The Hard Way to Real ROI

What does it take to build one of the world’s top-rated social media management platforms—without a single dollar of outside funding? This week on On Brand, Emeric Ernoult, founder and CEO of Agorapulse, shares how he bootstrapped the company to over $20 million in revenue, pioneered ROI-tracking tools for social, and carved out a powerful niche in a crowded market. We talk scaling smart, making social media actually measurable, and where attribution is headed next. What You'll Learn How Agorapulse bootstrapped its way to $20M+ in revenue without outside funding Why most startups chasing VC money miss what matters most for sustainable growth How attribution has evolved—and why measuring ROI on social is harder than ever The three ways marketers can actually track what’s working (and what’s not) Why the future isn’t social media—it’s “interest media” Episode Chapters (00:00) Intro (00:45) Bootstrapping Agorapulse the Hard Way (03:40) The Realities of Going Without Funding (07:20) Reinventing Through Growth and Churn (08:50) From Social Media to Interest Media (10:20) Why Attribution Is Broken (17:50) Three Ways to Track ROI That Actually Work (23:20) How Brands Can Win at Interest Media (29:00) The Brand That Made Emeric Smile About Emeric Ernoult Emeric Ernoult is the founder and CEO of Agorapulse, one of the world’s top-rated social media management platforms. Bootstrapped from the ground up, Agorapulse has grown to more than $20 million in annual revenue—without taking a single dollar of outside funding. A pioneer in ROI-tracking for social media, Emeric has built his career around helping brands not just manage their social presence, but measure its real business impact. He’s a frequent speaker and writer on marketing measurement, leadership, and scaling companies the sustainable way. What Brand Has Made Emeric Smile Recently? Emeric shared that Alex Hormozi—the entrepreneur and content creator—made him smile recently. After attending Hormozi’s workshop in Las Vegas, Emeric was struck by his unfiltered mix of humor and humility. Hormozi’s perspective—that we’re all small in the grand scheme of things, so we might as well do good and enjoy the work—resonated deeply, especially after Emeric’s trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park reminded him of life’s scale and simplicity. Resources & Links Connect with Emeric on LinkedIn. Check out the Agorapulse website. Listen & Support Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show. Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode. Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices