🚀 What’s Next for Marketing Machine?

Hey Marketing Engineers!

Grabbing the Tuesday slot this week to let you know a bit about what’s happening over here at Marketing Machine.

As those who have been along for the whole journey know, we started as an AI-powered marketing agency. When I got a look at the state of the market because of AI, I pivoted to focus on making educational content like this newsletter, and we started to grow.

At the same time: I started teaching adjunct (and just generally hanging around to get out of the house) at my alma mater, The University of Virginia. Now I’ve accepted a full time position.

I’m writing today because the next phase is to level up Marketing Machine along with my own career. This post will outline the details.

I’ve accepted a dual gig at UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce. McIntire is their undergraduate business school. I’m teaching Information Technology & Innovation. I’ll also serve as Assistant Director of Student Entrepreneurship, a role through which I’ll have a hand over the next couple of years launching and running The Foundry, UVA’s student entrepreneurship platform.

As you might imagine, this means a bit of a transition for Marketing Machine. We’ve been running this newsletter in growth mode, for free, since Feb 2, 2024. In that time we’ve grown to a readership of over 10,000 subscribers. This still blows my mind. Thank you to everyone who’s stuck around, opened the newsletter each week, and who has given us feedback along the way.

Marketing Machine isn’t going anywhere. But, to be more deliberate we have to move beyond advertising as a means of sustaining the project. So we’re moving into paid content. We’re doing this in two ways: (1) setting up a paid version of the newsletter, which will go along with (2) a book project that has been in the works basically as long as the newsletter.

The time has come to arrange and brain dump everything I learned from 20 years in marketing before I move on to a broader focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, & business.

The structure of the book is inspired by this post: The Way of the Marketing Engineer, which has turned out to be a long tail success.

I’ve also merged it with a long standing outline of mine laying out all the technical pieces of a working Marketing Machine. It includes advice on how to actually execute on each of these functions, my favorite tools, and at what stage of a company or marketing effort each tool or technique applies.

The book will provide everything a Marketing Engineer needs to understand the modern marketing landscape with case studies, frameworks, and playbooks to help you execute.

Once the book is ready you’ll be able to get it in all the usual places. But, if you sign up now to help support its creation, you’ll get the book and also access to all the downloadable (and actionable) stuff we’re producing along the way.

Here’s what it’s going to look like for newsletter subs beginning in September.

We’re going to stop transition Tuesday posts to be ad-free pre-release versions book sections and accompanying content for paid subscribers.

We’re going to continue the Friday roundup posts but split them into two offerings.

Free: A pile of links and content to check out, with ads.

Paid: A pile of links and content with summaries like you’re used to, without ads.

There may also be a subscribers only podcast, but we need to get the machine set up before we know if we’ll have the bandwidth.

Anyone who is subbed for more than 3 months (to cover the book, and factor in various discounts 😉) will get a print copy of the book once it’s ready. Anyone who just wants to pre-order a copy of the book, there’s an option for that as well. You’ll get emails, but only updates on book production.

Monthly Payments: $20 a month.

Yearly Payments: $200 a year.

Book Pre-Order: $40 for a copy when it is ready. (Early 2026)

If you upgrade you’ll get 25% off of whatever option you choose. (For as long as you stay subscribed, if that’s what you choose.)

If you’re not inclined to jump in on the book, but want to stick around… there is a new newsletter coming once we get past the book launch. It’ll be very similar to Marketing Machine, but it’s going to focus on broader innovation, technology, A.I., and startup things.

The tentative name is Startup Vibes. It’s about AI and Startups. That’s all I’ll say for now. But, as long as you don’t unsubscribe, I’ll let you know when we launch.

If you’ve enjoyed Marketing Machine, I hope that you’ll sign up for the paid version, or pre-order the book. Here’s a button:

That’s all. Back to our regularly scheduled programming for the rest of the summer!

Adam 🚀