his decision to avoid extreme satire and "doom posting" to stay authentic to Warmly's brand.
Dave and Max dive deep into Chapter 5: Become a Publisher & Get on Social Media. They discuss how social media has evolved since the book's release, the impact of AI on content creation, the changing role of PR versus organic social media, and why consistency matters more than ever. Dave shares his philosophy on posting frequency, the value of weekend content, and why authentic, unpolished posts often perform better than AI-generated perfection.
Tune in to learn how to show up consistently, avoid common founder mistakes, and build publicly without being overly promotional!
HIGHLIGHTS:
0:00 Intro
0:36 Episode Begins
1:10 Max's role model update: Derek Schoettle and Peter Walker
2:20 Anti-role models: Avoiding extreme satire and doom posting
3:24 Dave's shift away from "everything is dead" marketing content
3:51 Moving from Building Quietly to Building Publicly
4:06 Changes in the social media landscape since the book's release
4:39 The importance of having a clear angle and being known for something
5:40 The impact of AI on content creation and authenticity
6:54 Why consistency and substance matter more than ever
8:41 The shift from traditional PR to social media
10:07 Why TechCrunch coverage matters less than it used to
11:21 Earned media through social media vs. traditional publications
12:28 The value of comments and reshares as modern PR
13:31 Common founder mistakes: Inconsistency and being overly promotional
14:09 Posting frequency: How often should founders post on LinkedIn?
16:16 Why weekend content often performs better
17:06 The "five to nine before nine to five" content trend
17:42 Speaking to your audience vs. speaking to a broader group
18:51 The "give, give, give, ask" social media strategy
19:57 How reading and consuming content fuels creativity
21:09 David Ogilvy's wisdom on stuffing your subconscious with information
22:24 Five questions for founders building publicly
23:28 Dave's Readwise tip for capturing and revisiting highlights
Connect with Max on LinkedIn - /max-greenwald
Connect with Dave on LinkedIn - /davegerhardt
Want to convert your website visitors instantly? Try Warmly for free - https://warmly.ai/