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This Company Spends $32m Per Year On Claude Code!?
5 november 2026 · 21 min
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Eric opens with Spawn, a company with 10 people that spends about 30 times its payroll on AI, and what an AI-native team looks like in practice. They cover iterating fast while changing less, the Money Prompt, and why experience still matters when AI does the work. Eric runs through Jen Abel's list of what startup sales teams get wrong and the advantage of founder-led sales. Neil explains why a win rate over 50% is a warning sign, often that you are not charging enough. Then GPT-6 Astra being distilled, what that means for IP, and how to make your offer a no-brainer for buyers. Speed and a strong offer beat protecting IP.
Key takeaways◾AI-native teams can spend far more on AI than on payroll◾A win rate over 50% is a warning sign, not a win◾When IP is easy to copy, the offer and the speed win
Chapters00:00 Spawn: 10 people, 30x payroll on AI02:05 Iterate fast, change less03:49 Money Prompt and experience05:17 Jen Abel's startup sales list07:48 Founder-led sales advantage10:46 Win rate over 50% is a warning14:23 GPT-6 Astra distilled: IP is dying16:16 Make the offer a no-brainer
𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode delivers actionable marketing tips and strategies from two entrepreneurs who truly practice what they preach. The show is hosted by Eric Siu, founder of Leveling Up and Single Grain, and Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital and recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer.
🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel
📩 Free Resources Ubersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/ Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/
✅ Subscribe fo…
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Google Stock Fell 12%. 99% Of People Don't Understand What This means!
4 november 2026 · 20 min
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Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire
Neil starts with Google's stock falling 12% after earnings, the biggest drop he has seen after a report, and what it says about search. Eric walks through Granola's AEO workflow and how his team moved fast on a trend with an AI summit, plus why being too early can hurt. Neil shares tests on how AI agents pick local businesses, using a water softener search: review volume, fresh reviews, consistent messaging and comparison articles all shape who gets recommended. Eric demos the free AI visibility report, what it costs to run, and why Neil thinks fewer charts convert better. They finish on enterprise sales and booking more calls. AI search rewards brands that stay fresh and consistent.
Key takeaways◾AI agents lean on review volume, freshness and consistent messaging◾Comparison articles help you get picked in AI answers◾Simpler reports with fewer charts can convert better
Chapters00:00 Google stock falls 12% after earnings01:15 Neil on Google's valuation02:42 Granola's AEO workflow04:32 Hit trends fast: Eric's AI summit07:03 How AI agents pick local businesses09:00 Reviews: volume and freshness10:56 Why comparison articles win12:41 Free AI visibility report13:46 What the report costs to run14:45 Fewer charts convert better15:51 Enterprise sales and booking calls
𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode delivers actionable marketing tips and strategies from two entrepreneurs who truly practice what they preach. The show is hosted by Eric Siu, founder of Leveling Up and Single Grain, and Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital and recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer.
🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@Levelin…
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Why You Should Give Away All Your Workflows
3 november 2026 · 23 min
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Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire
Neil opens with HighLevel's announcement that it is giving AI away for free, and why so few founders make big, expensive bets like that. Eric argues the bets are getting cheaper: anything you build now is out of date fast, so giving away workflows and bots buys mindshare that turns into service work. They weigh the real risk of not knowing your AI cost cap, rising compute and hardware prices, and Meta's open-ended AI spend. Eric shares why so few people use AI the way Andrej Karpathy describes, and what that means for AI-native firms hiring talent. Then a MacBook Pro quote, a Chinese glass company that got free advertising from the Paris riots, and what Black October's hacks mean for security and passkeys. Free value is still a strong growth lever.
Key takeaways◾Giving AI tools away free can win mindshare that turns into paid work◾Know your AI cost cap before you make usage unlimited◾Being transparent after a security problem builds trust
Chapters00:00 HighLevel gives AI away free02:31 Give your workflows and bots away04:30 AI costs, DGX Spark and Anthropic-SpaceX06:57 Meta's open-ended AI spend07:41 Andrej Karpathy: only 0.2% use AI this way09:08 Scale founder's big bet11:18 MacBook Pro $14K quote13:38 Chinese glass company and the Paris riots15:38 Neil's bulletproof windows17:23 Black October hacks and passkeys18:53 Be transparent when things go wrong
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HighLevel Is Giving AI Away Free. Neil Patel Calls It a Bold Bet (Full Episode)
2 november 2026 · 1 uur 24 min
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Neil Patel opens on HighLevel giving AI away free, and why its CEO says that sometimes you just have to eat the cost. Eric Siu explains why he gives his own workflows and bots away too, now that an AI visibility report that once cost dollars costs 18 cents. They cover what AI compute costs now, from Eric's DGX Sparks to a MacBook Pro quote of about $14K, Andrej Karpathy's 0.2% figure, a Chinese glass company's Paris riots post, and simple security steps for Black October. Then how AI agents pick local businesses, Spawn's 10-person team spending 30x payroll on AI tokens, Jen Abel's startup sales list, and why GPT-6 Astra being distilled means your IP is dying. They finish on the FlexJet CEO's view of M&A, the listen-to-talk ratio on sales calls, daily AI performance reviews, pay-for-performance risk, Granola's AEO workflow, and Google stock falling 12% after earnings. AI keeps getting cheaper, so the bold move is to give more of it away.
Key takeaways◾Giving AI tools and workflows away for free builds mindshare and leads◾Move fast on trends, from events to security news to earnings◾Use AI for daily feedback instead of waiting for yearly reviews
Chapters00:00 Neil's week: HighLevel, Experian, Milan01:00 HighLevel gives AI away free03:33 Give your workflows and bots away05:32 AI costs, DGX Spark and Anthropic-SpaceX08:43 Andrej Karpathy: only 0.2% use AI this way10:10 Scale founder's big bet12:01 MacBook Pro $14K quote14:21 Chinese glass company and the Paris riots18:06 Black October hacks and passkeys20:30 Hit trends fast: Eric's AI summit23:01 How AI agents pick local businesses28:23 Free AI visibility report32:58 Spawn: 10 people, 30x payroll on AI35:10 Iterate fast, change less36:54 Money Prompt and experience38:22 Jen Abel's startup sales …
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$1M Revenue, $5K salary? Time To Get a Job?
29 oktober 2026 · 26 min
Neil Patel pays a content agency $17,000 a month. Then they asked for another 10 grand a month.Eric Siu and Neil ask why agency owners taking home $5,000 a month should not just get a job, then react to Gary Vee on the monetization of random content. Lees meer
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Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire
Eric and Neil start with a content agency Neil pays $17,000 a month, which asked for 10 grand more a month and then changed the price an hour later. Neil asks why a team that takes home about $5,000 a month each on over a million dollars in revenue does not just get a job, and Eric says there is no shame in a salary after 10 years without traction. They contrast that with an agency that grew for roughly 38 years with few acquisitions. Then they react to a Gary Vee clip about the monetization of random content, with Neil explaining how algorithms now find interested viewers and Eric adding that authenticity matters. They close with Neil's dislike of being filmed constantly and a bakery post that drew 130,000 likes. Pick the marketing style that fits you.
Key takeaways◾Charge what you want and pay what makes sense, without lectures◾If the business has not scaled in 10 years, a job is a fine option◾Random content works best when it is authentic and fits you
Chapters00:00 A $17K a month helper asks for more01:45 Charge what you want, pay what makes sense03:18 What the helper's team takes home03:53 Why not just get a job?05:54 Under $100K a year for years07:00 No shame in getting a job07:21 Equity upside at fast-growing companies08:45 Editing skills can earn more inside a company09:38 An agency that kept growing for decades10:36 How a 38-year agency grew without acquisitions12:47 No right or wrong way to build a business13:46 Gary Vee: the monetization of random content16:33 How algorithms find inte…
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AI Layoffs Backfired For This Marketing Agency
28 oktober 2026 · 22 min
An internet marketer cut his team from a couple hundred people to under 100 and credits AI and OpenClaw with the work. Eric Siu and Neil Patel explain why AI cannot handle marketing work alone.Then Neil shares why he walked away from buying a European agency that is cutting staff to run on AI. Lees meer
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Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire
Eric and Neil start with a well-known internet marketer who cut his team from a couple hundred people to under 100 and says AI and OpenClaw now do 20 to 30 times more work. Eric says that claim hurts the marketer's credibility, and that AI should elevate capabilities rather than eliminate jobs. Neil describes a call with a European e-commerce agency he decided not to acquire, because it planned to shrink to eight to ten people, said two or three people could run its ad spend, and had lost three of its four biggest clients. Eric lists where AI output still needs a human editor, including his YouTube channel, ad creative, AEO and SEO content, and X posts. They also cover AI metrics that do not match business results, and how to handle client expectations and feedback. Human judgment still decides marketing results.
