This is what works with creators

Howdy readers 🥰

In this newsletter, you’ll find:

💪  The Best Creator Ads Right Now Aren’t Selling The Product

🔍 Google Expands Search & Ads

🏆 Ad of the Day

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Together with AirOps

Why are your top pages still missing AI's pipeline

Traffic from AI search is growing, but most teams haven't figured out how to turn it into a pipeline. Comparison pages, pricing pages, and feature pages either aren't getting cited or aren't converting when they are.

On August 5 at 2pm ET, Josh Grant, founder of StackedGTM and former VP of Growth at Webflow, joins AirOps' Josh Spilker for a tactical session on the plays that turn AEO into revenue this quarter. 

You'll walk away with:

• Why comparison pages are one of the fastest ways to capture mid-funnel AI search demand
• What makes pricing and feature pages more extractable for models to cite and summarize accurately
• How third-party corroboration from sites like G2, Capterra, and Reddit strengthens on-site messaging

Audit your feature pages against Josh's AEO framework live, and leave with a ranked fix-it list 

Can't make it live? Register anyway and get the recording in your inbox within 24 hours.

💪  The Best Creator Ads Right Now Aren’t Selling The Product

They’re letting the format do the selling.

A growing number of the highest-performing creator campaigns follow the same pattern. The viewer clicks because they recognize the format, not because they care about the brand. “Wait, this app has that feature?” Fake reviews, fan edits, tier lists, storytimes. The content already has a beginning, a payoff, and a reason to keep watching.

The product simply completes the story. That’s a very different creative brief from writing an ad.

Start with a format people already finish.

Don’t ask, “How do we make this product interesting?”

Ask, “What content are people already choosing to watch?”

If the format naturally holds attention, the product doesn’t need to carry the weight of the opening. It only needs to make the ending satisfying. That’s why reveal formats, rating videos and joke structures keep outperforming polished product explainers. The viewer is following the format. The product arrives later.

Don’t add a CTA if the format has already delivered one.

One of the easiest ways to weaken a winning creator ad is to explain the joke after it lands.

If the reveal makes someone think, “I need to try that,” you’ve already achieved what the CTA was supposed to do.

Adding another ten seconds of selling often changes how the video feels. It stops being a piece of content and starts reminding the viewer they were watching an ad all along.

The simplest test is to export two versions: one ending on the reveal, another with the usual call to action. Let the numbers decide whether your audience actually needs the extra pitch.

Brief creators with formats, not scripts.

Creators are good at adapting to formats their audience already understands.

They’re far less convincing when asked to recite brand copy.

A stronger brief is, “Use this trend and make the product the payoff,” rather than, “Here’s what we need you to say.”

That’s exactly why Billo’s breakdown of top-performing creator ads is worth studying before the next campaign. It doesn’t just show winning ads. It categorizes them by hook type and content format, making it much easier to spot which structures are still gaining traction and which have already peaked. You can read it before your next round of creator ads.

The strongest creator ads don’t hide the product.

They make you care about the story first, so by the time the product appears, it already feels like the natural ending.

🔍 Google Expands Search & Ads

Google introduced new AI-powered Search integrations and advertising updates, giving users more actions inside Search while expanding campaign measurement and management tools for advertisers.

The Breakdown:

AI Mode Connects Apps - Google AI Mode now integrates with Instacart, Canva, and YouTube Music, allowing users to shop, design, and create playlists directly from Search without leaving the experience.

Video Campaign Groups - Google rolled out Video Campaign Groups globally, letting advertisers manage reach and frequency across multiple YouTube campaigns, with 2.7 weekly exposures linked to a 19% ROI lift.

Shopping Ad Test - Google confirmed it's testing a hide/show sponsored products option in Shopping results, aiming to make ad labeling more consistent across Search and Shopping.

PMax Reporting Update - Performance Max product reporting now includes all eligible Google networks, so increases in impressions, clicks, and conversions after June 15 reflect broader measurement, not improved performance.

Google is keeping more user activity inside its own ecosystem while expanding advertiser tools and measurement. As Search becomes more integrated and automated, brands will need to adapt to changing traffic patterns and reporting methods.

🎥 Ad of the Day

What Works:

Proof Leads Conversion - The “visible results in 90 days” headline immediately frames a concrete outcome and timeline, giving the ad strong message-market fit for shoppers seeking measurable hair growth support.

Statistics Build Trust - The stacked percentages act as powerful social proof, reducing conversion friction by showing multiple benefits while the third-party study disclosure adds credibility to the performance claims.

Product Feels Tangible - Showing the capsule between fingers alongside the open jar makes the routine feel simple and real, improving product communication while keeping the supplement visually premium and approachable.

Lead with a specific timeframe, support it with several study-backed results, and visually show the product in use so prospects understand both the promise and routine instantly.

🤳Events

🔥 What 400+ Websites Reveal About Winning In Google Zero

July 23 | 60 Minutes | Virtual Event

Most SEO advice is based on opinion. This session is based on data. Learn what Cyrus Shepard discovered after studying 400+ websites, including the content formats still driving growth, the assets Google continues to reward, and where AI fits into a modern content strategy.

✅ Register For Free

Can't make it live? Register anyway, you'll get the recordings within 24hours.

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