Podcasts about tiktok shop

Amazon creators can now tag Amazon products. Authors can now advertise their audiobooks and new exclusive, limited-time deals. These and more on this week's episode of the Weekly Buzz! We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's Manager of Education and Strategy, Carrie Miller. 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.   YouTube Shopping Creators can now tag Amazon products https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-shopping-amazon-creator-affiliates/ Helium 10 New Feature Alert: AI Sales Trend Analyzer Bradley demonstrates Helium 10's new Agent named “Helium” with features that quickly explain sales changes by analyzing sessions, conversion rates, ads, search volume, and keyword rankings. It can also find high-volume keywords a product ranks for but isn't tracking, helping sellers uncover opportunities, update Keyword Tracker, and save time. Upcoming Amazon + AI Workshops Learn practical Helium 10 Agent prompts for every experience level in this live workshop. Copy proven prompts and apply them directly to your own Amazon business. Register at https://h10.me/agentwebinar or https://streamyard.com/watch/RqVbZTMyfG5z Join Helium 10 in Los Angeles for advanced advertising, sourcing, supplier negotiation, networking, food, and exclusive access to Alibaba's new AI tool. Secure your seat at http://h10.me/elitealibaba Authors including ACX creators can now advertise audiobooks https://advertising.amazon.com/en-us/resources/whats-new/authors-can-now-advertise-audiobooks/ Amazon Seller Central News: Create exclusive deals for Amazon Business customers https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHUzREQkEzTDc2VE1VUDZC Global Warehousing and Distribution expands to Ningbo https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHRENXUUxEQjRMVzlZWVlN   In episode 551 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Carrie talks about: 00:00 - Introduction 00:41 - YouTubers Can Now Tag Amazon Products 03:07 - New AI Sales Trend Analyzer 08:13 - Upcoming Amazon + AI Workshops 10:26 - Authors Can Now Advertise Audiobooks 11:17 - Exclusive Deals for Amazon Businesses 13:01 - Amazon Product Opportunity Data Point 15:36 - New Lower Cost Long Term Storage in China Now Available

TikTok Shop is becoming much more than another place to sell products.With its Voice of the Customer system, TikTok is beginning to connect product discovery, creator content, transactions, fulfillment and post-purchase feedback into a single commerce loop — what Jordan West calls the **Social Commerce Singularity**.In this episode, Jordan explains why this matters for brands and how customer feedback can become a growth system rather than simply a customer service metric.You'll learn:- What TikTok Shop's Voice of the Customer system measures- How brands can separate expectation problems from actual product problems- Why creator performance should be measured beyond initial GMV- How feedback can improve creator briefs, PDPs, Amazon listings, Meta ads, packaging and product development- Why increasing content volume can amplify both great products and broken customer experiences- The five-part system Jordan recommends for turning customer feedback into operational actionTikTok Shop is compressing the time between discovery and purchase. Winning brands need to compress the time between customer feedback and action just as aggressively.The brands that learn fastest will have the advantage.Need help scaling your TikTok Shop?Visit https://socialcommerceclub.comSubscribe for more TikTok Shop, GMV Max and social commerce strategies.

Tom Cochrane is founder of Eleviam, a brand accelerator running more than forty CPG brands across Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok Shop. Before building the agency, he put nearly five million dollars of his own capital into Amazon inventory to prove the model himself.This episode tackles a problem every CPG brand now faces: platforms are getting more expensive, more competitive, and harder to attribute, even as consumer attention keeps fragmenting.Tom and Eitan dig into the halo effect between TikTok Shop and Amazon, why a third of TikTok-driven purchases convert somewhere else entirely, and how Amazon's new AI shopping layer is changing what actually belongs in a listing.Listeners walk away with a clearer view of how to sequence platform investment as a brand matures, and why profitability discipline matters more than chasing growth at any cost.Website: https://expanio.com/Podcast website: https://expanio.com/commerce-untold-podcast/Eitan Koter's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eitankoter/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CommerceUntoldGuest: Tom Cochrane, Founder, EleviamTom Cochrane's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgcochrane/Eleviam: https://eleviam.io/Key Takeaways: • Ninety percent of US consumers still validate a purchase on Amazon even when they discovered the product somewhere else. • Thirty-seven percent of TikTok Shop transactions convert off of TikTok, most often on Amazon. • Creator partnerships should be judged on proven GMV track record, not follower count. • Amazon's AI shopping layer now reads full PDP and A+ content, so listings need to answer real buyer objections instead of just stuffing keywords. • Brands should launch omnichannel from day one, but stay narrow with a hero SKU before expanding the catalog. • Agencies scale by building repeatable systems and pod structures before they scale revenue.Chapters:[00:19] Introduction to Tom Cochrane and background[02:35] Running Amazon and TikTok Shop together: the halo effect[05:36] Rising platform costs and the shift toward creator partnerships[08:08] Competition, agentic shopping, and Amazon's AI-driven listings (Cosmos, Rufus)[11:53] Matching platform strategy to a brand's lifecycle stage[19:41] CPG challenges today: LTV, margins, and building a moat[26:11] Inside Eleviam: ICP, delivery, and where e-commerce is headed

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by R&S Logistics, ZenlineAI, Duvo and Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Anthropic launches a blueprint for building AI shopping agents on Claude, touting big cart-size and conversion gains from early retail partners.Sephora debuts a TikTok Shop storefront with exclusive monthly product drops starting September 19th.Sprouts Farmers Market names Nick Konat, a Petco and Target merchandising veteran, as its next CEO.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights.

Meta settled the massive lawsuit from most of the states about kids and their platforms. We discuss what that means for them, and for you. New iPhones are coming next week and plenty of other tech to get caught up on! Watch on YouTube! - Notnerd.com and Notpicks.com INTRO (00:00) Apple Event September 9th - Surprise and Shine (03:25) MAIN TOPIC: Meta settles with states (08:30) Meta agrees to settle social media addiction claims with states for up to $18 billion Meta wants YouTube and TikTok to join in DAVE'S PRO-TIP OF THE WEEK: iOS 27: AI Images in Apple Notes (16:10) JUST THE HEADLINES: (25:35) Tim Cook and John Ternus host Pikachu at Apple Park Kalshi dishes out its first-ever lifetime ban to George Santos New York City 911 system missed 1,700 calls due to software update Roblox is cracking down on games that reward kids for doomscrolling Songs created by AI banned from Australia's music charts Scientists turn plastic waste into edible cookies Chatbot conversations can become evidence in court LISTENER MAIL: Nate - I saw an Insta360 X6 on TikTok Shop for $160, is that for real? (27:50) WITHIN REACH! Dave is leading 12-9, Round 23, Dave goes first (32:05) TAKES: China is secretly fueling America's data center rage (39:45) BONUS ODD TAKE: Rename Lake Ontario with MapQuest (45:30) PICKS OF THE WEEK:  Dave:  Charging Station for Apple Multiple Devices - 3 in 1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger Dock - Travel Charging Pad for iPhone 17 16 15 14 13 12 Pro Max Plus Watch & Airpods (49:05) Nate: Propane Tank Gauge Level Indicator, Gas Grill Gauge for 5-40lbs Propane Tank, Upgraded 3 Temperatures Scale, Color-Coded Propane Gauge for Grill, Heater, Fryer, Camper (53:40)

TikTok Shop creator outreach is not just about writing a better DM. It's about making the partnership easier to believe.Creators are evaluating fit, conversion potential, financial upside and whether your brand will actually be worth working with. A free sample and generic compliment are rarely enough.In this episode, Jordan West breaks down Social Commerce Club's **YES Framework** for creator outreach:**Why You** — show exactly why the creator fits.**Economics & Evidence** — make the financial upside and proof visible.**Simple Next Step** — ask for one easy decision.You'll learn how to improve first-touch outreach, show proof of GMV Max support, structure offers for different creator tiers, follow up with more value, and build the relationship after a creator accepts a sample.Because the first yes is only the beginning.The real opportunity is turning strong creator relationships into repeat content, stronger performance and a creator program that compounds over time.Need help scaling your TikTok Shop?Visit https://socialcommerceclub.comSubscribe for more TikTok Shop, GMV Max and social commerce strategies.

Old-school retailers are coming for TikTok Shop and Amazon's beauty business. Nordstrom is rolling out same-day beauty delivery, Old Navy is betting on affordable fragrance from a Byredo perfumer, and Target is launching a 1,600-product beauty destination stocked with Sunday Riley, Briogeo, K-beauty favorites, and more. But Target's timing couldn't be worse: The retailer is facing backlash over an offensive children's Halloween costume—and renewed scrutiny of its DEI rollback. We unpack whether legacy retailers can win beauty shoppers back with convenience, discovery, and an IRL experience the algorithm can't replicate.Watch our episodes!Shop our episodesInstagram: @glossangelspod | TikTok: @glossangelespodEmail: glossangelespodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“AI ad platforms will win by becoming less like ad managers and more like answer engines. Measurement is becoming the strategy, because zero-click behaviour is already changing the funnel.”Performance & brand marketing expert Josh Duggan digs into where AI, search and commerce are actually heading; not in theory, but in the real world of live campaigns and platform shifts.ChatGPT ads are already here, but the platform is still acting like Google Ads 15 years ago. Josh reveals why the current setup is full of irrelevant targeting, weak reporting and click-only optimisation - and what that means for brands trying to get ahead before the real opportunity arrives.You'll discover:Why ChatGPT ads currently feel basic, clunky and dangerously easy to mis-trigger with the wrong intent.The biggest missing pieces in the platform, from negative keywords to search-term visibility and conversion-based optimisation.Why shopping feeds, offline conversion value and customer list matching are likely to matter far more than today's ad units.How Google is quietly turning paid search into a more automated, more AI-shaped experience.Why AI Overviews, AI Max and dynamic product feeds could reshape how brands win visibility in search.How Meta is changing faster than most marketers realise, with 70% of Instagram content now coming from accounts you do not follow.Why creative diversity, always-on content and dynamic landing pages are becoming the new performance edge.Where TikTok Shop, ShopMy, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube and affiliate channels fit into the next growth cycle.Josh also breaks down the real state of trade, including why UK online spending is still growing, why fashion and footwear are more volatile and why November remains the make-or-break month for many brands. If you want a clear-eyed view of what is hype vs. what is already working and where paid media is heading next, this episode is essential listening.Chapters:[00:30] Introduction and episode overview[02:35] ChatGPT ads: early limitations and potential[12:30] Google search, AI discovery and shopping ads[21:05] Meta's growth, creative diversity and AI-generated advertising[30:10] Other channels: TikTok Shop, ShopMy, Pinterest, Snapchat and YouTube[35:00] Ecommerce trading outlook, market performance and Q4 priorities[41:10] Closing thoughts

One Amazon review helped destroy a brand and led to bankruptcy. Discover how its owner rebuilt his life and earned up to $28K a month in TikTok Shop commissions after losing everything. ► Watch The Podcasts On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Helium10SeriousSellersPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft   Paul Baron returns to the Serious Sellers Podcast to share one of the most candid stories ever featured on the show. After entering e-commerce in 2015, Paul and his wife launched a reusable baby swim diaper on the first-ever Prime Day. Their Amazon brand eventually approached $1 million in annual sales, leading them to turn down a potential exit in hopes of building an even more valuable business. Everything changed when COVID disrupted the swimming industry, and a damaging one-star review accused the company of shipping a used swim diaper through Amazon FBA. The review accumulated hundreds of helpful votes, while listing attacks, incorrect adult-product classifications, rising freight costs, and a delayed container caused the company to miss its peak season. A $500,000 EIDL loan intended to accelerate growth only intensified the financial pressure, eventually leaving Paul and his wife with bankruptcy as their best path forward. Paul also opens up about the emotional consequences of losing the business and the danger of tying an entrepreneur's identity to revenue, recognition, and public success. With support from his family, friends, and a mental health professional, he began confronting the problems he had avoided and redefining what success meant. That recovery eventually created space for an unexpected new chapter as a TikTok Shop creator. After earning only $3 during his first three months, Paul learned how to combine powerful hooks, clear product keywords, compelling scripts, and consistent content. His commissions eventually reached approximately $28,000 in one month, with one day generating around $8,000. Now known as @realdadreviews on TikTok, Paul proves that losing one business does not mean losing your future. Sometimes the end of one dream becomes the beginning of a stronger, healthier, and more meaningful one. In episode 763 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Paul discuss: 00:00 - Introduction 03:30 - How Paul Entered The Amazon Business 06:08 - Nearly $1 Million And The Growth Trap 07:54 - Why Paul Chose Not To Sell 09:51 - COVID And The Review That Changed Everything 12:43 - Listing Attacks And A Costly Shipping Crisis 14:28 - The $500,000 Loan Used To Force Growth 16:47 - Public Exposure Reveals The Full Debt Crisis 19:06 - Choosing Bankruptcy And Beginning A Mental Recovery 23:18 - Paul Starts His New TikTok Chapter 24:05 - Cracking TikTok Hooks, Keywords, And Content Indexing 25:26 - TikTok Commissions Climb To $28,000 Monthly 30:52 - Paul's Beginner Roadmap For TikTok Shop Creators

