The Rise of the "Alternatively Influential" (524)

A new piece from the Wall Street Journal introduces the idea of being "alternatively influential" …people who drive real impact without massive follower counts. Joe and Robert break it down: Is this just a rebrand of "niche creator" or "thought leader"? Or is it actually the future of influence in an AI-saturated world? And most importantly…does audience size matter less than trust, proximity, and credibility? The bigger question: Are we entering an era where being known by the right people beats being known by everyone? AI Isn't Just Helping…It Might Be Hurting A new Morning Brew piece highlights research showing that AI can actually decrease focus and increase mental fatigue when overused. Key findings: Productivity rises with 1–3 AI tools…then drops off after that Workers report "mental overload" and decision fatigue Time saved gets filled with more work, not better work Joe and Robert's take: This isn't really about AI It's about multitasking overload AI just accelerates a problem we already had Bottom line: More tools ≠ better thinking Focus is still the competitive advantage Substack Goes Full Stack (Again) Substack continues expanding its platform, now rolling out a recording studio feature to support video and podcast creation. The discussion: Substack is no longer "just newsletters" It's becoming a complete creator operating system Email platforms, podcast hosts, and even YouTube should be paying attention The real question: Does Substack become the home base for creators…or just another tool in the stack? Winners and Losers Marketing Winner: Calvin Klein Dakota Johnson's new campaign hits the mark Clean, simple, effective brand storytelling that cuts through the noise Marketing Loser: The Oscars Still struggling to stay culturally relevant A branding problem, not just a ratings problem Marketing Loser (Joe): World Baseball Classic Timing Great product…questionable timing Hard to build momentum when the schedule works against you Rants and Raves Joe's Rant: Why Team USA Lost to Venezuela Joe's hot take: It wasn't about effort It was about constraints Team USA had: Contracts Pitch limits Usage concerns Calls from MLB teams Meanwhile, Venezuela had: Fewer restrictions More freedom to just play The lesson: The team with less to manage often performs better Robert's Rave: Where AI Actually Gets Its Content Robert highlights a new piece on AI sourcing : AI doesn't create from nothing It builds on existing human work The real leverage is still in original thinking and creation Other links: Mel Robbins with Seth Godin

You can listen to The Rise of the "Alternatively Influential" (524) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Rise of the "Alternatively Influential" (524) is an episode from PNR: This Old Marketing | Content Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose by Joe Pulizzi & Robert Rose.

This episode is 01:11:39 long.

This episode was published on Mar 20, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from PNR: This Old Marketing | Content Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.