Why HubSpot Lost 80% of Traffic To AI.

HubSpot's traffic dropped 80% almost overnight. Not from a Google penalty or algorithm change, but from something far more permanent: AI started answering their customers' questions directly.

I've been studying this shift for months, and what happened to HubSpot is happening everywhere. The content strategies we've relied on for years are crumbling. But here's what most people are missing. The companies that adapt fastest thrive.

The Great Educational Content Collapse

Here's the brutal truth I discovered after analyzing traffic patterns across hundreds of SaaS companies. AI overviews now appear in 60% of searches. And when they do, they cut click-through rates to traditional guides in half.

Your "Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" that took weeks to write? AI summarizes it in 10 seconds.

Your comprehensive SEO handbook? ChatGPT delivers the key points without anyone visiting your site.

I've watched entire content libraries become ghost towns. The educational content that once drove millions of visitors now generates a trickle. The playbook many of creating comprehensive, keyword-optimized guides, has been disrupted by AI answer engines.

HubSpot's $100M Pivot

But here's where it gets interesting. While most companies panicked, HubSpot made a radical bet. They rebuilt their entire content strategy around something AI can't replicate: human personality.

I studied their transformation, and the numbers tell an incredible story. Educational content now represents just 28% of their content demand.

The other 72%?

Creator-led channels, human-first media, and personality-driven content.

• They acquired The Hustle for $27 million.

• They launched HubSpot Academy with face-to-camera instructors.

• They built YouTube shows hosted by real people with real perspectives.

• They invested heavily in podcasts where hosts bring their own experiences to the conversation.

The result?

Despite that 80% traffic drop from traditional content, they now generate 35-40 million monthly engagements across their media network.

Why Human-First Content Survives AI

I've identified the pattern that separates winning content from the rest. What I discovered is that AI can summarize information, but it can't replicate perspective.

When you create educational content now, try to focus on three elements that LLMs cite but can't duplicate:

Personal stories and experiences. AI can tell you the theory behind customer retention. I can tell you about the specific conversation that taught me why our email click thru rate doubled in Q3.

Contrarian perspectives. AI tends to aggregate common wisdom and humans are able to challenge it. Some of the best-performing content takes widely accepted advice and explains why it's wrong using specific examples.

Behind-the-scenes insights. AI usually knows the textbook answer, you know what actually happens when you try to implement that advice at 2 AM with a demanding client breathing down your neck.

The content that survives is educational and experiential. It tends to inform and transform through the lens of human experience.

The 28% Rule

HubSpot discovered shifted to educational content being the foundation, instead of the entire house.

Their new model allocates content efforts like this:

• 28% educational/informational content (still necessary for SEO and credibility)

• 35% creator-led content (YouTube, podcasts, hosted shows)

• 37% community and user-generated content (case studies, customer stories, social engagement)

This shift didn't happen overnight. They tested which educational content still drove value and which had been commoditized by AI. Then they doubled down on the former while replacing the latter with human-first alternatives.

The 35-40 million monthly engagements they generate now come primarily from content that features real people, real personalities, and real perspectives.

Content that AI can reference but not replace.

Your Action Plan

If you're still building your content strategy around ultimate guides and comprehensive resources here's what I recommend instead.

Audit your existing content. Identify which educational pieces are being cannibalized by AI overviews. These are your candidates for replacement or transformation.

Invest in personality-driven content. Whether it's video, podcasts, or written content with strong personal perspective, prioritize formats where human experience shines through.

Build your media network. Don't just create content, create channels like email. Think like a media company, not just a SaaS company or product company.

The companies that survive the AI shift won't be those with the best SEO strategy. They'll be the ones that build media networks around human expertise and personality.

Daily Dose

Did you know that on this day, December 9, 1960, the first Domino’s Pizza was purchased in Ypsilanti, Michigan? Originally called DomiNick’s, after the previous owner, the idea for their modern name would come from a delivery driver.

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