https://directtoconsumer.typeform.com/DTC-Brand?utm_source=podcast-642&utm_medium=podcastTo Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAshley Kick runs ecommerce at DÔEN (shopdoen.com), the Los Angeles apparel brand founded by sisters Margaret and Katherine Kleveland. Eric met her at the Whalies giving hot takes on stage, so this episode is a new format built for exactly that: World Cup themed, 15 ecommerce topics, kick it or keep it.If you run a premium brand and you are tired of advice written for a $30 AOV, Ashley draws lines most operators are still arguing about internally.What's inside:AI generated ad creative, kicked as hard as anything gets kicked on this show: "they didn't fall in love with the clanker generated things"Her pendulum argument: everything used to be human made, the swing to AI has been fast, and the vacuum it left is the differentiation opportunity for brands willing to keep humans on the work. DÔEN has hired novelists to write copyWhy she will not trade a discount or free shipping for an email address, with the list math behind it: a million names sending at 20%, or 300,000 sending at 60 to 70%Hand Me DÔEN, the resale program that runs on Treet: trade in for store credit, quarterly resale events, and an answer to the dupe sellers, because buying from the program is how a customer knows the piece is realThe AOV line where she thinks TikTok Shop stops making sense, and why discovery on TikTok still matters for the brand through user generated contentLosing money on the first order to win it back on LTV, kicked. Her hero products are chosen as the best first experience of the brand, and they are not loss leadersWhere she is happy to let algorithms work: media buying, placements, and Klaviyo send-time optimizationAI for customer service, kicked. If someone wants to talk about the fit of a dress, that is a personRetail as an experience play, including a roughly 20% brand awareness lift in a market when a store opens, plus wholesale through boutiques with an aligned aestheticAmazon, extended sizing, and buy now pay later, each with a verdictWho this is for: operators at premium and considered-purchase brands, retention and email leads, and anyone building the argument for keeping humans on creative.What to steal: the email capture stance. Stop buying addresses with 15% off and measure your list on deliverability and send rate rather than raw size.Timestamps:00:03:00 AI Shopping Agents00:05:00 TikTok Shop for Premium Brands00:10:00 Branded Resale and the Circular Economy00:14:00 AI-Generated Creative and Brand Identity00:24:00 Wholesale, Amazon and Discount StrategySubscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Why did a TikTok Shop brand lose 96% of its sales? Discover what went wrong and the creator strategy being used to revive it, rebuild momentum, and drive more Amazon sales. What happens when a TikTok Shop brand generating approximately $200,000 per month suddenly loses 96% of its sales? In this episode, Bradley Sutton welcomes Chris Lyell, CEO of Octane Labs, to examine the dramatic decline of Grooved Learning and reveal the strategy his team is using to rebuild it. After falling to around $8,000 in monthly revenue, the brand provides a powerful case study of how quickly momentum can disappear when a TikTok Shop content engine stops running. Chris discovered that the product itself was not the problem. The brand's leading creators had moved on or been recruited by competitors, communication with affiliates had slowed, older videos were no longer converting, and its advertising campaigns were configured incorrectly. Meanwhile, less expensive competitors continued publishing fresh content and capturing more of the market. To restart the engine, Chris and his team are producing 100 UGC videos with 100 different creators, re-engaging the brand's former top performers, and creating contests that encourage affiliates to turn one product sample into multiple videos.   The conversation also breaks down how new brands can generate their first TikTok Shop sales without an established creator network. Chris explains how paid creator platforms can help sellers build an initial library of content, create social proof, and attract more experienced affiliates. He also shares how to write concise creator briefs, structure commissions, use targeted collaborations instead of crowded direct messages, and continually feed fresh content into GMV Max campaigns. Without that steady flow of new videos, even successful TikTok Shop listings can lose momentum within weeks.   TikTok's impact can extend far beyond sales completed on the platform. Chris has seen branded Amazon searches increase by 600% to 700% after products gained attention on TikTok, helping sellers reduce PPC dependence and improve their overall margins. The lesson is clear: TikTok Shop success is not built on one viral video. It comes from creating a repeatable system that supports creators, produces content consistently, and turns attention into momentum across every sales channel. Build the engine, keep fueling it, and even a struggling brand can find its way back to growth. In episode 550 of the AM/PM Podcast, Bradley and Chris discuss: 00:00 - Introduction 02:27 - How TikTok Reduced Amazon TACoS Below 4% 06:03 - The TikTok Shop Brand That Lost 96% Of Its Sales 08:34 - Why The Brand's Creator And Advertising Engine Collapsed 12:40 - The Recovery Plan To Win Creators Back 15:55 - Producing 100 UGC Videos With 100 Creators 18:45 - Building Creator Momentum From A Cold Start 23:45 - Using Creator Purchases To Generate Social Proof 27:25 - Why Fresh Content Is Essential For GMV Max 32:42 - Automatic Versus Manual GMV Max Campaigns 36:39 - Targeted Collaborations Versus Direct Messages 38:55 - Structuring Commissions And Managing Product Samples 43:11 - How TikTok Shop Sales Create An Amazon Halo Effect

We've followed the growth of BK Beauty since its launch seven years ago. Paul Jauregui co-founded the direct-to-consumer cosmetics brand in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Lisa. Host Eric Bandholz has interviewed him multiple times since then.The company had hit $1 million in first-year revenue when they first spoke in 2020. Then in 2023, Paul shared the business's early wins with TikTok Shop, a new marketplace.The potential U.S. ban of TikTok in 2025 contributed to BK Beauty moving away. But the hiatus was short-lived.In this latest conversation, Paul addresses the company's return to the platform, success with Ulta Beauty, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/bk-beauty-doubles-down-on-tiktok-shopFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

If you sell on Amazon, there's a chance you're missing out on money without even realising it.Lost inventory, invoice discrepancies, overbilling and fulfilment issues can all add up over time, but many sellers never spot them, let alone know they can claim the money back.In this week's episode, I'm joined by Liam from Threecolts to talk about Amazon reimbursement claims, how they work, what Amazon sellers should be checking, and why recovering lost revenue doesn't have to become another job on your to do list.We also explore marketplace expansion and how brands can grow onto platforms such as TikTok Shop, Temu and Walmart without creating unnecessary manual work.Whether you're an established Amazon seller or you're starting to think about expanding beyond your own website, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you make informed decisions and protect your profitability.Find Liam and the team here:Website: threecolts.comInstagram : threecolts_comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/threecolts/posts/?feedView=allLET'S CONNECTFollow me on YouTubeFind me on InstagramWork with me Buy My Book: Bring Your Product Idea To LifeIf you enjoy this podcast, and you'd like to leave a tip, you can do so here: https://bring-your-product-idea.captivate.fm/supportMentioned in this episode:Amazon Made Easy is now openMy membership, Amazon Made Easy is now open. It's a membership for people who are selling on Amazon (or planning to) and want regular access to support, somewhere to ask questions and talk things through, and a bit of structure and accountability as they grow. Inside, there are live Q&A calls, optional co-working sessions and a small, supportive community. Find out more: https://vickiweinberg.com/membership membership

Amazon is testing MCF with Prime. Walmart and TikTok Shop sales are absolutely booming. 10 new AI features that will help your Amazon, Walmart, or TikTok Shop business. These and more on today's Weekly Buzz episode! 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.   Walmart e-commerce sales surge as CEO touts 'price, speed and convenience' https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/walmart-e-commerce-sales-surge-ceo-touts-price-speed-convenience TikTok Shop is driving more online sales in the US than Target and other major retailers https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-shop-us-spend-is-larger-than-target-costco-data-2026-8 10+ New AI Features For Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok Shop Seller Pulse — A near-real-time dashboard widget for monitoring sales, orders, units sold, ad spend, conversion rate, TACoS, and other metrics across Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok Shop. Ads MCP Write Capabilities — Users can create advertising campaigns, add keyword targets, and manage bids directly through the Helium 10 MCP using Claude, ChatGPT, or another compatible AI assistant. Walmart Ads in MCP — Users can analyze Walmart advertising performance, ask questions about campaign data, and make changes to Walmart campaigns through the MCP. B2B Metrics in Profits — Helium 10 Profits now separates B2B and B2C orders, allowing sellers to compare business-customer sales with regular consumer sales. AWD Inventory Visibility — The Inventory Levels page now displays Amazon Warehousing and Distribution inventory, including inbound AWD units and inventory moving from AWD to FBA. Keyword Tracker MCP Write Capabilities — Users can check whether keywords are already being tracked, add missing keywords, and start tracking products directly through the MCP. Review Insights in MCP — Users can access Amazon review-analysis data, identify positive and negative review themes, and compare an ASIN's reviews against its broader category. TikTok Influencer Search in MCP — Sellers can find TikTok creators based on niche, keywords, sales generated, units sold, follower count, and other performance criteria. TikTok Product Search in MCP — Users can discover top-performing TikTok Shop products based on niche, GMV, sales period, and other filters.  TikTok Top-Performing Video Search — Sellers can identify which TikTok videos generated the most GMV for a specific product.  TikTok Creator Identification — Users can find the creators responsible for the highest-performing videos associated with a TikTok Shop product.  Additional MCP Credit Packs — Users who reach their MCP credit limit can now purchase additional credit packs through the Plans and Billing section of Helium 10. In episode 549 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Bradley talks about: 00:00 - Introduction 00:54 - Amazon MCF Prime Coming? 02:54 - Walmart Online Sales Booming 04:24 - TikTok Shop Sales Booming 06:11 - 10 New AI Features For Amazon/Walmart/TikTok Shop

TikTok Shop isn't just a sales channel. It can be the top-of-funnel engine that creates demand across your entire ecommerce ecosystem.Jordan West sits down with Noah Almanzar from Read Arest to unpack Noah's journey from 3D printing and launching his own product to helping grow a Shark Tank brand through TikTok Shop.The conversation turns into a live consulting session as Jordan and Noah break down the real constraints facing the brand: building an engaged creator community, increasing AOV, making creator commissions attractive, navigating GMV Max with a low-ticket product and measuring TikTok Shop's halo effect on Amazon.You'll learn:- How product-content fit can drive organic TikTok virality- How Read Arest grew from $3.5K to $22K in monthly TikTok Shop GMV- How to approach creator community building when response rates are low- Why AOV matters for creator recruitment and profitable scale- How TikTok Shop can generate demand that spills over to Amazon- Why TikTok, Meta and marketplaces should operate as one connected ecosystemTikTok Shop can create the attention. The bigger opportunity is understanding how that attention translates into profitable revenue across the rest of the business.Need help scaling your TikTok Shop?Visit https://socialcommerceclub.comSubscribe for more TikTok Shop, GMV Max and social commerce strategies.

Javier Urdaneta of MONAT joins Direct Approach to explore direct selling's social commerce opportunity. Learn how MONAT is using TikTok Shop, authentic creator content and field training to reach new customers while complementing its direct selling model. Javier also shares lessons on product strategy, technology integration and why companies should start experimenting now.

Sweetwater has a reputation that arrives before the box does. Ask any working musician and you get the same two details without prompting, the candy and the phone call.Laura Smith is Vice President of Marketplaces at Sweetwater Sound, the nation's largest online musical instrument retailer, and hers is the job where that reputation is easiest to lose, because she is the one selling Sweetwater's products on somebody else's storefront.She starts somewhere unglamorous. Consistency begins in the product data, and on a catalog as large as Amazon's the real risk is listing a product against the wrong page, one a retailer usually did not write. When the page is wrong, her team routes the fix back to the brand and will execute it on their behalf.What she is most direct about is fulfillment. Sweetwater keeps its Amazon business through the third-party site specifically so it can control that, which means the guitars still go through a 55-point inspection, still sit in a humidity-controlled warehouse, and still get packed the same way. The warehouse never learns which channel the order came from, and customers who arrive through Amazon get routed back to Sweetwater's own service team.On AI in content she answers yes, and then fills in the second half that usually goes missing. Humans first, because Sweetwater sells to musicians who research deeply before they buy. AI shows up as throughput rather than authorship. She also makes the case that Amazon is an opportunity rather than a competitor, and extends the same logic to LLMs and TikTok Shop without overselling how far along any of it is.Guest: Laura Smith, Vice President of Marketplaces, Sweetwater Sound Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026. To learn more about our at-event interviews, go to talk-commerce.com/events

If Amazon is already handling your pick, pack, and ship, why are you juggling a separate fulfillment setup for TikTok Shop sales? I was reading a Google News piece earlier, and here's the scoop: Amazon's Multi-Channel Fulfillment is now accessible through TikTok Shop via nine connector apps. This isn't just a tech update, it's a shift for operators managing brands at every level. Picture a brand doing around $40,000 a month. They hit a decision point: use Amazon's fulfillment power across channels or drown in operational chaos. Here's the playbook: Audit your current MCF eligibility before diving into TikTok Shop. Not every SKU in your FBA catalog is ready for Multi-Channel Fulfillment. Categories matter. If you're eyeing TikTok Shop but dread a second fulfillment nightmare, this episode's for you. The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast is here to help you streamline and scale. Implement with us. Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com: https://voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep-draft

TikTok Shop does far more than generate in-app sales; it can also drive millions of impressions that boost revenue across Amazon, D2C, and physical retail. This social exposure creates real pricing power. SmartScout's alum Michael White leveraged TikTok traction to sell his product for $65, while competitors remained stuck at $45. The data proves this spillover effect. Every million TikTok views can generate $16,000+ in off-platform Amazon revenue, with some brands earning up to $6.70 elsewhere for every dollar made on TikTok. This halo effect breaks down into three buckets: Direct (in-app sales) Indirect (immediate off-platform purchases) Untraceable (long-term brand awareness and word-of-mouth). Even major retailers such as Walmart now actively ask suppliers for their TikTok strategy because social buzz directly drives store foot traffic. Ultimately, winning brands are comfortable breaking even on TikTok Shop knowing the real margin expansion will show up on their Amazon and retail balance sheets. Episode Notes: 00:09 - The TikTok Shop Halo Effect 00:45 - The Power of Impressions 01:01 - Anecdotes from the Frontlines 02:05 - Measurable Data Points and Studies 04:13 - Categories of the Halo Effect 05:45  - The Walmart Perspective and Offline Retail Impact 06:12 - Strategic Losses and the Flywheel Effect 07:20 - Tools, Feedback, and the Road Ahead Related Post: Amazon Brands with Successful TikTok Shop Grow 5.2x faster 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

TikTok Shop is not just another sales channel. For modern consumer brands, it can become the attention, proof and demand engine that drives growth across the entire business.In this episode, Jordan West breaks down the lessons from Bloom's TikTok Shop strategy and what founders and operators can learn from its approach to creator volume, product launches and cross-channel growth.Jordan explains why brands need to move beyond an obsession with on-platform ROAS and start measuring the broader halo created by social commerce — including Amazon sales, D2C traffic, branded search, retail lift and other measurable signals.You'll learn:- Why TikTok Shop is creator commerce with checkout attached- How creator density helps brands discover repeatable winning angles- Why creators need guardrails, not overly restrictive scripts- How TikTok Shop can drive demand for launches and hero products- Why the halo effect matters when evaluating profitability- What brands should measure beyond direct TikTok Shop revenue- How creator content, TikTok Shop, GMV Max, Amazon, D2C and retail can work as one growth flywheelThe opportunity isn't simply to generate more TikTok Shop revenue. It's to build a system where creator attention produces measurable demand across every channel where customers choose to buy.Need help scaling your TikTok Shop?Visit https://socialcommerceclub.comSubscribe for more TikTok Shop, GMV Max and social commerce strategies.