Key takeaways◾Cutting staff and crediting AI for it can hurt a marketer's credibility◾AI output still needs human taste and an editor in the loop◾Optimize for business results and client value, not AI-suggested views
Chapters00:00 Internet marketer says AI replaced his staff00:58 Does cutting jobs hurt credibility?01:46 OpenClaw is unreliable03:16 Marketers who talk about AI without knowing it03:45 Neil's call about acquiring an agency04:33 The agency plans to shrink to eight or ten people06:22 Why the agency is losing clients08:11 Up or out, and selling a company09:08 AI cannot handle marketing work alone10:20 How Eric's view of AI has shift…
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How to Get Meta Muse to Recommend Your Product or Service
27 oktober 2026 · 19 min
Meta Muse is now recommending products, and in one example it picked Beehiiv over Substack for a newsletter. Eric Siu and Neil Patel break down how to get recommended by AI: keep doing AEO and SEO, and get into new AI marketplaces and plugins early.Plus how Grok helped Neil's co-founder beat a $7,600 Google quote with one under $5,000. Lees meer
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Eric and Neil start with Rob Hoffman's example of Meta Muse recommending a client's product as the best option on the market, and Muse choosing Beehiiv over Substack for a newsletter. Eric says to get listed you still have to do more AEO and more SEO, and calls Muse, Grok and OpenAI the next surface for it. Neil shares how his co-founder got a $7,600 water softener quote from Google, then had Grok find more companies and chose a quote under $5,000. He says most businesses never see that revenue because they do not track it. They debate whether AI platforms will sell paid leads, and Eric says to get into new marketplaces and plugins the moment they open. They then turn to Meta's AI spending, the data center race, Karpathy's numbers on AI users, and AI capital spending as a share of GDP.
Key takeaways◾To get recommended by AI, you still have to do more AEO and SEO◾Get into new AI marketplaces and plugins as soon as they open◾AI-driven leads are hard to track, so many businesses miss the revenue
Chapters00:00 Meta Muse picks Beehiiv over Substack01:01 Muse, Grok and OpenAI: the next surface for AEO01:09 The revenue lost by not optimizing for AI01:46 A $7,600 Google quote vs a Grok quote under $5K03:16 The cost of not optimizing for new channels04:36 Will AI tools offer businesses more leads?06:07 Paid marketplaces inside AI platforms06:56 Will AI platforms keep results pure?08:13 Get into new marketplaces and pl…
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Why AI Can't Replace Marketers, Gary Vee's Random Content and Meta Muse AEO
27 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 22 min
An internet marketer cut his team from a couple hundred people to under 100 and credits AI and OpenClaw. Eric Siu and Neil Patel explain why AI cannot handle marketing work alone, and why clients pay for results, not effort. Lees meer
They cover a $17K a month content agency, Gary Vee on the monetization of random content, and how Meta Muse recommended a client's product, which is why getting recommended by AI is the new AEO. They also get into paid marketplaces inside AI platforms, Zuckerberg's all-in data center bet, marketing to robots and agents, Forrester's prediction that agents will influence 75% of B2B buying, and Marc Andreessen on the AI-native gap.
They close on hiring people who are AI native and why the biggest AI ROI is getting recommended.
Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire
Key takeaways◾AI cannot handle marketing work alone, human judgment still matters◾Getting recommended by AI is the new AEO and the biggest ROI◾Hire for AI fluency, and spend on AI where it makes money
Chapters00:00 Internet marketer says AI replaced his staff01:46 OpenClaw is unreliable03:45 Neil's call about acquiring an agency06:22 Why the agency is losing clients08:47 AI cannot handle marketing work alone11:21 AI feedback creates a bias toward views13:57 Clients pay for results, not effort16:23 Two types of consultants18:38 A $17K a month helper asks for more21:56 What the helper's team takes home24:32 Under $100K a year for years25:59 Equity upside at fast-growing companies28:16 An agency that kept growing for decades31:25 No right or wrong way to build a business32:24 Gary Vee: the monetization of random content35:11 How algorithms find interested viewers38:25 Being filmed at Web Summit40:58 A bakery's authentic viral post41:53 Meta Muse recommends a client's product43:38 A water softener searc…
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The Truth About Corporate AI Spending (It's Not What You Think)
23 oktober 2026 · 21 min
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Accenture found some staff spending $1,000 a month on AI, so it set a $29 monthly limit per employee, and Eric and Neil both think the cap is smart. They point out that reported AI revenue can be gross rather than net, then cite Ramp's AI spend index, where the median is $11. They agree a policy needs exceptions for people who prove value, while Neil shares how he downgraded his ChatGPT plan. The back half covers two-slice teams, Bending Spoons' model of cutting most of a company, and Evernote going from 433 staff at its peak to about 30 today. They close on Berkshire Hathaway's $330M stake in Bending Spoons and the 41% jump in the stock. Spend with a reason.
Key takeaways◾Accenture's $29 cap is smart, but proven high spenders should get exceptions◾Most people pay for top models to do basic work, so match the model to the task◾Evernote went from 433 staff at its peak to about 30 under Bending Spoons
Chapters00:00 Accenture caps AI spend at $29 a month00:23 Did staff really spend $1,000 a month?01:53 Reported AI revenue is often gross, not net03:31 Ramp's AI spend index: median is $1104:14 Set a policy, then talk to top spenders04:56 Exceptions for people proving value05:45 Neil downgrades his ChatGPT plan06:39 A 45-minute AI session that is worth it08:26 Two-slice teams, not two-pizza teams09:30 Pirate and architect: coordination drag10:25 Small teams ship faster12:00 Meta's 200 people out of 70,00012:39 Bending Spoons: a private equity model14:04 A layoff post that also launches features15:24 Evernote: 433 staff at peak, about 30 now16:18 Why public markets accept deep cuts17:07 Berkshire's $330M stake, stock up 41%
𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode d…
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The Rule of 7 Is Dead: Why You Need 28 Touches Now
22 oktober 2026 · 18 min
Eric and Neil say the rule of 7 has grown toward the rule of 28, and that buyers touch a brand 8 times for a sub-$100 B2C buy and 23 times at $10K-plus. A gelato shop stranger who knew them from different places makes the case that you never know where people will find you. They cover why YouTube drives leads that nobody can attribute, then Meta's $14.9B deal for 49% of Scale AI and the 200-person AI team that Alexander Wang, the former Scale AI CEO, leads. Zuckerberg's line that talent density beats big teams for AI is tested against Meta's 70,000 staff. Neil explains his private equity mindset and his debt at SOFR plus 2%, and they close on the failures that come with big bets. Attention, talent and the cost of big bets. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Buyers touch a brand 8 times for a cheap B2C buy and 23 times at $10K-plus
◾Meta built a 200-person AI team out of 70,000 staff, which Zuckerberg calls talent density
◾Meta paid $14.9B for 49% of Scale AI, and Eric says the bet looks like it is paying off
Chapters
00:00 Rule of 7 is now the rule of 28
00:44 Touches before buying: 8 cheap, 23 at $10K+
01:34 A gelato shop stranger, and where people find you
03:53 YouTube drives leads you cannot attribute
04:27 Platforms stop sharing data
06:23 Meta's 200-person AI team, talent over size
07:36 Neil's private equity mindset
09:18 Zuckerberg asks peers what they would do
10:44 Neil's debt: SOFR plus 2%
13:14 Pain now for a bigger company later
14:17 Failures: rockets, timelines and the metaverse
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Do NOT Sleep on X Money!
20 oktober 2026 · 22 min
Eric and Neil start with X Money, which pays 3% cash back and 6% interest, and argue that the offer is under marketed and would get more people investing. They test an AI-written blog post on a client, who took it for human writing, then cover a time-on-page chart that compares human and AI content. They debate whether writing is thinking and whether a real name still beats AI copy. Dan Shipper's claim that newsletters are dying, from a writer with over 120,000 subscribers, leads to a debate on email, AI summaries in the inbox and whether YouTube is S-tier. They close on every channel getting more competitive over time. Human voice still earns the trust. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾X Money pays 3% cash back and 6% interest, but the 3% has fine print
◾A human byline near the title held readers longer in their time-on-page test
◾Eric and Neil dispute Dan Shipper's claim that newsletters are dead
Chapters
00:00 X Money: 6% interest
04:07 The AI blog post test
10:01 Potato, SpaceX and GrokBot
10:33 Writing is thinking
14:26 Which channels are S-tier
15:47 Are newsletters dead?
