Podcasts about Rufus

Amazon may be testing a major review change, with some shoppers seeing only 10 reviews unless they apply for more. Amazon clarifies its multiple account policy. Plus, it's Episode 500 of the AM/PM Podcast! We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's VP of Education and Strategy, Bradley Sutton. Every week, we cover the latest breaking news in the Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart, and E-commerce space, talk about Helium 10's newest features, and provide a training tip for the week for serious sellers of any level. In this episode, we're switching things up with a fresh new look, and it's the perfect time because this is Episode 500 of the AM/PM Podcast! Join us for a quick trip down memory lane as we celebrate nearly 10 years of the AM/PM Podcast and keep Manny Coats' classic “How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think.” spirit alive. Amazon reviews might be acting weird again, and it could be more than just the usual “dog page” error some shoppers have seen for months. In this week's first story, Bradley shares a new test showing up on certain customer accounts where you can only view 10 reviews and then have to “apply” to see more, with Amazon promising an email response within five business days. If this expands, it could push more shoppers toward Rufus-style review summaries rather than reading reviews directly, and it could significantly impact how sellers and tools analyze review data. Especially after Amazon's crackdown that removed Helium 10's Review Insights. The good news: the Helium 10 team is working on a new, fully “Amazon-compliant” version that still provides high-quality review insights, and Bradley asks viewers to share in the comments if they're seeing the same review limits and whether they think it could roll out more widely. Amazon Seller Central: Account health tips for multiple selling accounts https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHVVFVQ1RDRThCSlJXUUhK Helium 10 New Feature Alert! Check out the new upgraded Cerebro with new Sponsored Rank filters, so you can instantly spot keywords where multiple competitors are bidding top of search. It's a fast way to see which terms rivals are fighting for most, and what should be on your ad radar next. Amazon Seller Central: Upload Images now provides faster uploads and more flexibility https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHTE5HMzJYWTlMRExVUUha Seamlessly reach relevant audiences with enhanced targeting capabilities from Amazon Ads https://advertising.amazon.com/en-us/resources/whats-new/amazon-ads-introduced-enhanced-targeting-capabilities/ Next week brings a free AI monthly workshop with expert Andrew Bell showcasing Helium 10's revamped Listing Builder, now an all-in-one “8-in-1” workflow that combines keyword research with AI optimization, including Rufus question targeting. Register here: http://h10.me/aim3226 If you're in New York City, you can also catch Bradley in person at the ASGTG conference in Brooklyn on Thursday, March 5. It's the 12th ASGTG event and his first time attending in eight years, so it's a rare chance to meet up, network with sellers, and hear from a lineup of strong speakers. And yes, it's famous for the food, apparently “Michelin-starred for an Amazon conference” levels, so come for the content and connections, and stay for the bites. Register here: http://h10.me/asgtg Thanks for tuning in! Check back next week for more buzzing updates and strategies to help you stay ahead in e-commerce. In episode 500 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Bradley talks about: 00:00 - Introduction 00:44 - Episode 500 of the AM/PM Podcast! 03:07 - Is Amazon Hiding Reviews From All Amazon Customers? 07:35 - Amazon Multiple Account Policy Clarification 10:45 - How To See What Keywords Competitors Are Advertising Top Of Search 13:06 - Amazon Seller Central Image Upload Update 14:27 - Faster Way to Search Amazon Brand Analytics 18:19 - Amazon Ads Display and Video AI Targeting 20:10 - Upcoming Webinar and New York Event Enjoy this episode? Want to be able to ask questions to Leo Sgovio live in a small group with other 7 and 8-figure Amazon sellers?  Join the Helium 10 Elite Mastermind and get quarterly workshops, monthly training, and networking calls with Leo at h10.me/elite Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to our podcast!  

Moritz Banknachbarin hat einen Einhorn-Spitzer bekommen. Seitdem spitzt sie ununterbrochen. Niemals wird sie Moritz spitzen lassen. Aber genau das ist seine heutige Superhelden-Aufgabe. Wird er es schaffen? (Eine Geschichte von Silke Wolfrum, erzählt von Rufus Beck)

Send me a text and please visit www.livefrommydrumroom.com TrackTalk with legendary hit-maker John "JR" Robinson. In this excerpt of E103 of Live From My Drum Room™ JR discusses his drum parts for Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" Rufus and Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" and David Lee Roth's "California Girls" along with the original tracks! So come along for the ride and please subscribe! Check out the full episode with JR: https://youtu.be/s7hEs-c9OpI?si=SZ5HOASQFx_Vchs3Visit JR's website https://www.johnjrrobinson.com Order a signed copy of JR's book "King Of The Groove" https://www.johnjrrobinson.com/kingofthegrooveLive From My Drum Room With John DeChristopher! is a series of conversations with legendary drummers and Music Industry icons, hosted by drummer and music industry veteran, John DeChristopher, drawing from his five decades in the Music Industry. Created in 2020, and ranked BEST Drum Podcast, "Live From My Drum Room With John DeChristopher!" gives the audience an insider's view that only John can offer. And no drummers are harmed on any shows! Please subscribe!https://livefrommydrumroom.comwww.youtube.com/c/JohnDeChristopherLiveFromMyDrumRoom

Papa soll in der Schule, beim Lernentwicklungsgespräch mit Frau Heinz, ein Haar von ihr erobern. Aber wie soll das gehen? Er kann Moritz Lehrerin doch nicht einfach ein Haar ausreißen! Oder doch? (Eine Geschichte von Silke Wolfrum, erzählt von Rufus Beck)

Moritz soll beim Völkerball den Ball fangen. Dabei hasst er Völkerball! Noch dazu soll er vom Ball einen Abdruck machen, als Beweismittel. Ob er auch diese Superhelden-Mutprobe meistert? (Eine Geschichte von Silke Wolfrum, erzählt von Rufus Beck)

Amazon sellers are entering a new era of product discovery, and AI visibility is becoming part of the playbook. In this episode, Scott sits down with Yona, founder of Amazon Growth Lab, to break down how brands can improve visibility across both Amazon's ecosystem (Rufus, Cosmo, organic search) and external LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Yona explains why traditional keyword stuffing is fading, how Amazon is evolving toward context and use-case relevance, and why listing content now needs stronger sentiment alignment across titles, bullets, A+ content, and images. They also dig into the difference between Amazon visibility and LLM visibility. Since LLMs often do not scrape Amazon product pages directly, Yona shares why off-Amazon signals like press, community mentions, and helpful content can influence whether products get recommended in AI answers. The conversation also covers a practical conversion playbook for 2026, including CTR optimization, image testing, PickFu workflows, conversion benchmarking, reviews, and iterative A/B testing for infographics and A+ content. If you want a clear breakdown of what's changing in Amazon search, AI discovery, and conversion strategy, this episode is packed with actionable ideas. Episode Notes: 00:09 - Intro to the 2026 AI visibility conversation and guest intro (Yona, Amazon Growth Lab) 02:32 - The core question: how brands show up in LLMs for high-intent prompts 03:19 - Why LLM visibility is easier for DTC/Shopify than Amazon 04:30 - Robots.txt explained in simple terms and why it matters for AI indexing 04:50 - Why Amazon blocks LLM scraping and the threat of agentic commerce 06:48 - How Amazon products still get recommended via off-Amazon sources 08:32 - Why old Amazon SEO tactics are fading (keyword stuffing vs relevance) 11:56 - Images, A+ content, and infographics as SEO/AI signals 12:31 - Underused Seller Central tools: Search Query Performance and Product Opportunity Explorer 14:14 - Using customer sentiment language in content to improve Rufus indexing 15:32 - Why CTR and conversion rate are still the strongest Amazon visibility levers 18:03 - Amazon platform visibility vs LLM visibility: different strategies 18:49 - Off-Amazon visibility drivers: press releases, Reddit, Quora, and brand mentions 24:27 - Amazon's long-term concern: customer control and ad dollars shifting to AI 26:30 - Why blogs still matter, and how visuals/structured content help brands stand out 29:24 - AI visibility tracking tools (Profound, Surfer, Scrunch AI) and why using multiple tools helps 31:45 - 2026 conversion strategy: building a funnel for CTR and conversion improvement 32:09 - PickFu testing workflow for improving main images and click-through rate 36:28 - Conversion levers: pricing, reviews, creator content, infographics, A+ content, and split tests 41:03 - Enterprise scaling: automating creative production and localization across thousands of listings 43:43 - Yona's closing advice and where to connect with Amazon Growth Lab Related Post AI Visibility for Amazon Products: Are ChatGPT and Rufus Recommending You? Guest Link Amazon Growth Lab: AmazonGrow.com Scott's Links LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scott-needham-a8b39813 X: @itsScottNeedham Instagram: @smartestseller YouTube: www.youtube.com/@smartestamazonseller2371 Newsletter: https://www.smartscout.com/newsletter-sign-up Blog: https://www.smartscout.com/blog  