We're back with another episode of The Double Cleanse, and this week James and Robert are diving into their current favourite products… alongside some wild TikTok Shop trends that are driving them crazy. After opening with memories of filming for a blood donation campaign back when it became legal for gay men to donate in the UK (they were pale and nearly fainting… and the footage was apparently too unusable to ever air), the twins share embarrassing health moments – including the time a doctor spilled Robert's urine sample ALL over the clinic floor and then cleaned it up while he sat there mortified. They also have their current go-to products – including the Korean sunscreen with niacinamide meaning it doesn't sting the eyes, the flat brushes that actually push product INTO your skin, and the cloudy serum with salmon egg DNA that brightens and rejuvenates. They also tackle the ridiculous TikTok Shop trends going around – people stitching videos claiming "he doesn't get Botox, he uses this!"- and the bizarre toothpaste trend where people put their finger in the back of their mouth to determine if they need mouthwash. The logic? Non-existent. The content? Everywhere. Don't forget to subscribe and catch new episodes of The Double Cleanse every Monday! Follow The Double Cleanse Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedoublecleansepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedoublecleanse⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedoublecleanse⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abbie Bekov (Head of Paid Media) shares her expertise in advanced paid media strategies and the best ways to leverage ad spend for maximum performance, including GMV Max ad campaigns.Working with The Amie TikTok Agency for who has become both a TikTok Marketing Partner and a TikTok Shop Partner, making them one of the go-to agencies for brands that want to convert attention into real revenue. She and her team specialize in creating original and trending content, running highly effective TikTok ad campaigns, and building engaged communities that feel authentic and connected.Highlight Bullets> Here's a glimpse of what you would learn…. Importance of upper funnel campaigns for brand awareness and community engagement.Strategies for optimizing GMV Max ad campaigns on TikTok Shop.Role of affiliate marketing in enhancing campaign performance.Product lifecycle management: Cold Start, Mature, and Hero products.Setting and adjusting ROI targets for effective campaign performance.Analyzing content performance to inform affiliate strategies.The significance of community building and creator relationships in TikTok Shop success.Techniques for boosting content and maximizing engagement.Managing product cards and their impact on sales.Best practices for handling promotions across different sales channels.In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley speaks with Abbie Bekov, Head of Paid Media at Amie, about maximizing TikTok Shop's GMV Max ad campaigns. Abbie debunks the "set it and forget it" myth, explaining that success requires upper funnel brand awareness campaigns, strong affiliate relationships, and strategic product segmentation across Cold Start, Mature, and Hero lifecycle stages. She emphasizes starting with conservative ROI targets, ensuring consistent ad spend before scaling, and using attribution tools to measure cross-channel impact. Abbie's key takeaway: TikTok Shop demands intentional community building, not just media buying.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Treat GMV Max as a system—not a tool Don't “set and forget.” Review campaigns weekly, adjust creatives, and intervene when spend or performance drops.Build demand before conversion Run consistent upper-funnel campaigns (views, engagement, followers) to fuel affiliates, boost product card conversions, and create a halo effect.Segment products by lifecycle to scale smarter Categorize SKUs into cold, mature, and hero—then tailor budget, targeting, and ROI goals for each stage to avoid wasted spend and accelerate winners.Timestamps:00:03:35 Introduction to GMV Max CampaignsAbbie discusses the misconception that GMV Max campaigns are "set and forget," highlighting the need for hands-on optimization.00:05:14 The Importance of Upper Funnel CampaignsAbbie explains why running non-GMV Max campaigns like video views and follower campaigns is non-negotiable for brand building.00:08:15 Targeting and Insights from Top-of-Funnel AdsDetails on targeting strategies for upper funnel campaigns and how learnings from them inform the affiliate and GMV Max strategy.00:13:01 A Framework for Structuring GMV Max CampaignsAbbie outlines a three-pillar campaign structure based on product lifecycle: Cold Start, Mature, and Hero products.00:16:20 Setting and Scaling ROAS TargetsAdvice on setting initial ROAS targets, when to scale them, and using budget spend percentage as a key indicator.00:19:29 The Halo Effect of Upper Funnel on GMV MaxExplaining how top-of-funnel brand awareness campaigns indirectly boost GMV Max performance, traffic, and affiliate interest.00:22:10 Manufacturing Virality and Building a Creator CommunityThe discussion shifts to the necessity of intentionally building buzz and relationships with creators to succeed on TikTok Shop.00:28:57 Tactics for Optimizing Within GMV MaxAbbie shares a tactic of manually creative boosting high-potential content that the GMV Max algorithm might be overlooking.00:33:24 Profitability and the Halo Effect on Other ChannelsDiscussing the path to profitability on TikTok Shop and the importance of measuring the sales impact on Amazon and DTC.00:39:37 Cross-Channel Strategy and TikTok Shop ExclusivityThe importance of making TikTok Shop the most desirable sales channel during promotions by offering exclusive deals or bundles.00:40:56 Three Actionable TakeawaysJosh summarizes the key strategies: start with top-of-funnel ads, scale ROAS when spending 80%+ of budget, and structure campaigns by product lifecycle.Resources mentioned in this episode:Josh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comTools and Websites"Phospho": "00:38:43""Claude AI": "00:43:50"Books"Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza": "00:43:16"Notable People"Julia (CEO of Amie)": "00:44:22"General Insights"GMV Max": "00:03:58""Upper Funnel Campaigns": "00:05:14""Affiliate Strategy": "00:12:54"Episode Sponsor:This episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. I started my business in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.If you've hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then email me at josh@ecommbreakthrough.com and in your subject line say “strategy audit” for the chance to win a $10,000 comprehensive business strategy audit at no cost!Transcript Area:Abbie Bekov 00:00:00  So usually in every campaign we're running anywhere from like 2 to 4 different audiences in the campaign. And then each campaign, we have content that's kind of specific to that audience. So we're always running lifestyle product education. We try to keep it pretty broad, because the goal for these campaigns is really to get awareness of the brand. All this content that we post for our clients who are very TikTok shop focused. We post with TikTok shop product tags. We're not necessarily doing it to turn all of that into immediate revenue, but we're doing it to put it into our video views campaigns so that somebody sees it. Maybe they'll click the product link, maybe we get boosted traffic, but they just will continue to see content show up. The branch are up again and again with that product link. So when they're ready to buy, when they go down the funnel, th...

Sometimes your cat will be diagnosed with diabetes because he was addicted to getting UTIs so the emergency vet had to inject him with steroids that cause the pancreas to act up which will ultimately cost you ten thousand dollars!!! This episode is basically a PSA to get the pet insurance btw!!!Then we dive into The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: stone fruit season, taking the decorations down after the party, and people who are judgmental about doing AC on and windows open at the same time (live a little!) THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM:SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:Substack: @samgeorgsonFOLLOW THE PODCAST:Instagram: @pessimisticatbestTikTok: @pessimisticatbestFacebook: @pessimisticatbestWebsite: pessimisticatbest.comFOLLOW SAM:Instagram: @samgeorgsonTikTok: @samgeorgsonYouTube: @samgeorgsonWebsite: samanthageorgson.com

Amazon limiting written reviews for customers to read, Helium 10 MCP hackathon contest with big prizes, and new Helium 10 ChatGPT plugin. We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's Manager of Education and Strategy, Carrie Miller. 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.   Amazon Limits How Many Reviews Shoppers Can Read https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2026/08/16/amazon-limits-how-many-reviews-shoppers-can-read/ Helium 10 Hackathon Helium 10 is launching an MCP and Prompt Hackathon where sellers can submit their best Claude skill, prompt, or both for a chance to win prizes worth up to $4,500. Submissions should demonstrate creative ways to use Helium 10 data to save time or money, improve efficiency, increase sales, or accomplish things that weren't possible before MCP. Finalists may present their creations during a live webinar on September 3 at 8 a.m. Pacific, giving sellers a chance to learn from each other and discover new ways to use MCP. Prizes include up to a full year of Helium 10 Diamond plus Amazon gift cards. **Submit your skill or prompt by the September 1 deadline at http://h10.me/hackathon.** Trade Court Upholds the End of De Minimis: What the “Detroit Axle” Ruling Means for Ecommerce https://www.ecomm-alliance.org/blog/trade-court-upholds-the-end-of-de-minimis/ New Helium 10 ChatGPT Plugin Helium 10 has launched its new ChatGPT plugin, giving Diamond plan members and above direct access to the full Helium 10 MCP experience inside ChatGPT. Once installed and connected, users can tap into 70 different tools covering keyword and product research, competitor analysis, listing optimization, historical rank, search volume, pricing, sales velocity, P&L, advertising, inventory, and more—without downloading and uploading reports. By pulling directly from actual Helium 10 and Amazon data, the integration also helps reduce AI hallucinations and makes analyzing seller data faster and easier. Usage counts toward the same combined 1,000 MCP call limit per billing cycle. Amazon Solution Provider Services: New Seller Central Authorisation Process Starting 8/10/2026 https://ecomranker.com/amazon-seller-central-authorisation-process-2026/ Harvest SQP Keywords with AI Bradley introduces the new Search Query Performance Outperformer Skill for the Helium 10 MCP, designed to uncover high-opportunity keywords by analyzing a full year of SQP data and identifying terms where your product converts better than the market. The skill cross-checks Keyword Tracker, Cerebro, and Helium 10 Ads to find outperforming keywords you aren't tracking, keywords with weak organic or sponsored visibility, and advertising opportunities where you should add a target or increase your bid. What could take an hour of manually downloading and comparing reports can be completed in about a minute, and with the new Helium 10 Ads write capabilities available to Elite members and coming soon to Diamond, the MCP can even implement keyword and bid changes for you. To get the skill, comment “I need the SQP Outperformer Skill” below and we'll send you the download link. New AI Agent For Amazon Keyword Research Helium 10 has launched Helium, its new built-in AI agent, in beta for Diamond members and above. Think of it as having an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Claude directly inside Helium 10, without needing an outside subscription or using external AI tokens. Because Helium connects directly to Helium 10 data, it can quickly run analyses across tools like Cerebro, Search Query Performance, Keyword Tracker, and Helium 10 Ads, helping identify keyword gaps, analyze sales and conversion performance, compare listings with competitors, audit advertising, and more. Helium is also being built with Helium 10-specific knowledge, allowing it to proactively surface insights and opportunities beyond what you explicitly ask. Future capabilities are expected to include custom dashboards, scheduled tasks, and more advanced workflows. Diamond and Elite members can find “Ask Helium” inside Helium 10 and start testing the beta now. Amazon Prime Air drone delivery is expanding to nearly 500 US cities and towns this year https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/amazon-prime-air-drone-delivery-expansion That's a wrap for this week's Weekly Buzz! We hope you found these updates helpful and are ready to put them into action. Be sure to check back next week for the latest Amazon, e-commerce, and Helium 10 news. Until then, we'll see you next week to find out what's buzzing! In episode 547 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Carrie talks about: 00:00 - Introduction 00:44 - Amazon Limiting Reviews? 02:31 - Helium 10 Hackathon 05:45 - Trade Court Upholds De Minimis Ruling 07:31 - New ChatGPT Amazon Plugin 09:54 - New Authorization Process for Service Providers 10:58 - Harvest SQP Keywords with AI 14:56 - New AI Agent For Amazon Keyword Research 20:27 - Amazon's Prime Air Drone Delivery

