In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups

Cody Schneider
  • 5.0 (18)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.

  1. 12/29/2025

    You Should Only Focus on Increasing Branded Search Volume in 2026

    Your “source of truth” for customer acquisition isn’t GA4. It’s what people tell you when they sign up — and right now, that story is changing fast. In this episode, we unpack a simple but brutally effective tactic: adding a required “How did you hear about us?” field to your signup form — and using that data to understand where real discovery is happening. The surprise? More and more B2B customers are saying social media, even when analytics tools claim otherwise. But here’s the deeper shift: organic social is hard to measure… unless you track the right trailing indicator. That indicator is branded search. You’ll learn how to use Google Search Console to track brand-name impressions over time, why it’s becoming the only KPI that matters for modern founder-led marketing, and how branded search creates a defensible moat competitors can’t easily steal. If you’re planning your marketing strategy for 2026, this is the measurement system you need. What You’ll Learn Why signup form attribution is often more reliable than your analytics dashboardsThe biggest B2B acquisition shift happening right now: from search → socialWhy organic social is nearly impossible to ROI… and how to measure it anywayThe “branded search” metric that acts as a trailing indicator for social discoveryWhy branded search is a marketing moat your competitors can’t take from youHow to build a branded-search chart using Google Search Console in minutesThe exact prompt to pull branded impressions by query and track them over timeTimestamps 00:00:00 - Customer Discovery Starts at Signup00:00:10 - The Shift: Search → Social00:00:31 - Why Organic Social Now Matters Most00:00:52 - The Measurement Problem (and the Fix)00:01:12 - Branded Search = Your Trailing Indicator00:01:33 - Why Branded Search Is a Moat00:01:54 - Where to Invest Time, Money, and Energy00:02:04 - The 2026 Strategy: Grow Brand Searches00:02:15 - How to Track Branded Search in GSC00:02:25 - Building the Branded Impressions Chart00:02:46 - Live Demo: Google Search Console Setup00:03:07 - Final ThoughtsKey Topics & Insights 1. Signup Attribution Beats Analytics (Almost Every Time) One of the fastest ways to understand how customers actually found you is simple: add a required “How did you hear about us?” field in your signup form.Why it works: It captures customer intent in their wordsIt reveals channels analytics often misattributesIt shows the real discovery story (not the last-click story)And the punchline: it often contradicts what GA4 says. 2. The B2B Discovery Shift: Search → Social If you’ve been paying attention to the data, something big is happening: People aren’t discovering new software products through search anymore. They’re discovering them on social — then Googling them afterward. This shift has accelerated over the past 12–18 months. Even in B2B, where trends typically lag behind DTC. What this means: SEO is no longer the first touchpointSocial is becoming the top-of-funnel discovery engineSearch is evolving into a validation channel3. Organic Social Has a Measurement Problem The hardest part about investing in organic social is that it’s difficult to tie to ROI. Whether you’re doing: Founder-led contentCreator sponsorshipsCommunity distributionOrganic growth loops…it doesn’t fit neatly into traditional attribution. So instead of forcing bad ROI models, track the trailing indicator that proves social discovery is working. 4. Branded Search Is the Trailing Indicator That Matters Here’s the key idea: When someone discovers your product on social, they don’t click your link. They Google your name. That branded search becomes the measurable proof: A discovery event happenedPeople care enough to look you upYour brand is entering the market’s memoryThis is why branded search growth is one of the strongest indicators of momentum. If branded search is increasing month-over-month, your brand is winning. 5. Branded Search Creates a Defensible Moat This is where it becomes more than measurement — it becomes strategy. Branded search is difficult for competitors to steal. Once people are searching your name, you own that demand. The only way competitors can interfere: They bid on your brand in Google AdsThey try to outspend youOr they attempt to confuse the marketBut that’s expensive, obvious, and usually temporary. So branded search is not only a KPI — it’s defensibility. 6. How to Track Branded Search in Google Search Console This is the tactical part. To track branded search over time, you want a chart that shows: Impressions over timeFor queries containing your brand nameCaptured in every format your audience might type itAnd this is surprisingly easy to pull from Google Search Console. 7. The Exact Chart & Prompt to Build It The goal is to extract Search Console impressions where queries include your brand name. Example prompt: “Build a chart showing total impressions over time for queries containing ‘YOURBRAND’.”Then your job becomes simple: Increase branded impressions month-over-month through: social contentdistributioncreator partnershipspodcast mentionsrepeated brand exposureconsistent visibilityThis becomes the clearest signal that marketing is compounding. Action Steps (Do This Today) Add a required “How did you hear about us?” field on signupReview responses weekly (and compare against analytics)Use Google Search Console to track branded query impressionsCreate a monthly KPI: branded impressions growthUse branded search growth as the scoreboard for your organic social effortsSponsorToday’s episode is brought to you by Graphed – an AI data analyst & BI platform. With Graphed you can:Connect data like GA4, Facebook Ads, HubSpot, Google Ads, Search Console, AmplitudeBuild interactive dashboards just by chatting (no Looker Studio/Tableau learning curve)Use it as your ETL + data warehouse + BI layer in one place Ask:“Build me a stacked bar chart of new users vs. all users over time from GA4”…and Graphed just builds it for you. 👉 Get a 14-day free trial with 10 seats for your team: https://graphed.com/