17:06 AI summaries and the inbox
18:46 Every channel gets more competitive
Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
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Tesla's Flying Roadster DESTROYED Porsche's Supercar Launch
19 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 18 min
Eric and Neil open with Tesla's Roadster flying car, which they treat as a marketing stunt that keeps Tesla in the conversation. The AI fluency gap follows, with Karpathy's funnel, where most people barely touch an LLM, and agents that still misfire. Next is X Money and the newsletter debate, then a blog post test that a client took for human writing. The back half covers the rule of 28, Meta's 200-person AI team inside a 70,000 staff company, and why YouTube leads are hard to attribute. The show ends on Accenture's $29 monthly AI cap, Ramp's AI spend index and Bending Spoons' cuts at Evernote. Attention, trust and spend with a reason. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Accenture's $29 AI cap is smart, but proven high spenders should get exceptions
◾Meta built a 200-person AI team out of 70,000 staff, which Zuckerberg calls talent density
◾Tesla's flying Roadster is a stunt, and agents still need a human check
Chapters
00:00 Tesla's flying car stunt
04:56 Is the Roadster $50,000 or $250,000?
09:48 Why Porsche lost its edge
12:22 Agents, not models
13:58 Agents still unreliable in marketing
17:19 Karpathy's AI-gap funnel
20:00 Agent slop and the cost of rework
21:00 Workflows as a service
22:08 X Money: 6% interest
26:34 The AI blog post test
32:08 Potato, SpaceX and GrokBot
32:41 Writing is thinking
36:34 Which channels are S-tier
37:55 Are newsletters dead?
41:24 Rule of 7 is now the rule of 28
45:17 YouTube drives leads you cannot attribute
47:47 Meta's 200-person AI team, talent over size
49:00 Neil's private equity mindset
52:08 Neil's debt: SOFR plus 2%
55:41 Failures: rockets, timelines and the metaverse
56:42 Accenture caps AI spend at $29 a month
1:00:14 Ramp's AI spend index: median is $11
1:02:09 Neil downgrades his ChatGPT plan
1:03:03 A 45-minute AI session that is worth it
1:04:49 Two-slice teams, not two-pizza teams
1:09:02 Bending Spoons: a private equity model
1:11:47 Evernote: 433 staff at peak, about 30 now
Growth Newsletter: https://…
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The Wells Fargo Client Retention Strategy That Actually Works
16 oktober 2026 · 17 min
Some agencies win clients by inviting decision makers to Formula One boxes, but Neil prefers the way banks play the wine and dining game. Bank of America sent his CFO to a World Cup game with the hotel paid, and Wells Fargo offers suites and seats after the deal is done, just to say thanks. Then a competing bank tried to match Wells Fargo's refinance offer at the last minute, after months of saying no. Eric shares a group text pitch dressed up as comparing notes, and Neil tells the worst pitch he's heard: a financial advisor chasing a friend's $25M house sale and eight-figure profit with one cherry-picked account and a stock that barely moves down. A blunt episode on relationships and selling. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Thank-you tickets with no pitch keep clients around
◾Match the offer early, because last-minute fixes come too late
◾Be direct when you sell, and show all your numbers
Chapters
00:00 The wine and dining game
00:47 Competitors win clients with Formula One boxes
01:30 Bank of America sent our CFO to the World Cup
02:32 Wells Fargo offers tickets after the deal
03:39 Tickets with no sales pitch keep clients
04:44 The bank that came too late
05:48 Too little, too late, like a bad hire
06:33 Steve Jobs to Tim Cook: do the right thing
07:18 Group texts gone wrong
08:49 Selling while pretending not to sell
09:50 The worst sales pitch
10:52 One client account next to Buffett and Ackman
12:05 70% leverage and 'it barely moves down'
12:58 AI showed the stock drops far more often
13:44 Big investors get deals you don't
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Why We Fired Our Team to Grow 50x on YouTube
16 oktober 2026 · 22 min
Eric built thumbnail, editing and posting skills, and his long-form YouTube videos went from about 500 views to 15,000 to 25,000. Some of the team wouldn't use them, so they had to let people go, and the one person who stepped up is now fixing the Marketing School channel's trends, thumbnails and 30-second retention. Neil says AI optimizes for average, which still beats a below-average team, but you need humans in the loop. They cover Bain's 94% stat, why Neil would rather hire great marketers and teach them AI, and a senior SEO candidate who read straight off a Claude template. Then Neil's Zappos story, how Uber outspent Lyft, why AI rewards whoever raises billions, and Neil's Muse outreach to M&A advisors. An honest episode on AI skills and hiring. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Skills only work when someone spends real time tuning them
◾Hire people who stay curious and put their best foot forward
◾Small touches like Zappos' overnight shoes build loyalty
Chapters
00:00 We got more views by firing
00:51 Skills took Eric's videos from 500 views to 25K
02:13 Cover the trend first, fix thumbnails and retention
02:56 Neil: AI optimizes for average
04:01 You still need humans in the loop
04:46 Bain's 94% and the coming job displacement
05:30 How we hire marketers now
06:36 A senior SEO candidate read off a Claude template
08:38 Lazy before the contract means worse after
09:46 The agency hire who said they're too slow
10:31 Hire people who never stop learning
11:12 Small touches build brands
12:38 Fundamentals move metrics more than campaigns
13:48 Uber won by subsidizing more than Lyft
15:08 Why a cheap Waymo rival can't win
16:10 AI rewards whoever raises billions
17:11 Muse is taking the market
17:58 Neil's Muse outreach lands a UK call
18:51 Red flags in the deals bankers pitch
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ChatGPT Plugins Added $500K ARR in Days
14 oktober 2026 · 19 min
Someone added $500K in ARR in a week by putting their app in ChatGPT plugins, and Eric wants Carrot, Answer the Public and Ubersuggest in there too. Neil says that at scale, plugins help retention more than revenue. He's also seeing clients arrive with business problems instead of asks, like revenue down 6% and leads down 32%, and Eric says that grows the market for agencies. Then customer service as marketing: a SpaceX growth lead fixing Grokbot before a webinar, On refunding an order without telling Eric, and Neil's Marriott check-in. They compare the Ritz-Carlton's budget to go beyond policy with Airbnb's 9-star idea, then trade travel tips on room service, compression bags and Sterling Pacific luggage. A practical episode on plugins and service. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾ChatGPT plugins are a distribution channel worth building for
◾Pitch the fix for the client's business problem, whatever the channel
◾Bending policy to fix a mistake earns word of mouth
Chapters
00:00 Plugins add $500K in ARR
01:13 Neil: plugins help retention more than revenue
02:05 Clients bring problems now
03:10 Revenue down 6%, leads down 32%
04:17 Solving the whole problem set grows the TAM
04:58 Customer service is marketing
06:06 On.com's surprise refund and split order
08:03 Neil's Marriott check-in
09:22 Charged for the night before, told to wait
10:11 A room appeared once it was their fault
10:58 Grokbot support hid behind policy
11:55 Ritz-Carlton and Airbnb's 9-star experience
12:39 Four Seasons prices, Disney cruise experience
13:56 Room service, laundry and one carry-on
14:48 Compression bags and Sterling Pacific luggage
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Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
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Neil Patel and Eric Siu's Biggest Business Wins and Mistakes of 2026
13 oktober 2026 · 29 min
It's Q4, so Eric and Neil run through their business and marketing highlights and lowlights for the year. Eric's win was hiring AI-native people after learning he couldn't train everyone, and Neil's was the lowest churn in a long time. Neil explains bankruptcy clawbacks, where the lawyers always win, with FTX legal fees near $700M, and how tariffs and war cut client budgets. Eric's team now makes and manages bots, including one that shortlists recruits every day. On marketing, YouTube is bringing enterprise leads, Neil found out he did 12.7M views in 30 days, and Gavin Baker reports 80% of token spend has flipped to open-weight models. Eric covers outbound, wedges and Higgsfield's weekly launches, and Neil explains why he wants the chill life. A candid look back at the year. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Hire adaptable, AI-native people instead of trying to train everyone
◾Let bots handle evaluation work like recruiting shortlists
◾Test lots of ideas cheaply, then back the ones with traction
Chapters
00:00 Q4 business highlights
00:44 Eric's lowlight: thinking he could train people
01:28 Neil's lowest churn in years
02:32 Bankruptcy clawbacks and legal drama
03:29 Lawyers always win: FTX's $700M in fees
04:43 Tariffs, war and budgets
06:20 Optimistic about 2027?
07:05 Payment plans for groceries
08:31 We make and manage bots
09:13 Recruiters who say they can't build it
10:00 Marketing highlights
10:47 Enterprise leads who found us on YouTube
11:32 Ad Age's performance marketing agency of the year
13:33 Neil's 12.7M views in 30 days
14:38 A slow speaking summer, two months at home
15:37 Neil only buys companies at a good deal
16:21 Best returns with the least stress
17:14 Outbound, wedges and 15-minute standups
18:39 Skillsdojo: pair engineers with marketers
19:43 Crank out 100 ideas, double down on winners
20:48 Gavin Baker: 80% of token spend flipped
21:46 Higgsfield ships a new feature every week
22:28 Neil does better in services than tech
23:42 Th…
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We FIRED Our YouTube Team. AI Took Views From 300 to 8,000 (Full Episode)
12 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 20 min
How to grow a YouTube channel with AI, win clients with the wine and dining game, and use ChatGPT plugins for growth. Eric's AI skills for thumbnails, editing and posting took his long-form views from about 500 to 15,000 to 25,000, and the people who wouldn't use them had to go. Neil says AI optimizes for average, and they cover hiring and why AI rewards whoever raises billions. Then the wine and dining game: Formula One boxes, Bank of America and Wells Fargo tickets, and a financial advisor's pitch after a friend's $25M house sale. Next, ChatGPT plugins adding $500K in ARR, clients arriving with leads down 32%, and service stories from Grokbot, On and Marriott. They finish with Q4 highlights and lowlights, from recruiting bots to Neil's 12.7M views in 30 days. The whole conversation in one place. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Skills only work when someone spends real time tuning them
◾Thank-you tickets with no pitch keep clients around
◾Pitch the fix for the client's business problem, whatever the channel
Chapters
00:00 We got more views by firing
00:51 Skills took Eric's videos from 500 views to 25K
02:13 Cover the trend first, fix thumbnails and retention
02:56 Neil: AI optimizes for average
04:01 You still need humans in the loop
04:46 Bain's 94% and the coming job displacement
05:30 How we hire marketers now
06:17 A senior SEO candidate read off a Claude template
08:19 Lazy before the contract means worse after
09:27 The agency hire who said they're too slow
10:11 Hire people who never stop learning
10:53 Small touches build brands
12:19 Fundamentals move metrics more than campaigns
13:29 Uber won by subsidizing more than Lyft
14:48 Why a cheap Waymo rival can't win
15:51 AI rewards whoever raises billions
16:52 Muse is taking the market
17:38 Neil's Muse outreach lands a UK call
18:31 Red flags in the deals bankers pitch
19:25 The wine and dining game
20:12 Competitors win clients with Formula One boxes
20:55 Bank of America sent our CFO to the Wo…
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SEO Strategy: Why 'Versus' Pages Are Your Secret Weapon
10 oktober 2026 · 25 min
Why versus pages are your secret SEO weapon. Noah Kagan shipped 19 SEO pages from a $20 Mac app and got six sales in three days, and Eric breaks down the two page types every product needs: versus pages and best-for guides. Neil adds two fixes, getting other sites to publish them and comparing the brands ChatGPT and Claude already recommend, and says comparison pages drive more revenue than listicles. Then Instinct: 10% daily growth, 40% of users adding a card, and why Neil would sell it to Apple. Sam Lessin says there is no moat in AI agents, Neil's Muse test turns hundreds of drafts into three sent emails, and Outrank's data shows sites with 400+ links got 115% more Google clicks. A practical episode on SEO and AI agents. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Build versus and alternative pages for the competitors AI already cites
◾AI agents have little loyalty, so the product has to keep earning it
◾Linkable assets still move Google clicks
Chapters
00:00 Noah Kagan's 19 SEO pages and 6 sales
01:16 Neil: get other sites to publish your pages
02:38 Listicles are the new links
03:39 Comparison pages drive more revenue than listicles
04:02 Instinct: 10% a day, 40% add a card
05:21 Neil: Instinct should sell to Apple
06:37 Eric bets the founder sells
07:39 Apple could build this itself
08:24 Sam Lessin: there is no moat in AI agents
10:02 Neil's Muse test: hundreds of drafts, 3 sent
13:47 Every's personal agent comparison
14:24 Jev as a classifier for a fraction of a penny
16:36 Nobody is loyal to an AI product
17:37 Outrank: 400+ links, 115% more Google clicks
19:48 Neil: building something good? Ignore the hate
20:58 Linkable assets beat bought links
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Stop Selling SEO: The New Way to Win $6M Deals
8 oktober 2026 · 24 min
Neil's team won a $6M, three-year SEO contract without talking about SEO: they pitched the business problem, the board's numbers and the ROI. Eric reads the September jobs report, 29,000 jobs against a 90,000 forecast, and they agree that without AI growth the economy would be in recession. Neil shares a grocery bill and a moment at Target, and his plan to stop taxing people under $100K. Then agents: Latin America's biggest retailer, optimizing for LLMs to choose you, and Eric's Meta agent haggling 40% off an order from On. Eric covers OpenAI's Dots and its new distribution channels to 1 billion monthly users, and they close on X Money's 6% offer. A grounded episode on selling in hard times. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Pitch the business outcome, not rankings or links
◾Optimize for AI agents to choose you, not just list you
◾A great offer still beats a clever pitch
Chapters
00:00 Neil's team won a $6M SEO deal without talking SEO
01:28 Sell the business case, not features
03:23 September jobs report: no AI, recession
04:26 Neil's grocery bill and the grandma at Target
06:47 Bridging the gap to abundance
07:26 Neil's tax plan for people under $100K
08:49 How to win any deal: solve their problem
09:35 Latin America's biggest retailer and AI agents
10:35 Optimize for LLMs to choose you
12:28 Eric's Meta agent haggles 40% off at On
14:01 Neil won't let AI near his travel
14:47 OpenAI's Dots spots errors in your email
15:36 Dot.com is owned by SpaceX
16:08 OpenAI's 1B MAU distribution channels
17:21 Microsoft and Google will undercut the labs
18:23 X Money: 6% on cash, 3% back
20:36 Neil wants his cash back in SpaceX stock
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The Companies That Pay MILLIONS For Your Data…
7 oktober 2026 · 20 min
AI labs are paying millions of dollars for company data through third parties, so should you sell yours? Neil says it depends on the business model, and Eric warns the labs will use that data to compete with you. Then a Bain study: only 6% of marketers say AI has had a significant impact on performance. Eric explains why that matches the top slice of any company, Neil shares the three places AI is actually winning for clients, and an a16z chart shows just 2.2% of households pay for AI. They explain why they stopped hiring clippers after YouTube's originality update, why niche videos bring qualified leads, and how Neil now picks topics from his sales pipeline. An honest episode on data and content. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾Do not sell data that lets the labs compete with you
◾AI only pays when it is aimed at work that moves revenue
◾Original, niche content beats clipped reach
Chapters
00:00 Should you sell your data to the AI labs?
02:06 Data is the moat as models converge
02:51 Eric's YouTube videos are driving leads
03:45 Bain: only 6% of marketers see AI impact
05:13 Neil asks: how many of you are growing?
06:10 Neil's top 3 AI wins in marketing
07:29 AI amplifies effort, and only 2.2% of homes pay
08:59 Why we stopped hiring clippers
09:58 YouTube's originality update for Shorts
11:54 Neil's team wanted 10 clip channels
12:58 Eric no longer needs an editor or a poster
13:32 Niche content brings qualified leads
15:27 Neil's channel: topics from the sales pipeline
16:52 Long form once a month, shorts twice
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Instinct's Founder Proves You DON'T Need a Personal Brand.
6 oktober 2026 · 23 min
Instinct, the AI agent that lives in iMessage, is growing 10% a day, and Eric says its 23-year-old founder proves you do not need a personal brand to win. Neil explains why personal brands worked five years ago, why Neil Patel Digital became NP Digital to cut key man risk, and why shoppers now switch brands on a dime. Eric shares DHH's talk on all the things his team no longer does, and the OpenRouter chart where agents use 7.5 trillion tokens against 1 trillion for humans. Then the bill arrives: finance teams pushing back on AI spend, a friend burning $14K a day on tokens, and Hormozi's memo capping his team's AI budget. They close on hiring AI-native people who can keep up. A sharp episode on brand and AI spend. Lees meer
Key takeaways
◾People buy the product now, not the founder's personal brand
◾Every AI tool needs an ROI number, not an estimate of time saved
◾Hire people who are AI native and can prove a return
Chapters
00:00 Instinct grows 10% a day, no personal brand needed
01:21 Lisa Su's Formula One badge moment
02:06 Personal brands worked five years ago
02:41 Why Neil Patel Digital became NP Digital
04:01 Shoppers now switch brands on a dime
05:32 It has never been easier to make
06:19 DHH: look at all the things I'm not doing
07:34 Agent tokens now dwarf human tokens
10:50 Finance teams push back on AI spend
11:32 A teammate maxed out the Ahrefs tokens
13:02 A friend spends $14K a day on tokens
13:44 B2B tools ship too many features
14:49 Hormozi's AI usage cap memo
16:44 Training won't fix a mindset
18:28 Hire AI-native people who can keep up
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The AI-Native Marketer Looks Like This
1 oktober 2026 · 28 min
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Eric shares how Cody Schneider works as an AI-native marketer, and Neil talks about his interview on Cole Gordon's show and why research is what separates a good interview. Then Neil says out loud that his personal brand is dying, judged by fewer photo requests at events, and Eric explains it with the four burners theory and the shift from social media to interest media. They talk about the content an experienced operator should make, why Neil keeps playing the game, and Eric's travel stats. The close covers why brand takes ten years or more, YouTube's coming thumbnail tests by audience segment, and Clay's CEO on why brand has to start with the founder, not the CMO. An honest episode about brand, time and attention.
Key takeaways◾Interest media rewards the post, not the follower count◾A real brand takes ten years or more to build◾Brand starts with the founder; a CMO cannot install it
Chapters00:00 The AI-native marketer: Cody Schneider01:36 Neil on Cole Gordon's podcast04:24 Research is what makes an interview good04:54 'My personal brand is dying'06:35 The four burners theory07:19 Social media became interest media09:03 What Neil's team does for him now12:49 Addicted to the game13:27 Eric's travel stats16:36 Which speaking gigs are worth it17:54 Brand takes 10+ years20:03 SEO has always evolved20:24 YouTube's big changes: thumbnails by segment22:11 Clay: brand starts with the founder
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Jev Is A MASSIVE Deal for Marketers
30 september 2026 · 21 min
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Eric shows the Jev use cases he is running for his teams, from classifying every Instagram follower to scoring hooks and offers across competitors for a few dollars. Neil explains how his Muse agent now writes the follow-ups on M&A deals he first discussed two or three years ago, and why he gives Meta access he would never give the AI labs. Eric predicts Google and Apple will each ship their own Muse, and they compare it with OpenClaw. Then the story of an AI answer nobody checked and why Neil told them he would fire the person, followed by the core idea: AI is leverage, and leverage on a bad position just loses you money faster. They close on an $80M real estate pitch Neil walked away from. A practical episode on putting AI agents to work.
Key takeaways◾Classification at scale now costs dollars, not an analyst's week◾The deals you close come from follow-ups on talks two or three years old◾AI is leverage: it multiplies good judgment and bad judgment equally
Chapters00:00 Jev use cases for marketers02:50 Neil's AI writes his M&A follow-ups06:02 Prediction: Google and Apple ship their own Muse07:53 OpenClaw vs Muse11:13 'I would fire you': AI output nobody checked13:07 Slop cannons in an AI-native company13:54 AI is leverage15:11 The $80M real estate pitch17:12 Location, location, location
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Jensen Huang's Moat Is Dead. But He Has A Plan
29 september 2026 · 24 min
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Eric brings Peter Diamandis's take that Nvidia's greatest moat, CUDA, is leaking now that AI can port code to any chip, and why Jensen bought Mellanox years ago to own the interconnect instead. They debate the three moats that survive: speed of reinvention, capital velocity and brand. Neil keeps brand, drops capital after Harry Stebbings' three rounds in three weeks, and adds talent density, showing six of the top ten companies come from the Bay Area. Then Meta Muse: the $14B Scale bet Neil admits he would never have made, Eric's bot Doodoo picking his wardrobe, and Muse plus Jev sorting 116,000 followers for $3.30. It ends on the personality test that explains the show. A sharp episode on what still protects a business.
Key takeaways◾Your moat lasts until the next one; speed of reinvention is the durable edge◾AI shoppers still buy brands, because people tell them what status looks like◾Neil waits for proof, then bets big; Zuckerberg bet first and won
Chapters00:00 Nvidia's CUDA moat is leaking02:29 Neil: brand is a moat, capital isn't03:35 Harry Stebbings: three rounds in three weeks05:07 Six of the top 10 companies come from the Bay07:02 The three moats that survive09:13 Neil: AI shoppers still care about brand11:46 Meta Muse and Scale's $14B bet12:16 Doodoo picks Eric's wardrobe13:04 Muse + Jev sort 116K followers for $3.3014:29 Neil's influential followers15:43 Why Neil waits for proof, then bets big18:11 Why this podcast works: persist vs change19:03 The personality test: 99% vs 1%20:50 Empathy at work
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How To Deal With Slop Grenades
28 september 2026 · 20 min
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Shopify's Tobi Lutke has a name for AI work nobody reviewed: a slop grenade. Eric explains how it lands on your desk and blows up your day, and Neil says AI simply reveals who is lazy and who is great. At his conferences almost everyone uses AI, but fewer than 5% edit what it writes, which is why so much marketing now looks the same. They build a policy on air: an emailed warning, then a write-up, then termination, and Eric argues growth only comes from discomfort, from SpaceX to training to failure. The episode closes on a 64-year-old SEO who spent $40K on his own AI rigs because nobody had to tell him to. A blunt episode on standards in the AI era.
Key takeaways◾AI amplifies what is already there, good work and lazy work alike◾Fewer than 5% of people edit AI output; that is why it all looks the same◾Put a paper trail on slop grenades: warning, write-up, then out
Chapters00:00 Slop grenades: AI work nobody reviewed01:56 Neil: AI shows you who's lazy04:35 Thinking Machines: AI amplifies intelligence06:36 Less than 5% edit what AI writes08:43 The 'is this your best work?' rule10:38 Warning, write-up, termination12:28 Growth comes from discomfort: SpaceX13:24 Train to failure, work to failure15:39 The 64-year-old SEO who spent $40K on AI rigs
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Stop Shipping Everything: Why supermemory Killed Its Viral Product
24 september 2026 · 23 min
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Neil explains why he despises coaches who sell how to get rich, and Eric separates them from the Bill Campbells and Matt Mocharys who coached Apple, Google, Coinbase and OpenAI without charging founders. Neil reads a cold pitch promising him an extra million a year and Eric dissects why it fails before the first reply. Then the two ideas Eric wants every operator to react to: supermemory killed its viral company brain to protect its core, because unshipping matters more than shipping when anyone can build anything, and Paul Jun of Ramp's brand as software, where a design file carries the brand into every asset so designers do the new work. Neil's take on ChatGPT agent ads, and BugBasher, the Devin agent Ramp gave a card and a phone that made $75 selling pest-control leads in four weeks. A sharp episode on focus, coaching and what AI agents can already do.
Key takeaways◾If someone doesn't do the research before your check, it gets worse after it◾When you can ship anything, unshipping is the discipline that keeps you extraordinary◾Codify the brand as software so creative people spend their time on what a system can't predict
Chapters00:00 Coaches who sell 'how to get rich'00:48 Two kinds of coaches: Bill Campbell vs the funnel02:03 People who are good at it, do it02:42 The Trillion Dollar Coach and Matt Mochary03:56 Neil reads the cold pitch05:14 What's wrong with that message06:00 No research before the check? It gets worse after07:03 The legendary coaches never charged founders08:25 Proven track record vs get-rich promises09:21 Unshipping beats shipping11:06 Shipping too much makes products harder11:41 supermemory's conflict of interest12:35 Content that wins on X and LinkedIn13:14 Brand as software: Paul Jun of Ramp15:25 Are you working lik…
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$100M in Email With No Employees? Neil Isn't Buying It
23 september 2026 · 22 min
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Eight Sleep's co-founder says the company does close to $100 million in email marketing with a team of zero after his co-founder built the bots in three days. Neil calls spades spades: email is harvesting demand that other channels paid for, and one person plus AI would beat both. Eric's version is the agent manager, the job he now interviews for. They scroll Harry Stebbings' Instagram, built on tech's most controversial stories, and debate whether that brings a VC the right deal flow. Eric demos Instinct, the $10 billion iMessage agent that planned his travel and got him onto a waitlist that morning, and the pair take apart Roy Lee's Cluely content and the cold TikTok bio a fan made of Neil. The close: Elon, Buffett and Rockefeller became brands by doing the work. A candid episode on headlines, hype and what content is actually for.