In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley shares nine vital lessons from over a decade of e-commerce experience, having scaled his own brand from zero to eight figures. He covers key topics including the difference between opportunistic selling and true brand-building, the importance of hiring top talent, Amazon's continued dominance, the challenges of omnichannel selling, cash conversion cycles, and return on invested capital. Josh also warns against comparing yourself to other brands. He closes with a bonus lesson reminding entrepreneurs that family and relationships ultimately matter more than business success.Bullet Points:Key differences between building a brand and opportunistic selling in e-commerce.Importance of hiring talented individuals for business growth and success.The dominance of Amazon in the e-commerce landscape and strategies for leveraging it.Challenges associated with building an omnichannel brand across various platforms.Significance of having a sustainable business money model, including customer retention strategies.Necessity of active management and adaptability in the fast-paced e-commerce environment.Understanding and optimizing return on invested capital (ROIC) for financial health.Dangers of comparing one's business to others and focusing on personal growth instead.Importance of cash conversion cycle in scaling an e-commerce business effectively.Emphasis on prioritizing family and relationships over business achievements for personal fulfillment.Timestamps:00:00:54 Lesson 1: Brand Building vs. Opportunistic SellingDefining the difference between building a true brand with a customer journey versus being an opportunistic arbitrage seller on Amazon.00:06:43 Lesson 2: The Best ROI is PeopleHiring talented people who are smarter than you provides the greatest return on investment and leverage in your business.00:09:21 Lesson 3: Amazon is Still KingAmazon will continue to dominate e-commerce, so entrepreneurs should lean into its strengths rather than trying to diversify away completely.00:11:42 Lesson 4: The Difficulty of Building an Omnichannel BrandBuilding a successful omnichannel brand is extremely difficult because each platform (Amazon, Shopify, TikTok) requires a completely different skillset.00:14:49 Lesson 5: The Importance of the Money ModelA business model with compounding customers, like subscriptions, is ten times easier to scale than one focused on front-end acquisition.00:18:17 Lesson 6: Active Management and Adaptability are RequiredE-commerce is not a "set it and forget it" business; it requires constant learning, adaptation, and active management to succeed.00:21:13 Lesson 7: Understanding Return on Invested CapitalKnowing your return on invested capital is a critical, yet often overlooked, metric for making smart inventory and business decisions.00:25:02 Lesson 8: Avoid Harmful ComparisonsComparing your brand to others is damaging because you don't know the financial reality or unique circumstances behind their success.00:29:39 Lesson 9: Cash Conversion Cycle is EverythingThe time it takes to get your capital back after investing in inventory is the key constraint to scaling an e-commerce business.00:35:57 Bonus Lesson: Family and Relationships Matter MostThe greatest fulfillment in life comes from family and relationships, not from the money or success achieved in business.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites"Amazon": "00:00:00""Shopify": "00:00:00""TikTok Shop": "00:00:00""FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)": "00:10:48""AWS (Amazon Web Services)": "00:10:48""Meta (Facebook/Instagram)": "00:12:49"Podcasts and Videos"Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast": "00:00:00""Podcast on Building a Brand": "00:04:48""Podcast on Cash Conversion Cycle": "00:34:39"Summary of Lessons"Opportunistic Selling vs. Building a Brand": "00:00:54""People Over Everything": "00:07:51""Amazon's Dominance": "00:09:49""Omnichannel Challenges": "00:11:42""Compounding Customer Base": "00:15:55""Active Management": "00:19:04""Return on Invested Capital": "00:22:14""Avoiding Comparisons": "00:25:02""Cash Conversion Cycle": "00:29:39"Bonus Lesson"Family and Relationships": "00:36:32"Transcript:Josh Hadley 00:00:00 Today, I'm going to share with you the top nine vital lessons that I have learned while selling in the e-commerce space for over a decade. Welcome to the Econ Breakthrough Podcast! I'm Josh Hadley. I've scaled my own ecommerce brand from 0 to 8 figures, and I'm actively building towards nine figures in sales. This podcast is where I document that journey and share the systems, the strategies, and the lessons learned in real time so that you can learn what actually matters and scale your own business. My name is Josh Hadley. First and foremost, I'm a man of faith. I'm a husband to a beautiful wife and the father of four children. I've been selling in the e-commerce space for over a decade, doing over $20 million in annual revenue and selling multi-millionaire on channels such as Amazon, Shopify and TikTok. Shop. And last but not least, I am also the host to the number one business strategy podcast for eCommerce entrepreneurs, which is E-com breakthrough. As we dive in today, I'm going to be sharing with you the top nine lessons that I have learned that I wish I would have known and had.Josh Hadley 00:00:54  These lessons kind of taught to me prior to starting in the e-commerce space over a decade ago. These are going to go in ascending order. And so when we get to number nine, this is what I believe is one of the biggest lessons that I learned and the biggest lesson that I wish I would have understood. And the biggest thing that I'm trying to communicate to anyone that is starting in the e-commerce space here, brand new today. So here's lesson number one. Lesson number one is defining the difference between an opportunistic e-commerce opportunity versus actually building a brand. Those are two very, very different things. And honestly, in the number of conferences that I go t...

TikTok Shop is reportedly testing a paid Shop Plus membership that could offer free shipping, discounts, and coupons as the platform looks to keep shoppers from leaving for Amazon. Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn discuss whether TikTok's rapid growth and social-first shopping experience could make Shop Plus a genuine threat to Amazon's ecosystem. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/VL3Q373gkfY

TikTok Shop isn't a side channel — it's an operational commitment.In this episode, Jordan West sits down with Harvey Bremner, COO at Social Commerce Club, to unpack what fast-growing brands get wrong about operations, AI, and social commerce.They break down the visionary–integrator relationship, why founders eventually become the bottleneck, how AI should be built around connected business context, and why TikTok Shop requires far more operational depth than most brands expect.You'll learn:Why growth creates operational bottlenecks• How visionary founders and integrators can work together effectively• Why AI strategy should focus on business context, not just which model you use• Why TikTok Shop requires more people, systems, and attention than traditional channels• The three traits of a strong social commerce strategist: marketing ability, project management, and curiosity• Why brands should stop treating TikTok Shop like a test or side projectIf you're going to commit to social commerce, operationally commit to it.

Is your Amazon FBA brand missing out on TikTok Shop sales? Neil Twa dives into the latest Google News piece that reveals TikTok Shop's growing influence in the US market, challenging giants like Target. Neil shares insights from his own portfolio, highlighting how one operator in the Voltage community scaled from $30,000 a month by tapping into TikTok Shop's potential. Learn the three critical moves to audit your catalog for TikTok readiness, focusing on products with visual appeal and clear use cases. This episode of The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast is a wake-up call for sellers at every level to expand beyond a single channel and harness the power of TikTok Shop. Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com: https://voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep361