    4 min

  2. 12/22/2025

    Find All the Citations ChatGPT is Using to Answer Your Target Customer's Questions

    If you’re not getting cited by ChatGPT, your “AI SEO” strategy isn’t working, no matter what your dashboards say. Most of it is observability theater: dashboards, charts, synthetic prompts — and zero actual placement. In this episode, we chat with Shawn Schneider, founder of Eldil AI, about what actually determines whether your company shows up in ChatGPT answers. The short answer: LLMs don’t reward more content, clever prompts, or prettier dashboards. They reward a small set of trusted third-party sources — and most brands aren’t mentioned in any of them. Shawn breaks down why observability alone creates a false sense of progress, how to identify the specific citations that dominate your category, and how to turn that insight into real placements through outreach and negotiation. We also unpack why Google Search Console is still the best signal we have for AI-driven queries, how to prioritize the one citation that actually matters, and what the first 30–90 days can look like when you do this correctly. Guest Shawn Schneider — founder of Eldil AI, a GEO / AI SEO platform focused on identifying and securing the citations LLMs rely on most; helps brands and agencies win visibility in ChatGPT by targeting the power-law sources that shape AI answers. Guest LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-schneider-61b2b5207/ Company Website: https://www.eldil.ai/ What You’ll Learn Why most GEO / AI SEO observability tools are meaningless without actual placements The only thing that reliably improves AI search visibility: citation placementsHow to use Google Search Console to surface AI fan-out queriesWhy synthetic prompt data is still unreliable (and what to trust instead)The power law of citations: why only 1–3 sources actually matterHow Eldil turns citation discovery into outreach and negotiated placementsWhat 30–90 days can look like when you secure the right citationWhich industries should invest heavily — and which should ignore this for nowWhy ChatGPT dominates referral traffic compared to other LLMsWhat happens when ads arrive inside AI search resultsTimestamps 00:00 — GEO, AI SEO, AEO: noise vs. reality00:21 — Why observability tools don’t move the needle03:55 — Where GEO tools get their data (and why it’s messy)07:16 — Using Google Search Console as a prompt proxy09:40 — The three pillars: technical, content, authority12:07 — Citations as the dominant ranking lever13:07 — The power law: thousands of citations, one winner19:07 — How fast results actually show up20:39 — When building your own citation content makes sense30:41 — Which business models win with GEO37:11 — ChatGPT ads and the future of AI search41:32 — Where to find Shawn and closing thoughts Key Topics & Ideas 1. Why dashboards feel good but don’t create outcomes. Most tools are essentially “Google Analytics for LLMs”ChatGPT referrals rise naturally as usage increasesCharts go up even if you do nothingWithout placements, observability is just vanity2. The three common approaches in the market today: Guessing prompts with LLMsClickstream data sourced from Chrome extensions and brokersSynthetic prompts without transparencyEldil uses Google Search Console + Analytics as the best available proxy for real intent. 3. How to spot AI-generated fan-out queries: 50+ character queriesHigh impressionsLow or zero clicksThese often represent LLMs expanding short prompts into long-form searches. 4. The three pillars: Technical, Content, Authority Technical — can an LLM crawl and understand your site?Content — does useful information exist?Authority — does anyone credible back it up?Authority is the multiplier most teams ignore. 5. What actually shapes AI answers: Citations are not backlinks, they are semantic explanationsLLMs repeatedly return to the same trusted sourcesThird-party listicles and niche blogs dominate citation share6. The Power Law of Citations 10k–15k citations may exist200–300 matter1–3 actually move the needleIf you’re not in those, content volume won’t save you. 7. The real workflow: Identify high-value customer questionsExtract dominant citationsRank them by weightContact site ownersNegotiate placementMonitor AI visibility and referral trafficThis is where most tools stop — and where Eldil focuses. 8. How many placements do you need? Surprisingly few. You don’t need 100 placementsYou need the right oneThen expand into adjacent verticalsThis is concentrated betting, not spray-and-pray SEO. 9. Why GEO feels different from traditional SEO: You are inserting into sources that already rankChanges can show up in weeks, not yearsMeaningful referral growth often appears within ~60–90 days10. Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Do This Best fit: High-ACV B2B SaaSLong buying cyclesHigh-LTV e-commerce (supplements, skincare)ICPs that already live in ChatGPTIf your customers do not use LLMs yet, start elsewhere. 11. Why ChatGPT is the main event Based on Eldil’s data: ChatGPT referrals dwarf Perplexity and othersFor most companies, this is where focus belongsSmaller channels still matter for high-ticket sales12. What’s coming next Paid placements inside LLMsOrganic plus paid becoming a one-two punchCitation inventory getting expensive fastThe window for cheap dominance will not last. SponsorToday’s episode is brought to you by Graphed – an AI data analyst & BI platform. With Graphed you can:Connect data like GA4, Facebook Ads, HubSpot, Google Ads, Search Console, AmplitudeBuild interactive dashboards just by chatting (no Looker Studio/Tableau learning curve)Use it as your ETL + data warehouse + BI layer in one place Ask:“Build me a stacked bar chart of new users vs. all users over time from GA4”…and Graphed just builds it for you. 👉 Get a free trial worth $500 plus a personal discovery call to set up your first dashboard: https://graphed.com/

    44 min

  3. 12/11/2025

    Ranking Your New Startup Domain for Your Brand Name

    Your brand doesn’t exist until it ranks on page one—and most founders have no idea how to make that happen. In this episode, we break down the exact playbook for getting a brand-new domain to show up in Google for your company name. After going through this process firsthand with Graphed.com, you’ll learn how to choose a rankable name, build the right backlinks, trigger branded search behavior, and use Google Ads to accelerate the whole process. If you're launching anything new, this is the tactical blueprint you wish you had earlier. What You’ll Learn Why ranking for your brand name is the first real trust signal for any startupHow to pick a name and domain you can actually rank forThe “first 100 links” strategy that trains Google to recognize your brandSimple ways to generate branded search behavior across social and contentHow Google quietly tests your domain—and how to know when it’s happeningHow to use Google Search Ads to accelerate ranking and protect your brandWhy .com still matters more than any other TLDTimestamps 00:00 — Why your new domain must rank for your own brand name00:31 — Why ranking for your brand name is a critical early trust signal01:03 — The rookie mistake founders make when picking a brand name01:13 — What ideal, non-competitive SERPs should look like01:35 — Graphed.com’s journey to finally ranking in position one01:45 — Overview of the process to teach Google your brand01:55 — Step 1: Build backlinks to your homepage03:29 — Step 2: Drive branded search with social posts & content04:21 — Step 3: Run Google Search Ads on your exact brand name05:45 — Why you should always buy the .com for your brand06:16 — Final thoughts + Graphed free trialKey Topics & Insights 1. Ranking for Your Brand Name = Early-Stage Trust If someone Googles your company and doesn’t find you, credibility collapses. Ranking for your brand name is one of the first—and easiest—trust signals to secure. Graphed.com took ~2 months to rank, but with this framework, it can happen in as little as 24–48 hours. 2. How to Choose a Rankable Name Avoid names already used by active companiesLook for search results filled with noise, not competitorsIdeal: two words, few syllables, easy to spellAnd always, always buy the .com3. Build the First 100 Backlinks (Brand-Name Anchors Only) Your #1 job early is to teach Google what your company is.Do this by: Building backlinks to your homepageUsing your brand name as the anchor text (not keywords)These are foundational “identity” links that help Google map brand → domain. How to build them: Submit to software directoriesUse link submission servicesCold email companies for guest post swapsLayer PR on top later4. Trigger Branded Search Behavior Once Google sees your backlinks, you need humans to reinforce the signal: Search your brand nameClick your domainSpend time on the pageGoogle then learns: “When people search this name, this is the site they want.”You create this behavior through: Social postsNewslettersPodcast mentionsRepeated use of the brand everywhere5. How Google Tests Your Domain Google will quietly experiment by showing your domain for branded queries.You’ll see this in Search Console via: Rising impressionsIncreasing CTRSudden jumps in average positionThis is the moment Google “decides” you belong on page one. 6. Accelerate Everything With Google Search Ads Run a brand campaign: Exact-match brand keywordMinimum bid: around $5Send traffic to homepageThis forces the association between brand name → your site, and accelerates your rise in organic search. Brand protection tips: Raise bids to block competitorsAdd sitelinks to take more SERP real estateOptional: multiple ad accounts (with caution)7. Why .com Still Beats Every Other Domain Consumers inherently trust .com more than .io, .co, .xyz, etc.It drives higher CTR and reduces friction in word-of-mouth.If the .com isn’t available, pick a new name—don’t settle. SponsorToday’s episode is brought to you by Graphed – an AI data analyst & BI platform. With Graphed you can:Connect data like GA4, Facebook Ads, HubSpot, Google Ads, Search Console, AmplitudeBuild interactive dashboards just by chatting (no Looker Studio/Tableau learning curve)Use it as your ETL + data warehouse + BI layer in one place Ask:“Build me a stacked bar chart of new users vs. all users over time from GA4”…and Graphed just builds it for you. 👉 Get a 14-day free trial with 10 seats for your team: https://graphed.com/