In this episode of ADSN, James and Daniel follow the money. We break down the new monetization plays and where dollars are starting to flow. Including how Gemini and Amazon's Rufus are already printing billions, Snap embracing even more creator monetization, and what Web 4.0 means for revenue and payments, and much more.Bryan Kim, partner at Andreessen Horowitz, joins the show to talk about why adtech is having a moment again, how AI is ushering in a new era of engagement and distribution, and where the future is heading.STAY CONNECTEDJAMES Twitter –⁠ /jamesborow⁠ LinkedIn —⁠ /jamesborow⁠DANIEL Instagram —⁠ /danieldruger⁠ TikTok —⁠ /danieldruger⁠ LinkedIn —⁠ /danieldruger⁠

En este episodio del Serious Sellers Podcast en Español, Adriana Rangel conversa con Gabriel Cáceres desde Guatemala sobre lo que viene para Amazon en 2026. Analizan los cambios más relevantes en publicidad dentro de la plataforma, especialmente el uso estratégico de Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) y cómo separar lo “interesante” de lo verdaderamente “accionable” puede marcar la diferencia en la rentabilidad de una marca. Gabriel comparte insights clave sobre reportes como Path to Conversion y Campaign Overlap, explicando cómo múltiples interacciones publicitarias (Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands y Sponsored Display) pueden mejorar significativamente la tasa de conversión. Además, profundiza en estrategias avanzadas de audiencias como “Multiple Detail Page Views” para hacer retargeting más inteligente dentro de Amazon. Finalmente, exploran tres grandes predicciones para 2026: la evolución hacia búsquedas más semánticas impulsadas por IA y Rufus, la reducción de la barrera de entrada para creativos gracias a herramientas de inteligencia artificial, y la posible democratización de Amazon DSP. Un episodio imprescindible para vendedores que quieren adelantarse al futuro del ecosistema publicitario en Amazon. En el episodio #194 de Serious Sellers Podcast en Español, platicamos de: 00:00 - Introducción y bienvenida 02:43 - De lo interesante a lo accionable en Amazon 03:15 - Amazon Marketing Cloud y Path to Conversion 06:59 - Campaign Overlap y estrategia multicanal 10:19 - Audiencias avanzadas y retargeting en AMC 12:43 - Predicción: búsqueda semántica e IA (Rufus) 17:21 - IA y el futuro de los creativos 20:14 - Predicción fuerte: Democratización de Amazon DSP 26:24 - Certificaciones DSP y preparación estratégica 28:29 - Dónde encontrar a Gabriel

Moritz Papa stellt heute seinen Beruf in Moritz Klasse vor: Er ist Zahntechniker. Doch ob es ihm auch gelingt, einen Zahnabdruck von Lotti zu erobern? Das ist nämlich die Aufgabe, die er lösen muss, um immer mehr ein Superheld zu werden. (Eine Geschichte von Silke Wolfrum, erzählt von Rufus Beck)

In dieser AOM-Shorts-Folge sprechen Florian Vette und Ole Schleth über eine mögliche Machtverschiebung im niederländischen E-Commerce. Amazon investiert 1,4 Milliarden Euro und überholt erstmals bol.com bei den Markensuchen auf Google in der Niederlande. Beginn einer echten Marktverschiebung? Und warum entsteht gerade jetzt ein strategisches Zeitfenster für Marken? Dann ein regulatorisches Update: Amazon führt eine neue Agent Policy für KI- und Automatisierungssysteme ein. - Was bedeutet das für Repricing-Tools und komplexe Tech-Stacks? - Wie stark greift Amazon künftig in Automatisierungen ein? Außerdem: Amazon überholt Walmart als umsatzstärkstes Unternehmen der Welt aber was sagt diese Zahl wirklich aus? Und der Blick nach vorn: - Warum Internationalisierung 2026 kein „Nice-to-have“ mehr ist - Frequently Returned Badge als Conversion-Killer 2.0 - Neue Custom Analytics in der Vendor Central - Rufus Sponsored Prompts: Noch kostenlos, aber wie lange?

Send a textAre you an Amazon seller feeling like you're just spinning your wheels? This video introduces the 4 Pillars of Amazon Growth Masterclass for Amazon sellers, designed to help you scale your business beyond basic optimization tactics. We'll explore effective strategies for how to sell on amazon, including advanced amazon seo techniques and amazon fba insights, ensuring your amazon listing stands out. Learn how to achieve real sales growth and move past common PPC pitfalls.Learn how AB testing improves click-through rate, conversion rate, and overall Amazon sales performance. This video breaks down how to test main images, A+ content, pricing strategy, and product detail pages using real Amazon data. Understand how SEO, PPC, catalog merchandising, and design work together to increase ranking and drive consistent growth.Amazon Dynamic Pricing Strategy: https://myamazonguy.com/amazon-product-launch/amazon-dynamic-pricing-strategy/Amazon FBA Product Launch Pricing Strategy: myamazonguy.com/price--------------------------------------------------------------------------Want free resources? Dowload our Free Amazon guides here:Amazon Proft Margin Defense 2026: https://hubs.ly/Q042trRH0Amazon PPC Guide 2026 is here!: https://bit.ly/4lF0OYXAmazon SEO Toolkit 2026: https://bit.ly/4oC2ClTAmazon Seller Strategy Report 2026: https://bit.ly/3YN1RME2026 Ecommerce Website & SEO Readiness Checklist: https://hubs.ly/Q040Jg0M0Amazon Crisis Kit: https://bit.ly/4maWHn0Timestamps:00:00 – Why Sellers Feel Stuck on Amazon01:02 – The Four Pillars of Amazon Growth04:00 – Why Click-Through Rate Drives 18% of Sales05:43 – Dynamic Pricing Strategy Explained09:05 – Coupons vs Promotions vs Deals15:55 – Lightning Deals and Seasonal Strategy22:42 – Design Mistakes That Kill Conversion23:01 – Main Image CTR Tactics26:51 – Infographics That Prevent Bad Reviews32:35 – A+ Content That Increases Conversion35:19 – How SEO, PPC, Design, and Pricing Work Together38:18 – Rufus and AI Impact on Amazon Search46:31 – Using Amazon AB Testing for Conversion Data54:27 – Common Seller Mistakes with Growth Strategy56:36 – Next Design Changes After Main Image58:39 – Fundamentals Every Amazon Seller Must Learn________________________________Follow us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28605816/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpopemag/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/myamazonguys/Twitter: https://twitter.com/myamazonguySubscribe to the My Amazon Guy podcast:My Amazon Guy podcast: https://podcast.myamazonguy.comApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-amazon-guy/id1501974229Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A5ASHGGfr6s4wWNQIqyVwSupport the show

The Warner Parks are beloved public spaces in Nashville … but who were Percy and Edwin Warner? Author, historian, and Nashville Scene columnist Betsy Phillips joins host Marie Cecile Anderson to tell the strange but true tale of two brothers whose love of parks, public transportation, and massive piles of money shaped our city. Plus: Ghosts, mud, and a pet crane named Rufus! Learn more about the sponsors of this February 23rd episode: Special Olympics Tennessee Frist Art Museum Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor. You'll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Nashville newsletter.  Follow us @citycastnashville You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Moritz und sein Papa machen Mutproben, um Superhelden zu werden. Heute soll Moritz seinen Handschuh aus der Schlamperkiste befreien. Aber montags bewacht die immer die schreckliche Sphinx. Das ist die Schulsekretärin, deren Blicke töten können! (Eine Geschichte von Silke Wolfrum, erzählt von Rufus Beck)

Dick Griffith shares Monday's devotional podcast from Bible Fellowship Church. [Scripture: Romans 16]

Rev. Rufus Smith continues our series, Dear Corinth. Together, we examine 1 Corinthians 2:14-15a and 16b. Natural people routinely react by worldly standards, placing God on the back burner of their lives; however, spiritual people routinely react by biblical standards, placing God in the forefront of their lives.Stay connected with Hope Church Memphis:Website • HopeChurchMemphis.comInstagram • @Hope4MemphisTikTok • @Hope4MemphisFacebook • @Hope4MemphisPrayer • HopeChurchMemphis.com/PrayerGiving • HopeChurchMemphis.com/Give

Supreme Court strikes down most Trump tariffs, TikTok Shop reverses seller-shipping changes, and Helium 10 revamps Listing Builder! Catch it all on this week's Buzz episode. We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's Senior Brand Evangelist, Shivali Patel. Every week, we cover the latest breaking news in the Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart, and E-commerce space, talk about Helium 10's newest features, and provide a training tip for the week for serious sellers of any level.   Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs in a major blow to the president https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-strikes-trumps-tariffs-major-blow-president-rcna244827 TikTok Shop halts plan to end independent shipping for U.S. sellers after backlash https://www.modernretail.co/operations/tiktok-halts-plan-to-end-independent-shipping-for-u-s-sellers-after-backlash/ Helium 10 just revamped its Listing Builder tool to speed up keyword research and create optimized listings in minutes. See how the new AI workflow pulls real Amazon data and helps you write listings built for modern search and Rufus. Shoppable Collections Beta Ending https://sellercentral.amazon.com/enhanced-content/content-manager Amazon Seller Central News: Update to OTDR listing deactivation process as of February 28, 2026 https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHVDdIVjdTQ0dQTTlFWlNG Amazon Seller Central News: Use new dashboard to view changes to your brand's product detail pages https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHRlQzNllaNURZMzU4WDk0   Lastly, a big Amazon networking event is coming to Brooklyn, and it's packed with tactics sellers are using right now. Get the details, grab the discount, and see why Bradley's showing up in person. Go to http://h10.me/asgtg   In episode 498 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Shivali talks about: 00:00 - Introduction 00:43 - Tariffs Unconstitutional? 04:01 - TikTok Halts Shipping Changes 06:45 - Revamped Listing Builder 14:16 - Shoppable Collections Ending 15:35 - OTDR Listing Deactivations 17:10 - Historical Comparisons 21:18 - Review Listing Changes 23:06 - Catch Bradley on ASGTG

Gem Of the Day (G.O.D.) about Simon, Alexander, and Rufus

Bundle up, because it's about to get really cold inside the Burrow! The MuggleCasters have reached “A Very Frosty Christmas” in their Chapter-by-Chapter reread of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. And they're not alone. This week the Real Weird Sisters Alice and Martha have joined us! Topics cover the new Minister for Magic's cunning, Mrs. Weasley's faults, and the Weasley Brothers' violent tendencies. New Throwback Content: Be sure you're following us Lon our Twitch where we are currently streaming the Chamber of Secrets PC game as part of our lookback content this year. All videos will eventually be posted also on our YouTube channel. Welcome Alice and Martha of the Real Weird Sisters! They have been podcasting for 10+ years and are awesome. Chapter by Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas The MC Pensive segment takes us back to an episode we recorded seven years ago. Are we surprised that people still aren't believing Harry about Draco, even Ron? What's with all the rough housing going on in the Burrow between Ron and his brothers? Is this a dangerous escalation or par for the course? Should Bill be stepping in between Fleur and Mrs. Weasley's feud? The hosts analyze Remus Lupin's story and his backstory. What is Lavender expecting from Ron, as indicated by her flashy piece of jewelry for him? Does anyone buy Scrimgeour's story that he and Percy were "just in the area"? Is Scrimgeour any more smooth than Cornelius Fudge was? Did Percy give Scrimgeour advice on tips for how to appeal to Harry? It kinda feels like he did, which is why Rufus failed so badly. Our MVP segment asks what Harry's sassiest line in the chapter is. Our Lynx Line topic this week for Slug Club patrons: What did Fred and George try to make Ron do with the Unbreakavable Vow? Coming up on Bonus MuggleCast for Slug Club patrons, we analyze our personal romantic histories broken down by the Hogwarts houses of our partners. It's a not-to-miss discussion! Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week's Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Amazon sellers, discovery determines everything. If customers can't find your products, nothing else matters. What many sellers haven't realized is how quickly Amazon's discovery engine is changing. Amazon is moving beyond traditional keyword-driven search toward AI-powered, intent-based answers through Rufus. This impacts how products are surfaced, compared, and ultimately purchased. In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, we're joined by Jon Tilley, CEO and co-founder of ZonGuru, to unpack what this change means for sellers. For years, growth on Amazon centered around search volume, keyword placement, and ranking tactics. But Amazon is now interpreting intent, not just indexing terms. The platform is increasingly focused on understanding what shoppers are trying to accomplish, not simply what they typed into the search bar. That changes how listings should be structured and how images communicate value. It changes how sellers approach visibility, conversion, and long-term positioning. In our conversation, we discuss what sellers are getting wrong, which outdated techniques are still being used, and what it will take to stay competitive heading into 2026.If you're building or scaling on Amazon, this episode will help you understand where the platform is heading and how to position your business for what comes next. Topics Discussed in this episode: How Rufus and AI-based discovery are changing the Amazon marketplace (04:59) Rufus's big impact on Black Friday 2025 (09:23) How Amazon sellers can convert more using Rufus (11:40) How to make listing images more readable for Rufus (15:25) The aspects of your listing that matter most for visibility and ranking (18:26) Outdated techniques that Amazon sellers still use (21:10) Services ZonGuru offers that can help sellers optimize for Rufus (24:25) How to stay ahead as an Amazon seller in 2026 (27:52) Mentions:  Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter ZonGuru Free Readiness Report Special Offer: 25% OFF on 3+ AI-Mapped Listings Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to optimize your Amazon listings for AI-based discovery.

For Amazon sellers, discovery determines everything. If customers can't find your products, nothing else matters. What many sellers haven't realized is how quickly Amazon's discovery engine is changing. Amazon is moving beyond traditional keyword-driven search toward AI-powered, intent-based answers through Rufus. This impacts how products are surfaced, compared, and ultimately purchased. In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, we're joined by Jon Tilley, CEO and co-founder of ZonGuru, to unpack what this change means for sellers. For years, growth on Amazon centered around search volume, keyword placement, and ranking tactics. But Amazon is now interpreting intent, not just indexing terms. The platform is increasingly focused on understanding what shoppers are trying to accomplish, not simply what they typed into the search bar. That changes how listings should be structured and how images communicate value. It changes how sellers approach visibility, conversion, and long-term positioning. In our conversation, we discuss what sellers are getting wrong, which outdated techniques are still being used, and what it will take to stay competitive heading into 2026.If you're building or scaling on Amazon, this episode will help you understand where the platform is heading and how to position your business for what comes next. Topics Discussed in this episode: How Rufus and AI-based discovery are changing the Amazon marketplace (04:59) Rufus's big impact on Black Friday 2025 (09:23) How Amazon sellers can convert more using Rufus (11:40) How to make listing images more readable for Rufus (15:25) The aspects of your listing that matter most for visibility and ranking (18:26) Outdated techniques that Amazon sellers still use (21:10) Services ZonGuru offers that can help sellers optimize for Rufus (24:25) How to stay ahead as an Amazon seller in 2026 (27:52) Mentions:  Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter ZonGuru Free Readiness Report Special Offer: 25% OFF on 3+ AI-Mapped Listings Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to optimize your Amazon listings for AI-based discovery.

In this episode, Dave explores the recent decline in Amazon's stock price, analyzing the company's quarterly results and e-commerce performance. Despite a drop in stock value, Amazon's e-commerce growth remains strong, with significant increases in third-party seller services and advertising revenue. The discussion also covers Amazon's strategic investments in AI and delivery speed, as well as the expansion of grocery services and the introduction of Amazon Hall to compete with other platforms. Takeaways Amazon's stock has dropped nearly 10% recently. Despite stock decline, e-commerce growth is strong at 8%. AWS revenue growth is at its highest in years. FBA fees are increasing, indicating more third-party seller activity. Amazon is focusing on same-day grocery delivery expansion. Rufus, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, is a key strategy. Amazon Hall aims to compete with low-cost Chinese platforms. Delivery speed improvements are crucial for customer satisfaction. Advertising revenue is becoming a significant part of Amazon's income. Overall e-commerce resilience is promising for sellers. Titles Amazon's Stock Plunge: What It Means for E-commerce Quarterly Insights: Amazon's Performance Breakdown  sound bites "Amazon stock is absolutely cratering." "AWS revenue was up 24%." "FBA fees were up 10% for the quarter." Chapters 00:00 Amazon's Stock Decline and Market Overview 03:05 Quarterly Results and E-commerce Performance 05:55 Capital Expenditures and AI Investments 08:46 E-commerce Growth and Third-Party Seller Services 12:01 Delivery Speed and Grocery Expansion 15:10 AI Shopping Assistants and Amazon's Strategy 17:58 Amazon Hall and Competitive Landscape

Wir feiern 5 Jahre "Filme mit Bart" mit unserem mittlerweile 3. Zelluloid-Zerwürfnis. Rufus vs. Zwän in 14 hinrzermartenden Runden, in denen Timbob jeweils entscheiden muss, welche Antwort die überzeugendere ist. Viel Spaß!

