Episode 256: The Top 3 Lessons from 2025 (with Pep, John, and Molly)
Release Date: 12/30/2025
Episode 276: How to Get Your Brand Recommended by AI: AEO with Julian Lopez
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description AI is changing how customers discover, research, and choose brands. If your business isn’t showing up in AI-generated answers, you may be missing the next major wave of organic visibility. In this live session from Mentor Table Nashville, Julian Lopez from the Smart Marketer team breaks down AEO, Answer Engine Optimization, and what brands need to do now to become the recommended choice inside AI tools, AI overviews, and answer engines. From schema markup and indexability to brand authority and bottom-of-funnel search intent, Julian shares the early signals Smart...
info_outline
Episode 275: The Paid Ads Machine: Creative Systems That Scale in the Age of AI
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 275: The Paid Ads Machine: Creative Systems That Scale in the Age of AI Episode Description What if your ad creative system could think more like Meta’s algorithm? In this live session from Mentor Table Nashville, Smart Marketer’s Director of Creative Ben Bennett and Creative Operations Manager Melvin Cotton III break down the exact system they use to plan, produce, analyze, and scale paid social creative in the age of AI and Andromeda. From diagnosing what’s actually working inside your ad account to building scalable creator systems and using AI to uncover hidden performance...
info_outline
Episode 274: How to Use AI to Write Better Meta Ad Copy Without Losing the Human Touch
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 274: How to Use AI to Write Better Meta Ad Copy Without Losing the Human Touch Episode Description AI can help you write faster, but that does not mean it should be writing your ads for you. In this podcast episode taken from our Smart Paid Traffic Live training, Senior Paid Performance Specialist Dominique Nobel breaks down her step-by-step process for using AI to create stronger Meta ad copy. You will learn how to build a brand intelligence document, generate better hooks, write stronger body copy, improve headlines and descriptions, and use AI as a volume tool while keeping...
info_outline
Episode 273: Scaling to $300M+: Paid Media, Attribution & Building Teams That Win
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 273: Scaling to $300M+: Paid Media, Attribution & Building Teams That Win Episode Description What does it really take to scale to $300M+ in revenue and spend $300K per day on ads? In this live Mentor Table session from Nashville, Molly Pittman sits down with entrepreneur Rob Schmidt to break down what actually changes as you grow, from attribution and paid media to leadership and team building. “You have to be really comfortable relying on your other leaders… You need to find good people to surround yourself with that you can trust because you can't do it all yourself....
info_outline
Episode 272: The Business Growth Levers That Actually Matter (Ezra Firestone and John Grimshaw)
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Ep. 272: The Business Growth Levers That Actually Matter (Mentor Table with Ezra Firestone and John Grimshaw) Episode Description Most entrepreneurs are stuck optimizing the wrong things. In this Mentor Table conversation, Ezra Firestone and John Grimshaw break down the real levers that drive business growth from customer acquisition and profitability to product strategy and operational focus. If you have been buried in the weeds, this episode will help you zoom out, simplify, and focus on what actually moves the needle. “Don’t quit before the miracle, man, just keep going. I am telling...
info_outline
Episode 271: Meta Ads Q&A: Targeting Evolution, Retargeting & What Actually Matters Now
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 271: Meta Ads Q&A: Targeting Evolution, Retargeting & What Actually Matters Now Episode Description Are you overthinking your campaign structure while missing what actually drives results? In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman and Smart Marketer’s Director of Advertising, Denis Paskalev, continue the Meta Ads Q&A series, diving into retargeting, targeting strategy, and how the algorithm is really working in 2026. From whether you still need separate retargeting campaigns to how creative is now doing the heavy lifting, this conversation breaks down...
info_outline
Episode 270: Organic Social vs Paid Ads What’s Actually Working Right Now (And Why Most Brands Get It Wrong)
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 270: Organic Social vs Paid Ads What’s Actually Working Right Now (And Why Most Brands Get It Wrong) Most brands are doing organic social completely wrong and it’s costing them growth. In this episode, Zach Dampier breaks down what’s actually working with organic social right now… and how to use it alongside paid ads without burning out or chasing the wrong metrics. If your organic content feels like an afterthought or just a weaker version of your ads, this episode will completely reframe your strategy. “Organic and paid are not competing for your resources. They're doing...