    7 min

  4. 11/20/2025

    Is vibe coding a bubble or skill Issue? Tactics to actually ship usable products

    There’s a whole narrative right now that “vibe coding is a bubble” and all the MRR from AI-built apps isn’t real. In this episode, we chat with Jacob Klug, founder of the agency Creme, which specializes in building lovable MVPs on top of tools like Lovable and AI coding assistants. Jacob makes the case that most of the “AI apps are trash” discourse is really a skill issue, not a tool issue—and he breaks down the exact process his team uses to ship full platform-level apps in two-week sprints. We dig into how to scope and design software that doesn’t look AI-generated, how to think about personal operating systems vs. SaaS, why ideas are getting worse even as tools get better, and how creators and agencies can turn niche domain expertise into real products. If you’re an operator, marketer, or founder trying to figure out how to actually use AI coding tools (instead of just tweeting about them), this one’s for you. Guest Jacob Klug — founder of Creme, an agency building “lovable MVPs” and full-stack products with Lovable + AI tools; helps founders, startups & enterprises ship production apps in weeks without sacrificing UX. Guest Links Website: https://www.creme.digital/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-klug-37b254156/X (Twitter): https://x.com/Jacobsklug What You’ll Learn Why the “vibe coding is a bubble” take is mostly a skill and discipline problemHow Jacob’s agency ships full startup-grade products using Lovable and AIThe PRD-first formula they use before ever opening a builderHow to decide when to build vs. when to buy software in 2025Why we’re entering a wave of personal OSes and custom internal toolsHow to avoid shipping janky AI UI and make your app look intentionally designedThe mindset shift from “I could build anything” → “I will build this one specific thing”Why specializing in one AI tool (Lovable, Cursor, n8n, etc.) beats being “the AI guy”Tactical content and lead-gen plays for agencies on LinkedIn and YouTubeHow to learn AI tooling without getting paralyzed by the infinite possibilitiesTimestamps 00:00 — Vibe coding: bubble or breakthrough?02:23 — Effective use of no-code tools05:23 — Stack and scoping for MVP development07:08 — Trends in personal software development10:33 — Personal projects: blood work analysis tool13:00 — Steps to start building custom software17:49 — Successful and unsuccessful product categories21:01 — Learning and adopting AI tools27:45 — Creator collaboration in software development32:14 — Lead generation strategies for AI-powered agencies Key Topics & Ideas 1. Bubble or Skill Issue? Why early no-code/AI apps looked jankyHow tools like Lovable increased automation from ~50% → ~85%The remaining 10–15% where real engineering still mattersMany failures come from non-devs skipping fundamentals2. How Creme Builds Lovable MVPs Every project starts with a clear PRD (often drafted with ChatGPT)AI is used to tighten scope before buildingWhen Creme stays fully in Lovable vs. moving code to CursorUsing Lovable Cloud for hosting, database, and analytics3. Personal Operating Systems & Internal Tools People replacing SaaS subscriptions with their own custom toolsIn a 20-person cohort, nearly everyone built workflow appsRise of the Personal OS: one system for life + workExample builds:Bloodwork tracker from PDF uploadsUnified messaging CRM (WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, email)Automated 30-second sales briefings4. How to Learn AI Coding Tools Half the cohort hadn’t built anything before startingMain blocker: overwhelm, not skillLearn core concepts: frontend vs. backend, auth, roles, securityBuild daily reps, focus on the next thing you need—not “all of AI”5. Designing Apps That Don’t Look AI-Generated Good design is still the hardest and biggest edgeCreme process: build a /components library, define buttons/cards/inputs, assign stable IDsTools: Mobbin, Figma Community kits, 21st.devBest prompt: “Here’s a screenshot → copy this.”6. What Works in Product Ideas Most of Creme’s builds are full startup platforms, not micro-toolsAI makes shipping easier, but ideas are getting worse without depthReal advantage = domain expertise + niche problem + AI speed7. Creators x Software Creators can now ship products without capitalJacob prefers retainers over equityAnalogy: Like creator brands—most fail, a few go huge8. Career Strategy: Specialize Future = verticalized expertise, not “AI generalists”Specialist lanes: Lovable, Cursor, n8n, automationBe the person for one tool + one market9. Content & Lead Gen Jacob's two rules for content: people are selfish and people are boredBuild content that teaches, sparks emotion, and creates curiosityPost ~5x/week, prioritize visual postsLong-term: YouTube deep dives for high-intent inboundSponsorToday’s episode is brought to you by Graphed – an AI data analyst & BI platform. With Graphed you can:Connect data like GA4, Facebook Ads, HubSpot, Google Ads, Search Console, AmplitudeBuild interactive dashboards just by chatting (no Looker Studio/Tableau learning curve)Use it as your ETL + data warehouse + BI layer in one place Ask:“Build me a stacked bar chart of new users vs. all users over time from GA4”…and Graphed just builds it for you. 👉 Get a 14-day free trial with 10 seats for your team: https://graphed.com/