How can you get your books surfaced when readers ask an AI what to read next? What are the hallmarks of authors and businesses that last more than a decade in the indie author industry? Ricardo Fayet gives his marketing tips after more than a decade at Reedsy. In the intro, Expanding Your Book's IP through Merchandising [Wish I'd Known Then]; Guide to writers conferences [Kindlepreneur]; Rick Rubin and Stephen Pressfield on resistance and the muse [Tetragrammaton]; Pulitzer Prize winners disclose AI usage [Nieman Lab]; My new rebuilt fiction site JFPenn.com. Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, self-publishing with support, where you can get free formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Just go to www.draft2digital.com to get started. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Ricardo Fayet is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Reedsy, a marketplace for writers to find vetted freelancers, author training courses, and lots more. He's also the author of How to Market a Book and Amazon Ads for Authors. 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. Show Notes How AI search actually finds and ranks the books it recommends Why keywords and search volume are disappearing as marketing metrics Building an internet footprint so your book is worth recommending Why Claude leans on Goodreads while ChatGPT and Gemini lean on Reddit Product is more important than marketing, and how to find your comp titles Passion, business sense and resilience in the authors who last You can find Ricardo at Reedsy.com. Transcript of the interview with Ricardo Fayet Jo: Ricardo Fayet is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Reedsy, a marketplace for writers to find vetted freelancers, author training courses, and lots more. He's also the author of How to Market a Book and Amazon Ads for Authors. So welcome back to the show, Ricardo. Ricardo: Thank you, Jo. It's been a while. Jo: It has been a while. As we were saying, it's been a decade, which is crazy, because you and I see each other at events and things. For anyone who doesn't know you— Tell us a bit more about you, where you're from, and also, what is Reedsy these days and how have things changed? Ricardo: Yes, sure. I think I'm hard to dissociate from Reedsy because my only background really is Reedsy. We started Reedsy right after business school for most of the founders. There are four founders, and I'm one of them. We've been going since 2014, so it's been 12 years. We started around the same time, and you started even earlier than we did, but we've had the chance to meet at quite a few conferences since. I think the main thing we're still known for is our marketplace. Since the very beginning, Reedsy is a curated marketplace where authors can come in and look for editors, cover designers, marketers, ghostwriters, literary translators, author website designers, pretty much any freelancer you would ever need to hire throughout your writing career. That's how we started. That's our main source of revenue and our main business. Since then, as you mentioned, we've also added courses, live events, so we've got a membership under Reedsy Learning. The main thing we're proud of right now is our writing tool, Reedsy Studio, because we've been pouring a lot of engineering talent into it over the past five, six years, and I think it's a really cool writing tool that is 90% free. It also does the formatting, so it's a good alternative to Vellum or Atticus for those who haven't purchased those tools. So there's a lot of things that Reedsy does at this point, which always makes it hard for me to describe what we do. Jo: But you generally serve writers. That's probably the crux of it. Ricardo: Exactly, yes. We're mostly at the production stage. The thing we say is we help authors make beautiful books, right? That's a little bit the tagline that applies to 90% of what we do, though we also help a little bit with the marketing side of things. Jo: And then just tell people where your accent is from. Ricardo: So I'm half French, half Italian from my parents, and I was born in Spain. So depending on my mood and the moment, it might be anywhere from French, Italian, Spanish. It's anyone's guess, really, at this point. Jo: Yes, exactly. You've been part of the indie author ecosystem, as you said, since 2014. You're often at the author conferences, and you stay abreast of everything that's going on. So what are the biggest changes you've seen in the industry since you started out? Like you said, you guys came from business school. You chose to come into the industry at a particular point, and yet things have changed. So what do you think are the biggest changes, and how have you seen authors adapt? Ricardo: It's crazy, the amount of things that happened in the past 10 years. Obviously we came into the industry as a result of Amazon launching Kindle Direct Publishing, and then the Kindle Store becoming one of the number one places where people buy books. That's what enabled self-publishing in the first place as an industry, and obviously we wouldn't exist without self-publishing being a thing. But then I think probably one of the biggest changes that happened was the introduction of Kindle Unlimited and various other subscription models. Perhaps as a response to that, afterwards, I would say direct sales is the other massive change that happened in the industry. The ability for authors to sell direct to their readers via their websites, or running Kickstarters, or basically the ability to reach your customers directly. Now, obviously, artificial intelligence is probably the biggest change of them all, not just in publishing, across every industry, but of course it's going to affect publishing very strongly, or it has already started making big waves. So I would say those are the three main changes that we've seen happening in the industry. Jo: Just interestingly, given that you're French, Italian, Spanish, European— Has the pace of change been the same in mainland Europe? Because you and I have also met up at European conferences, but I just get the sense that each individual European country, the UK included, as I include the UK in Europe, goes at a different speed. Ricardo: No, they definitely do. Our market at Reedsy is all in English. We only have an English website, and I would say 70% of our market is US, then 15% UK, and then Australia, New Zealand, et cetera. We do have clients in continental Europe, but they're mostly going to be American or British expats. A lot of retired people who write books and use Reedsy services. I think the main reason for that is that self-publishing as an industry hasn't really grown in Spain, France, Italy the way that it's grown in the US and the UK, probably because these are countries where book buying habits are a lot more traditional. So all my friends from high school and university in France, they all buy books, they all buy paper books. They all buy from bookstores. They don't really buy from Amazon that much. They love the smell of paper, all these sorts of things. So obviously that makes it harder for indie authors in those countries because they cannot place their books in the places where people buy them, which is traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores, or at least it's much harder. So there is an indie movement in those countries, but it's much smaller. I would say Germany is maybe the exception in Europe, where I've seen more and more full-time indie authors, but I don't think it's a market that's comparable even to the UK. Jo: Interesting. Okay, so let's go to marketing, because you love marketing, you have a newsletter about it, and you have a book, How to Market a Book, same title as mine, and we've found each other in our Also Boughts over the years. You have, however, updated yours several times. 2025 was your last update. Mine was 2016, so yours is definitely the most up-to-date one. So what are your thoughts on how authors can reach readers now? And let's split this into two. Let's start with some tips for new authors who just have maybe one book and are really just starting out. Ricardo: Yes, first of all, sorry for stealing your title. Jo: Oh, you know, it's never been a problem. Ricardo: We were trying to come up with something… I know, I know, I know. But still, we wanted something more original, and then we realised that for SEO purposes, that's the title we should really go for. The good thing is, if you search “how to market a book” on pretty much any retailer, you're going to find your book or mine in any order really, but those are going to be the top two books to this day, thankfully, so I'm good with that. I think in terms of marketing tips for new authors who have just the one book, I'd say, despite all the changes in the industry, the basics of marketing still stay the same. One of my big mantras when it comes to marketing is that product is more important than marketing. So having a great book is going to be more important, in my opinion, than being a great marketer. Having a great product. By that, I generally don't talk about literary value or prose or anything like that, just because I'm not a book critic. I'm not an editor. My opinion on whether a book is good or not is worth zero. From a marketing standpoint, for me, a good book is one that resonates with its intended audience. So the first step for newer authors is to basically figure out who they wrote this book for, right? Have an idea of who their target market is. A great way to do that, without entering into marketing jargon like proto-personas and stuff like that, is to think in terms of comp titles, comparable titles. I think that's probably the base of any marketing, whether traditional publishing houses or indie authors, to think, “Okay, which other books out there are similar to mine?” If your book is completely unique, you have, I would say, 99.9% chance of not selling, because your market doesn't exist, and 0.01% chance of creating your own market and completely dominating it, right? So being unique is not necessarily a bad thing, but I would say 99% of the time, it is. Obviously being unique within an existing niche, within an existing market, that's completely different, but you need to work on some comparable titles. So I would say that's where I would start, and that's one of the things that AI is great at. If you even just plug in your book into an AI chat that has enough context, if you're comfortable doing that of course, or if you plug in a synopsis, like a long synopsis, you can basically ask the AI chats, “Okay, what would be some comp titles?” Either you'll have heard of those books, and you'll think, “Okay, they're good comps,” or you may not have heard of them, in which case I would really recommend buying them and reading them and seeing whether they're comps or not. I think that's where marketing starts. Jo: Yes, and we might come back to that for book discoverability. Well, let's just talk about it now, because I now pretty much use Claude for discovering books as well. I just find that the Amazon search, for nonfiction it works really well, right? As you said, if you want to learn how to market a book, you just search “how to market a book”, and our books are very well titled for that. But for fiction, it's so difficult to find new books and comp titles, especially if you don't write in a clear genre, which I don't. I know lots of people do. So we're writing cross-genre. So in terms of book discoverability, I know you've been looking into SEO for books and all of that. What are your thoughts on how authors can more effectively have their books surfaced if people are using the AIs for finding books? Ricardo: That's a very big topic. That's one of my favourite topics right now. That's what I talk about in my marketing newsletter, and I want to start a Substack on the topic as well, because I think it is the future of book discoverability. As you say, search on Amazon isn't great, and if it's not great on Amazon, you don't even want to imagine on Google Play, Kobo, all these sorts of places, right? If you search on Kobo or Apple Books or Google Play for witch cozy mysteries, the top 10 books are going to have exactly “witch cozy mystery” in the title or the subtitle or the series title, right? Jo: Yes. Ricardo: Search is very simple on those sites, so it's very easy to game, but it's terrible as an experience for readers. So I do think that a big part of search is going to move to AI, and now you have Rufus within Amazon itself that appears as a chatbot and encourages you to talk with it, to ask for recommendations. In the beginning Rufus was really terrible, but now I recommend authors play with it. In general, I recommend when it comes to AI discoverability that authors play with all the AI search tools. So it's going to be Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Rufus within Amazon. Just like we talked about comp titles, right, ask for something like, “What would you recommend for fans of this book? Which other books would you recommend?” Or if you're looking for something specific that describes your book, what books would you recommend on… I think one of your examples was fiction around masonry or something like that, right? Jo: I always say, for example, if you ask for action adventure thrillers on pretty much anywhere, you're going to get 20 books by male authors. For those of us who are female authors, but also who have female main characters, you can then be far more granular. That's just not something that necessarily works on Amazon. So, action adventure thrillers with female protagonists written by female indie authors, which is very specific. That will work in AI, whereas that definitely won't work on Amazon. Ricardo: Exactly. So one of the great things about AI search, and terrible things at the same time, is that the concept of keyword is lost, right? So we title our books How to Market a Book because the keyword that people would search for is “how to market a book”, or “book marketing for authors”. Those were the two keywords that had the biggest search volume if we looked at Google Keyword Planner, or any search tools that give you keyword volume. When it comes to AI search, since it's conversational, and it's very personalised, and it can go as niche as you want, keywords are going to disappear, and search volume as a metric is going to disappear. The search you just told me about, maybe there are 10 people who are going to run it exactly. Most people are going to run variations of that. Since you can go as granular as you want, it's going to be very long phrases, very long sentences. So the whole concept of keywords, search volume, SEO, is going to disappear in favour of what some people call GEO, generative engine optimisation, AIO, AI optimisation, AI search optimisation. There's a bunch of names for it, but it is a different discipline. It still works on the basis of Google SEO because what most of these search engines will do is they're going to search the internet, right? They've been trained on a lot of information, but not all of that information is current. Most of these models have been trained on documents and web pages before 2021. That's why when you used the very early versions of ChatGPT, and you asked it about current events or current books, it didn't find it. It didn't have that information. Now all these models have the ability to search the web, and they do that really effectively. So the first thing they're going to do if you run a search like that is they're going to run dozens of different searches on Google or a similar search engine. Action thriller books with female protagonists. Action thriller books with female protagonists by indie authors. Action thriller books by indie authors. They're going to create what I call a corpus, so a massive document of information with candidates, books that probably meet those criteria that they have found through regular web searches. Then they're going to go through all those books and determine which are the most relevant to recommend, and they'll return with that. Then they'll usually have a verification layer as well, which is, okay, I have these five books that I want to recommend to this user, but I just want to make sure first that they are written by indie authors, that they do have a female protagonist, et cetera. And if I'm not able to verify that, I'll flag it in my answer to them. So there are these three layers. Web search, then ranking of the book candidates, and finally a verification layer, and then they serve you the answer. Obviously, that's really powerful. If that's the way that search is headed, which I firmly believe, then we as authors need to learn how to get our books in there. Jo: Yes. It's so interesting, and I do this all the time. Really niche stuff, like a thriller about anatomical Venuses, which are these models from anatomy museums and stuff like that, with an edge of the supernatural. What is brilliant is that you can find the books that come up. I actually got one that I read and reviewed, and it was fantastic. So I love the more granular thing, but we're really in the very long tail now, right? It feels like you can write a very nuanced book, and it will be surfaced, but only by a few people. So do we have to write our books and then try to not even retrofit them in the way that we used to? We used to try and figure out the seven keywords and all of that kind of thing, and now I almost feel like we just get to be grownups, where you just get to write the book and put it out there, and these things are more intelligent than the search terms. Ricardo: Yes, absolutely. I think in terms of the variety of books that are going to be read and discovered, that's amazing. A little bit like the whole indie publishing movement was amazing, because if you remove the traditional publishing gatekeepers, then suddenly zombie books aren't dead anymore. Zombies are alive again. They've… Jo: Come to life. Ricardo: They've come alive, and so you get a bunch of zombie books again. It's not a small niche audience. It's actually a pretty big niche audience that loves zombie books, and suddenly they have those to consume. This is a little bit similar on a much, much bigger and more granular scale, because anyone can find exactly the kind of book that they're looking for, with the tropes they want, with the type of characters they want, with the type of author they want, and you can basically use any kind of filter. So for discoverability on the side of the reader, that's great. For the authors, it doesn't mean that you can just write whatever you want and then rest, and readers will find them. Because your books still need to have generated a certain internet footprint and a certain review footprint in order to become interesting or recommendable to AI search engines, right? Unless you're the only book that an AI search engine can recommend for that specific search, and yours was very specific, so it might have been the only one. If there are other candidates, the AI search engines are pretty smart. They're going to recommend the candidates that have more reviews, better reviews, or are more famous, that have more, when I talk about internet footprint, more pages talking about them on the internet. That's for me the big finding I've seen. The more pages you have on the internet talking about your book, so that could be book review sites, that could be Goodreads lists, Listopia lists, anywhere on the internet where your book is mentioned, that creates a footprint for it. The more footprints, the more famous your book looks to AI search engines, and so the more worthy of recommendations it is to them. Jo: Yes, and this is one reason why I now ask people, especially when you sell direct, or say you have a Kickstarter and you want reviews, I ask people if they can review on Goodreads. Obviously Goodreads is owned by Amazon, but it is far more searchable by the bots than Amazon is. I sometimes find that Amazon gets blocked. Or Amazon blocks some of the bots, let's put it that way. They might change over time. They own 15% of Anthropic or something. But Goodreads I feel like does get indexed, and I'm not willing to engage on Reddit. I know Reddit is another popular one. Just be very clear on social media, because some people think, oh, I just need loads of influencers to talk about my book, and that will impact the AIs. But I find that social media just almost isn't even there. Ricardo: It depends on which social media. For me, Reddit is a social medium, right? It's a very weird one, but it's obviously the number one social medium used by AI search engines, and it's pretty dodgy stuff with lots of conflicts of interest, because Google has a paid partnership with Reddit. I think Sam Altman has shares in Reddit. So both OpenAI and Google Gemini heavily rely on Reddit for their AI answers, right? If you ask anything from ChatGPT or Gemini, I'd say there are very high chances that in the sources and the citations of the answer, you're going to find Reddit, right? That goes for books as well. Every time you ask for book recommendations, Reddit is going to be big for those two AI search engines. Claude, it's a little bit different. They do have a little bit of a relationship with Reddit, but I don't think it's as big. I found that Claude relies heavily on Goodreads, not Reddit. To me, Goodreads is another social medium at the end of the day, right? It's not the kind of social medium we think of, like… Jo: It's not TikTok. Ricardo: It's not TikTok. TikTok is surfaced a little bit, but not that much. It might become more surfaced in the future, but right now what I've found is, it's really Reddit and Goodreads. Facebook, LinkedIn, but LinkedIn is big for nonfiction topics more than fiction, because there are just not a lot of fiction readers, sorry, talking about their favourite books on LinkedIn. They usually go to other places for that. Jo: Yes, it's really interesting. So obviously TikTok has its own BookTok thing, so some people are finding books on BookTok, and some people like me are finding books through asking Claude, and that's just my overwhelming feeling about the industry. We talked earlier about what's changed. When I started, so 2006, there wasn't even KDP, and then KDP arrives, then you came in 2014, and probably until maybe a few years after that, there was one way to self-publish. Then what's happened since is this kind of splintering. There are so many ways to self-publish. There are so many ways to reach readers. There are so many ways to market. So someone, for example, could sell direct on TikTok Shop, only market through TikTok, and you wouldn't even know that they existed over in another ecosystem, right? So do you feel like that's happened too, this total splintering? Ricardo: Absolutely. I think there are so many different ways in which you can reach your audience now and monetise it as well, that it's absolutely possible. We both know examples of authors who are only visible to their TikTok niche, right? I think the big difference is also monetisation, because earlier you also had different ways of becoming well-known. Like you had