Smart Agency Masterclass Podcast with Jason Swenk
Bi-weekly interviews, strategy, and advice for building your marketing agency the smart way.
The popular agency podcast has just turned 10 years old and covers everything from starting a successful agency to selling your agency.
#1 Agency Leadership Podcast. Check Out Our Past Guests.
-
![]()
Seth Godin
Best selling Author of Purple Cow, This is Marketing, Linchpin, Permission Marketing
-
![]()
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and former Apple chief evangelist
-
![]()
Gino Wickman
The creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and author of Traction.
-
![]()
Neil Patel
Founder of CrazyEgg, Kissmetrics, and other multimillion dollar companies
-
![Uri Levine]()
Uri Levine
Co-founder of Waze
-
![]()
Joey Coleman
Recognized for his expertise in customer retention & enhancing client loyalty
-
![]()
Mike Michaelowicz
Best-selling author of Profit First and Clock Work
-
![]()
Amy Porterfield
Renowned online marketing expert and educator
-
![]()
Pat Flynn
The leaders in the podcast space
-
![]()
Jay Baer
Best Selling author of Talk Triggers, Hug Your Haters, and one of the best speakers
-
![]()
Todd Herman
Coach to Elite pro athletes, leaders, and public figures
-
![]()
Dan Martell
Author of Buy Back Your Time. Influential coach in SaaS startups.
SEO Is Over. AEO Is Here: How Agencies Stay Visible When AI Chooses the Answers with Kasim Aslam | Ep #863
As a user, do you still use search engines or have completely defaulted to AI? How will this shift reshape the agency world? How will ads work when people are only getting the one answer they need? Most agency owners are still treating SEO like it’s 2012 — optimizing keywords, buying backlinks, and praying to the Google gods. But search has already changed.
People are asking AI for answers, not Googling for links. And if you want your agency or your personal brand to stay visible in this new era, the rules are completely different. Today’s featured guest will unpack the shift from SEO to AEO and why most businesses are invisible to AI without even realizing it.
Why AI-Enhanced Agencies Are Outpacing AI-First Pretenders with Michael Davern | Ep #858
AI is changing the agency landscape faster than most owners can keep up with. Tools are popping up daily, clients are asking if rates should drop, and your team is either fired up or freaked out. Today’s featured guest talks about what it takes to build an agency that thrives in a world obsessed with shiny new tech, where the edge is not more tools. It is better leadership, human connection, and an incubator mindset that keeps them ahead without drowning in the noise.
The Secret to Surviving AI: Why Soft Skills and Real Partnerships Always Win with Ben Childs| Ep #856
If you’re one of the many owners concerned that AI will end the agency model, what are you doing to stay relevant? How are you building lasting relationships that help clients see your value beyond executing tasks? Artificial intelligence, automation, and enterprise-level change have everyone in the agency world wondering what’s next. However, agencies have managed to stay relevant with past technological disruptions and the answer has always been: you need to adapt.
Today’s featured guest has scaled his business through seven business iterations for over fourteen years by being willing to adapt to change, and the AI era is no exception. He’ll unpack how agencies can stay relevant when technology, data, and client expectations are evolving faster than ever and touch on the importance of partnership-based client relationships, and why soft skills—not just smart systems—will be the real differentiator in the next decade.
How AI Is Changing SEO: What Every Agency Owner Needs to Know with Vishal Mahida | Ep #853
How are you preparing your clients to start thinking about AI as part of their SEO strategy? Are you educating them on what they can expect now that the landscape is changing with AI optimization? As an agency you should be starting these conversations because you can be sure your clients are already thinking about AI, even if they still don’t understand it’s applications for how clients will get to their content.
Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing how people find information, it’s rewriting the rules of search altogether. Today’s featured guest is already running AI audits for his clients, he thinks all agency owners should be doing this. He’ll unpack what AI optimization really means for agencies, marketers, and business owners who’ve lived and breathed SEO for decades.
The Right Way to Use AI in Your Agency: Strategy, Tools, and Practical Tips with Ken McLoud | Ep #843
Are you really implementing AI in your agency the right way? Adding a random tool just to say you “use AI” isn’t the game-changer many agency owners hope it will be. In fact, chasing shiny AI solutions can waste time, drain resources, and create tools your team never actually uses. Many agency leaders, especially those aiming to build a sellable business, assume any form of AI integration will automatically boost their agency’s value. But today’s featured guest strongly disagrees. He’s seen firsthand how agencies fall into the trap of building solutions first and searching for problems later, a costly mistake that does more harm than good. Instead, he’s here to share how to approach AI adoption strategically, in ways that actually stick and drive real results.
About the Show
The popular agency podcast has been around since 2014 and covers everything from starting a successful agency to selling your agency. What makes this podcast a must-listen is Swenk’s background as the founder and CEO of an agency for over a decade. Swenk brings his own experience to the table, besides the expertise of his guests. He mostly covers topics that help growing agencies scale to the next level.
YOUR HOST
JASON SWENK
Smart Agency Masterclass
Jason is a family man who also happens to have created a couple big marketing agencies, helped thousands of agency owners, and had a big agency exit too.
