In this episode of the Achieve Podcast, host Jessie Warner sits down with Melissa Rosenthal, co-founder of OutLever and former media and SaaS marketing leader, to explore how companies can transform themselves into media engines and build powerful content ecosystems. The conversation centers on the evolution of marketing, the convergence of media and SaaS, and how brands can own their audience.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why companies should think of themselves as media companies, not just product or service providers
- How Melissa’s experience at BuzzFeed, Cheddar, and ClickUp shaped her approach to modern marketing
- The concept of building a “media ecosystem” instead of relying on paid advertising channels
- Why owning your audience is more valuable than renting attention through ads
- How storytelling and consistent content creation drive long-term brand growth
- The shift from short-term performance marketing to long-term brand building strategies
- What it takes operationally to build and sustain a content-driven growth engine
- How B2B companies can leverage media strategies traditionally used by consumer brands
This conversation highlights a fundamental shift in how businesses approach growth: moving away from dependency on paid channels toward building owned platforms that compound over time. Melissa Rosenthal makes a compelling case that the future belongs to companies that invest in storytelling, audience-building, and media infrastructure—turning marketing from a cost center into a scalable, strategic asset.
To learn more about Melissa Rosenthal and her work, visit outlever.com.