Facebook, you had potentially Twitter, back when it was Twitter. Various social media, word of mouth. But where people bought books was Amazon. So that was your monetisation. It was either selling your book on Amazon, or potentially getting KU reads after that when KU launched. Now you can sell on TikTok, you can sell direct, you can run Kickstarters, you can start a Patreon or Substack and make your money through there. There are pretty much infinite ways through which you can monetise your content as a creator. Most of those places will also have a discoverability engine built in, so you can not only sell through there and make money through there, but also grow an audience there. That's probably the biggest competition that Amazon has ever had to face, is this sort of splintering. For us authors and content creators in general, it's amazing, because it's a bunch of different opportunities. Jo: Yes, and I think probably that's circling back to marketing. As we've said, some things have changed, some things stay the same. Is the email list still the number one way to market, do you think, for authors who want a long-term career? Ricardo: I think so. It's just the one thing you really own that allows you to communicate with readers, right? Because even if you build a following on TikTok, TikTok can change. The things we said about Facebook 10 years ago, if you build your Facebook group, Facebook can change, and Facebook changed. Facebook destroyed the reach of pages, and now groups also aren't amazing, et cetera. So the same thing that happened to Facebook can happen to TikTok, can happen to any other social media. Substack is a bit of a hybrid because it is a newsletter, it is a mailing list, but it also has a discoverability engine built in. So I still wouldn't really go all in on Substack. The great advantage there is that you do own the emails, right? So you can move away from it at some point. For me, the email list is the one thing that you are completely in control of. Personally, the main thing I check is my emails every day. I spend more time in my inbox than anywhere else, and I think that's probably the case for most people. So I do think, despite the influx of mails that readers are getting in their inbox, I still think it's one of the most important marketing tools for authors. Jo: Yes, and I still remember when I started my list in December 2008, and I still have people on the list who've been with me that whole time, and have moved email list services several times as well. So I think that's important too. The care of that list too is so important. One of the things that I am annoyed about with Substack, I don't have a Substack, but when I follow some people's, it's always constantly trying to get you to sign up to other people's lists, trying to subscribe you to this or that or the other. I'm like, “That's so annoying.” Now I've found on all these email services they're trying to pair you with other creators and cross-promote and all of this. So it feels like even the email list is becoming a difficult place unless you really protect it. So just protecting your list, I think, and remembering that those are people. Those are people who've bought your books, or people who read your emails. Like people listening to this, these are humans. Sure, some bot might be looking at the transcript, but humans listening to this are individual humans with individual email lists. We tend to forget that, don't we, as you get a bigger list. You think about it as a big number, whereas it's still individual people. Ricardo: Yes, it becomes a number, it becomes metrics, the open rate, the click rate, and all that. But the great thing about email is that you get replies in your inbox. There you remember that they're actual human beings who write you back. I think for readers, the ability to write back to an author and get a response is just amazing, right? If you write to your favourite author and they write back to you, that's the best feeling ever as a reader. So I think email is still one of the best ways to turn your readers into fans and into super fans of your brand, by just interacting with them and answering them. Because yes, you can answer comments on TikTok, Facebook, and all those places, but it doesn't feel the same as an author answering you in your inbox, I feel. So you do get that ability to create a real connection with readers directly through email. Jo: Yes, and I think that trust and the reputation is so important. Just in terms of seeing the authors that you've seen over the years, like I said, you've been going to a lot of the author conferences. You know a lot of the authors in the industry. A lot of people will know you from events. But you've also seen authors come and go, and you've seen vendors come and go. Both of us have seen people arrive, and we'd be like, “Oh, yes, I wonder how long they're going to last.” Then some people do and some people don't. So what are some of the elements that you've noticed about the businesses that last more than a decade? Ricardo: I think they need to solve a genuine problem, or offer a genuinely better solution than one that already exists. I see a lot of businesses come in and they do what another vendor already does, without doing it necessarily better. Those businesses tend to disappear, or linger there, but you don't really hear about them again. When they solve a real need… I still remember when BookFunnel came out, and they've since become massive with one very, very basic thing, which is, “We will take care of delivering your ebook files to readers.” That's how they started, and that's how they became massive. To me at the time, I was like, “That seems like a very small problem,” because I can just email an ebook file. I didn't realise that it was so complicated for a lot of readers to upload files to their Kindle or other devices, and that having a service that takes care of that for you is just massively helpful. I realised that when I published my books, actually. So businesses that solve even micro or apparently very small problems, but they really solve them effectively, they stay. Others that surf on trends, they tend to disappear when the trend disappears. When there's a new marketing trend, and that trend stops working, then those businesses tend to go. Jo: Yes, and what about the authors who last? Because let's face it, most of us don't solve a problem in a different way. Maybe you could say we solve your entertainment problem in a different version to your last book. What about the authors who last long term? What have you noticed about them? Ricardo: Two things. So the first one… Maybe three things. First one is passion. I always say to people who are looking to start self-publishing, I always say that publishing in general is probably one of the worst ways to make money. It's awful. You can pick up any other occupation and it's probably going to be easier to make money. So writers who make a career do it because they need to write, because they have a passion for writing. So a lot of people who come into the industry thinking, “I've heard about all these self-publishing success stories. Surely I can write a book and I can market it. It's not that hard. So that's going to be a great way to make quick bucks,” those generally don't last, because they don't have that genuine passion. The first hurdle they're going to face—and there's going to be a bunch of them along the way—they're going to quit. The second thing is business sense, or business education, the basics of business, right? Thinking in terms of marketing, thinking in terms of who's my reader, unit economics. If I'm selling my books at $3.99, I shouldn't be spending a ton of money. If I just have one book at $3.99, I cannot afford to pay $5 on ads to generate a sale. So those kinds of basic economics or business knowledge, I think, if not a requirement, it's a massive plus. The third thing is resilience. The industry has changed a lot, as you mentioned. There are a bunch of ways now to reach an audience. There are a bunch of ways to make money. It can also be distracting, because you go to one of these conferences and you go back thinking, “Oh, I've got to create my own website, sell direct. I've got to launch my Substack. I have to use Claude Code for my ads,” and three more things, “and I have to set up my TikTok Shop and do TikTok Lives to sell books,” right? Jo: All of those by next week. That's why we go to the conference. Ricardo: Exactly. All those by next week, right? And during that one week after the conference, you have the energy to start implementing all those things, but afterwards you lose that energy and you go back to, “I just want to quit.” So you need to have some sort of resilience, and the business sense of, “Okay, I'm going to try this for the next six months, and I'm going to stick to it, and I'm going to see whether it works or not. And if it doesn't work, I'm not just going to despair. I'm going to try something else.” That goes for marketing tactics, but also goes for books. Most authors I know who make a living writing, they didn't get there with their first book or even their first series. A lot of times I see authors who write a couple of series, and those series do okay. They sell a little bit, but not much, and it doesn't afford them to quit their day job. Then suddenly, based on what they've learned with those first two series and what they've learned potentially going to conferences or listening to podcasts like this, et cetera, they write a third series that's a hit. That's a hit, and that's instantly much easier to market, and that's when they can afford to go full time and write full time, because they've found that sort of product market fit. And product market fit for me is the main thing for marketing in general and for authors in particular. Until you find that, everything is really difficult from a marketing perspective. But finding it usually requires writing more than one book and more than one series, because you're rarely going to get the big lottery ticket on the first try. Jo: Or ever. I think it's really important. I've never had a breakout book, but I've made good money every year. I think, and Hugh Howey said this, that the real story of self-publishing is not the people who make seven figures a year, it's the people who can go on a holiday once a year, or the people who can just put a bit towards their mortgage or whatever. So you may never have a breakout series. I think that's really important, too. Ricardo: That's true. Jo: That's true. You can just keep writing and make all right money and be what we call in the mid-list. Ricardo: Yes, but you've got to keep going. You've got to have that resilience to keep going, probably because it's your passion. Exactly. You're not chasing that seven figure series. You're writing because you need to write. Jo: Yes, and you can't stop, and you get the bug. I think when you're writing that first book, I'm not sure if people understand that you either get the bug or you don't, I think. You've written a couple of books now. Do you think you have the bug, or is it more about the business? Ricardo: I don't have the bug. I definitely don't have the bug. I would've kept writing otherwise. Jo: You're a technologist, right? Ricardo: Yes. I'm more of a technologist, more of a marketer. To write my first book, How to Market a Book, I actually had to write newsletters, because that I can manage, right? One newsletter a week. Now I don't even manage that. I send it once every two weeks when I can even manage that pace. But back then I did one newsletter a week, and that's how I wrote my first book. I then put all these newsletters together, and that was before the age of AI, so I couldn't just dump all that into ChatGPT and tell it, “Create me a book based on that.” I had to do it myself. Jo: Oh, terrible. Ricardo: Terrible, I know. The days when we had to work. No, but that was a really good experiment. The second book, Amazon Ads for Authors, I actually wrote it from scratch, and I didn't love the experience. I loved the finished product, I'm very proud of it, but I didn't enjoy the experience of writing it. Amazon Ads is not the most exciting topic in the world. Even for people like me, who actually enjoy Amazon Ads, it's not super exciting to write about. The fact of having to write that whole book from scratch, I didn't love the experience. So now I do want to write a third book at some point, but I think it'll probably be in the format of the first one. Like, when I finish my series of newsletters on AI search and AI discoverability, I might do a booklet or something around it, but we'll have to see. It's not my favourite thing. It's a good thing I don't need to. Good thing I'm not an author, basically. Jo: No, but I think that's really great to recognise. You actually have written books that support your business, and that is very common for nonfiction writers. That's completely normal for nonfiction authors. So I think that's another important thing for people to recognise, is that the reasons we write are different, the reasons we market are different, and we all have different approaches. As we wind up, and obviously you talked a bit there about how easy it is to generate books with AI, and that is probably one of the biggest things that people are worried about. Now, those of us like you and I have been talking about AI at conferences and things for years now. Neither of us are afraid of it, I think basically because both of us use it, and we're technologists, so we just get on with it. There is so much fear in the community. There's so much negativity. You mentioned Substack, and now they've integrated Pangram, which is renowned for false positives around what is written with AI, and so people are very worried. If we look forward and we look at the next decade, this is not going away. This is going to change a lot of things. So how should authors be thinking about AI, do you think, if they want to prepare for the next decade? Ricardo: I think they need to play around with it, because you and I know that until you actually use it, you don't realise what it's capable of. We've both had these moments of “Oh my God, I'm going to be out of a job,” or “Oh my God, this is incredible,” the kind of things it's able to do. You also realise by using it the things it's not great at, or the things it can be good at but needing a lot of human input. There are courses out there, there are books, there are a lot of things, but for me, the most important thing is to start playing around with it. So you can pick one specific topic to play around with. Either something that you've been meaning to get into for years and haven't done, or something that really annoys you. Looking at the results of your Facebook ads, for example. If you run Facebook ads in the first place, and when you log into your Meta dashboard you cannot make sense of it, take screenshots or download the data, feed it to an AI chat, and talk with it. One of my biggest tips when talking to AI chats is asking them questions rather than asking them for things to do. Because if you just feed it your advertising data and you tell it, “Tell me what I should do,” the chat has no context about what your ads are about, what your goal is, et cetera, et cetera. If you feed it just a screenshot and you say, “Here are my ads. I would like you to help me make sense of them. What do you need to know from me in order to help me with this?” Then it's going to start asking you questions. “Okay, what are you advertising?” They're books. “Okay, what kind of books? Where are you selling? Are your ads going straight to Amazon or retailers, or are they going to your website? If you sell direct, okay, are these conversion ads?” Et cetera, et cetera. So you build that context, and they can help you with it. So that's just one example, but I would pick one thing that you want to test AI with, with zero expectations. Don't expect that by the end of the week you'll have a full system for understanding your Meta ads thanks to AI. You might get to that or you might not, but at least you'll play with it and you'll understand its capabilities, and have a sort of understanding of how it works and how you can potentially use it for other things. I think that's the best way to adapt, because once you play with it, you start thinking. You're walking the dog and you're just thinking, “Ha, I could maybe use it for this thing or that other thing,” and that's how you progressively become more familiar with it. I think there are a lot of worries around AI, but as you say, it's there to stay. So far, I think I was looking at data this morning, and the unemployment rate in the US has stayed stable ever since ChatGPT was introduced two years ago. So there are a lot of narratives out there around how it's going to replace humans, it's going to replace jobs, et cetera, which it might do. I'm not great at predictions usually, but so far it hasn't. What it will definitely do, however, is completely change the way we work. Obviously AI was one of our big reckonings at Reedsy, because we run a marketplace. Our main business model is the marketplace, where authors come in and look for editors, for marketers, for cover designers, for translators, and some of these domains and services are being transformed by AI, right? AI translations are massive right now. We haven't really seen a decline at all on the Reedsy marketplace, but we're prepared for it. It might very well happen, but what we think is happening, or is going to happen, is professionals using AI tools to provide a better output or a faster output or a cheaper output, or all three of these things. So for example, we now have literary translators who say they're open to editing AI translations, right? So you can come in, you can have your book translated with AI, whichever tool or method you choose for that. Then if you want a set of human eyes on it, you can hire a literary translator who's open to working on an AI-translated manuscript, and that's obviously going to be much, much cheaper than paying 10 cents per word from scratch for a literary translator. I'm not necessarily recommending you completely bypass literary translators, or that you go this way, but you have options, right? You have options for different sets of budgets. I think all these human editors, narrators, translators, designers, et cetera, they're not going to disappear, but they might have to reinvent the way they work in the future. Jo: As we all are doing. As you say, for me mostly it's the business side, getting Claude to help me with business stuff. Like even bookkeeping. There are bills that we've all been paying for years that we can now maybe reduce, and reducing costs as well as increasing profit is obviously good business sense. So, interesting times. But just as we wrap up, what are you excited about in what's coming? How do you see Reedsy shaping up in the next decade? What is coming for you and Reedsy? Ricardo: We're really excited about the decade to come, because obviously 10 years for a startup is a long time. I think most startups after 10 years, the founders are gone. Jo: Yes. Ricardo: Or they've exited or they've sold or whatever. We've stayed, we're the same founders, and we're still as excited because I think we have new products, right? We're working on new things. As I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, Reedsy Studio, our writing tool, is probably one of the things we're most excited about, because first, it's getting adopted very fast. It has startup-like growth that we hadn't seen for other products in a long time, and it has very cool technology built in. We probably have a team of 10, 15 engineers now working full time on it and adding a lot of things. So we've added templates for plotting your book, with relationships within different characters and places and magic systems and things like that. We've added writing goals and writing statistics. We still have the free exports. One very cool thing we've added is real time collaboration. So just like Google Docs, you can write in real time with a co-author, or you can get an editor to work in there live with track changes. So you could have an editor working on chapter one while you're writing chapter three, for example. That kind of thing. It's really powerful technology, and that's one of the things we're really excited about for the future. A business, just like authors, we've got to reinvent ourselves. We've got to find ways to keep things exciting and keep motivated, and that is definitely one of them. When adoption goes along with it, then that's obviously super satisfying. Jo: Brilliant. So where can people find you and Reedsy online? Ricardo: So Reedsy you can find at reedsy.com, R-E-E-D-S-Y.com. And there you'll find the whole suite of tools and services. For me, you can find me mostly by email, as I mentioned. That's the one place I check consistently every day, and my email address is ricardo@reedsy.com. So again, R-E-E-D-S-Y.com and ricardo@reedsy.com. You can email me any questions you have about this episode, about AI book discoverability, about marketing, about Reedsy. I always try to answer every email I get, because I think when we started Reedsy, I really appreciated people like you, and some other agents and editors and authors we contacted who were influential in the industry, who actually answered us and took the time to do that. So now I try to answer every email I get, because I feel like we've been very lucky in the beginning to have those people answering our emails, so we should do the same. Jo: Oh, well, thanks so much for your time, Ricardo. That was great. Ricardo: Thank you, Jo. Thanks for having me again.The post Book Marketing, AI Book Discoverability, And Resilience, With Ricardo Fayet first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Most operators hear 'AI operating system' and picture another dashboard they will ignore by Thursday. Here's the uncomfortable part. The brands ignoring it are the ones watching their margins disappear. Neil Twa, host of The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast, breaks down why adopting an AI operating system is crucial for FBA sellers in 2026. I was reading a Practical Ecommerce piece earlier that covered the latest tool launches, and a few things jumped out at me immediately. Whatnot just raised five hundred forty-five million dollars, highlighting the massive shift in ecommerce. Neil shares insights from a brand in his portfolio that's making waves with multi-channel liquid chalk markers across Amazon, Walmart, Target Plus, TikTok Shop, and Shopify. This isn't a tiny brand, it's a real retail footprint with real results. For sellers at every level, Neil outlines three moves you need to make right now: audit your tool spending, focus on margin, and streamline your operations. If you're feeling overwhelmed by more channels, more tools, and the same twenty-four hours, this episode is for you. Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep360 Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com: https://voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep360

