14 US experts in AI marketing, GEO and growth to follow in 2026

Following the right people can save time spent on trial and error. This list of AI marketing experts to follow is not a popularity ranking: it brings together practical perspectives on three overlapping topics in 2026. The first is GEO, or generative engine optimization: preparing content so assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, and answers such as Google's AI Overviews, can find, understand and cite it. The other two are AI for marketing and growth: improving how a business attracts, activates and retains customers. None of these practices guarantees citations or growth.

GEO and AI search: who explains how to show up in ChatGPT

1. Lily Ray

Lily Ray combines AI search research with agency experience. Her official website describes her as VP of SEO and AI Search at Amsive and founder of Algorythmic, launched on March 30, 2026, with an agency career in New York. What to learn: how to read traffic and visibility changes without confusing a Google answer with a visit to your website. Where: her blog, Algorythmic and X. Start with an analysis that presents data and limitations rather than a prediction alone.

2. Mike King (iPullRank)

Mike King founded iPullRank, the New York agency that announced its inclusion in the 2026 Inc. 5000 on August 11. He is a useful source for understanding how AI search works. One helpful concept is query fan-out: a system may break a question into several related searches. Hypothetical example: to recommend email marketing software, it might investigate pricing, integrations and privacy separately. What to learn: identify the specific questions your content needs to answer. Where: the iPullRank blog and X; some explanations may require technical support.

3. Rand Fishkin (SparkToro)

Rand Fishkin is co-founder and CEO of SparkToro. His conversation The State of Search in 2026, published on March 6, places search in the wider context of audience behavior. What to learn: think about reputation, channels and demand rather than Google positions alone. Where: the SparkToro blog and interviews such as the one cited. Our recommendation is to use his analysis to challenge a tactic: does it bring your brand closer to the right people, or merely improve an isolated indicator?

4. Neil Patel

Neil Patel has one of the largest audiences in this selection. CreatorDB reports approximately 1.6 million YouTube subscribers and 678,000 Instagram followers in its profile updated on October 8, 2026. His Search Everywhere Optimization approach considers a brand's presence across search engines, AI answers and social channels, not Google alone. What to learn: short content and distribution ideas for small businesses. Where: YouTube, Instagram and his blog. He is a broader marketing educator rather than an exclusively GEO-focused specialist; check each tactic before applying it.

AI for marketing: who teaches day-to-day use

5. Paul Roetzer

Paul Roetzer founded the Marketing AI Institute and helps translate AI developments into business decisions. He hosts The Artificial Intelligence Show with Mike Kaput: Podcast Addict's catalog includes episode 245, dated October 6, 2026. What to learn: distinguish an attention-grabbing announcement from an application worth testing with your team. Where: the podcast and institute resources. Begin with an episode about a task you already do instead of trying to follow every release.

6. Kipp Bodnar

Kipp Bodnar is HubSpot's chief marketing officer, usually shortened to CMO. He co-hosts Marketing Against the Grain with Kieran Flanagan. What to learn: how marketing leaders approach AI in campaigns, content and everyday processes. Where: the podcast and its videos. When they discuss an AI agent—a system that can carry out steps to complete a task—separate what you can test yourself from what requires permissions, data access or a review by your technical team.

7. Christopher S. Penn

Christopher S. Penn is co-founder of Trust Insights and author of Almost Timely. Its Substack page displays more than 290,000 subscribers when checked on October 16, 2026; this is a platform-published figure, not an independent audit. What to learn: work with data and prompts, the instructions you give an AI, using clear checks. Where: his newsletter. For example, do not just ask for a campaign summary: ask the system to separate data, interpretations and questions it cannot answer.

8. Allie K. Miller

Allie K. Miller leads Open Machine, and her website places her in New York. Her site claims an audience of nearly two million across networks; that is her own figure, not a total we audited. CreatorDB, whose profile does not cover all her networks, reports approximately 212,000 Instagram followers on October 2, 2026. What to learn: understand business applications of AI beyond marketing. Where: her website, Instagram and educational resources. She is useful for framing questions about productivity and adoption before choosing a tool.

9. Andy Crestodina

Andy Crestodina is co-founder and chief marketing officer of Orbit Media. The official Content Marketing World 2026 schedule lists him as a speaker for The Content Creation Process on October 7. What to learn: create business-to-business, or B2B, content that answers specific questions with evidence and clear explanations. Where: Orbit Media's blog and his talks. Our recommendation is to pay attention to how he presents data: a chart helps when it makes a claim easier to check, not simply because an AI can see it.

Growth in the age of AI: who explains how to grow now

10. Kyle Poyar

Kyle Poyar writes Growth Unhinged, whose About page reports more than 85,000 readers when checked on October 16, 2026. What to learn: growth for business-to-business subscription software—B2B SaaS—pricing and decisions supported by data. Where: Growth Unhinged. When reading benchmarks, reference figures from other businesses, check the products and customers they describe: they are not universal targets for your business. For context, read our guide to growth metrics and benchmarks.

11. Emily Kramer

Emily Kramer leads MKT1, whose website advertises a newsletter with more than 85,000 subscribers and the Dear Marketers podcast. What to learn: organize startup marketing around priorities, working methods and AI applications a small team can maintain. Where: MKT1 and the podcast. A framework is simply a structure for making decisions; for example, choosing an audience, message and channel before asking an AI for ten versions of an ad.

12. Elena Verna

Elena Verna announced in May 2025 that she was joining Lovable to lead growth; her newsletter remains an entry point to her ideas on product and growth. What to learn: product-led growth in AI companies—using the product experience itself to help attract and retain customers. Where: her newsletter and podcast appearances. Hypothetical example: improving the first useful result someone gets from a tool instead of compensating for a poor experience with more advertising.

13. Lenny Rachitsky

First Round Review's profile published in April 2026 places Lenny Rachitsky at his Marin County home in California and reports 1.2 million newsletter subscribers. That is the publication's figure, not a live count updated for October. What to learn: in-depth interviews on product, growth and AI with people who explain decisions and mistakes. Where: Lenny’s Newsletter and Lenny’s Podcast. AEO means answer engine optimization: making answers to questions easy to understand, for instance a clear explanation of who can use your product. It overlaps with GEO and does not guarantee citations.

Short video and Instagram

14. Sabrina Ramonov

Sabrina Ramonov creates AI tutorials and founded Blotato, a tool for publishing and adapting social content. CreatorDB's profile updated on October 7, 2026 lists approximately 1.14 million Instagram followers, 848,000 TikTok followers and 422,000 YouTube subscribers. What to learn: test tools and workflows for creating content without starting from scratch. Where: Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A short video can introduce a possibility; before adopting it in your business, check costs, permissions and output quality.

How to get value from this list (without losing hours on social)

1. Choose 3 people, one from each main group: GEO, AI for marketing and growth. This is an editorial suggestion to reduce noise, not a required number.
2. Prioritize their newsletters, blogs or podcasts rather than relying on each network's algorithm. Pick a format you can follow without adding another daily task.
3. Each week, write down one concrete idea to test: a prompt, a page change or an experiment. Record the starting situation, the change and the observable result.
4. Check before applying: if a number or tactic matters, find the original source, date and conditions. Ask for technical support when it involves personal data, connecting tools or automating actions.

Hypothetical example: a small team chooses a Lily Ray analysis, a Penn exercise and a Lenny interview. For one week, it tests only improving the product's frequently asked questions page. It records what changed and how many repeated queries arrive afterwards, without automatically attributing any difference to AI. This record turns a list of experts into learning of your own without requiring more hours on social.