• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, February 12, 2025

AI is here to stay.  It was in play during the Super Bowl with multiple executions in the content, as well as some ads dedicated to the technology itself with Google’s Gemini and OpenAI.

And as AI has come to dominate the conversation, there’s a playbook emerging for how you market it.

The simple fact is, to market AI, first you have to give it away. Let users sample it.

Marketing AI is all about the experience and the creation of buzz surrounding the experience.  OpenAI set the stage with ChatGPT two years back, and every AI company has followed suit, from Midjourney to Sora, from Gamma and its AI-generated slide decks to tools like Writesonic and Facebook MusicGen (exactly what it sounds like).

An AI tool is only as good as the first experience users have with it, and the subsequent virality that stems from word-of-mouth and people telling each other about the tools.

When I speak on panels or at events, inevitably the part of the conversation that gets the most attention is when we talk about how we’ve been using AI. That initial buzz can drive a LOT of attention, and it all comes directly from the fact that you are giving the tool away for free to get people to talk about you.

Freemium Like SaaS

This playbook is not new.  It comes from the standard SaaS playbook where you have a freemium offering.  One version is free, with limited capabilities and restrictions like time or volume usage.  The other version is a premium paid version where you get everything you need with fewer, or no, parameters.

Most premium paid versions have different tiers based on usage, allowing you to pay for more power, etc.

AI creators have adopted the SaaS playbook.  At first pass it seems the standard conversions from free to paid are similar, with maybe 10% of users paying for a premium version in the early months, and expanding over time as they become more engaged with the tools.  This can create a very scalable business model that improves over time.

Inspiration

Part of the AI marketing playbook is also to highlight what other users are doing with the tools.  A “featured” or “built with” section of your marketing website is important because it provides inspiration to the users, and users always need inspiration.  They need a place from which to start thinking.  It provides a jumping-off point for them to go do something new and unique.  Revolution begins with evolution, and people need to see what other people have done in order to get started on their own.

Seeding

In order to get that virality, you have to distribute the tool where you potential users are, and encourage them to give it a try.  Seeding to groups on Reddit and other communities becomes crucial.  Seeding has to be authentic rather than sleazy and manipulative.  You have to be clear that you work with the company and that the tool is free, and show what others are doing.  If you don’t follow these guidelines, you risk squashing your chance at driving engagement before you even get started.

The way AI marketers drive you to try out their products is becoming standardized, even if the ways we use their tools has not yet become so.