Rev. Rufus Smith continues our series, Dear Corinth. He reminds us if we could make total sense of God, he would not be God; so I must trust HE knows more about living than I do.

This week's Mailbag show starts off normal enough - but then David reads a confusing quipping email from their Cockfields co-star, Ben Rufus Green. So they get in touch with him to see if he's up for explaining things and luckily he's free to join them on Zoom straight away. So they get a full explanation of his quip and then do some reminiscing about filming The Cockfields and working with the late, great Bobby Ball. FOR ALL THINGS CHATABIX'Y FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE/CONTACT: YouTube Instagram TikTok Patreon Merch Contact us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Watson Weekly Weekend Edition. Hosts Rick Watson and Jessica Lesesky dive into the post-Super Bowl landscape to break down the biggest moves in retail, tech, and AI. From the high-stakes world of $7 million for 30 second ads at the big game to the massive earnings reports from industry titans (hello Amazon), we're unpacking what these shifts mean for the future of commerce.In This Episode:The AI Ad Wars: We review the ads from the big game spots from Claude (Anthropic), OpenAI, and Gemini. Is Anthropic just throwing shade at competitors, or is there a method to the "negative ad" madness?Target's Executive Carousel: Target is shuffling the deck chairs again. With a new CEO and a history of moving merchants into marketing roles, we ask: why does Target seem "allergic" to a real CMO?Spotify vs. Amazon (The Book Edition): In a surprising move, Spotify is partnering with Bookshop.org to sell physical books. We explore why they're helping independent bookstores while indie artists feel left behind.Amazon Earnings Deep Dive: AWS is back on "high-speed rail" growth, and the new AI assistant Rufus is already driving billions in sales. Plus, we discuss the genius of the "add to delivery" feature.Shopify's AI Strategy: Shopify is growing at nearly 30% a year, but investors have one question: What is the AI strategy? Rick explains why Shopify's "one trick"—the checkout—is still their greatest strength.The Watson Weekly Weekend Edition is sponsored by Mirakl: Powering the next era of retail.Video Timestamps0:00 - Welcome to Watson Weekend0:54 - The Big Game Ad Economics: $233,000 Per Second2:18 - The AI Ad Wars: Anthropic (Claude) vs. OpenAI3:56 - Google Gemini's "Heartstrings" Ad Campaign5:14 - Target's Leadership Shuffle: Why the "Roach Motel" Strategy?8:17 - Spotify's Strange Pivot into Physical Books9:54 - The Indie Artist Royalty Gap which Should Make Publishers Worried11:13 - Amazon Earnings: AWS High-Speed Growth & Rufus+213:06 - Amazon's New "Add to Delivery" Feature14:26 - The Future of Amazon Grocery & Whole Foods15:05 - Shopify Earnings: B2B and International Growth16:51 - Shopify's AI Narrative: "It's the Checkout, Stupid"19:54 - Final ThoughtsStay Bold. Stay ClassySubscribe to our Newsletter: watsonweekly.com and YouTube channel.

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - ⁠https://dtcnews.link/signup⁠Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) used to feel “enterprise-only.” Not anymore. Tyler Masur (Head of Amazon at Pilothouse) breaks down what AMC actually does, how to use the no-code templates without being a SQL wizard, and the audience overlays that make broad keywords finally make sense. Role-based hook: For Amazon operators and DTC teams spending real money on Sponsored Ads who want lower ACOS without sacrificing scale.In this episode, we get tactical on:What AMC is (and isn't): audience building + deeper measurement layered on top of your existing console How to start with the no-code audience + analytics templates (and when AI-generated SQL helps) Why you should test AMC audiences in net-new campaigns (so you don't accidentally choke your winners)The “broad keyword + qualified audience” play (example: bidding on “cooler” but only for outdoors browsers)Measuring DSP impact: what happens after someone sees DSP, then hits Sponsored Brands/Products Who this is for: Amazon managers, DTC founders, and growth teams trying to scale Sponsored Ads past the “set it and forget it” phase.What to steal:Build a “generic keyword” campaign, then overlay an in-market audience (nodes/categories) so you can bid higher without paying for junk clicks.Keep audience tests isolated in new campaigns; don't jam audiences into legacy structures and hope.Run the AMC overlap reporting to spot the campaigns that actually increase conversion when paired together (then fund those).Timestamps:0:00 Amazon Marketing Cloud is now open to all sellers2:05 What AMC actually does: audiences and analytics4:10 No-code templates vs custom SQL queries (and the built-in AI helper)6:10 Audience targeting strategy to improve ACoS without over-narrowing8:55 Using prebuilt analytics to see which campaigns lift conversion together11:10 When AMC becomes worth it based on ad spend and effort required13:15 How Pilothouse uses AI day-to-day for Amazon work (including Rufus content)15:20 Measuring DSP incrementality and overlap with sponsored ads using AMC reports17:30 Platform notes: Amazon layoffs and the OpenAI + Amazon speculationSubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF585Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

This week on Bet the Process, Tom Peabody joins Jeff and Rufus to recap their Super Bowl experience. Also discussed - upcoming golf plans, this year's Sloan analytics conference, and Jeff's flag football coaching struggles.

Still guessing on Amazon listing images? Today's guest shares a simple AI image workflow that makes decisions easy—what to fix first, what to test, and how to know it'll win.   If your AI-generated Amazon images look “technically perfect” but still don't convert, you're not alone, and you're not missing more prompts. In this AIM (AI Monthly) session, our Amazon creatives expert guest breaks down the real issue. AI and designers can execute, but they can't decide strategy for you. That's why sellers often spend thousands on creatives that look good, yet still fail to drive more clicks and sales.   Hannah Lyss Tampioc is the Founder and CEO of Mad Cat Creatives, and her team has worked with more than 300 brands. She walks through how shoppers actually buy on Amazon and explains why each image serves a different purpose. Your main image needs to stand out in mobile search results. Images two and three should help shoppers quickly understand what they're getting. The rest of your images and A+ Content should build confidence by answering objections and removing hesitation. The key is figuring out whether you have a click problem or a conversion problem, then fixing the right part of your image stack instead of randomly “refreshing” everything.   The centerpiece of the episode is Hannah's SORT framework. First, you spot the priority so you know what to fix first. Next, you gather the right context by pulling mobile search screenshots, competitor pages, reviews, and Rufus questions. Then you use that information to reason through the data, so your AI outputs are based on real buyer language instead of guesses. Finally, you test before committing by validating your image ideas with polling tools like the Helium 10 Audience tool, powered by PickFu, before you publish. You'll also see a real example using Bradley Sutton's Project X Coffin Shelf listing, where small changes like aspect ratio, mobile-first sizing, and packaging callouts helped the main image stand out more when it mattered most. By the end, you'll know exactly what to fix first and how to follow a repeatable AI Amazon image workflow that confirms your next update will win before you publish. In episode 495 of the AM/PM Podcast, Bradley and Hannah discuss: 00:00 – Introduction 01:27 – The Missing Ingredient To Your Amazon Listing Images 02:31 – Meet Hannah & The “Named My Son Helium” Story 06:05 – The Real Issue: Strategy Beats Design + AI 09:02 – The Job Of Each Amazon Image Stack 11:17 – The SORT Framework Overview 11:41 – Click Problem vs Conversion Problem (What To Fix First) 12:23 – What To Gather Before You Design Anything 23:17 – Coffin Shelf Case Study: Mobile Size Wins 30:46 – ChatGPT Prompts & Gemini Image Generation Workflow 35:05 – “Main Image In 10 Minutes” & Gemini Tip 37:03 – Secondary Images: Use GPT For Briefs + Prompting 39:50 – Helium 10 Discount Code SSP20 + Q&A 42:04 – Where To Find Hannah (LinkedIn) & Mad Cat Creatives