info_outline
Episode 269: Meta Ads Q&A: Creative, Budgets, and What’s Actually Working Right Now
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 269: Meta Ads Q&A: Creative, Budgets, and What’s Actually Working Right Now Episode Description In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman, CEO of Smart Marketer, and Denis Paskalev, Director of Advertising, answer real questions from marketers navigating the shift in Meta ads, starting with one of the biggest concerns right now: can small businesses still win? They break down the reality behind creative demands, including whether you really need dozens of new ads every week, and what actually drives performance when budgets are limited. “The information that...
info_outline
Episode 268: Axon Ads - How to Diversify Beyond Meta and Find New Customers
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 268: Axon Ads - How to Diversify Beyond Meta and Find New Customers Episode Description In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman is joined by Smart Marketer agency CEO Pep Hufen to break down Axon (also known as AppLovin), a fast-growing ad platform that is giving marketers a new way to diversify beyond Meta. They walk through how the platform works, what makes it different from traditional social media advertising, and why it is becoming a powerful channel for acquiring net-new customers. From creative requirements and campaign setup to attribution differences and...
info_outline
Episode 267: Meta Ads Q&A - What’s Actually Working in 2026
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, Molly Pittman is joined by Smart Marketer’s Director of Advertising, Denis Paskalev, for a live Meta Ads Q&A where they answer real questions from marketers about what is actually working with Meta ads in 2026. From campaign structure and creative testing to scaling strategies and performance metrics, this conversation breaks down the modern approach to Meta ads in a world where targeting is driven more by creative, messaging, and landing pages than traditional audience targeting. If you are running ads for ecommerce,...
info_outlineEpisode 256: The Top 3 Lessons from 2025 (with Pep, John, and Molly)
“These aren’t random clips. Each one was part of a conversation that deeply resonated with you, our audience, and together they tell a story about how to build smarter, more resilient businesses in a changing landscape.”
– Anthony, Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the shifts that defined the year; the strategies that moved the needle across offers, customer acquisition, and paid traffic.
In this special recap episode, you’ll hear back-to-back clips from Molly Pittman, John Grimshaw, and Pep Hufen, each sharing insights that stood up to real-world challenges. If you're planning your next campaign or refining your offer stack, this episode will help you head into 2026 with clarity and momentum.
You Will Learn
• Why Self-Liquidating Offers (SLOs) are essential for scalability in 2026
• How low-cost digital products drive higher AOV and customer value
• The Red Drop case study using education to drive conversions
• What Meta’s Andromeda update really changed and how to optimize for it
• Why creative portfolios outperform individual ad tests
• How to structure your campaigns for better results across the funnel
Links and Resources
• Smart Marketer: smartmarketer.com
• Instagram: @smartmarketerig
• Omnisend for SMS and Email: smartmarketer.com/omnisend
Use code SMART for 50 percent off your first 3 months
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:40 Ezra on Why We Love Omnisend
02:43 Molly on Self-Liquidating Offers
06:45 Increasing LTV with Strategic Offers
08:56 John Grimshaw on Digital Bumps That Drive Revenue
10:44 Red Drop Case Study
14:04 Smart Marketer’s $47 Front-End Offer
16:11 Pep Hufen Breaks Down Meta’s Andromeda Update
17:57 Creative Portfolios vs One Winning Ad
20:38 Cleanie Case Study
22:25 What to Watch Out For with Andromeda
23:17 What to Focus on Going Into 2026
24:50 Final Thoughts and Outro
Your Engagement Matters
Thanks for listening to the Smart Marketer Podcast. If this episode sparked ideas for your brand or helped you think differently about scaling in 2026, here’s how to support the show
Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
Share this episode on social media and tag us using #WeOutHere
Send feedback or questions to support@smartmarketer.com
Serve the World Unselfishly and Profit