Key takeaways◾'No employees' is a headline; the channel mix and the humans behind it are the real story◾Sensational content grows an account fast and rarely brings the right customer◾If the product were crushing it, the founder wouldn't have time for viral content
Chapters00:00 $100M in email with no employees00:54 Neil: email isn't doing that alone02:29 The agent manager: everyone's next job03:51 Harry Stebbings' Instagram04:46 500 views to 40K: scrolling Harry's reels06:38 Will controversial content bring the right deal flow?07:09 The $10B iMessage startup08:11 Instinct: booking travel and skipping a waitlist10:03 Deal flow vs views: Neil's take10:50 Put your hand on the stove11:14 Accenture doesn't do sensational11:43 Roy Lee (Cluely): 'global rank #1 entrepreneur'14:02 Juiced numbers, and content as a tell15:22 The rich people Neil knows don't make content15:49 A fan's TikTok bio of Neil17:22 Elon, Buffett, …
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Eric Got 8.9 Million Views and Zero Leads
22 september 2026 · 26 min
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Eric opens with Bryan Johnson's team telling creators to forget the content calendar and iterate, and how he now rewrites and reposts flopped posts by voice on the walk to the gym. Neil's newest test asks viewers to comment for a free audit, and the pairing metric he wants on every social hire is leads, not views. Then enterprise specifics: a three-year contract that grew out of work in one region, why only two to three percent of NP Digital's enterprise revenue traces back to Neil's personal brand, and how ten-person search agencies quietly decide the biggest marketing contracts. Eric opens his Leveling Up channel to show the wide-TAM experiment, 8.9 million views on one short and interviews that got praise from entrepreneurs' spouses but no leads, before Neil explains the acquisition lesson that grows a bought agency's EBITDA 40 to 60 percent in a year and why he follows up with everyone. A grounded episode on measuring what actually pays.
Key takeaways◾Pair views with leads for every social hire, or the team optimises for likes◾Wide-TAM content brings views and comments, not enterprise leads◾Buy the specialist that big brands already call; the follow-up is where the deals are
Chapters00:00 F your content calendar01:36 Comment-to-lead: the 37-places reel03:34 Every metric needs a pairing metric04:17 NP Digital vs NP Accel: where SMB leads go04:53 A format library your agent keeps fresh06:09 A 3-year contract from one region's work07:56 Stop creating content for 90 days?08:22 6% of enterprise leads come from Neil's brand08:58 70% of SMB leads, 50% of SMB revenue10:17 Procurement, RFPs and the search agencies11:56 Dan Martell's formats and wider TAM12:52 Seminars and ascension funnels13:34 Eric's wide-TAM experiment on Leveling Up15:17 The s…
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Neil Trusts Meta's New AI Agent More Than ChatGPT
21 september 2026 · 21 min
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Eric and Neil open on Meta Muse, Meta's new autonomous agent, and Neil explains why he trusts Meta with it more than OpenAI or Anthropic: Meta has held everyone's data for years and people already live inside its products. Eric shows what his own Muse did in minutes, pulling Ryan Deiss's best Instagram formats and rewriting them for his channel, and argues that formats are now the job. Then the real debate: Neil says almost all of their content is still too broad, that specific content for a specific buyer drives revenue even at a fifth of the views, and that a room of enterprise marketers in Ecuador proved it when two or three percent knew he ran an agency. They land on a secondary hook, one line that says who you are and what your company does, placed wherever it sounds natural. A practical episode on trust, formats and making your content pay.
Key takeaways◾Trust decides which AI agents win, and Meta starts with more of it than the labs◾Let an agent keep your format library fresh so you can just record◾Specific content converts; add a one-line credibility hook so buyers know who you are
Chapters00:00 Meta Muse: Meta's autonomous agent00:34 Why Neil trusts Meta more than OpenAI02:35 Eric, the GrokBot team and Ryan Deiss03:49 Ryan's Instagram: niche or broad?05:46 Tier lists and reactions: the formats that work06:49 Eric's Muse rewrites Ryan's formats08:01 Neil: all three of us are still too broad09:50 Danger gets views: Nick Shirley10:47 A 100K-view video can be a great video11:44 Ecuador: 3% of the room knew Neil had an agency13:25 Accenture, TAM and who you're really selling to15:22 The secondary hook: say who you are16:50 Where the mention goes: wherever it's natural17:27 Test it: from 3% to 10% in a year
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Tesla 20x'd Sales by Cutting 64 Clicks to 3
17 september 2026 · 21 min
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It took 64 clicks to buy a Tesla online, 30 of them signing loan documents. Eric explains the five-step algorithm from the book of the same name (question, delete, simplify, speed up, automate) and how it 20x'd Tesla's website sales. Then the data: AI-generated ads are beating human creative on completion rate (92% vs 90% on connected TV), Shopify's Q2 shows $116 billion in GMV and a platform built for AI agents, and Neil's case that SEO and GEO are merging into one thing, brand. Eric on the new agents he is testing, Instinct and Meta Muse, and the week's grand finale: Rohan Nayak's post on how Pocket FM went from zero to $500 million in ARR with an AI ad machine that makes 17,500 ads a month.
Key takeaways◾Question, delete, simplify, speed up, then automate; most people automate first and fail◾SEO or GEO, the long game is brand; you have to show up everywhere◾A 2% to 2.25% CTR lift cut Pocket FM's CAC by 30%; build the ad machine around that insight
Chapters00:00 Tesla 20x'd website sales: 64 clicks to 301:35 Buying a car on a website02:55 AI ads beat human creative on completion04:19 Shopify Q2: $116B GMV and AI commerce05:38 SEO and GEO are merging into brand08:04 Search everywhere optimization, again10:49 A SaaS company diversifying off SEO11:46 Instinct and Meta Muse agents14:15 Pocket FM: $0 to $500M ARR with 17,500 ads a month17:11 Build your own ad machine
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Every Lead Gets a Call in 60 Seconds: The Bots Running Eric's Agency
16 september 2026 · 26 min
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Eric and Neil open up their own marketing week. Eric's $250 test assignment that turned into a $2,000 quote, the GrokBots he built in his free time (a call bot that phoned a spa and confirmed a booking, a haggle bot renegotiating every software bill, and a speed-to-lead bot that calls every form fill within 60 seconds), and the 2x2 he uses to decide which agency work becomes a reusable workflow and which gets killed. Neil on speed to learning, why wins on one channel take too long to reach the rest of the company, and how he finds agencies that stopped growing and buys the ones losing deals only because they are too small. Then the social tests: Neil's new screen-share format and LinkedIn engagement scraping, Eric's comment-to-DM flow with Lead Shark and Goji Berry, and the YouTube video that was edited entirely by AI.
Key takeaways◾Every lead gets a call within 60 seconds; a bot can do it and sound good◾Speed to learning is the bottleneck: move a win from one channel to every channel fast◾Reusable workflows beat custom premium work; build them, then hand them to the team
Chapters00:00 Our marketing week: the $250 test that failed02:42 The GrokBot that booked Eric's massage04:17 Haggle bot and speed-to-lead in 60 seconds05:18 Neil: speed to learning07:46 Buying agencies that stopped growing10:24 Eric's 2x2: reusable workflows13:14 Neil's new screen-share format15:40 Scraping your LinkedIn engagers16:38 Comment-to-DM with Lead Shark and Goji Berry18:21 YouTube: relevant views beat viral views19:54 A fully AI-edited video22:16 AI thumbnails that actually look like you
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How McKinsey Helped Nike Lose $223 Billion
15 september 2026 · 20 min
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Nike's market cap peaked at $280 billion in 2021 and has lost $223 billion since. Eric walks through Trung Phan's breakdown of how it happened: McKinsey advised Nike to eliminate its running, basketball and soccer categories, the marketing budget moved from brand advertising to programmatic retargeting, and hundreds of wholesale partners were cut for a direct-to-consumer bet that collapsed when shoppers went back to stores. Neil on why consultants who never ran a business should not be running yours, and why a kid asking for Nikes is what good brand advertising looks like. Then LeBron James' Polymarket partnership and why both hosts call it brand eroding, and the shirtless YouTuber Eric calls the Sam Sulek of e-commerce.
Key takeaways◾Nike cut what worked (categories, brand ads, retail partners) for what was easier to measure◾A brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room; retargeting does not build it◾It takes decades to build a brand and five minutes to erode it
Chapters00:00 Nike lost $223B: McKinsey killed the categories01:32 Consultants who never ran a business04:06 Locked in: adapt or die04:34 Nike swapped brand ads for retargeting06:36 Why kids wanted Nikes07:59 Neil's Tesla09:16 Nike burnt its wholesale partners10:07 LeBron x Polymarket: a brand-eroding move13:07 The Sam Sulek of e-commerce15:22 What views actually matter
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Most Agencies Are Flat. Here's Why Neil's Is Still Growing
14 september 2026 · 19 min
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Wil Reynolds of Seer Interactive says agency owners are dishonest about how business is really going, and that most have been flat for three or four years. Eric reads the post and Neil agrees the downturn started around 2022 and is the longest he has seen, then explains why NP Digital kept growing anyway. Eric's take: the agencies dying are the ones still doing what they did five years ago, and tough markets are exactly when adaptable founders win the deals against the holding companies. The episode closes on the part of being a founder nobody talks about: watching the people you trained go on to build their own companies, why mindset separates the people who survive the downs, and why a business win feels the way it does.