Help an Operator Out (HAOO) is a series where real business owners join the podcast with live questions. In this episode, Christopher Francis (Founder & CEO, Home Plunge) brings the hardest problem in year one: growing without doing every job himself. He turned a personal need into a $1.4 million business in a year and a half. The conversation covers pricing and offer strategy. It also gets into Amazon, TikTok Shop affiliates, and AI support. Sean pushes for a sale structure built for a high-consideration purchase. Mike frames the manual support work as margin compression Christopher isn't tracking. It's the same problems most seven-figure founders eventually face. Powered By Fulfil https://9ops.co/fulfil Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Northbeam https://www.northbeam.io/ Saras Analytics https://bit.ly/4a3gzVv More from the OperatorsOperators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/

SmartScout is expanding beyond Amazon with new TikTok Shop data after six months of research and development. The new tools track TikTok Shop trends, top products, estimated sales, market share, categories, sellers, and product variants. Scott explains why TikTok Shop reminds him of Amazon 10 years ago and why social commerce is creating new opportunities for brands. The data also reveals major differences between Amazon and TikTok Shop. Brands that dominate Amazon aren't always the biggest TikTok Shop sellers, while newer brands can quickly rise through creators and social content. SmartScout has also connected TikTok Shop products to Amazon categories, allowing sellers to compare marketplace performance and drill down into specific products and variants. Scott also shares his biggest surprises, including the strength of women's apparel, the number of Chinese sellers, and how aggressively some established brands are embracing TikTok Shop. He then explores whether TikTok Shop could eventually compete with Amazon, how creators and GMV Max create a content-to-commerce flywheel, and why connecting TikTok Shop and Amazon data matters. Episode Notes: 01:40 - From Amazon to TikTok Shop 02:30 - The Evolution of Social Commerce and TikTok Shop 03:05 - Building Tools for Market Intelligence 03:45 - TikTok Shop vs. Amazon 04:30 - New Feature Launches for TikTok Shop Analysis 05:00 - Surprises and Key Learnings from the TikTok Shop Seller Map 06:30 - Pioneering Amazon-TikTok Shop Connections 08:40 - Launch Incentives and Community Feedback 09:19 - TikTok Shop's Unique Brand Landscape 11:35 - Will TikTok Shop Beat Amazon? 13:30 - The Need for a TikTok Shop-Focused Conference 16:00 - What Sets TikTok Shop Apart? 18:20 - Future Directions and Feedback Invitation Related Post: Amazon Accelerate Coupon Code: Save $50 With SmartScout 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  

AI search is becoming another major discovery channel for ecommerce brands — but showing up in an LLM recommendation requires more than simply applying old-school SEO tactics.Jordan West is joined by Emma Robinett from Relevance.com to unpack how AI search works, what signals appear to matter, and how brands can build the authority needed to compete for visibility.They cover the role of schema and website content, comparison pages, digital PR, third-party mentions, reviews and creator content. They also explore why social search matters and how TikTok Shop discovery can create a halo effect that influences searches and purchases across Amazon, DTC and other channels.You'll learn:- What brands should prioritize for AI visibility- Why unique content and first-party insights matter- How comparison content helps answer high-intent searches- Why third-party reviews and PR strengthen brand authority- How creator content contributes to discovery and trust- Why social search is reshaping the ecommerce buyer journey- How to think about attribution when discovery happens across multiple channelsThe takeaway: AI search, social search, TikTok Shop, Amazon and DTC shouldn't be treated as isolated channels. Brands that build authority and demand across the ecosystem are better positioned to turn attention into measurable growth.

Screw The Commute Podcast Show Notes Episode 1160 Today we're going to do part three of our photo management course. And we're calling this Declutter Your Phone, and mostly iPhone stuff here, but you Android users, you take the idea and I don't know how to do it on Android, but they'll do just about all the same stuff. So just take the idea and then go to YouTube or something and you'll be able to figure it out for your phone. And if you missed part one and part two, Part 1 was 1150 and Part 2 was 1155. Publicity Masterclass - https://www.screwthecommute.com/publicity Podcasting Masterclass - https://www.screwthecommute.com/pod Launch Team - https://www.ScrewTheCommute.com/launchteam Please watch this short trailer to the end and leave a comment - https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEntrepreneurFilm/videos/558575401181955 AI Hacks - https://www.ScrewTheCommute.com/aihacks AI Hacks Video Masterclass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miJed0mCFHQ Professional Speaking Masterclass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFLR1MLTnf0 Email Marketing Masterclass - https://youtu.be/_wlvw073xP0 How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Higher Education Webinar – https://screwthecommute.com/webinars See Tom's Stuff – https://linktr.ee/antionandassociates 00:23 Tom's introduction to Photo Management Part 3 02:10 Your Library is full of the pictures you love 05:00 Remember that delete means DELETE, and deleting duplicates 09:18 Backing up your photos and using iCloud Entrepreneurial Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Higher Education Webinar - https://screwthecommute.com/webinars Screw The Commute - https://screwthecommute.com/ Screw The Commute Podcast App - https://screwthecommute.com/app/ Screw The Commute Podcast Producer - https://screwthecommute.com/larryguerrera/ College Ripoff Quiz - https://imtcva.org/quiz Know a young person for our Youth Episode Series? Send an email to Tom! - orders@antion.com Have a Roku box? Find Tom's Public Speaking Channel there! - https://channelstore.roku.com/details/267358/the-public-speaking-channel How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Retreat and Joint Venture Program - https://greatinternetmarketingtraining.com/ This is the shopping cart system Tom uses! Kartra - https://screwthecommute.com/kartra/ Copywriting901 - https://copywriting901.com/ Become a Great Podcast Guest - https://screwthecommute.com/greatpodcastguest Training - https://screwthecommute.com/training Disabilities Page - https://imtcva.org/disabilities/ Tom's Patreon Page - https://screwthecommute.com/patreon/ Tom on TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@digitalmultimillionaire/ Email Tom: Tom@ScrewTheCommute.com Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Related Episodes Photo Management For Beginners - https://screwthecommute.com/1150/ Photo Management Part 2 - https://screwthecommute.com/1155/ TikTok Shop - https://screwthecommute.com/1159/ More Entrepreneurial Resources for Home Based Business, Lifestyle Business, Passive Income, Professional Speaking and Online Business I discovered a great new headline / subject line / subheading generator that will actually analyze which headlines and subject lines are best for your market. I negotiated a deal with the developer of this revolutionary and inexpensive software. Oh, and it's good on Mac and PC. Go here: http://jvz1.com/c/41743/183906 The Wordpress Ecourse. Learn how to Make World Class Websites for $20 or less. https://screwthecommute.com/wordpressecourse/

Ryan Cohen may pull the $56 billion eBay bid. Bloomberg reported Monday that GameStop is weighing a partnership instead, opening roughly 1,600 stores to eBay for cards and collectibles while taking board seats. Reuters could not independently verify it. The 9.8% stake GameStop disclosed in July is what makes the governance ask possible.QVC is out of Chapter 11 with more than $5 billion less debt, a $600 million ABL facility, and Mike George back as interim CEO. Creditors took equity and equity took seats. The one name worth watching built TikTok Shop.Numerator puts 22% of US households on a GLP-1, double the October 2023 reading. Those households spend almost 4% less at grocery after a year, pulling out of pantry staples and into protein and skin care. Nearly two-thirds of former users quit inside six months.Shein's Hong Kong IPO filing shows US revenue down more than 3%, Q1 US sales down 14%, and a $99 million quarterly loss against $395 million a year earlier. Services revenue grew 40%. Brand enablement runs at twice the company margin on 1% of revenue.The Watson Weekly is sponsored by Avalara. Learn more at avalara.watsonweekly.com#ecommerce #retail #Shein #GameStop #eBay #QVC #GLP1 #DTC

If you scroll social media right now, you'll probably land on a teacher revamping their reading corner like it's a home renovation reveal, then a TikTok Shop haul of classroom must-haves you didn't know you needed nine seconds ago, then someone who built an entire year's curriculum with AI in under a minute. And somewhere underneath all of it is this creeping feeling that you're already behind, and the school year has hardly even started. In this episode, I'm telling a story about a veteran teacher I worked next door to early in my career, and why I think about my mistake in emulating her every time some new pendulum swing happens in education. And, I discuss how a lot of what shapes our thinking about teaching no longer originates from trainings or mentors or our own gut instincts and professional expertise. It's coming from whichever five seconds of video happened to outperform in an algorithm built to sell ads, not to teach well. The truth is that you don't have to teach like the teacher down the hall, and you don't have to teach like an IG influencer. You just have to keep asking the question I had to learn the hard way: is this authentic to my teaching philosophy, or am I performing someone else's idea of what a good teacher looks like? Listen in. Or read the transcription here.  

Join the Millionaire University AI Mastermind at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/AI #1038 What if you could make multiple 5-figures from “introvert side hustles” without ever becoming an influencer? In this episode, host Kirsten Tyrrel sits down with Megan Spencer (“Meg the Creator”), a small-town, introverted mom who helps people build high-income side hustles through UGC, Amazon onsite commissions, TikTok Shop, and freelancing — no followers required. Megan shares how she quit her government job on maternity leave, burned out as a social media manager, then rebuilt her income by focusing on authenticity and income over aesthetics. She breaks down exactly how beginner-friendly UGC platforms work, why brands are shifting budgets away from traditional influencers, how creators can land their first paid deals and free products, and why niching down can actually hurt you at first. If you've ever felt “too introverted,” “too normal,” or “too late” for the creator economy, this conversation will show you practical, low-barrier ways to start making real money online! (Original Air Date - 12/12/25) What we discuss with Megan: + Balancing motherhood, business, and side hustles + “Anti-influencer” income without followers + UGC basics and starter platforms + Amazon reviews as passive income + TikTok Shop viral commission story + Pros and cons for introverts + When to niche vs stay broad + Stacking UGC, Amazon, and TikTok + Freelancing as a flexible option + Mindset shift: followers vs income Thank you, Megan! Check out Meg the Creator at ⁠MegtheCreator.com⁠. Follow Megan on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠. Watch the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠video podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ of this episode! Get your FREE 5 Minute Business Plan at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/Plan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/Sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Bradley shares 10 new tools and strategies for Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Walmart sellers, covering AI research, ad tactics, inventory, indexing, and smarter profit tracking. What if you could uncover keyword indexing problems, research entire Amazon niches with AI, monitor sales across marketplaces, and find new advertising opportunities in a fraction of the time? In this episode, Bradley Sutton breaks down 10 new Helium 10 tools and strategies, plus 2 bonuses, built to help Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Walmart sellers make faster, more informed decisions.   The episode dives heavily into new Helium 10 MCP capabilities, including Black Box Niche research, historical price, BSR, review, and search volume data, Index Checker, Product Targeting, and competitor research. Bradley demonstrates how these tools can work together with Claude to uncover niche opportunities, analyze competitors, identify keyword gaps, and find potential product targets without jumping manually between multiple reports.   There are also updates designed to improve everyday operations. Sellers can now check keyword indexing directly from Keyword Tracker, use prebuilt advertising tactics and bid rules, monitor TikTok Shop performance through Seller Pulse, view Walmart inventory levels, account for indirect business costs inside Profits, and gain greater visibility into AWD inventory. Each feature is connected to a practical strategy for protecting profitability, improving advertising, or spotting problems before they become bigger issues. The biggest takeaway is that these aren't just new buttons to click. They're opportunities to combine AI, automation, and better data into smarter workflows for your e-commerce business. Whether you're researching your next product, optimizing PPC, watching inventory, or figuring out why a keyword suddenly stopped ranking, the right data can help you act faster and make better decisions before your competitors do. In episode 546 of the AM/PM Podcast, Bradley covers: 00:00 - Introduction 01:27 - Keyword Tracker Index Checker 04:57 - Niche MCP 08:00 - MCP History - Price, BSR, Reviews, Search Volume 11:16 - Amazon Ads Tactics 15:56 - Index Checker MCP 18:21 - TikTok Shop Seller Pulse 20:09 - MCP Product Targeting 23:48 - Walmart Inventory Levels 24:53 - MCP Competitors 29:02 - Amazon Indirect Costs 31:20 - AWD Inventory

TikTok Shop is on track to hit one hundred billion dollars in gross merchandise value by 2026, driven by U.S. sales. Yet, many FBA operators are still on the sidelines, debating whether to jump in. Neil Twa, host of The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast, breaks down this massive opportunity and what it means for your brand. He shares insights from a mid-sized home goods brand already seeing success on TikTok Shop, and offers three actionable moves for sellers at any level. Audit your top SKUs for TikTok viability, focus on visual products, and don't miss out on this growing marketplace. Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=epNone Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com: https://voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep-draft