Broad Match - Danny and Adam break down Amazon's financial trajectory ahead of the Q4 2025 earnings call, exploring why Prime has effectively tapped out, where the retail business is heading, and why Rufus may be Amazon's most important bet for the future of e-commerce. Host: Danny McMillan Co-Host: Adam "Heist" Runquist Episode Summary With Amazon's Q4 2025 earnings call on the horizon, Adam digs into the historical financials of Amazon's retail business to understand where the company has been and where it is heading. The picture is clear: Prime membership has reached over 200 million Americans, covering roughly 75% of the adult population, and growth has slowed to just 3-4% annually. The remaining unsubscribed population is largely economically unfeasible to convert. The numbers tell a compelling story across Amazon's retail business units. First-party retail has matured and is effectively flat or declining. Third-party seller fees have grown 190% since 2019, far outpacing the 75% growth in Amazon's own retail — but sellers are now squeezed to single-digit net margins with little room for further extraction. Advertising remains the standout at 56 billion dollars in 2024 with 300% growth over five years, yet its long-term sustainability depends on healthy seller participation. This sets up what Adam describes as Amazon's innovators dilemma. Danny and Adam agree that Rufus represents Amazon's play to shift from a purchase destination to a product discovery and research platform, effectively competing with Google, YouTube, and Reddit for the consideration phase. The episode closes with a rallying call for sellers to focus on extreme efficiency, leveraging AI tools to optimise listings at a level of sophistication that was impossible even a year ago, and to prepare for a market where fewer sellers will survive but those who do will be significantly rewarded. Key Takeaways Amazon Prime has effectively saturated the US market at over 200 million members, with the remaining population largely economically unfeasible to convert, signalling the end of Amazon's biggest historical growth engine. Third-party seller fees have grown 190% since 2019 compared to 75% growth in Amazon's own retail, but sellers operating on single-digit margins means Amazon has limited room to extract further on a per-unit basis. Amazon's advertising business pulled in 56 billion dollars in 2024 with 300% five-year growth, but its future depends on whether enough healthy sellers remain to sustain ad spend. Rufus is positioned as Amazon's answer to the innovators dilemma — shifting from a purchase-only platform to a product discovery and research destination to drive more visits, higher conversion, and larger basket sizes. AI tools now allow sellers to accomplish listing optimisation work in hours that previously took weeks, making sophisticated conversion optimisation accessible to small teams without additional headcount. The market is entering a consolidation phase where fewer sellers will survive, but those who maintain cash reserves, optimise ruthlessly, and adapt to the changing landscape will benefit as competitors exit. Chapter Markers 00:00 - Introduction 00:40 - Why Amazon earnings matter for sellers 03:30 - Prime membership growth and saturation 06:22 - First-party retail maturity and decline 09:30 - Third-party seller fees hitting the ceiling 11:10 - Advertising as Amazon's growth engine 13:28 - Rufus and the discovery play 15:47 - The debate around Rufus and objectivity 19:07 - AI efficiency and listing optimisation 22:16 - Beyond keywords and single-dimension thinking 33:24 - Market consolidation and survival strategy 37:19 - Practical steps for sellers right now Resources Seller Sessions Website Seller Sessions YouTube Adam "Heist" Runquist on LinkedIn Adam Heist YouTube Channel ```

This week on Bet The Process, Jeff and Rufus share their thoughts on the Super Bowl, then bring in Matthew Davidow to discuss further. Topics include player performances, prop bets, and modeling approaches with adjustments for game situations.

This Week’s Big Questions! You’ve been sending in your brilliantly curious questions, and this week… ☀️ Rufus wants to know: What type of star is the Sun?

En este episodio del Serious Sellers Podcast en Español, Adriana Rangel conversa con Jordi Ordóñez sobre los cambios más recientes en el programa Amazon Vendor, incluyendo cierres de cuentas por rentabilidad y la creciente necesidad de migrar a modelos híbridos Seller + Vendor. Jordi explica los riesgos actuales del modelo Vendor y qué deben hacer las marcas para prepararse operativamente ante una posible migración forzada a Marketplace. Además, profundizan en el rol cada vez más dominante de Rufus, la IA de Amazon, y cómo está redefiniendo el posicionamiento de productos. Se habla de semántica, reputación de marca dentro y fuera de Amazon, tráfico externo, autoridad, y por qué el branding y la publicidad (pagada y orgánica) serán claves para seguir siendo visibles en Amazon y en el ecosistema de IA. En el episodio #192 de Serious Sellers Podcast en Español, platicamos de: 00:00 - Introducción y bienvenida 01:20 - Qué es Amazon Vendor y su situación actual 03:20 - Cierres de cuentas Vendor y nuevas exigencias 4:30 - Migrar de Vendor a Seller: retos reales 6:40 - Modelos híbridos y agencias como solución 9:25 - Rufus: la nueva IA de Amazon 10:30 - Cómo Rufus decide qué productos mostrar 14:20 - Semántica y prompts para rankear mejor 16:20 - Usos del producto y keywords semánticas 19:20 - Branding externo y autoridad de marca 22:00 - Social commerce y tráfico hacia Amazon 23:50 - Estrategia multicanal: branding vs performance 25:35 - Dónde encontrar a Jordi y cierre

In this ADSN episode, James and Daniel chat with Eric Seufert to discuss the varying strategies of AI ad monetization and where it all leads. We dive into Netflix's latest earnings, highlighting what the company said about the state of their advertising business and the competitors they're keeping an eye on. We cover the Netflix app redesign, battle for shorts, and why we're now in a world where ‘media is media'. There's plenty of ad news including the OpenAI announcements, Meta's Reel revenue, and Amazon's Rufus. STAY CONNECTED*JAMES*Twitter – /jamesborowLinkedIn — /jamesborow*DANIEL*Instagram — /danieldrugerTikTok — /ddrugerLinkedIn — /danieldruger

It's All Been Done Radio Hour #567  Daniel Kravitz, Chosen One #71 "Truths"     A couple of surprises result from Rufus's showdown with Rosalyn. Grezit is being followed. Daniel has an expected reunion.     Visit our website http://iabdpresents.com Script books, clothing, and more at https://amzn.to/3km2TLm Please support us at http://patreon.com/IABD   A comedy radio show originally performed on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at Boxland in Columbus, Ohio. New episodes streaming one Saturday every month at 5PM Eastern on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook! And now performing live at MadLab theatre in Columbus, Ohio! The next live show is February 14, 2026.    STARRING Nathan Haley as Daniel Kravitz  Shane Stefanchik as Rufus Reginald Rochester  Ryan Yohe as Grezit the Green  Katie Boissoneault as Stephanie Garcia  Kristin Green as Kali  GUEST STARRING  Ashley Clements as Rosalyn Roger Rochester  Samantha Stark as Ragina Rochester  Sam Clements as Kai Akane  Ben Neidenthal as Thorgan  Megan Overholt as Jeleen Santiago    Narrated by Darren Esler  Foley Artist Megan Overholt  Podcast edited by Olivia James     It's All Been Done Radio Hour created and produced by Olivia James  Written by Olivia James  Directed by Rosaleigh Wilson  Music Director Kristin Green  Theme Songs composed by Nathan Haley, with lyrics by Olivia James  Technical Director Shane Stefanchik    Find more from It's All Been Done Radio Hour here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsallbeendoneradiohour Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iabdpresents/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iabdpresents   When you post about us, hashtag #IABD   

EPISODE SUMMARYMost roofers chase leads. The best roofers build a brand.In this episode, Dave and Crystal Williams explain why branding—not just ads—is what makes leads cheaper, customers more loyal, and businesses more valuable over time.EPISODE DESCRIPTIONRoofers are obsessed with leads.But leads get more expensive every year — unless you build something that makes people remember you, trust you, and look for you by name.That's called branding.In this episode, Dave Sullivan sits down with Crystal Williams of Lemon Seed Marketing to explain what branding actually means for roofing companies — and how to build it while still generating leads today.They break down:Why most roofers look the sameHow differentiation keeps you out of price warsHow mascots, billboards, trucks, and storytelling really workWhy “direct search” is the real scorecard for brandingAnd why marketing cannot fix broken operationsCrystal also shares the real-world case study of Eminem Roofing and Rufus the Armadillo, showing how consistent branding helped turn a small roofing company into a dominant regional player.If you want cheaper leads, better customers, and a business that's worth more than its trucks — this is where it starts.YOU'LL LEARNWhat branding actually means (it's not your logo)Why differentiation lets you charge moreHow branding and lead gen should run togetherWhy mascots work — if you commitHow to measure branding using direct searchWhy marketing exposes bad operationsWhen it's time to rebrandHow consistent branding lowers your cost per leadTIMESTAMPS00:00 – Why branding matters01:16 – What branding really is03:45 – Storytelling and emotional connection06:45 – Differentiation vs being a commodity09:02 – Brand personality and origin stories13:29 – Eminem Roofing case study17:16 – Rufus the Armadillo and mascots23:24 – When mascots work (and when they don't)29:47 – Ideal customer avatars and audits35:21 – How to measure brand ROI41:14 – Branding is a long-term commitment43:09 – Why marketing can't fix bad operations48:15 – When to rebrand53:45 – Final takeaways54:19 – How to reach CrystalRESOURCESLemon Seed Marketinghttps://lemonseedmarketing.comEmail: hello@lemonseedmarketing.comEmail: crystal@lemonseedmarketing.comLINKSWork with...

