Episode 266: The New Andromeda Playbook: The State of Meta Ads
Release Date: 03/11/2026
Episode 287: More Meaningful Ads at Scale: Building Thumbstop with AI
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description AI can help marketers create more ads faster, but volume means nothing if the creative lacks strategy. In this episode, Smart Marketer CEO Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer Agency CEO Pep Hufen for a behind-the-scenes look at Thumbstop, the AI creative tool built to help direct-response marketers produce meaningful image and video ads without prompting every frame from scratch. Pep shares where the idea came from, what the team learned while building the first version, and how Thumbstop uses brand information, product data, customer reviews, proven ad concepts,...
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Episode 286: How to Build a Scalable UGC System: Creative Operations with Melvin Cotton III
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Finding great creators is only half the battle. The real advantage comes from building a creative system that consistently turns creator content into high-performing ads. In this episode, Smart Marketer CEO Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer's Creative Operations Manager, Melvin Cotton III, to unpack the behind-the-scenes processes that power hundreds of creative assets every week. From sourcing UGC creators and structuring contracts to organizing raw footage and creating feedback loops, Melvin shares the operational systems that allow creative teams to scale...
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Episode 285: How to Work With Meta’s AI: Paid Ads Strategies That Are Working Now
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description The Meta ads landscape has changed, and trying to control every variable may now be doing more harm than good. In this episode, Smart Marketer CEO Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer Agency Senior Paid Performance Specialist Maryanne White, who manages some of the agency’s largest Meta ad accounts. Maryanne shares what she’s seeing inside those accounts, why performance has become more volatile, and how media buyers can work with Meta’s increasingly AI-driven system instead of fighting it. You’ll hear why creative and offer quality matter more than rigid...
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Episode 284: Website Accessibility Lawsuits: What Every Ecommerce Store Owner Needs to Know
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Could your ecommerce store face a website accessibility lawsuit without you realizing there’s a problem? In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Carl and Brooke Wood of Antler Rings to discuss the web accessibility lawsuit their business is currently navigating. They share how the situation began with a settlement demand, what happened when they were formally served, and the website issues they discovered while working with legal counsel. From image-specific descriptions and accessible popups to third-party apps, compliance scans, and WCAG guidelines, this...
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Episode 283: Building a Local Brand, Marriage, and Mission with Molly Pittman & Casey Maupin
The Smart Marketer Podcast
What happens when two childhood friends reconnect, build a life together, and end up creating businesses rooted in community, purpose, food, and rescue dogs? In this heartfelt episode, Molly sits down with her husband, Casey, to talk about their reconnection story, building Morley’s Backyard in Danville, Kentucky, navigating entrepreneurship as a couple, honoring Molly’s dad, and growing Fields of Freedom Dog Rescue. “We’re not working for tomorrow. We’re working for what three years down the road looks like.” – Casey Moppin You Will Learn • How Molly and Casey...
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Episode 282: Meta Ads Performance & Profitability: What’s Really Happening in 2026
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Meta ads are still one of the most powerful growth channels for ecommerce brands, but 2026 has been anything but predictable. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer Agency CEO Pep Hufen to unpack what they’re seeing across client accounts right now, why Q1 felt strong for many brands, why Q2 has been more volatile, and what business owners should focus on when performance starts to feel inconsistent. Molly and Pep talk through platform volatility, declining conversion rates, changes in Meta’s algorithm, the rise of AI-generated creative and landing...
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Episode 281: Leading Media Buyers, Winning on TikTok Shop & the New Creative Playbook
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description TikTok Shop is creating a totally different kind of opportunity for ecommerce brands, but it is not just another paid ads platform. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer’s Manager of Advertising, Dilyana Doychinova, for a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to lead paid performance teams, support media buyers, and stay ahead as Meta, TikTok Shop, Google, and AI continue to evolve. Dilyana shares how Smart Marketer builds a culture where media buyers can ask for help without feeling like they’re failing, why strong SOPs need to teach the...
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Episode 280: AI Creative Strategy: How to Analyze Ads, Find What’s Working, and Build Smarter Creative Systems with Ben Bennett
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description Everybody can generate AI creative now. The real advantage is knowing what to make next. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with Smart Marketer’s Director of Creative, Ben Bennett, to unpack the AI-powered creative strategy workflow he’s building inside the Smart Marketer creative department. Instead of using AI only to pump out more ads, Ben explains how to use it to analyze creative, identify hidden performance patterns, build a “creative DNA” system, and turn ad data into smarter decisions. From creative metadata and hook analysis to Claude skills, Gemini...
