James Colistra | The Hidden Playbook Behind Forbes' Growth | The SEO Lab

In this episode of The SEO Lab, we sit down with James Colistra, founder of Wonderfish and former Executive Director of Integrated Marketing at Forbes, where he spent a decade helping some of the world's biggest brands and founders tell their stories. With over 20 years across marketing and media - from The Economist to Forbes, where he helped build editorial franchises including Forbes Under 30 and 50 Over 50, James brings a rare inside view of how visibility actually gets manufactured. Today he runs Wonderfish, a visibility platform that helps founders get their stories in front of the right audiences across podcasts, press, and search. We explore brand storytelling, earned media, podcast guesting, personal brand building, and why being findable now matters as much as being good - especially as AI search becomes the layer between your brand and your buyers. We discuss: James' path from The Economist to Forbes to founding Wonderfish What a decade inside Forbes taught him about building authority How Forbes' biggest franchises were actually built Why visibility beats perfection and why volume compounds Turning your own story into a competitive advantage How founders can earn media coverage without a big brand behind them Podcast guesting as an underrated growth channel Why your lived experience is the one thing AI can't replicate Building trust and perception at scale How SaaS founders should think about visibility in the AI search era Whether you're a SaaS founder, marketer, entrepreneur, PR professional, or SEO specialist, this episode is packed with actionable insights on brand visibility, storytelling, earned media, and building authority that compounds. 👍 Like this video if you found it helpful 💬 Comment your biggest SEO, PR, or brand visibility question below 🔔 Subscribe for more SEO and business growth content Connect with Butrint: 🌐 Website: thenovalab.com 💼 LinkedIn: /butrint-xhemajli 📸 Instagram: /butrint_xhemajli ▶️ Main YouTube Channel: /@butrint_xhemajli 📩 Business inquiries: seo@thenovalab.com #SEO #BrandVisibility #PersonalBranding #Storytelling #EarnedMedia #PR #DigitalMarketing #Forbes #PodcastGuesting #AISearch #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #TheSEOLab #SEOPodcast