This week on Bet the Process, Jeff and Rufus welcome Adam Levitan, co-founder of Establish The Run, to discuss his evolution from DFS-focused projections to broader sports betting and prediction markets, as well as some college football recap and NFL analysis and predictions.

In this episode, Toni is joined by former producer and longtime friend, Cydnee Traversari, to share the real-life story of her dog Rufus and his journey from being significantly overweight to thriving at 16 years old. The conversation offers an honest, relatable look at how easily weight gain can happen—and how powerful small, informed changes can be. Toni and Cydnee discuss early feeding mistakes, including relying on kibble guidelines, overestimating portions based on current weight, and unintentionally over-treating. Cydnee shares how switching to higher-quality, more nutrient-dense food, cutting portions, and eventually incorporating raw feeding helped Rufus lose over 10 pounds and dramatically improve his mobility, energy, and overall health. The episode also touches on behavior changes linked to diet, the role of joint supplements, managing senior dogs, and why questioning marketing and feeding charts matters. With humor, honesty, and zero judgment, this conversation reinforces a key message: better food, proper portions, and education can add years—and quality—to a dog's life.

Like many of us in 2026, The Corinthian church lived beneath their potential, but the Apostle Paul's tender but tough letter woke them up and pushed them forward. Rev. Rufus Smith continues our Corinthians series with commentary on todays negative use of cliques and splits.Stay connected with Hope Church Memphis:Website • HopeChurchMemphis.comInstagram • @Hope4MemphisTikTok • @Hope4MemphisFacebook • @Hope4MemphisPrayer • HopeChurchMemphis.com/PrayerGiving • HopeChurchMemphis.com/Give

"I know my heart, and I know my sin, and I know how frail and fickle and feeble my heart is. So...what a comfort to just keep coming back to the Lord. The Lord is faithful to his promise. He is faithful to his word here, that he will never leave or forsake, even when I am so quick and my heart is so prone to wander."— Sarah DargueToday's Episode: Join Natalie as she sits down with sisters Felicity and Sarah from the Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea podcast to discuss the wonder of God's faithful presence with his faithless people. Together, they delve into Deuteronomy 31:8, discussing the beauty of community, the challenges of life, and the steadfast promise that God will never leave nor forsake us. Join them for an inspiring conversation about faith, courage, and the transformative power of Scripture in our everyday lives.This month's memory verse: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." — Deuteronomy 31:8Today's guests: Felicity Carswell is from England but currently lives near Chicago with her book-selling husband, Jonathan, along with their two young sons, Rufus and Billy. She loves to teach the Bible, both locally and further afield, and disciple women on a one-to-one basis. She co-hosts, along with Sarah, the Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea podcast. Sarah Dargue is married to David, and mum to Toby, Sam & Emily. They live in London, where her husband is the pastor of their local church. She loves teaching and training women in her church family through the women's ministry. She's the co-host of the Bible study podcast Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea, and the author of Bumps, Babies, and the Gospel.Memorize Scripture with us: Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory, Dwell Differently's monthly membership!Love the show? Support us by leaving a review.Links from today's show: Find out more about Felicity and Sarah at twosistersandacupoftea.com.Get 30% off The Hebrews Bible Study at crossway.org/hebrewsbiblestudy with a free Crossway Plus account.Find The EASY Bible Study Method at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever you get good books.Get 30% off Friend of Sinners at thegoodbook.com with the code: FRIEND.Support the showFollow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

Discover how to leverage AI recommendations for your Amazon product using GEO-targeted tactics, including PRs, Reddit mentions, website files, and listing/image optimization. Plus, PPC-only launch wins.

Broad Match: Adapting to Amazon's Evolving Landscape: Insights for 2026 Episode Overview In this episode, Danny McMillan and Adam Heist discuss the changes in Amazon selling strategies as we approach 2026. They emphasize the significance of adapting to new search algorithms and shifting consumer behaviors to ensure success in the competitive marketplace. This episode explores amazon selling strategies, search algorithm evolution with practical insights for immediate implementation. Key Takeaways Sellers need to rethink traditional SEO practices in light of new individualized search results. Embracing change and new technologies is essential for remaining competitive in the evolving marketplace. Chapter Markers Time Chapter Description 00:00 Reflections on the Past Year Adam Heist reflects on 2025, stressing the importance of taking time for strategic planning after the holiday season. 05:30 The Shift in Search Dynamics Discussion on how Amazon search results are becoming more individualized, reducing sellers' control over visibility. 10:15 The Impact of Rufus on Seller Strategies Adam shares insights on the Rufus algorithm and its significant effect on conversion rates and product discovery. 15:00 Adapting to the New Normal Danny emphasizes the need for sellers to rethink their approaches as customer behavior changes. 20:45 Embracing Change and Opportunity Both hosts encourage sellers to embrace technological changes as opportunities for growth. Notable Quotes "The successful sellers of the future will be those who can navigate the evolving landscape." Resources Mentioned

As the co-founder and CEO of Circle — the fintech powerhouse that issues USDC, a popular cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar — Jeremy Allaire has had a front-row seat to the crypto revolution. Circle now commands a market cap of over $20 billion, yet Jeremy insists it is still an "early stage company." Why? Because the true transformation of the global economy, he says, is just beginning. "In this episode, Jeremy and Rufus discuss how the economic system is becoming “internet native," what happens when money becomes programmable, and why blockchain is the "major missing layer" of the internet. Sponsored By: Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at shopify.com/nbi —

