How to Scale Personalized Event Follow-Up Using Clay + AI
Enrich, score, route, and send personalized event follow-ups, all in one automated Clay workflow.
We’re coming off Dreamforce last week, which is the height of event season. I’m sure you hit 20,000 steps a day and 200,000 mentions of “AI”... only one of which was actually useful. Now comes the real work: turning all that noise and those badge scans into something that actually moves deals forward.
The first step (after surviving the conference itself, of course) is following up.
But how do you stand out when everyone’s sending the same “great to meet you” email? It’s simple: send personalized, relevant, and timely messages. Easier said than done.
This week’s build makes it easy. I built a Clay table that automates follow-up with a personalized message to each lead, after enriching, scoring, and distributing them automatically.
This week’s stack:
1 video: Automate event follow-up that feels personal (Clay workflow)
1 prompt: Build a world-class PR function
1 tool: Grade your website’s AEO readiness
3 resources: Smarter prompting, sharper GTM research, reliable AI systems
3 jobs: Senior marketing roles shaping the future of AI GTM
Let’s dive in.
Workflow Walkthrough: Automate Personal, Relevant + Timely Outreach
This one’s a solo video, just me tackling one of the biggest post-event challenges every company faces: conference follow-up. Most teams don’t do it fast enough, and when they do, it’s usually a generic, spammy sequence that gets ignored.
This build fixes that.
Using Clay, I’ll show you how to automatically enrich every lead and company, score them, segment by territory, route hot leads to the right reps, and generate personalized outreach for each contact. Then, we take it one step further by automating the entire send directly from Clay.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
How to import, clean, and enrich your event leads automatically.
How to categorize and score leads with AI to prioritize the hottest prospects.
How to generate human-sounding subject lines and emails using Clay’s Octave integration.
How to route segmented leads to the right reps — and even automate outreach with SmartLead.
How to control credit usage and safely test your build with Clay’s sandbox mode.
By the end, you’ll have a complete workflow that sends better follow-ups, faster, no external tools required.
Here’s a link to the Clay Template: https://app.clay.com/shared-workbook/share_0t4gpz9t2M9Gx4sQH2H
And here’s the doc with some copy + paste prompts for the build.
And if you’re new to Clay, use my referral link and you’ll get 3,000 free credits https://clay.com?via=2bb18e
Prompt of the Week: Build a World-Class PR Function
Everyone wants “earned media,” but They’re either running the old playbook or they’re not not doing anything that is worthy of press. This week’s prompt helps you do just that, design a complete, scalable PR function that actually earns trust and attention.
Whether you’re a marketing exec at a Series B startup or a comms lead at an enterprise brand, this framework helps you craft the structure, metrics, and messaging that make PR strategic, not reactive.
SYSTEM MESSAGE (sets persona and reasoning style):
You are a world-class public relations strategist with [X years] of experience designing and scaling PR functions for companies in the {industry} sector.
You specialize in media relations, brand positioning, executive communications, crisis management, and organizational PR design.
Your tone is {tone_style} (e.g., executive, advisory, data-driven, startup-friendly).
You think strategically, reason step-by-step, and support each recommendation with concise evidence or real-world examples.
USER MESSAGE (task request):
I am developing a world-class PR function for {company_name}, a {company_description} operating in {industry}.
Please produce a detailed, actionable PR strategy tailored to our organization. The output should be realistic for a company of our size ({company_size}) and budget ({budget_range}) and suitable for presentation to {audience_type} (e.g., executive team, investors, board).
Deliverables and Structure
1. Market Analysis
• Analyze the PR landscape for the {industry} sector.
• Identify key trends, media dynamics, and emerging opportunities.
• Provide comparative benchmarks from 2–3 companies known for world-class PR performance.
2. Internal Assessment
• Review our current PR efforts summarized here: {summary_of_current_efforts}.
• Identify structural, messaging, and process gaps.
• Highlight quick-win improvements and longer-term structural needs.
3. Strategic Framework
• Define the vision and mission of the PR function.
• Recommend organizational structure (roles, reporting lines, capabilities).
• Outline key processes: media engagement, campaign planning, crisis management, and measurement.
• Include success metrics (KPIs, milestones, and qualitative indicators).
4. Implementation Roadmap
• Present an execution timeline across short-term (0–3 months), medium-term (3–12 months), and long-term (12+ months) horizons.
• Specify dependencies, resources, and responsible owners.
• Suggest supporting tools, technologies, or partners.
5. Risk & Mitigation Analysis
• Identify potential pitfalls in building this PR function (e.g., talent gaps, budget constraints, market perception).
• Propose mitigation strategies for each risk.
6. Expert Recommendations
• Suggest creative, high-impact tactics that could differentiate {company_name}.
• Reference relevant case studies or examples from top performers in {industry}.
• Include rationale for each major recommendation.
Output Instructions
• Present your response as a structured strategic report with clear section headings and concise paragraphs.
• End with:
◦ A 1-paragraph executive summary synthesizing key insights.
◦ A 1-page action table or timeline summarizing next steps.
• Ensure tone and complexity match the intended audience ({audience_type}).
Optional Variables
• Tone: {tone_style} (executive | advisory | creative | data-driven)
• Depth: {detail_level} (overview | in-depth playbook)
• Time Horizon: {time_horizon} (e.g., 12 months, 24 months)
• Budget Range: {budget_range}
• End Goal: {purpose_of_output} (internal planning document | executive decision support | investor briefing)
• Format Preference: {format_preference} (report | slide outline | checklist | roadmap)
Example Use
Industry: AI healthcare
Company: Nuvora — a Series B AI diagnostics startup
Current Efforts: Ad-hoc press releases, inconsistent media outreach, no dedicated PR lead
Company Size: 150 employees
Budget Range: $500K annual
Audience: Executive leadership
Tone: Executive advisory
Purpose: Build an internal PR strategy roadmap
Output Format: Structured report with executive summary and action table
I’ve added this to my The Ultimate ChatGPT Prompt Library for B2B Marketing Leaders notion doc. Check it out for 60+ more prompts.
The Ultimate ChatGPT Prompt Library for Marketing Leaders
I remember the first time I used ChatGPT for marketing. It was late, I was up against a deadline, and I needed a competitive analysis that would have taken me and my PMM a full day (or more) to pull …
Know someone who might find this prompt useful? Share it with them!
Tool of the Week: Grade Your Website’s AEO Readiness
AEO tools are a dime a dozen these days, especially the freemium ones. I’ve tried the versions from Semrush, Ahrefs, and a handful of newer startups. But HubSpot’s AEO Grader stands out.
Yes, it’s a lead gen tool for them. But it actually delivers useful insights. It scans your site for AI search optimization (structure, schema, clarity) and shows how well your content will surface in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
Try it: https://www.hubspot.com/aeo-grader
AI Resource Roundup:
Sora 2 Prompting Guide (OpenAI Cookbook): A practical guide to coaxing cinematic-quality output from Sora. It covers the new variable system, style persistence, and storytelling control, essential reading if you’re experimenting with AI video in marketing.
5 AI Use Cases for GTM Market Research (GTM Strategist): A sharp breakdown of how leading B2B teams are using AI to validate messaging, size markets, and analyze competitors. If you’re building GTM motion models, this is a bookmark-worthy primer.
How to build reliable AI workflows (AI Builders): Probably the most important post you’ll read this month if you want to get better at working with and prompting AI. Justin explains why most “AI agents” fail in production and how to design reliable, modular AI workflows instead.
Hot AI Jobs: The Week’s Most Interesting Open Roles
Director of Product Marketing (B2B SaaS / AI) at Corsearch
Location: Fully Remote (UK / Global)
Pay: Not listed
Director, Marketing AI Strategy at Okta
Location: Bellevue, WA / San Francisco
Pay: $206,000—$309,000
Location: Remote (US)
Pay: $70,000 - $200,000
Halloween is coming fast, and my kids are in full costume mode. My oldest’s costume budget has a CAC (costume acquisition cost) that’s already exceeded LTV (lifetime treat value). Meanwhile, my youngest has changed costume ideas more times than a startup pivoting and chasing product-market fit. At this point, I’m half expecting him to announce a Series A for his next custome.
While they’re planning their candy route, I’ll be doing 2026 planning and budget.
Until next time, keep scaling!