    47 min

  5. 11/19/2025

    AI Fanning Explained - what happens between user query and AI output and how to exploit it

    Brought to you by Graphed.com - https://www.graphed.com/ Graphed is your AI agent for marketing analytics. Connect your data and get insights in minutes. Build dashboards, reports, and chat. Learn more at the link. https://www.graphed.com/ When you hit send on ChatGPT, your garbage six-word query gets enriched while the AI simultaneously launches 80 parallel searches, scraping pages 1-3 on Google faster than you can blink - and the proof is hiding in your Search Console with those weird 50+ character queries showing 96K impressions but only 14 clicks because AI is hoovering up content without clicking through. The arbitrage play is stupidly obvious: stop making more content and start getting mentioned in the existing high-ranking pieces AI already references - find what URLs ChatGPT cites for your space, reach out to those blog owners, and get included in their listicles because one mention there is worth more than 100 blog posts since you're suddenly part of every AI response in your category. 5 Key Takeaways: AI enriches your terrible queries because you type like garbageEvery response triggers 80 parallel searches scraping Google's top resultsSearch Console shows AI scraping: high impressions, zero actual clicksStop making content, get mentioned in existing high-ranking pieces insteadOne listicle mention beats 100 blog posts for AI coverage

    5 min

  6. 10/22/2025

    Dominate Page 1: How to Rank 5 Parasite SEO Properties in Hours

    Think of page one as real estate—and claim as much of it as possible. Jesper Nissen breaks down modern parasite SEO: leveraging high-authority platforms (YouTube, Instagram, X/Twitter Articles, Perplexity/Qwen pages, etc.) to rank quickly for branded, local, and long-tail keywords. We cover indexing workflows, daisy-chain linking, exact-match domain plays, and the content + link velocity patterns that are working now. Guest Jesper Nissen — SEO educator, link-building practitioner, founder of SchemaWriter.ai and the cloud-stacking platform YACSS; speaker at POFU Live / SEO Rockstars; MSc in Physics (U. of Copenhagen).  Guest Links Website: https://jespernissen.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JesperNissenSEO X (Twitter): https://x.com/jespernissenseo?lang=en What You’ll Learn Parasite SEO, 2025 edition: Why page-one results increasingly favor social UGC, news, and authority domains—and how to ride that DA for fast wins. Platforms that still rank: Jesper’s current leaderboard (e.g., Qwen, Perplexity) and what changed for Claude Artifacts.Local + long-tail focus: How to use Facebook/Instagram posts, YouTube videos & community posts, and X Articles to own branded and geo-keywords.Indexing workflow: Indexing services + social “daisy-chain” links to accelerate discovery.EMD plays: Exact-match domains (service+city and SaaS feature terms) and smart, steady link velocity patterns.Social → Search shift: Why Instagram and Facebook posts have started surfacing in Google (July 2025 change) and how to write posts to rank. Timestamps 00:00 — Owning page one like “real estate”02:16 — Parasite SEO vs. traditional guest posts08:45 — Reddit’s link-out limits & why Jesper moved on14:58 — Claude Artifacts surge (and why it cooled)18:02 — What’s working now: Quen & Perplexity pages21:35 — Indexing flow: drip pings + social link bursts26:40 — Meta shift: FB/IG posts in Google (local SEO gold) 31:55 — Exact-match domains + link velocity math46:55 — Shorts as TOF magnets; long-form as sales letter51:40 — Priming YouTube with low-CPC X ads (global)Jesper’s Parasite SEO Playbook (Step-by-Step) Pick a target query (branded, local, or long-tail).Publish across high-DA surfaces:YouTube (video + Community post), X/Twitter (Articles), Instagram, Facebook Page, plus AI page builders (e.g., Quen, Perplexity).Front-load keywords in social posts (especially the first words of FB/IG captions for cleaner URLs/titles).Daisy-chain internal links: point your X Article to the IG/FB/YouTube/AI pages to aid indexing.Kick indexing via reputable ping/index services, then add lightweight social links to nudge crawl.Measure and iterate: keep winners, replace laggards, expand with adjacent long tails.Exact-Match Domain (EMD) Mini-Framework When to use: service+city rank-and-rent, or narrowly defined SaaS use-cases.Build: one-page lander, fast crawl path, 5–10 quality links/month early, layer socials & citations; avoid unnatural velocity spikes.Why it works: high topical alignment + clean intent matching. (Jesper’s background in cloud stacking/YACSS and SchemaWriter.ai complements this with structured data & internal “powerstack” patterns.) Sponsor This episode is brought to you by Graphed — the AI-native analytics platform that builds dashboards from plain English. Connect GA4, ads, CRM, GSC, and Sheets to get KPI boards in minutes. Learn more: https://graphed.com/