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Episode 279: Smart Marketer’s 2026 Growth Playbook: What We’re Building, Testing & Doubling Down On
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode 279: Smart Marketer’s 2026 Growth Playbook: What We’re Building, Testing & Doubling Down On Episode Description What does growth look like when AI is changing every week, paid traffic is evolving, and your business has to keep adapting in real time? In this behind-the-scenes episode, Molly Pittman and John Grimshaw pull back the curtain on what Smart Marketer has been building, testing, and improving in 2026. From Axon/AppLovin and TikTok Shop to AEO, AI-powered creative, new software, and launching an ecommerce brand from scratch, this episode is a candid look at how Smart...
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Episode 278: Answer Engine Optimization: How Brands Can Win in the Age of AI Search with Kasim Aslam
The Smart Marketer Podcast
Episode Description AI tools are changing how people research, compare, and make buying decisions, and the brands that show up in those answers are going to have a massive advantage. In this episode, Molly Pittman sits down with entrepreneur and AEO expert Kasim Aslam to unpack what Answer Engine Optimization really is, how it differs from traditional SEO, and why founder-led content, real expertise, strong reviews, and authentic authority are becoming non-negotiable for brands that want to stay visible. You’ll also hear early results from Smart Marketer’s first AEO client cohort,...
info_outlineEpisode Description
In this episode of the Smart Marketer Podcast, we’re sharing the first lesson from our free mini class: Learn to Run Meta Ads the 2026 Way.
If you’ve been running Meta ads recently, you’ve probably felt the shift. With Meta’s new AI driven system often referred to as Andromeda, the platform has fundamentally changed how ads are delivered, optimized, and scaled.
Smart Marketer CEO Molly Pittman breaks down what is actually happening inside the platform, why many advertisers believe Meta ads are “broken,” and what it really takes to win with paid traffic in 2026.
“This is a new opportunity, and we should be grateful every single day that we have this at our fingertips, that we are able to just open a laptop and grow a business.” – Molly Pittman
You Will Learn
• Why many advertisers believe Meta ads are broken and what is really happening
• What Meta’s Andromeda system actually is and how it changes ad delivery
• The five keys to winning with Meta ads in 2026
• Why creative is now a cost multiplier for ad performance
• The difference between the old way and the new way of running Meta campaigns
• Why strong inputs like creative, copy, and offers matter more than tactics
• The numbers every advertiser must know to scale profitably
• How the role of media buyers is evolving into paid performance strategists
Links & Resources
• Free Meta Ads Mini Class – https://smartmarketer.com/meta-ads-mini-class-v3/
• Smart Paid Traffic Live – https://smartmarketer.com/spt-live/#join
• Smart Marketer – https://smartmarketer.com
• Smart Marketer Agency – https://smartmarketer.com/agency
• Omnisend – https://smartmarketer.com/omnisend (Use code SMART for 50% off your first 3 months)
Time Stamps
00:00:15 – Introduction: Inside the 2026 Meta Ads Mini Class
00:01:16 – Ezra Firestone on Omnisend and Email/SMS Growth
00:02:31 – Welcome to the Andromeda Playbook
00:06:21 – Molly’s Journey into Digital Marketing
00:11:45 – Smart Marketer’s Experience Managing Hundreds of Millions in Ad Spend
00:15:39 – The Goal of This Meta Ads Mini Class
00:24:41 – Why Many Marketers Think Meta Ads Are Broken
00:27:06 – What Meta’s Andromeda System Actually Is
00:29:17 – How Meta’s Retrieval and Ranking Systems Work
00:33:54 – How Meta Groups Ads into Clusters
00:37:08 – The Five Keys to Success with Meta Ads in 2026
00:40:30 – Why Creative Is Now a Cost Multiplier
00:44:38 – The Old Way vs the New Way of Running Meta Campaigns
00:49:59 – Mastering Your Numbers to Scale Profitably
00:56:05 – Why Marketing Fundamentals Still Win
01:03:27 – How the Role of Media Buyers Is Changing
01:05:36 – Why Meta Is Still the Most Powerful Ad Platform
01:10:36 – Why Agencies and Freelancers Are Still Essential
01:14:52 – Expanding Beyond Meta to Other Paid Traffic Platforms
01:20:38 – The Future of Digital Advertising
01:22:45 – What’s Coming Next in the Mini Class
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