TLDR MARKETING 2026-10-22

influences them to TAKE ACTION. LOB'S NEW NO-CODE DESIGN SUITE

makes it easy. Now you can: > PERSONALIZE THE DETAILS: Design in Lob, Figma, or InDesign, and make any element dynamic with a click. > CREATE YOUR VARIATIONS: Duplicate your template, then use Lob's intuitive Visual Editor to swap out text, images, or CTAs you want to test. > SAVE YOUR WINNERS: Store top-performing images and fonts in our new Design Library to reuse in future campaigns.

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CREATORS NOW RIVAL SEARCH FOR GEN Z PRODUCT DISCOVERY

33% of Gen Z now discover products through creator posts, 4 points behind online search, and 67% bought something in the past year because an influencer endorsed it. Small creators convert as often as famous ones, since buyers weigh honesty and actual product use well above popularity. Trust in influencers among Gen Z and millennials has risen 13 points since 2019 as trust in friends and family fell, cutting the gap between them from 33 points to 15.

SHOPPING HABITS BY GENERATION: WHAT BRANDS NEED TO KNOW

Shopping habits vary by generation, shaping where consumers discover products and how they buy. 66% of shoppers purchased products discovered on social media, rising to 79% for Gen Z and 76% for Millennials. Younger shoppers respond to creator content and AI recommendations, while Boomers favor trusted retailers and in-store shopping.

8 TIPS TO IMPROVE SEO & AEO

Improve SEO and AEO by targeting high-intent customer questions and tracking Google rankings, leads, and AI mentions. Fix technical issues and refresh pages with low click-through rates. Publish weekly content with original examples and verified information. Link articles to relevant product or service pages. Build credibility through customer reviews, consistent business listings, and industry mentions. Review performance monthly and prioritize content that drives qualified leads and sales.

WE BOUGHT A BRAND NEW DOMAIN. 4 MONTHS LATER IT HAD $22K IN REVENUE

A new domain reached 134 domain authority in under 4 months by joining a network of established businesses that regularly linked to each other through relevant blog posts. Rather than buying cheap backlinks or publishing content alone, the team secured links from 51 trusted websites and created posts targeting buyer questions and competitor pages cited by AI. The site began winning 20 keywords weekly across Google and AI search and generated $22,478 from 14 paying customers.

HANDS ON: DIY GUIDE TO ANIMATED LINKEDIN INFOGRAPHICS

Tim Scheuer's process for creating animated B2B LinkedIn infographics starts with writing an original insight, designing a static graphic, then animating it in Claude Code using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. He builds a reusable project repository containing brand guidelines, fonts, icons, coded components, audience profiles, and past posts to keep the output consistent with his voice. Claude generates and reviews the animation through multiple rounds before Scheuer approves the final version. He batches five posts on Sundays, repurposes ideas across LinkedIn, X, and his newsletter, then uses engagement data to identify qualified prospects and start conversations.

HOW TO PRINT PIPELINE WITH B2B ADS (LIVE SERIES)

Addie's “How to Print Pipeline With B2B Ads” is a 7-session live series covering B2B advertising. Experts share tactics and offer live teardowns of attendee ads and landing pages. The next session is Thursday, October 22, when Dylan Hey will cover creating scroll-stopping B2B ads through stronger concepts and testing.

GEO IS A DISTRACTION

Optimizing for ChatGPT citations and other LLM mentions is a distraction because AI tools generated just 0.73% of Google Organic's traffic across 100 websites, while Google Organic accounted for 96.5% of tracked conversions. Focus on conversions and user satisfaction across Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, rather than chasing AI visibility metrics. Longer term, there are opportunities in agentic commerce through Google Merchant Center and Universal Cart, the Universal Commerce Protocol for agent-led purchases, WebMCP tools that let AI agents use website functions, and smart eyewear that enables new shopping and service interactions. You can begin preparing by improving product data and experimenting with agent accessible tools as these technologies develop.

YOUR NEWSLETTER HAS TWO READERS NOW

Your newsletter now has two readers: the human subscriber and the AI that may summarize, prioritize, or retrieve your email on the subscriber's behalf. AI summaries in Apple Mail, Outlook, and Yahoo can replace your preview text or condense your content, potentially changing what readers notice and whether they click. A Twilio and Inbox Monster test found that subject lines and live text near the top of an email helped shape Apple's summaries, while images and alt text provided less useful information. Test how your newsletter appears in these inboxes, make your main stories and sponsor messages clear in live text, and measure engagement through multiple signals rather than relying on open rates alone.

COMMISSION ISN'T ENOUGH: 57 CREATORS SAY THEY WANT MORE FROM AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

Affiliate programs are more effective when brands treat creators as long-term partners rather than relying on commissions alone. Although 68% of surveyed creators still accept affiliate commissions, many say the rates don't justify the work without additional payment, product gifting, and brand support. 72% of creators said brands don't provide new products often enough, and most prefer monthly gifting. Creators also want more hands-on management, including regular communication, performance reviews, and promotional resources. Tiered commissions, bonuses, and ongoing relationship management can help brands keep affiliates active and build sustained revenue.

CHATGPT HAS PLENTY OF ADVERTISERS, BUT NOT MUCH REVENUE

Cheap clicks and self-serve buying have drawn experiments rather than sustained budgets.

AI MENTIONS DON'T EQUAL RECOMMENDATIONS

AI visibility metrics can be misleading when ChatGPT mentions a brand but recommends competitors, making actual recommendations more valuable than mentions alone.

DISNEY AND NETFLIX ARE COURTING CREATORS. YOUTUBE IS PLAYING HARDBALL TO KEEP THEM

Netflix, Disney, and Tubi are investing in creator and podcast programming, while YouTube has responded with more brand-deal resources.