Key takeaways◾Be honest about how business is going; it keeps leads and opportunities flowing to you◾The agencies in trouble are still running the 2021 playbook; adapt or die◾You can't train mindset, and hard years are what build it
Chapters00:00 Agency owners are lying about how business is going (Wil Reynolds)01:41 Neil: why NP Digital is still growing03:54 Eric: adapt or die, the invisible hammer07:06 Flat for 4 years? You're doing the same thing08:06 The burn-victim YouTuber: keep going10:34 If you're going through hell, keep going11:14 The best part of being a founder12:44 Mindset: people can't handle the downs13:48 The business high
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Digital PR Is How You Get Cited by ChatGPT
10 september 2026 · 21 min
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Eric asks Neil to finally explain digital PR and how it helps with AEO and SEO. Neil gets there via a Huawei phone with a screen on the back, how ByteDance ran AI inside Lark two years before the rest of us, where America really ranks in K-12 education (34th, per Google AI Mode), what China mandates instead, and the FOMO playbook behind Alpha School's marketing. Then the answer: digital PR is the new link building, you're optimizing for the mention, not the link, and you want your product included everywhere the models read. They close on the only marketing advantage that compounds: consistency.
Key takeaways◾Digital PR is optimizing for the mention, not the link. That's what the models read◾America ranks 34th in K-12; China mandates 9 years and tracks 40% into vocational paths◾Consistency compounds. Grey-hat wins evaporate, and one channel is never enough
Chapters00:00 What is digital PR, actually?00:27 Huawei's phone with a screen on the back01:07 ByteDance and Lark were doing this two years ago02:43 America is 34th in K-12 (Google AI Mode)05:36 Compulsory schooling: US vs China06:14 Alpha School's FOMO marketing10:28 Digital PR: optimize for the mention15:15 Consistency compounds
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80% of OpenAI and Anthropic's Revenue Comes From 1% of Customers
9 september 2026 · 19 min
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New Ramp data says 80% of OpenAI and Anthropic's enterprise revenue comes from 1% of their customers, a concentration risk unseen in any other software category. Eric and Neil dig into what that means for the AI trade and for every company betting on it. Then Tomasz Tunguz's five-year writing data: AI didn't reduce his editing, it raised the quality floor, and the weakest posts gained twice as much as the strongest. Plus ICONIQ's headcount report (the 100%+ growers added 133% more headcount while the 50-100% band cut hiring almost in half), YC's product-market-fit data on user conversations, and a detour into foldable phones.
Key takeaways◾1% of customers drive 80% of OpenAI and Anthropic's enterprise revenue. That's the risk◾AI raises the floor of your work, it doesn't shrink the effort◾10+ user conversations a week is the most predictive variable for finding PMF
Chapters00:00 80% of AI revenue from 1% of customers (Ramp)03:29 AI productivity raises the floor (Tunguz)04:55 ICONIQ: who's still hiring in 202609:07 YC data: the one variable that predicts PMF13:03 Foldable phones and the China gap
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Your SEO Is About to Run Itself (Autonomous Engine Optimization)
8 september 2026 · 26 min
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Eric introduces the new AEO: Autonomous Engine Optimization, the AI harness Nick Eubanks used to grow a 12-week-old website, and why every sales call and customer conversation inside your company is a page waiting to be published. Then the self-improving product has arrived: Amplitude's Wave agent found its own problems and shipped fixes worth +160% engagement and a 6% to 9% onboarding lift. Eric and Neil also pick apart OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra launch, the five things that took Andrew Warner's new YouTube channel to 937,000 views in a month, how B2B buyers now find agencies through Claude, and why the best salespeople sell like doctors.
Key takeaways◾AEO now means autonomous: content creates, drafts and ships itself with a human in the loop◾Self-improving products are live: Wave found and fixed real conversion problems on its own◾On YouTube, info calls, retention data and trending topics beat subscriber counts
Chapters00:00 The new AEO: Autonomous Engine Optimization03:07 Self-improving products: Amplitude's Wave agent06:44 OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra launch misstep11:37 Andrew Warner: 937K views in a month16:48 How buyers find agencies through Claude21:18 Sell like a doctor
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Stop Teaching Your Team AI. Keep the Top 40%.
7 september 2026 · 19 min
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Eric came back from a founder retreat with a hard truth: the AI hackathons and training programs everyone planned in January didn't work, and the companies pulling ahead just raised the talent bar. He walks through the GitHub leaderboard that shows who's actually shipping, why one 200-engineer company is keeping only its top 40, and Neil's long-held view that you can't train mindset. Then the sycophancy trap: why ChatGPT agrees with whatever you feed it, what Neil found when he ran a real recommendation test across an accounting firm, and why most executives still don't understand how these models work.
Key takeaways◾You can't train mindset. Raise the bar and hire people who already have it◾A public shipping leaderboard exposes who's really working in about a week◾AI is a sycophant. Optimize for it, don't just ask it follow-up questions
Chapters00:00 Stop training, raise the talent bar01:14 The GitHub leaderboard: keep the top 4002:31 Neil: hire amazing people, it solves most problems07:45 The AI therapy trap: it agrees with you13:17 Neil's accounting-firm recommendation test15:54 Three years in, executives still don't get it
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What to Do When Business Gets Really Tough
3 september 2026 · 28 min
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What do you actually do when things get really tough in business? Neil and Eric share their worst moments — 2020 included — and the playbook for surviving them: eating the elephant a day at a time, buying time with cash, and choosing stability over growth when it counts. Then the reveal that hot AI startups like Cursor quietly run thousands of ads at a time, and a five-star massage-studio case study on referrals, grandfathered pricing, and service details that carry over into any business.
Key takeaways◾Tough seasons are survived a day at a time — systems over panic◾The hottest AI startups test thousands of ads, not two◾Great service businesses engineer referrals on purpose
Chapters00:00 When things get really tough09:14 Stability vs growth15:56 The 6,400-ads reveal17:10 The massage-studio case study
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The Best Marketing Is Free. Almost Nobody Does It.
2 september 2026 · 24 min
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Eric brings the DHH question — outspend or outteach? — and the hosts take sides on the cheapest marketing that almost nobody has the patience to do. Then it gets personal: why Bezos Expeditions invested in Basecamp, whether pressure makes winners, the hairy reality of agency M&A (data rooms, earn-outs, and numbers that never survive diligence), a tale of two agency contractors, and why revenue beats views every single time. A candid operator's episode on teaching, buying, and building agencies.
Key takeaways◾Outteaching compounds — it's the free marketing nobody commits to◾In agency M&A, the seller's numbers never survive the data room◾Optimize for revenue, not reach
Chapters00:00 Outspend vs outteach: the DHH question01:12 Bezos and Basecamp02:21 Pressure makes winners05:48 The agency M&A trap09:55 Managing mistakes properly12:09 A tale of two agencies18:33 Revenue over views
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Is China Running the World's Biggest Marketing Test on You?
1 september 2026 · 14 min
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Neil and Eric react to the report that Chinese institutions turned 171 million public X posts into a million-account digital twin of the American electorate — and are testing political messages on it. They unpack the marketing angle behind cognitive-domain warfare, why the data asymmetry between open and closed internets matters, the Paul Graham chart showing LinkedIn users adding AI and deleting DEI from their profiles, and why following trends is usually the losing move. A sobering look at what happens when audience modeling gets weaponized.
Key takeaways◾Audience modeling at nation-state scale is here — and it's a marketing system◾Open platforms hand their behavioral data to anyone, including adversaries◾Profile trends follow incentives: AI in, DEI out
Chapters00:00 China's AI models of American voters02:04 Privacy and platform rules04:06 The LinkedIn graph: AI in, DEI out07:12 Think for yourself, don't chase trends
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The 2 Lessons Silicon Valley Relearns Every Decade
31 augustus 2026 · 18 min
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Neil and Eric dig into the two lessons Silicon Valley keeps relearning every decade, straight from Ben Thompson's conversation with Patrick O'Shaughnessy: consumers don't want to pay for software, and they don't care about being productive. They trace the pattern from Dropbox's forced pivot to B2B through to OpenAI replaying the same story at 100x scale, why advertising was always the endgame for ChatGPT, whether the SaaSpocalypse is real, and what the future of marketing looks like when AI knows your smartest moments. A sharp episode on where the money in software actually comes from.
Key takeaways◾Consumers won't pay for software — advertising is the consumer endgame◾SaaS isn't dying, it's consolidating into B2B◾The next marketing frontier is reaching people in their smart moments
Chapters00:00 The 2 lessons Silicon Valley relearns00:21 Ads over subscriptions: Dropbox to OpenAI03:32 SaaS isn't dying, it's going B2B05:55 Bubble or buildout?07:32 AI's long-term explosion11:32 Marketing in smart moments
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Your Best Employee Is About To Quit. Here's The Fix.