Screw The Commute Podcast Show Notes Episode 1159 Today I'm going to tell you about TikTok Shop. You've probably heard about that a lot of times and wondered what the heck is it and how could you use it. Well, you'll find out in this episode. Publicity Masterclass - https://www.screwthecommute.com/publicity Podcasting Masterclass - https://www.screwthecommute.com/pod Launch Team - https://www.ScrewTheCommute.com/launchteam Please watch this short trailer to the end and leave a comment - https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEntrepreneurFilm/videos/558575401181955 AI Hacks - https://www.ScrewTheCommute.com/aihacks AI Hacks Video Masterclass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miJed0mCFHQ Professional Speaking Masterclass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFLR1MLTnf0 Email Marketing Masterclass - https://youtu.be/_wlvw073xP0 How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Higher Education Webinar – https://screwthecommute.com/webinars See Tom's Stuff – https://linktr.ee/antionandassociates 00:23 Tom's introduction to TikTok Shop 01:26 Don't build your entire business on social media 03:34 Earn money in two ways, and being an affiliate 05:50 This is an additional revenue stream Entrepreneurial Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Higher Education Webinar - https://screwthecommute.com/webinars Screw The Commute - https://screwthecommute.com/ Screw The Commute Podcast App - https://screwthecommute.com/app/ Screw The Commute Podcast Producer - https://screwthecommute.com/larryguerrera/ College Ripoff Quiz - https://imtcva.org/quiz Know a young person for our Youth Episode Series? Send an email to Tom! - orders@antion.com Have a Roku box? Find Tom's Public Speaking Channel there! - https://channelstore.roku.com/details/267358/the-public-speaking-channel How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Retreat and Joint Venture Program - https://greatinternetmarketingtraining.com/ This is the shopping cart system Tom uses! Kartra - https://screwthecommute.com/kartra/ Copywriting901 - https://copywriting901.com/ Become a Great Podcast Guest - https://screwthecommute.com/greatpodcastguest Training - https://screwthecommute.com/training Disabilities Page - https://imtcva.org/disabilities/ Tom's Patreon Page - https://screwthecommute.com/patreon/ Tom on TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@digitalmultimillionaire/ Email Tom: Tom@ScrewTheCommute.com Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Related Episodes 360 Degree Cameras - https://screwthecommute.com/1158/ More Entrepreneurial Resources for Home Based Business, Lifestyle Business, Passive Income, Professional Speaking and Online Business I discovered a great new headline / subject line / subheading generator that will actually analyze which headlines and subject lines are best for your market. I negotiated a deal with the developer of this revolutionary and inexpensive software. Oh, and it's good on Mac and PC. Go here: http://jvz1.com/c/41743/183906 The Wordpress Ecourse. Learn how to Make World Class Websites for $20 or less. https://screwthecommute.com/wordpressecourse/

TWS News 1: TikTok Shop – 00:24 $50K Challenge – 3:46 Your Car’s Name – 6:58 TWS News 2: Zuckerberg the Fighter – 10:46 Email – 14:21 Scoop: Stinky Foods – 17:27 TWS News 3: Mosquitos – 19:21 Rock Report: Disney Punk – 21:21 Dumb Ways to Die – 24:04 $50K Challenge – 27:16  You can join our Wally Show Poddies Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/WallyShowPoddies This podcast is crowd funded - that means that you help make it possible. If you like it and want to support it, give here.

TikTok Shop USA sales are booming. There are some new regulations for packaging if you're selling in Europe, and the most-requested tool for MCP for Helium 10 is now available. These stories and more on today's weekly buzz!   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.   TikTok Shop's U.S. GMV Nearly Doubles to $11.8B in H1 2026 https://www.netinfluencer.com/tiktok-shop-us-gmv-nearly-doubles-to-11-8b-usd-in-h1-2026/ Why China's traders, e-commerce merchants feel boxed in by new EU packaging rules https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3363746/why-chinas-traders-e-commerce-merchants-feel-boxed-new-eu-packaging-rules Most Asked For Helium 10 MCP Update Helium 10 has launched Black Box Niche for MCP, giving sellers the X-ray-style data they've been asking for directly inside Claude. Instead of researching keywords one at a time with the Chrome extension, users can analyze multiple niches at once and compare metrics like search volume, top-product revenue, number of listings generating over $5,000 in sales, and how many top products have low review counts. The feature makes it much faster to compare market opportunities and competition across multiple keywords using the Helium 10 MCP.   How Amazon's AI shopping assistant makes hundreds of millions of products feel personal https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/alexa-for-shopping-learn-and-be-curious-podcast Optimize your listings with built-in Seller Central tools https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHR1ZKWFZETkRTSFhYQVo1 Amazon Expands Locker Network to more than 750 U.S. College Locations https://press.aboutamazon.com/retail/2026/8/amazon-expands-locker-network-to-more-than-750-u-s-college-locations In episode 545 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Bradley talks about: 00:00 -  Introduction 00:43 - TikTok Shop US BOOMING 03:13 - New EU Packaging Regulations 05:11 - Most Asked For MCP Update 09:13 - Amazon's Alexa Predictions 14:36 - Research Dead Amazon Listings For Opportunity 17:55 - Amazon Caters To College Students

TikTok Shop, Klash With Kenzie, Pigeons, and Kenzie's 'Hobbit' fiasco, and more! Chicago’s best morning radio show now has a podcast! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and remember that the conversation always lives on the Q101 Facebook page. Brian & Kenzie are live every morning from 6a-10a on Q101. Subscribe to our channel HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@Q101 Like Q101 on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/q101chicago Follow Q101 on Twitter HERE: https://twitter.com/Q101Chicago Follow Q101 on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/q101chicago/?hl=en Follow Q101 on TikTok HERE: https://www.tiktok.com/@q101chicago?lang=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Any day now, Brian will launch his new career as an influencer. Chicago’s best morning radio show now has a podcast! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and remember that the conversation always lives on the Q101 Facebook page. Brian & Kenzie are live every morning from 6a-10a on Q101. Subscribe to our channel HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@Q101 Like Q101 on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/q101chicago Follow Q101 on Twitter HERE: https://twitter.com/Q101Chicago Follow Q101 on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/q101chicago/?hl=en Follow Q101 on TikTok HERE: https://www.tiktok.com/@q101chicago?lang=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frank Greeff joins James Smith fresh off a $180 million exit for a raw conversation about tax, talent and why the game never really ends. Frank breaks down the $6.2M tax bill from selling his last business, the proposed Australian capital gains changes that would have doubled it, and why, hand on heart, he isn't sure he'd have started his last company if those rules had existed first. Check out Kinso on YouTube : @KinsoAI Follow Frank Greeff on intagram : https://www.instagram.com/frankgreeff_/ Try Kinso: https://www.kinso.ai/

Amazon keeps raising the bar. Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc open with the retailer's blockbuster quarter: massive gains in AWS and advertising, staggering AI capex, and retail revenue up 16% year over year, up from 12% last year. Third-party sellers now drive more than 60% of the business, and Citi pegs underlying GMV growth near 10%, roughly double the industry average. Amazon's B2B division alone now tops $60 billion, bigger than all but eleven U.S. retailers. Then the hosts dig into the agentic commerce numbers Amazon disclosed as Rufus folds into Alexa shopping, why sample bias demands caution here, and how grocery momentum is turning Amazon into a mega market-share threat.  Then: Shopify's revenue up 32%, and the tale-of-two-cities reality that a handful of giants now drive nearly all e-commerce growth. A mid-year check on Steve's Prediction #8 — luxury's future won't be evenly distributed. LVMH, Kering, and Capri lag on China softness and war induced Gulf weakness, while Hermès, Ralph Lauren, Richemont, and Zegna keep delivering outsized results. Live from the CommerceNext Growth Show: Kartik Hosanagar. He's Wharton's John C. Hower Professor of Technology and Digital Business, author of A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence, and co-founder of Bliss Labs. His argument: the biggest shift in retail isn't a new technology or channel. It's a new customer. Treating AI as another distribution channel is the same mistake movie studios made with Netflix. There's no marketing science for AI yet. $9.99 pricing, scarcity, social proof — a model may not respond to any of it. Kartik walks through the Ridge wallet case: invisible in ChatGPT's "gifts for men" results, then the default recommendation within three weeks, complete with a hallucinated promotion. Every retailer faces the same fork: efficiency or meaning. The middle is the most dangerous place to stand. Kartik also details the simulation sandboxes that let brands test counterfactuals in a day instead of eight weeks, why you can't just ask an LLM why it picked a brand, and the three attitudes retailers need now: curious, experimental, collaborative Back in studio: Wayfair's encouraging quarter and Steve's change of heart, Warby Parker's mixed report as store count passes 400, tariff rebates ($100 billion of $160 billion already repaid, more tariffs looming), and whether live selling has hit its tipping point with QVC out of bankruptcy and Whatnot valued at $20 billion. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Your TikTok Shop video just went viral. Congratulations. But now you're facing a stockout in four days, and your Amazon listing is right behind it. Neil Twa dives into why traditional inventory forecasting methods aren't cutting it anymore. Most operators still rely on outdated techniques, pulling the last 30 or 60 days of sales data, adding a buffer, and calling it a day. That approach is a recipe for disaster in today's multi-channel world. Neil shares a real-world example from a home goods brand making $30,000 to $50,000 a month on Amazon, but struggling to keep up with TikTok's demand spikes. He outlines three actionable moves to safeguard your inventory, whether you're just testing TikTok Shop or operating at scale. Get ready to rethink your strategy and protect your margins. Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=epNone Ready to implement with us? Join the Voltage Business Builders cohort at voltagedm.com: https://voltagedm.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep-draft

Send us Fan MailWhy are so many children afraid of going to the doctor—and what can parents do to help?In this episode, Dr. Jessica Hochman is joined by family physician and Playhouse MD co-founder Dr. Kaitlin to discuss why medical visits can feel so overwhelming for children and how parents and healthcare providers can make them less intimidating.They talk about the developmental reasons behind medical anxiety, the powerful role of parental emotions, how honesty builds trust, and practical ways to prepare children for vaccines, blood tests, and doctor's appointments through play, books, and age-appropriate conversations.They also discuss simple techniques like giving children choices, using distraction thoughtfully, and helping kids build confidence rather than trying to eliminate fear altogether.Dr. Kaitlin also shares the inspiration behind PlayhouseMD, a company  creating playful medical products designed to make everyday healthcare experiences easier for children and parents. Dr. Kaitlin Wiseman is a family physician, mom of two, and co-founder of PlayhouseMD. Together with her sister, Sydney Wiseman, an award-winning toy creator, she's on a mission to make children's healthcare experiences less scary and more playful.Learn more about PlayhouseMD: PlayhouseMD products are available at Target, Amazon, Babylist, TikTok Shop and directly through PlayhouseMD.For Your Child is Normal listeners, use code DRJESSICA15  to receive 15% off of PlayhouseMD products. To redeem, go to their website:!http://playhousemd.com/ (limit 1 per customer).Instagram:@playhousemdYour Child is Normal is the trusted podcast for parents, pediatricians, and child health experts who want smart, nuanced conversations about raising healthy, resilient kids. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Hochman — a board-certified practicing pediatrician — the show combines evidence-based medicine, expert interviews, and real-world parenting advice to help listeners navigate everything from sleep struggles to mental health, nutrition, screen time, and more. Follow Dr Jessica Hochman:Instagram: @AskDrJessica and Tiktok @askdrjessicaYouTube: Ask Dr JessicaShop my favorite products for kids on Amazon hereIf you are interested in placing an ad on Your Child Is Normal click here or fill out our interest form.To test your child's microbiome and get recommendations, check out: Tiny Health using code: DRJESSICA The information presented in Ask Dr Jessica is for general educational purposes only.  She does not diagnose medical conditions or formulate treatment plans for specific individuals.  If you have a concern about your child's health, be sure to call your child's health care provider.

New sponsored product creator campaigns, TikTok Shop now has MCF, and how Walmart is using AI to increase delivery speeds. These and more buzzing news on this week's episode! We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's Manager of Education and Strategy, Carrie Miller. 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.   TikTok Enters the Multichannel Fulfillment Race with FBT MCF https://www.geekseller.com/blog/tiktok-enters-the-multichannel-fulfillment-race-with-fbt-mcf/ New Helium 10 MCP Claude Skill: How To Check Amazon Relevancy Helium 10's Amazon Recommended Rank Claude skill reveals how Amazon's relevancy engine views your ASIN, identifies keywords that may struggle to earn impressions, and uncovers stronger advertising opportunities before you waste budget. Use it to analyze your products or competitors at scale. To get the skill, comment “ARR skill” on Instagram, YouTube, or wherever you're watching, and the download link will be sent to your DMs. How Walmart is increasing delivery speed using AI models https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/how-walmart-is-increasing-delivery-speed-using-ai-models Amazon Seller Central News: Answers to your product title update questions https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHQzU4QktUVlpFRE1BWko5 Amazon Seller Central News: Understand why you're not the Featured Offer https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHRkpQQ0JFVzRWRVBERUpZ Report Amazon brand violations faster with one guided experience https://sell.amazon.com/blog/announcements/report-a-violation Amazon Seller Central News: Boost your sales during the Labor Day Sale https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHRFRGOVFVMkpDWUNCNVRC In episode 543 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Carrie covers: 00:00 - Introduction 00:42 - New Sponsored Product Creator Ads 03:14 - TikTok Shop Now Offers MCF 05:22 - How To Check Amazon Relevancy 13:19 - Walmart Uses AI to Increase Delivery Speed 14:39 - Answers to Your Title And Item Highlights Questions 17:44 - Why You're Not Winning the Buy Box 18:49 - Report Violations Faster 19:31 - How to Calculate TikTok Shop Profitability 22:51 - Boost Sales During Amazon's Labor Day Sale

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code 404 at https://oneskin.co/404 We start this week with Joseph's article about Samuel Tunick, the man charged with allegedly wiping his phone before DHS officials could search it. It's a wild case with a lot to unpack. After the break, Jason tells us all about a TikTok Shop scheme powered by AI. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about possibly the dumbest AI tool ever made. You're Invited: 404 Media's Third Anniversary Live Podcast and Party! ‘The Government Hopes To Set a Precedent': An Interview With the Man Charged for Allegedly Wiping His GrapheneOS Phone Inside an AI TikTok Shop Slop Factory That Shills Supplements Recalled By the FDA Google Earth's New AI Lets Anyone Fabricate Completely Bullshit Satellite Images Youtube Version: https://youtu.be/lmikqHw1lX8 This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Listen to our weekly podcasts: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices