Netflix x Amazon: A Streaming Ad Shake-Up + Smarter Reddit Strategies

On the Menu 👀

• 🛒 Netflix x Amazon: A new alliance that will change your CTV buying.

• 📢 Discord Communities: How brands are using the platform for a new kind of influencer marketing.

• 🔎 From SEO to AEO to GEO: How optimization models are evolving.

• 📖 A Smarter Reddit Strategy: A playbook for dominating organic and AI search.

• 🎙️ Podcast: The Retention Playbook your CFO will Love, with ft. Adam kitchen.

• 🚨 Tool Spotlight: OfferFit continuously analyzes customer data to generate tailored recommendations for content, offers, and communication timing.

• 🛠️ Weekly AI tools that will save you hours every week..

Takeaway: This alliance simplifies the process of buying and managing TV ads, combining Netflix's premium content with Amazon's powerful targeting and measurement capabilities.

Brands Turn to Discord for Niche Influencer Channels 📢

Discord, a platform once seen as a walled-off tool for gamers, is emerging as a powerful channel for brands to reach niche, highly-engaged communities. Mainstream brands are partnering directly with server owners to sponsor channels and gain access to highly engaged consumers. These partnerships are a form of influencer marketing that prioritizes deep, sticky engagement over broad reach, with brands like Starbucks and Chipotle finding success.

Why it matters:

• Community-Led Growth: Discord's strength lies in its ability to foster real-time, two-way conversations between a brand and its most loyal fans.

• Access to Superfans: The platform offers a direct connection to "superfans" who can become powerful brand advocates and evangelists.

• Authentic Engagement: Successful brands on Discord don't just broadcast; they listen, adapt, and give users a reason to contribute, not just consume.

Hook Tip: Identify a Discord community that aligns with your brand's values and audience. Start by participating in conversations and providing value to earn trust, then explore a partnership with the server owner to sponsor a channel or host a Q&A session.

Takeaway: Discord is not a broadcast platform; it's a place for conversation and community. Brands that succeed here will be those that show up authentically and contribute to the community, rather than simply pushing a product.

Takeaway: The evolution from SEO to AEO to GEO means marketers must adapt their strategies to focus on providing direct, authoritative answers to a world powered by AI.

A Smarter Reddit Strategy for Organic and AI Search Visibility 📖

Reddit is becoming a dominant force in organic and AI search, with its threads appearing prominently in Google results and being consistently cited by generative AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini. The key to a successful Reddit strategy is to move beyond hard sells and focus on genuine, value-driven contributions that earn trust. This "comment-first" approach is about becoming a trusted voice in a community, which in turn boosts your brand's visibility in search results.

Why it matters:

• Appear in AI Search Results: Reddit's authentic, user-generated content, which reflects real opinions and advice, makes it a prime source for AI models.

• Fueling Keyword Research: Analyzing discussions on Reddit helps you uncover long-tail keywords and trending topics that reflect real search intent.

• Building Topical Authority: By providing genuine insights and answering questions, your brand can build a reputation as an expert in your field, which is crucial for both on-platform and off-platform SEO..

Hook tip: Use a "Crawl, Walk, Run" approach. Start by listening and identifying subreddits where your audience is active. In the "Walk" phase, begin answering questions and sharing insights with a transparent, branded account.

Takeaway: A strategic, patient approach on Reddit can fuel organic visibility, build trust, and ensure your brand is cited in AI-generated search responses.

🧰 Framework of the Week: The RACE Growth System

The RACE Growth System is a practical framework for planning and managing your digital marketing activities across the customer journey. Created by Smart Insights, RACE stands for Reach, Act, Convert, and Engage, and provides a clear, step-by-step model for driving sales and loyalty.

1. Reach: The goal of this stage is to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your digital properties. This includes activities like content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and paid media to get your brand in front of a new audience.

2. Act: Once you've reached an audience, the next step is to persuade them to interact with you. This is where you focus on metrics like engagement rate, average time on page, and email sign-ups. The goal is to make it easy for visitors to take a desired action.

3. Convert: This stage is all about turning leads and engaged followers into paying customers. The key metrics here are conversion rates, lead-to-sale ratios, and overall revenue growth.

4. Engage: This final stage focuses on building long-term relationships with your existing customers to increase retention and loyalty. This includes activities like personalized email campaigns, customer loyalty programs, and community building to turn customers into advocates.

Try this: Audit your existing marketing efforts against the RACE framework. Use your analytics to see where you're strong and where there's friction. For example, if you have high reach but low engagement, you might need to adjust your content strategy.

🛠️ Featured AI Toolkit for the week

Flick

What it does:
Flick is an AI-powered social media assistant that helps creators, marketers, and businesses streamline content creation. It generates captions, brainstorms post ideas, suggests hashtags, and provides analytics to optimize engagement. With its AI writing and planning tools, users can manage all their content workflows in one platform.

Fast payoff:
Connect your social media accounts, use the AI to instantly generate on-brand captions, and schedule posts. Within days, you’ll save hours of manual brainstorming, improve engagement with tailored hashtags, and maintain a consistent posting schedule.

Bardeen

What it does:
Bardeen is a no-code automation tool that connects apps and workflows directly in your browser. It lets you automate repetitive tasks like data entry, lead generation, reporting, and project management without APIs or complex setup. With pre-built “playbooks” and AI assistance, teams can eliminate busywork and focus on higher-value tasks.

Fast payoff:
Install the Chrome extension, pick a pre-made automation (like scraping LinkedIn leads into a Google Sheet), and run it in minutes. You’ll immediately cut hours of manual copy-paste work, accelerate workflows, and keep data flowing between apps effortlessly.

Tidio

What it does:
Tidio is an AI-powered customer support and live chat platform designed for small and medium businesses. It combines chatbots, ticketing, and human live chat into one solution. Businesses can automate FAQs, handle customer conversations in real time, and integrate with CRMs and e-commerce platforms for better customer experiences.

Fast payoff:
Install Tidio on your website, activate the AI chatbot, and set up automated responses to FAQs. Within a few days, you’ll notice reduced support workload, faster customer replies, and higher satisfaction while capturing more leads and sales through real-time engagement.