A budget playbook for B2B influencer marketing: get accepted by your niche, run a podcast, win at trade shows
Zack Oates · Ovation
Published September 1, 2022Zack Oates, CEO of Ovation, shares:
- How to Hack B2B Influencer Marketing on a Budget
- Keys to being accepted by your Niche
- The right way to do a podcast
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Zack Oates explains how B2B companies can use influencer marketing by finding trusted voices, creating useful partnerships, measuring outcomes, and turning attention into durable customer relationships.
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“and run around and run around and they would just smash into this glass door just every single day just smash into it and my and they actually uh would escape and so um and this is not a fenced in backyard there's a lot of cows back there they come up like right to this fence so it's a little you know and they would like stick their hand through the fence and try to pet the cows so my wife got a little uh worried and so she put in this lock”
“so use fast template founder advisor standard template so this is uh this is what I used for my advisors to get them on board and how I gave them equity and how I knew how much to give them equity and everything was already kind of decided before we had started working together right because it's already it's already kind of like predetermined what are you going to be in there like how much Equity based on your stage so when I talk to the advisors I you”
“cat to be like hey you were just mentioned the podcast by this guy so would love to have you on and she's like oh cool I'll come on right so now all of a sudden you're getting really cool people on the podcast and then um and then at the end of the call the last five minutes you say by the way do you know what what we do Innovation and they're like oh I kind of checked you guys out yeah you guess feedback for restaurants we're working with these customers do you know what it would mean so much to me if I could just chat with you later on next week and would love to”
“to write this email because I already had my podcast person create the blog post for it so it's super super quick to send out these emails and now every week two thousand people times point six are like opening my email and looking at what I'm doing and thinking about me so lastly win at trade shows who here goes to trade shows okay every single hand should be open because I don't care how Niche your industry is there is some weird trade show for you”
“last I spoke on Tuesday I found out I was speaking there on Friday because it was just something I applied to I had my marketing person applied to and they never got back to me but they put me main stage speaker two of the entire show and I didn't even know I was speaking until Friday because it just like happens right so the way that it worked is 2019 I spoke at zero things 2020 I spoke at like two virtual 2021 I spoke at like five things this year I'm speaking at like over 20. so speaking”
“Ovation Revenue Growth Strategy”
“Connect With The Right People”
“I used This Template for Advisors”
“Tradeshows on a Budget”
“Connect with the right people.PIPCAT”
Video
Unlocking B2B Influencer Marketing - Slide Deck
Zack Oates is the founder and CEO of Ovation, the number-one restaurant feedback platform in America, voted Top 50 Most Influential Supplier by Nation’s Restaurant News, and host of “Give an Ovation: A Podcast for Restaurants.” He grew up in restaurants before getting into startups. He was voted Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2x, rang the NASDAQ bell, has been to 50 countries, and started three companies
Adam Baker · Dealpad
Andre Cvijovic · Referrizer
Ari Salafia · Taxtaker
Armando Biondi · Breadcrumbs
Becca Kay · Dingus and Zazzy
Ben Carpel · Galleon
Each slide with a short explanation of what it shows. Open the slide text for its exact wording.
23 passages
June 2022 | Zack Oates CEO of Ovation Zack Oates CEO of Ovation How I Built Ovation With $20k, And Grew It To $1.5m ARR in 1 Year
Ovation’s quarterly revenue chart climbs from $40.3k in Q1 2020 to $129.3k in Q2 2022. The timeline links the growth story to a restaurant-feedback focus, a podcast, speaking, and a #1 feedback-solution vote.
Ovation Revenue Growth Strategy 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Founded Started Podcast Started Speaking COVID Hit Focus on Restaurant Feedback Voted #1 Feedback Solution for Restaurants in America
The central idea is that a strong niche and a useful tool can combine to create a breakthrough. Three photographs of a doorway accompany the formula without adding a stated example or result.
Right Niche + Right Tool = Breakthrough
The framework groups B2B influence into niche acceptance, podcasting, and trade shows. It pairs relationship-building and contribution with strategic guests, repeatable content, budget-conscious promotion, and speaking.
How to Hack B2B Influencer Marketing on a Budget Connect with the right people Contribute Get key advisors Invite strategic guests Systematize Leverage content and guest network GO on a budget Get speakers to talk about you Speak! Be Accepted by your Niche Do a Podcast Win at Trade Shows
The presentation is organized around becoming accepted in a niche, running a podcast, and winning at trade shows. Each route is broken into practical steps, from connecting and contributing to inviting guests and speaking.
Over the next 20 minutes BE ACCEPTED BY YOUR NICHE DO A PODCAST WIN AT TRADE SHOWS Connect with the right people Contribute Get key advisors Invite strategic guests Systematize Leverage content and guest network GO on a budget Get speakers to talk about you Speak! I’m going to show you…
This section turns to becoming accepted within a niche, beginning with the relationships and contributions that build recognition.
Be Accepted By Your Niche
Oates recommends connecting with PIPCATs: partners, investors, press, customers, advisors, and thought leaders. The chart shows annual LinkedIn connection growth, reaching 1,648 in 2020 before 1,398 in 2021; 2022 is marked as a 1,440 pace.
PIPCATs Connect With The Right People ..be accepted by your niche Partners Investors Press Advisors Thought Leaders Customers 1,440 (2022 pace) My Linkedin Connection Increase by Year MBA Started actively networking in niche
The examples pair personal stories, case studies, thought leadership, and company updates with tagging relevant people. Highlighted post impressions range from 1.9k to 23.1k, illustrating varied reach across formats.