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

SHOW 12-25-25 THE SHOW BEGINS WITH DOUBTS ABOUT THE MODERN STORY OF MARY AND HER FAMILY. 1868 NAZARETH SEPPHORIS AND THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF MARY'S LIFE Colleague James Tabor. Tabor identifies Sepphoris, a Roman capital near Nazareth, as Mary's birthplace. He reimagines Jesus and Joseph as "tektons" (builders) working in this urban center rather than simple carpenters. This proximity meant Mary witnessed Romanbrutality and the city's destruction, influencing her family's spiritual views on the Kingdom of God. NUMBER 1 INVESTIGATING THE NAME PANTERA Colleague James Tabor. Tabor explores the name "Pantera," found in rabbinic texts and on a Roman soldier's tombstone. He suggests this might be a family name rather than a slur, investigating the possibility that Jesus's father was a relative or soldier, which challenges the theological narrative of a virgin birth. NUMBER 2 RECLAIMING THE HISTORICAL JEWISH FAMILY Colleague James Tabor. Highlighting the Protoevangelium of James, Tabor contrasts its depiction of a perpetual virgin Mary with historical evidence of a large Jewish family. He argues Mary had numerous children and that her parents were likely wealthy property owners in Sepphoris, integrating Jesus into a close-knit extended family. NUMBER 3 JAMES THE JUST AS TRUE SUCCESSOR Colleague James Tabor. Tabor asserts James, Jesus's brother, was the movement's true successor, not Peter. Citing Acts and the Gospel of Thomas, he notes James led the Jerusalem council and stood at the cross. Tabor argues the "beloved disciple" entrusted with Mary's care was this blood brother, not Johnthe fisherman. NUMBER 4 THE HEADQUARTERS ON MOUNT ZION Colleague James Tabor. Tabor describes excavations on Mount Zion, identifying a first-century house foundation as the "upper room" and headquarters of the early movement. He visualizes Mary as the matriarch in this courtyard, welcoming pilgrims and apostles like Paul, and establishes James as the leader of this house synagogue. NUMBER 5 THE FLIGHT TO PELLA AND MARY'S DEATH Colleague James Tabor. Tabor discusses the Christian flight to Pella during the Roman revolt. He speculates Mary died before this event, likely around 49–63 CE, and was buried on Mount Zion. Consequently, she disappears from the New Testament record, which shifts focus to Peter and Paul after the Jerusalem church's dispersal. NUMBER 6 THE TALPIOT TOMB AND DNA EVIDENCE Colleague James Tabor. Discussing the Talpiot tomb, Tabor details ossuaries bearing names like "Jesus son of Joseph" and "Mariamne." He argues statistical clusters and potential DNA evidence suggest this is the Jesus family tomb, positing that physical remains support historical existence without necessarily negating the concept of spiritual resurrection. NUMBER 7 THE Q SOURCE AND MARY'S TEACHINGS Colleague James Tabor. Tabor identifies the "Q" source as a collection of ethical teachings shared by Matthew and Luke. He attributes these core values—such as charity and humility—to a family tradition taught by Mary to Jesus, James, and John the Baptizer, aiming to restore Mary'shistorical influence as a teacher. NUMBER 8 VIRGIL'S RURAL ORIGINS AND AUGUSTAN CONNECTION Colleagues Scott McGill and Susanna Wright. The guests discuss Virgil's birth in 70 BCE near Mantua and his rural upbringing, which influenced his poetry. They trace his move to Rome during civil war and his eventual connection to Augustus, noting that Virgil promised a grand epic for the emperor in his earlier work, the Georgics. NUMBER 9 TRANSLATING THE SOUND AND METER OF VIRGIL Colleagues Scott McGill and Susanna Wright. The translators explain choosing iambic pentameter over dactylic hexameter to provide an English cultural equivalent to the original's epic feel. They describe their efforts to replicate Virgil's auditory effects, such as alliteration and assonance, and preserve specific line repetitions that connect characters like Turnus and Camilla. NUMBER 10 THE AENEID'S PLOT AND HOMERIC INFLUENCES Colleagues Scott McGill and Susanna Wright. McGill and Wright summarize the plot, from Troy's destruction to the war in Italy. They analyze Virgil's dialogue with Homer, noting how the poem's opening words invoke both the Iliad's warfare and the Odyssey's wanderings. They also highlight the terrifying, visual nature of Virgil's depiction of the underworld. NUMBER 11 ROMAN EXCEPTIONALISM VS. HUMAN TRAGEDY Colleagues Scott McGill and Susanna Wright. They discuss whether the Aeneid justifies Roman empire or tells a human story. McGill argues the poem survives because it creates sympathy for antagonists like Dido and Turnus. They explore how Virgil portrays the costs of empire and Aeneas's rage, complicating the narrative of Augustan propaganda. NUMBER 12 CLODIA'S PRIVILEGE AND CICERO'S AMBITION Colleague Douglas Boin. Boin introduces Clodia, a privileged woman from an ancient Roman family on Palatine Hill. He contrasts her aristocratic, independent nature—manifested in her name spelling—with the rise of Cicero, a talented outsider. Boin frames their eventual conflict as a clash between established power and ambitious newcomers. NUMBER 13 THE POLITICS OF TRIBUNES AND REFORM Colleague Douglas Boin. Boin details the divide between the Optimates and Populares. He explains how Clodia and her brother Clodius used the office of Tribune—the "people's protector" with veto power—to enact reforms. This strategy allowed them to challenge the Senate's authority and set the stage for Clodius's political dominance. NUMBER 14 THE TRIAL OF RUFUS AND CICERO'S MISOGYNY Colleague Douglas Boin. Boin describes a trial where Clodia accused her ex-lover Rufus of poisoning. Cicero defended Rufus by launching misogynistic attacks on Clodia, calling her "cow-eyed" and alleging incest. Boin argues this famous speech unfairly solidified Clodia's negative historical reputation while obscuring the political power she wielded. NUMBER 15 THE DEATH OF CLODIUS AND THE REPUBLIC'S END Colleague Douglas Boin. Boin recounts the violent death of Clodius by rival gangs, marking a turning point toward the Republic's collapse. He views Clodia's subsequent disappearance from history as a symbol of the loss of women's influence and civic rights, framing her story as a cautionary tale about political violence. NUMBER 16

THE TRIAL OF RUFUS AND CICERO'S MISOGYNY Colleague Douglas Boin. Boin describes a trial where Clodia accused her ex-lover Rufus of poisoning. Cicero defended Rufus by launching misogynistic attacks on Clodia, calling her "cow-eyed" and alleging incest. Boin argues this famous speech unfairly solidified Clodia's negative historical reputation while obscuring the political power she wielded. NUMBER 15

This past week has brought its share of A&M-adjacent football disappointment, but Melanie is finding comfort and solace by celebrating the Aggies' national championship in volleyball (GLASS HALF FULL, you understand). Meanwhile, here in Alabama, this past week has taught me some things about my personal needs from health care providers who draw blood, and I have found comfort and solace in watching television. As one does. Melanie also has some thoughts about Amazon's AI assistant, Rufus, and it's my turn for Five Favorites. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody! Join Us on Patreon  Our Amazon Shop 2025 Big Boo Holiday Gift Guide Show Notes: Aggie women's volleyball wins National Championship Chicken Oil Co. in Bryan Aggie football loses to Miami Johnny Manziel couldn't make it Jazz TX Pullman Market in San Antonio Owning Manhattan on Netflix The End of an Era on Disney+ My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman on Netflix Murdaugh: Death in the Family on Hulu Love, Meghan on Netflix Will Guidara Spicy Hamburger Soup Truremedy soap sleeveless puffer vest Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater turquoise big bead necklace Aerie Like Candy crew sweater Sponsors: Homeserve - use this link to find the plan that's right for you Hungryroot - use code BIGBOO to get 40% off and a free item of your choice for life AG1 - use this link for $126 in free gifts for new subscribers Trust & Will - use this link for 20% off

Welcome back to The Viall Files: Reality Recap!  The one and only Vicki Gunvalson has returned! She joins us to get into what to expect from the next season of RHOC, how it feels to have her orange back, get a little tea on Ultimate Road Trip, play a Hot Mic game and more! Later, we get into the most recent episodes of Southern Charm and RHOBH. Meanwhile, Nick shares his close brush with a car, we share our thoughts on Rob Reiner's and his wife Michelle's passing, the Diddy documentary and more! "Everybody lies. Get over it!" Buy Our Merch: https://shop.viallfiles.com/  Are you interested in being a part of a dating docuseries, with the opportunity of meeting your one? Fill out our casting call! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8_echsNPYsFZZ1tIpyY_aMD75tB3kZwKWCfgVZuYeS-xJQg/viewform Subscribe to The ENVY Media Newsletter Today: https://www.viallfiles.com/newsletter  Listen to Humble Brag with Cynthia Bailey and Crystal Kung Minkoff. Available wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@humblebragpod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humble-brag-with-crystal-and-cynthia/id1774286896 Start your 7 Day Free Trial of Viall Files + here: https://viallfiles.supportingcast.fm/  We've partnered with Mint Mobile to open a hot takes hotline to hear your scorching hot opinions! Give us your hot takes, thoughts and theories and we'll read and react to the best ones on an upcoming Reality Recap episode! All you have to do is call 1-855-MINT-TLK or, if you prefer the numbers, that's 1-855-646-8855 and leave us a message. Please make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode and as always send in your relationship questions to asknick@theviallfiles.com to be a part of our Monday episodes. Follow us on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheViallFiles Listen To Disrespectfully now! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrespectfully/id1516710301 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0J6DW1KeDX6SpoVEuQpl7z?si=c35995a56b8d4038 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCh8MqSsiGkfJcWhkan0D0w To Order Nick's Book Go To: http://www.viallfiles.com  If you would like to get some texting advice on Office Hours send an email to asknick@theviallfiles.com with "Texting Office Hours" in the subject line! To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/theviallfiles    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Amazon - Visit https://Amazon.com and look for the Rufus icon for smarter, more affordable holiday shopping. Helix Sleep - Go to https://helixsleep.com/viall for 20% off sitewide for their extended Cyber Monday Sale. American Home Shield - Get 20% off any plan today at https://ahs.com/viallfiles. See https://ahs.com/contracts for coverage details, including service fees, limitations, and exclusions. American Home Shield. Don't worry. Be warranty. Thrive Market - Go to https://thrivemarket.com/viall to get 30% off your first order, and a free $60 gift. Aura Frames - For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting https://auraframes.com to get $35 off Aura's best-selling Carver Mat frames - named #1 by Wirecutter - by using promo code VIALL at checkout. Goldbelly - Go to https://goldbelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code VIALL. Legendz – When you sign up today, you can get a 100% match on your first purchase — up to $100. Just go to the https://legendz.com and use promo code VIALL Cymbiotika – Go to https://cymbiotika.com/viall to get 20% off plus free shipping. Omaha Steaks – Save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with Omaha Steaks. Visit https://omahasteaks.com. And for an extra $35 off, use code VIALLFILES at checkout. Terms apply. See site for details.   Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:37 - Household Headlines 37:13 - Vicki Gunvalson 1:03:47 - Southern Charm 1:23:13 - RHOBH Episode Socials: @viallfiles @nickviall @nnataliejjoy @vickigunvalson @ciaracrobinson @justinkaphillips @leahgsilberstein @dereklanerussell @the_mare_bare  

