I Took the SXSW Stage—And You Won’t Believe What Happened

I had the honor of speaking at SXSW last week, and I’m still buzzing from the energy in the room. A completely packed house… for a panel on B2B marketing. Wild.

Before you say this was an easy speaking gig to get, just know the truth—I was rejected 2 years in a row. So I guess the saying “third time’s a charm” is more real than you think lol.

I wanted to share a few thoughts and takeaways from the session for anyone who couldn’t be there — especially if you're a founder, marketer, or creator wondering how this B2B creator economy is evolving (and how to get ahead of it).

1. B2B Creators = The Underdogs (But Not for Long)
LinkedIn creators have been overlooked for years. Some have hundreds of thousands of followers — often executives, founders, and decision-makers — and have never monetized (especially on LinkedIn). Imagine that happening on YouTube or TikTok. This is a massive opportunity, not just a gap.

2. Scratch B2B — It’s B2P
At Creator Match, we call it B2P: Business to Professional.
Why? Because professionals are people first. They don’t just need software and tools—they drink water, buy Stanley cups, sleep on mattresses, and use the very products they help purchase. Whether you're marketing a B2B or B2C product, if professionals are your audience, LinkedIn is where you need to be. The only difference? They’re either buying for themselves (B2C) or for their company (B2B).

3. Small Audiences. Huge Value.
You don’t need 100k followers to win in B2B.
If you're a cybersecurity creator with 2,000 highly engaged followers, that’s incredibly valuable. Impressions don’t always equal impact. Niches aren’t just powerful — they can be profitable. According to Teachable, “B2B creators are twice as likely to make $10,000+ monthly than their B2C counterparts."

4. No One Knows the “Right” Rate Yet
We’re in the Wild West. Some creators are charging too little, some way too much — and it’s because B2B creator marketing is still early. I spend most of my day educating both brands and creators on what’s possible, and how to price and structure deals that actually work.

5. Document, Don’t Create
One of my biggest tips? Don’t overthink it.
You don’t need to come up with the most original idea — just document what you’re already doing. Your audience wants real, honest, behind-the-scenes content. That’s what builds trust. That’s what drives deals. Especially for my fellow Founders out there that have zero free time, this is a golden tip to streamline your creation process.

6. Video Builds Trust — Period.
Platforms are prioritizing it. It’s harder to fake. And very few people are doing it consistently. If you want to stand out and move deals forward, start showing up on video — even if it’s rough at first. If you don’t, your competitor will.

7. Content Moves the Deal Cycle
Most B2B purchases don’t happen in a single click. They take time. Content helps you stay top of mind throughout that journey — from the first DM to the final decision. Don’t just rely on outbound. Build trust through content that surrounds your ideal customer. And if you still send outbound, content will make that outbound more effective.

SXSW week was a sprint AND a marathon — panels, podcasts, basketball games, private dinners, and about a hundred coffee chats squeezed in between.

Grateful (and quite exhausted 😅) after a week packed with intentional conversations, inspiring creators, and some seriously exciting momentum around B2B content. From speaking at SXSW and CollabFest, to hosting events with Teachable and LinkedIn, to shooting a podcast and somehow squeezing in basketball.

Huge shoutout to the Creator Match team for keeping everything organized with a public Notion page that listed every event we were part of. Total game-changer for staying on track (and for helping others know where to find us!).

Here’s a high level breakdown of each day at SXSW:

📅 March 6
Spoke in LA on a Founders Panel at CollabFest with Stan — Kicked things off with an amazing creator-first event. Loved connecting with founders building the future of monetization.

📅 March 7
Spoke on a panel in Austin for SXSW — Packed room for a B2B creator panel (!). Still blown away by the energy and how ready people are to talk about monetization beyond B2C.

📅 March 8
Coffee with Creators + Basketball Event — Started the morning with great conversations over caffeine, ended the night with some friendly competition on the court.

📅 March 9
Private Dinner with Teachable — Grateful to join an intimate dinner with thoughtful Founders & Creators and the Teachable team. So many ideas shared around the table.

📅 March 10
Spoke on a Panel with LinkedIn + Partnered with Inc Magazine — Spoke alongside leaders shaping the future of work and content, and then co-hosted a “Digital Creators Meetup” at Inc Magazine’s Founders House.

📅 March 11
Podcast Interview with Courtney Johnson — Sat down with Courtney to talk about Creator Match, building in public, and how B2B creators are changing the game.

And our episode of Slay the Gatekeeper is officially live! You can listen on Spotify or Apple podcasts, or watch on Youtube.

📅 March 12
Co-hosted a Marketing Mixer with Semrush— Wrapped up the week with a killer mixer bringing together B2B Marketers and Creators at “Garage Bar” in Austin TX.

Two years ago, I got rejected from SXSW—twice. This year, I had the honor of speaking to a packed room of 300+ people about a topic I truly believe in. It’s been a fricken journey, and I couldn’t have done it alone.

I’m beyond grateful for every conversation, every handshake, every laugh, and every person who showed up to be part of this moment. This space is just heating up, and the energy, ideas, and passion I saw in that room prove that we’re building something bigger than any one of us.

If you're a Brand looking to partner with high-impact LinkedIn Creators, or a Creator ready to start monetizing—let’s connect. Creator Match was built for you…

The future of B2P marketing is being written right now. Let’s build it together.