27 augustus 2026 · 18 min
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It starts with a message Eric got about a team member's wife being hit by a car, and turns into the clearest thing either of them has said about keeping good people. Neil lays out how he thinks about founder retention after an acquisition, they debate what Single Brain should actually be, and Eric closes with the GrokBot marketing playbook.
Key takeaways◾How you behave in someone's worst week is the retention strategy. Everything else is a policy document.◾Brand recognition you already have is worth more than the product name you are attached to.◾Multifaceted marketing wins now: shipping fast, engaging in public, DMing influencers and bundling.
Chapters00:00 Looking After Your People02:20 Founder Retention Matters05:31 Building Single Brain08:56 GrokBot Marketing Playbook
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The Two Things We're Doing For The Rest Of 2026
26 augustus 2026 · 16 min
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Neil asks Eric to name the two things he is actually doing for the rest of 2026, and the answer is less about tools than you would expect. Along the way they share their own survey of 100 companies on AI agent adoption, and the numbers are far below the hype. Neil also gives away the specific tactic he is using to get cited by ChatGPT and Gemini.
Key takeaways◾Of 100 companies surveyed, only 17 use AI agents in marketing at all, and just 3.5% of their marketing staff.◾The fastest route into AI answers is getting into the same articles that already cite your competitors.◾Shipping constantly beats one big launch. Staying top of mind is the strategy.
Chapters00:00 Marketing and Hiring Priorities02:55 What Counts as an Agent06:20 2026 Focus Areas10:43 Europe and Service Expansion
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Reddit wiped out of ChatGPT, what agencies are really worth, & the new services playbook
25 augustus 2026 · 24 min
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Reddit's citations in ChatGPT have collapsed to almost nothing, and so have the review sites. Eric pulls up the PromptWatch data live and Neil reads what it means for anyone who built a strategy on those placements. Then they turn to the money side: how to underwrite a deal, what a creative agency is really worth, and what Sequoia's 'services are the new software' thesis does to agency valuations.
Key takeaways◾Reddit and the big review sites have been almost entirely cut out of ChatGPT's citations.◾The marketer's job is shifting from ranking pages to being the source an AI quotes.◾Founder retention is not one structure. Name which model each founder is actually in before you buy.
Chapters00:00 Reddit’s Decline01:57 The Marketer’s Shift04:14 Deal Underwriting Logic07:36 Valuing Creative Agencies12:56 M&A Patience Pays18:01 Eric's Agency M&A Thesis
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Travis Kalanick's founder rule, why pushed kids lose, & what excellence really costs
24 augustus 2026 · 28 min
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Eric and Neil open on Travis Kalanick's take on founders, and end up somewhere much less comfortable: the research says the people pushed hardest early on are rarely the ones who end up best. They get into what founder drive actually is, why the two of them handle being crossed differently, how first-principles thinking changes a deal, and the Four Seasons founder's brutal one-line definition of excellence.
Key takeaways
◾Being a founder is about pushing, not driving. The title on the org chart is not what makes it work.
◾Across 34,000 top performers, early standouts and eventual world-class performers are almost never the same people.
◾Excellence, per the Four Seasons founder, is the capacity to take pain. Suffering is built into the job.
Chapters
00:00 Founder Drive
04:20 Seasons of Work
08:32 What Actually Makes Them Angry
11:53 First Principles Dealmaking
13:58 Protein and Macros
16:25 Trade-Offs Everywhere
17:55 Tiger Parent Pressure
20:27 Raising Without Resentment
24:01 Defining Excellence
𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟
Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode delivers actionable marketing tips and strategies from two entrepreneurs who truly practice what they preach. The show is hosted by Eric Siu, founder of Leveling Up and Single Grain, and Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital and recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer.
🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts
Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial
Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel
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How To Rank #1 On ChatGPT By... Gaming It?
21 augustus 2026 · 18 min
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A cafe in San Francisco lets startups pay to brand the drinks, so you can order an ElevenLatte or a MongoDB Greens. Eric thinks it is genius and cheap. Then the segment everyone will argue about: an Instagram reel showing a brand that does not exist ranked number one on ChatGPT for a real query. Neil and Eric take apart how it was done, why AEO is still SEO underneath, what Kimi's download and DAU curve says about Chinese model adoption, and why the Philippines back office grew instead of collapsing after ChatGPT.
Key takeaways◾Brand in the places your buyer already stands, not just the feed◾If you can game it, it is a ranking system, and ranking systems are SEO◾AI made offshore work more valuable, employment is up 20% and revenue up 30%
Chapters00:00 Intro Etiquette Matters00:07 Branding in Public Places03:22 Ranking on ChatGPT05:34 AEO Is Still SEO06:16 Kimi’s Growth Surge08:41 Marketable Moments Matter12:19 AI Creates More Jobs
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WD-40 Turned AI Ad Production Into A Growth Lever
20 augustus 2026 · 24 min
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China is releasing models that are not as good and are good enough, at a fraction of the cost, and getting real penetration in the United States. Neil and Eric work through what that does to pricing, then get to WD-40, which used Amazon's generative video ads to triple daily unit volume with an 86% new-to-brand rate and a 45% higher click-through rate. Eric's answer to every founder asking whether this kills agencies is the same question back: who is going to maintain it. He had that exact conversation with a multi-billion dollar hospitality company this week.
Key takeaways◾Good enough at a tenth of the price is a pricing event, not a quality debate◾AI ad production collapses cost per asset, it does not manage the account◾Every founder building agents for each team member is telling you they are understaffed
Chapters00:00 China’s Price Disruption03:55 Raising the AI Bar05:10 Marketing Needs Adaptability08:43 Singapore’s AI Optimism11:05 WD-40’s AI Ad Win15:13 Why Agencies Still Matter15:37 Agentic Web Future
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Will This Be The Info Marketer's Decade In Software?
19 augustus 2026 · 23 min
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Clay Collins predicts the indie hacker is about to get crushed by the direct response marketer who learned to ship software, and Neil and Eric react as two people who have straddled both sides. Their generation sold ebooks and courses because that was the only thing you could build without engineers, and the wall was never talent, it was operational. That wall is gone. They also cover the SBA loan changes worth watching, and then the harder question underneath all of it: if AI does the thinking, what happens to the people who stop wanting to think.
Key takeaways◾The engineering advantage evaporated, the marketing advantage did not◾Twenty years of learning how to make strangers care now ships in a weekend◾Cognitive polarization is the real risk, not job replacement
Chapters00:00 Content, Careers, and Time04:22 SBA Loan Changes05:29 Direct Marketers in Software11:29 Intelligence and Volition17:48 AI Sentiment Divide19:16 Wealth Preservation Fears
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Why We Start SEO With The Customer, Not The Keyword
17 augustus 2026 · 17 min
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Most SEO starts with keyword research. Neil and Eric start somewhere else entirely: the customer. Neil breaks down audience-first SEO, the approach Single Grain's Nicky Lamb wrote up and the one they have been quietly running for clients. Take wealth management: 2.7 million monthly searches in the US, and almost none of them are one audience. Someone trying to understand the term, someone saving for retirement, a business owner preparing for a sale and an ultra high net worth family are four different buyers behind the same keyword. Then Eric walks through the company brain he is rolling into ClickFlow, and what Atlassian's numbers say about where a SaaS moat actually sits.
Key takeaways
◾Start with the ICP, not the keyword list, and the queries sort themselves
◾One high-volume term usually hides four buyers who need four different pages
◾A software moat is context and workflow, not the model underneathChapters
00:00 Audience First SEO
02:19 ClickFlow Content Workflow
07:48 Atlassian and SaaS Moats𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟
Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode delivers actionable marketing tips and strategies from two entrepreneurs who truly practice what they preach. The show is hosted by Eric Siu, founder of Leveling Up and Single Grain, and Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital and recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer.
🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts
Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial
Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel
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PLG Is Dead. It's Now About ALG
13 augustus 2026 · 18 min
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Vercel's Guillermo Rauch says agent-led growth replaces product-led growth: let agents adopt your product first, take meetings only if you have to, and treat months of meetings as the signal that this was never your customer. Eric runs it against the Higgsfield playbook, zero to $400M ARR in fourteen months on daily X launches and thousands of creators posting every day. It closes on Leopold's LP letter, Charlie Munger's three ways to go broke, and what four turns of leverage does to a 20% drawdown.
Key takeaways◾If an agent cannot discover, read, and use your product, you are invisible to the next buyer◾Distribution at Higgsfield's pace is a daily habit, not a campaign◾Leverage turns a recoverable drawdown into an unrecoverable one
Chapters00:00 From PLG to ALG02:48 AI Distribution Machines10:35 Leverage, Risk, and Scale