Business
Head of Digital Marketing at Proton, Mike Stachurski, breaks down how the privacy-first tech company grows without tracking, retargeting, or selling user data. In this episode with our host Austin Willman, Mike shares how Proton balances organic community growth (Reddit, YouTube, word of mouth) with paid as a multiplier rather than a primary channel.
Mike explains how Proton approaches LLM visibility and AI citations, why affiliate partners and owned content outperform paid tactics in AI search results, and why ROAS and LTV matter more than short-term spikes. He also discusses his move from TikTok to Proton, the ethics of data collection, and what skills marketing leaders need in the AI era.
Topics covered: privacy-first marketing, organic growth strategy, LLM visibility and AI citations, affiliate marketing vs link building, customer trust and LTV, and the future of ethical marketing leadership.
Get Your Exclusive AIO Growth Plan - We’ll kick off with a Live AIO Audit to see how shoppers find you, followed by Competitor Research to steal their spotlight: https://lunacal.ai/team/dws/dws-meetings
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 01:38: Introduction
01:38 - 03:18: Mike's Role at Proton & Product Overview
03:18 - 05:10: The Privacy vs. Personalization Trade-Off
05:10 - 07:25: Why Your Data Matters (The Bedroom Camera Analogy)
07:25 - 09:53: Organic Growth as Proton's Foundation
09:53 - 11:37: Common Mistakes Brands Make with Paid Spend
11:37 - 13:04: How Proton Educates Its Audience
13:04 - 15:04: From TikTok to Proton: Mike's Turning Point
15:04 - 16:57: Advice to His Younger Marketer Self
16:57 - 19:11: Cracking LLM Visibility & AI Citations
19:11 - 20:34: Affiliates vs. Link Building Explained
20:34 - 23:00: Riding Trends Without Betting the Farm
23:00 - 25:17: Owned vs. Earned Content in the AI Era
25:17 - 26:51: The Metrics That Matter: ROAS & LTV
26:51 - 28:20: How to Actually Measure Trust
28:20 - 29:24: Why Proton Will Never Retarget
29:24 - 31:17: Skills Marketing Leaders Need for the Future
31:17 - 34:36: Where to Find Mike & Closing Thoughts
Connect with Mike Stachurski
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikestachurski/
https://proton.me
FOLLOW US
Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./