Gary Vaynerchuk on Creating Everywhere to Stay Visible in an AI-First World

As AI systems increasingly become the first place people look for answers, discoverability in marketing is undergoing a fundamental shift. Search engines are no longer the only gateway. Large language models, AI assistants, and platform search are reshaping how brands are found, trusted, and remembered.

In this episode of Web3 CMO Stories, Joeri Billast sits down with Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) for a short but focused conversation on what this shift means for founders, marketers, and independent professionals.

They discuss practical ways to show up in AI answers, why content creation is becoming non-negotiable, how social platforms feed AI systems, and why trust, provenance, and storytelling matter more than ever.

Welcome and Sponsor Acknowledgment

Joeri Billast:
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Web3 CMO Stories Podcast. My name is Joeri Billast, and I’m your host. Today I’m joined by Gary Vaynerchuk for a short but sharp conversation.

Before we dive in, a quick thank you to the partners supporting the podcast in 2026.

The show is supported by RYO, a Web3 ecosystem out of Japan that is building real-world infrastructure across payments, wallets, and digital commerce.

And by Metricool, a platform many marketers use to bring structure and clarity to their social media workflows.

Thanks to both teams for supporting the podcast. Let’s get into the conversation.

How to Show Up in AI Answers

Joeri Billast:
Gary, more and more people are discovering brands inside ChatGPT and other large language models instead of Google. If someone is building a business today, what is the practical playbook to show up in AI answers? And what can they actually do in the next 30 days?

Gary Vaynerchuk:
That’s a wonderful and very important question. The real answer is that no one fully knows.

Even Google, during its dominance, constantly changed how its algorithm worked. It was always cat and mouse. In the late nineties, we would optimize websites to rank first, then Google would update because they wanted results to be authentic, not hacked.

You can already see platforms like Reddit declining in importance. Personally, I believe social media content is a very strong bet.

Here’s why.

I think Gemini is going to be a major winner. Between Google Calendar, Gmail, and Android, they have massive connection points. So where do you think Gemini is going to pull content from? YouTube. And YouTube Shorts are going to matter a lot.

In the next 30 days, committing to YouTube content matters.

TikTok and Meta platforms get far more AI-driven search than people realize. Their internal search engines are powerful.

ChatGPT and tools like Perplexity need content that is authentic. Not everything on social is authentic, but much of it is.

My practical advice right now is simple: content, content, content.

I love social media. I love platforms like Beehiiv and Substack. I love podcasts like the one we’re doing right now. Creating digitally in audio, written, and video form, on the most popular platforms, will pay substantial dividends in an AEO and GEO world that’s about to become very important.

AI, Blockchain, and the Need for Provenance

Joeri Billast:
I also saw you in Lisbon, where you talked about a future where AI and blockchain work together. Where do you see real value there, and where are people forcing narratives?

Gary Vaynerchuk:
What I talked about in Lisbon is my concern that video proof has been the judge and jury of our society for a long time. It’s been very valuable.

But I believe that in three or four years, we won’t believe that any video we see on the internet is real.

Blockchain is a ledger that can prove provenance. Provenance is going to become a very important word. Ownership too.

I imagine a world where the internet and blockchains talk to each other because we’re going to yearn for truth in digital spaces.

I’m not the person who builds that technology. I’m not in the shovels and picks business. I sell the gold when it’s found.

But I’m smart enough to know the shovels and picks business is often the better business, even if it’s less fun. Whether it’s blockchain or something else, the internet will need a way to prove truth.

AI Avatars and Brand-Owned IP

Joeri Billast:
What’s your take on AI avatars and face-based content? Where is it smart leverage, and where does it backfire?

Gary Vaynerchuk:
In the short term, it backfires when big companies do it because people are scared of losing jobs. There’s pushback against anything AI.

Long term, it’s inevitable.

I like change, even when it hurts, because I don’t have a choice.

Brands should be in the intellectual property business. Disney has Mickey Mouse. Universal has Jaws.

Jake from State Farm is an actor. If he leaves or changes, State Farm has a problem. But if they owned an AI character, that’s an asset.

Geico’s lizard is owned IP. Flow from Progressive is an actress.

We’re entering a world where brands will increasingly own characters. In the short term, you have to be careful. Consumers are nervous and not fully receptive yet.

But in ten years, this will be common.

Interest Media and Platform Culture

Joeri Billast:
You talk a lot about interest media, where the creative itself creates the reach. For founders and marketers with limited budgets, what skill should they really focus on?

Gary Vaynerchuk:
The real skill is understanding storytelling and distribution.

You need to understand what works culturally on TikTok: the first three seconds, beats, comments, hashtags.

What works on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, X, Facebook, Snapchat Spotlight, Substack, Pinterest. This is my obsession.

It’s about understanding culture and art, but also the science and math behind what increases the odds of reach.

At the end of the day, the essence of the story matters most.

LinkedIn and Underpriced Attention

Joeri Billast:
LinkedIn is my main platform besides the podcast. You’ve said it’s still massively underpriced in attention. How should someone use it without turning content into a full-time job?

Gary Vaynerchuk:
Let me make a big statement.

For a lot of independent individuals, employees, or entrepreneurs, content creation should be a full-time job. Amassing attention for what you do is as imperative as it gets.

People always ask how they can do this without spending all their time. The answer is time management and value.

LinkedIn is an incredible platform. You need to win on video and creative. The written word is a huge variable.

It’s a B2B environment where professionalism matters more. You can write long posts there, which you can’t do on TikTok.

It’s about understanding the room you’re in. And the fact that you can combine written, audio, and video is extremely powerful.

One Sentence of Advice

Joeri Billast:
One sentence. What should marketers and founders stop overthinking this year?

Gary Vaynerchuk:
Their subjective opinions on the creative.

Closing

Joeri Billast:
Thanks so much, Gary. I appreciate your time and perspective.

If this conversation resonated, feel free to share it with other marketers or founders who might benefit from it.

You’ll find the full article and show notes on the blog, with the video version coming soon.

Thanks again to RYO, whose wallet is now available on Android in addition to iOS, and to Metricool for supporting the podcast throughout 2026.

If you’re not following the show yet, this is a great moment to do so. Thanks for listening, and see you next time.