12.7k Impressions 1.9k Impressions 7.2k Impressions 23.1k Impressions Contribute with Your Personality …be accepted by your niche. Thought Leadership Personal Case Study (ask) Company Tag People
The slide frames advisor and investor selection around the question of what the team lacks. It highlights experience, respected leadership, food-and-beverage credibility, and strategic investment as distinct gaps to fill.
5 Years Ahead of Me Respected Leader Credibility - F&B What Does My Team Lack? Strategic Investor
The team examples connect individual advisors and an investor to specific strengths, including operating experience, industry credibility, and restaurant relationships. The investor is associated with 25+ restaurants and 34+ restaurant-tech startups.
Team: Solid Investors & Advisors What Does My Team Lack? John Moody Co-Founder Wade Allen Head of Innovation Kelly MacPherson CIO Branded Lead Investor 5 Years Ahead of Me Respected Leader Credibility - F&B Strategic Investor 25+ Restaurants 34+ Rest-Tech Startups
A founder-advisor template provides a formal structure for the relationship. Its visible sections cover services, compensation, expenses, termination, and confidentiality.
I used This Template for Advisors
This section shifts from niche relationships to podcasting as a way to invite strategic guests and build visibility.
Do A Podcast
Invite strategic guests by giving them a good experience and keeping production lightweight. The suggested format is 15-20 minutes with no prep call, and the slide estimates editing at 90 minutes for $20 per hour.
Do a podcast. Give them something so they look good. Make it low effort.15-20 min and no prep calls Edit it cheaply (90 min $20/hr). Cheap setup. JUST START!!! Invite Strategic Guests - PIPCATs
A guest-list spreadsheet organizes the podcast pipeline, with rows for guests and columns for episode details, order, status, recording date, and post-publication tasks. The template makes production and follow-up visible in one place.
Systematize Podcast Production …excel template we use.
The sample workflow covers an invitation, scheduling, a short podcast agenda, recording guidance, and post-recording file handling. Reusable messages and questions make it easier to give guests a consistent experience.
How I Use a Template for Podcast Production
The goal is relevant reach rather than the largest download total: the slide reports 6,715 downloads and recommends repurposing episodes into short social videos, blog posts, weekly email, and customer testimonials. Guests are also asked to share the material.
You don’t need a TON of downloads! You need the RIGHT downloads! Utilize across platforms - 1min video for social - Blog (with their name in the URL for SEO) - Weekly Email - Testimonials (if customer) Get guests to share Leverage Content and Guest Network
This section turns to trade shows and the practical choices that can make a small booth and limited spend more effective.
Win at Tradeshows
A modest booth can support a focused event plan: use a simple setup, offer a quick demo, collect contact information, and systematize follow-up. The example also favors half-page flyers and doing without chairs.
Tradeshows on a Budget No Chairs Systemize follow-up Quick Demo Half page flyers Simple Booth Get contact Info
Oates recommends building relationships with people who speak at relevant events and asking them to mention the company. The example offers $250 for a mention, showing a direct way the speaker says he paid to get talked about.
PIPCATs are often speakers Build relationships with them I paid $250 to talk about Ovation Get Spoken About I see you’re speaking too at this event. Sweet! Trying To get more ppl to check out Ovation. If it comes up, would love for you to mention us. I’ll send you $250 if you do!
Speaking can extend influence through event talks, panels, and webinars. The slide recommends learning to speak, creating a speaker page, and submitting to events so a founder becomes a recognizable voice in the niche.
Learn to speak Make a speaker page Submit to speak at events Do webinars You become the influencer Speak!
The nine takeaways span connecting with the right people, contributing useful content, finding key advisors, inviting guests, systematizing podcasts, sharing content, simplifying trade shows, getting mentioned, and speaking. The list condenses the three routes into actions to apply.
Key takeaways Remember these 9 things Connect With The Right PeoplePIPCAT ContributeCase Studies, Personal stories, Thought Leadership, Company Key AdvisorsWhat does my team lack? Invite Strategic GuestsMake it easy. Make guest look good. SystemizeTemplatize podcast production process Leverage contentUtilize across all social networks, and have guests share. Tradeshows On a BudgetKeep it simple. Get Spoken AboutPay someone if you need to… Speak!Become an influencer in your niche Take a photo and share it! @FounderpathHQ Be Accepted by your Niche Do a Podcast Win at Trade Shows
The recap returns to the same three routes: earn niche acceptance, run a podcast, and use trade shows. It pairs relationship-building and contribution with easy guest experiences, repeatable production, simple event tactics, and speaking.
BE ACCEPTED BY YOUR NICHE DO A PODCAST WIN AT TRADE SHOWS Connect with the right people.PIPCAT ContributeCase Studies, Personal stories, Thought Leadership, Company Get key advisorsWhat does my team lack? Invite strategic guestsMake it easy. Make guest look good. Systematize Templatize podcast production process Leverage content and guest networkUtilize across all social networks, and have guests share. GO on a budgetKeep it simple. Get speakers to talk about youPay someone if you need to… Speak!Become an influencer in your niche Over the last 20 minutes I showed you…
Oates closes with a thank-you and identifies himself as Ovation’s CEO.
September 2022 Zack Oates CEO of Ovation