Are you sitting down? Because we're joined by Variety's Kate Aurthur to talk all things Actors on Actors. We're diving into RHOP, RHOSLC, and then Natalie Maguire stops by to break down the new era of Vanderpump Rules, with plenty of tea along the way. Stay right here… this episode is too good to miss.  "He had 'duded' me out too many times." Buy Our Merch: https://shop.viallfiles.com/  Are you interested in being a part of a dating docuseries, with the opportunity of meeting your one? Fill out our casting call! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8_echsNPYsFZZ1tIpyY_aMD75tB3kZwKWCfgVZuYeS-xJQg/viewform Subscribe to The ENVY Media Newsletter Today: https://www.viallfiles.com/newsletter  Listen to Humble Brag with Cynthia Bailey and Crystal Kung Minkoff. Available wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humblebragpod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humble-brag-with-crystal-and-cynthia/id1774286896 Start your 7 Day Free Trial of Viall Files + here: https://viallfiles.supportingcast.fm/  We've partnered with Mint Mobile to open a hot takes hotline to hear your scorching hot opinions! Give us your hot takes, thoughts and theories and we'll read and react to the best ones on an upcoming Reality Recap episode! All you have to do is call 1-855-MINT-TLK or, if you prefer the numbers, that's 1-855-646-8855 and leave us a message. Please make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode and as always send in your relationship questions to asknick@theviallfiles.com to be a part of our Monday episodes. Follow us on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheViallFiles Listen To Disrespectfully now! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrespectfully/id1516710301 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0J6DW1KeDX6SpoVEuQpl7z?si=c35995a56b8d4038 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCh8MqSsiGkfJcWhkan0D0w To Order Nick's Book Go To: http://www.viallfiles.com  If you would like to get some texting advice on Office Hours send an email to asknick@theviallfiles.com with "Texting Office Hours" in the subject line! To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/theviallfiles   THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Amazon - Visit https://Amazon.com and look for the Rufus icon for smarter, more affordable holiday shopping. Quince - Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/viall for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Blueland - Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://Blueland.com/viall Mack Weldon - Fall into comfort with Mack Weldon's Ace Collection. Go to https://MackWeldon.com and get 20% off your first order of $125 or more, with promo code VIALL. Starbucks - Together is the best place to be. Connect over your holiday favorites at Starbucks. Rosetta Stone - Don't wait—unlock your language-learning potential NOW! The Viall Files listeners can grab Rosetta Stone's LIFETIME Membership for 50% OFF! That's unlimited access to 25 language courses, for life! Visit https://www.rosettastone.com/viall to get started and claim your 50% off TODAY! Revolve - Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out, or a holiday party – your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to https://revolve.com/viall shop my edit, and take 15% off your first order with code VIALL. American Home Shield - Get 20% off any plan today at https://ahs.com/viallfiles. See https://ahs.com/contracts for coverage details, including service fees, limitations, and exclusions. American Home Shield. Don't worry. Be warranty. Olipop - Get a free can of OLIPOP: Buy any 2 cans of Olipop in store, and we'll pay you back for one. Works on any flavor, any retailer, including the Yeti limited-edition cans! Go to https://drinkolipop.com/viall  Legendz – When you sign up today, you can get a 100% match on your first purchase — up to $100. Just go to the https://Legendz.com and use promo code VIALL Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 27:50 - Kate Joins 29:12 - Actors on Actors 38:56 - Netflix Acquisition 46:37 - Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 50:45 - Real Housewives of Potomac 58:15 - Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (again) 1:12:21 - Vanderpump Rules Season 12 Episode Socials: @viallfiles @nickviall @nnataliejjoy @kateaurthur @nataliemmaguire @ciaracrobinson @justinkaphillips @leahgsilberstein @dereklanerussell @the_mare_bare

Welcome back to The Viall Files: Reality Recap!  Get excited, because today we welcome Whitney Carson and Carson McAllister to talk all about winning Dancing With The Stars, their relationship and more! Plus, we get into the return of RHOBH, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Reunion, Southern Charm and more! Grab your Gandalf beards, because you won't want to miss this one!  "What does winning mean to you?" Buy Our Merch: https://shop.viallfiles.com/  Are you interested in being a part of a dating docuseries, with the opportunity of meeting your one? Fill out our casting call! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8_echsNPYsFZZ1tIpyY_aMD75tB3kZwKWCfgVZuYeS-xJQg/viewform Subscribe to The ENVY Media Newsletter Today: https://www.viallfiles.com/newsletter  Listen to Humble Brag with Cynthia Bailey and Crystal Kung Minkoff. Available wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humblebragpod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humble-brag-with-crystal-and-cynthia/id1774286896 Start your 7 Day Free Trial of Viall Files + here: https://viallfiles.supportingcast.fm/  We've partnered with Mint Mobile to open a hot takes hotline to hear your scorching hot opinions! Give us your hot takes, thoughts and theories and we'll read and react to the best ones on an upcoming Reality Recap episode! All you have to do is call 1-855-MINT-TLK or, if you prefer the numbers, that's 1-855-646-8855 and leave us a message. Please make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode and as always send in your relationship questions to asknick@theviallfiles.com to be a part of our Monday episodes. Follow us on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheViallFiles Listen To Disrespectfully now! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrespectfully/id1516710301 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0J6DW1KeDX6SpoVEuQpl7z?si=c35995a56b8d4038 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCh8MqSsiGkfJcWhkan0D0w To Order Nick's Book Go To: http://www.viallfiles.com  If you would like to get some texting advice on Office Hours send an email to asknick@theviallfiles.com with "Texting Office Hours" in the subject line! To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/theviallfiles   THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Amazon - Visit https://Amazon.com and look for the Rufus icon for smarter, more affordable holiday shopping. American Home Shield - For new homeowners especially, it's one of the simplest ways to keep your budget on track and your stress down. Visit https://ahs.com/viallfiles for 20% off any plan today and see promo details. See https://ahs.com/contracts for coverage details, including service fees, limitations, and exclusions.  Homeaglow - Take home cleaning off your plate this Holiday season by using Homeaglow! Head to https://homeaglow.com/viall to get your first 3 hours of cleaning for only $19! Wayfair - Get last-minute hosting essentials, gifts for all your loved ones, and decor to celebrate the holidays for WAY less. Head to https://wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. BILT - Join the loyalty program for renters at https://joinbilt.com/viall  Cymbiotika - Go to https://cymbiotika.com/viall to get 20% off plus free shipping. Rakuten – Keep an eye out for Rakuten's weekly Big Deal Reveals where one great store offers epic–ly high Cash Back for one day only. Membership is free and it's super easy to sign up! You can go to https://rakuten.com, download the app or install the browser extension.  Fabletics - Head to https://fabletics.com/viall and sign up as a VIP to get 80% off everything. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:56 - Mormon Wives Reunion 35:29 - Whitney and Carson Join 01:13:36 - RHOBH 01:23:30 - Southern Charm Episode Socials:  @viallfiles @nickviall @nnataliejjoy @witneycarson @carson.mcallister @ciaracrobinson @justinkaphillips @leahgsilberstein @dereklanerussell @the_mare_bare