    55 min

  7. 10/21/2025

    You Can Get $0.80 CPM from TV Streaming Ads Right now

    Billboards at $0.75 CPM. Streaming TV you can actually measure. Tim Rowe breaks down how to blend OOH + CTV to drop blended CAC, spark geo-lift, and build “living-room” brand equity—without massive budgets. Streaming has turned TV into a performance channel you can buy, cap, and measure like digital—often at CPMs rivaling or beating social. Tim explains how their ad server + pixel connect living-room exposure to down-funnel actions, with many brands seeing $3–$4 cost per visit and 3–4× higher conversion vs other traffic sources. On OOH, the overlooked arbitrage is static or digital boards priced like real estate: win by buying the biggest formats in the largest markets at the lowest biddable entry price, then engineer earned media (social virality) and geo-lift. Start with ~$5k for a real CTV test (smaller tests can still work as an add-on), measure blended CAC, branded search, and market-level lift, and let creative—not hyper-granular targeting—do the heavy lifting. Guest Website: https://cognitionads.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troweactualX (Twitter): https://x.com/oohinsiderTim’s newsletter/resource hub: https://stateofstreaming.com/ What You’ll Learn Why streaming made TV relevant again—and cheap ($1–$2 CPMs in some geos).How to attribute TV exposure → search → site visit → purchase within a 48-hour view-through window.The out-of-home (OOH) arbitrage: buying big signs in big markets for sub-$1 CPMs.How OOH + CTV lower blended CAC and lift branded search in target geographies.Practical first tests: budgets, pixels, frequency caps, creative, and geo measurement.Event playbooks: digital billboard trucks, rideshare screens, street teams, and QR flows.Targeting reality: on CTV, less targeting often wins—use creative as the filter.Retargeting on TV (yes): pixel site traffic and follow with CTV/audio/display. Timestamps & Chapters 00:00 — Why TV is “back”: streaming CPMs and geo-targeted buys01:30 — Direct attribution: 48-hour view-through from TV → search → site → purchase03:45 — OOH primer: static vs digital, programmatic buys, and PMP tips06:05 — The arbitrage: big boards, big markets, tiny CPMs (often $1)09:15 — Measuring lift: branded search, Search Console, geo-heatmaps, blended CAC12:10 — Earned media by design: turning boards into social fuel15:20 — Event playbook: mobile LED trucks, rideshare TV, coffee-cart sponsorships18:05 — CTV mechanics: ad server + pixel, frequency caps, “hands on keyboard” setup21:10 — Budgeting your first test (~$5k) and what “good” looks like23:00 — Targeting truth: broad wins; use creative, use your 1P data for segments/lookalikes26:10 — Retargeting on TV and building a full streaming funnel28:00 — Who this works best for (DTC, local services, ABM/SaaS, events)30:00 — Getting started and where to reach TimPlaybooks & How-Tos 1) Fast OOH Test (2–4 weeks) Pick 1–2 large markets your sales team targets.Buy largest formats you can afford (static or digital) at the lowest CPM; test via https://www.blipbillboards.com/ (entry-level) or via PMPs/direct with operators.Creative: one bold claim + large logo + simple URL/QR. Design for 0–3 second read.Measure: branded search & direct/organic sessions from those geos; compare pre/post.2) Streaming TV (CTV) Starter Pixel your site (for attribution + retargeting).Launch a broad geo campaign; cap frequency; rotate 1–2 :15–:30 creatives.Budget: aim for $5k to reach statistical signal; smaller ($1.5–$2k) still useful as a display-like add-on.KPI: cost per visit ($3–$4 is common in Tim’s data), conversion rate lift vs other traffic, branded search lift, blended CAC shift.3) Event Swarm Tactics Digital billboard truck looping near venue entrances all day.Rideshare TV for the event radius; add a QR to capture emails or drive an offer.Street team + product samples or demo cards; sponsor a coffee cart beside the venue.Key Takeaways (Skimmable) CPMs: OOH can hit ~$0.75; CTV often $1–$2 in the right geos.Attribution: Use a 48-hour view-through window from TV exposure to on-site actions.Blended CAC: Expect downstream CAC reductions across channels from brand lift.Targeting: On CTV, broader = cheaper CPMs and often better performance; let creative and 1P audiences do the work.Budget: $5k is a solid first test; smaller tests still demonstrate directionality.Creative: Be bold; engineer shareable moments to multiply paid with earned.Links & Resources Mentioned Cognition Ads (Tim’s company): https://cognitionads.com/ State of Streaming (news & insights): https://stateofstreaming.com/ Blip (entry-level digital billboards): https://www.blipbillboards.com/ The Trade Desk: https://www.thetradedesk.com/ DV360: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/display-video-360/ Google Search Console (measure geo-lift): https://search.google.com/search-console/about Sponsor This episode is brought to you by Graphed — an AI-native analytics platform that builds dashboards from plain English. Connect GA4, ads, CRM and get KPI boards in minutes. Learn more: https://graphed.com/

    40 min

  8. 10/14/2025

    Local SEO: How to Dominate Rankings in Just One Week

    Founders are ditching pure outbound for “community → product” funnels. Jacky Chou (Indexsy) breaks down a modern SaaS GTM: build audience, educate in a community, sell the tool that powers the play. We go deep on local SEO (map pack), YouTube as the highest-intent acquisition channel, Reddit/parasite SEO mechanics, and how LocalRank grows by educating & productizing services. Guest Jacky Chou — IndexsyWebsite: https://jackychou.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@indexsy X (Twitter): https://x.com/indexsy Brought to you by Graphed — AI data analytics you can chat with. Connect your data, build live dashboards in minutes: https://graphed.com What You’ll Learn The community-led SaaS funnel (audience → community → teach → tool)Local SEO 80/20: reviews, citations (NAP consistency), and CTR signalsWhy YouTube drives the most buyer-ready traffic for niche softwareParasite SEO & Reddit tactics to earn visibility and brand mentionsHow “education first” communities expand TAM and reduce CACCold outreach that feeds branded search and category creationChapters 00:00 Intro — Why the SaaS funnel is shifting to community-led 01:45 Local SEO 101: map pack vs. organic results 03:40 The 80/20: reviews, citations/NAP, CTR signals 06:10 Tactics for generating reviews & citations (pros/cons, risks) 09:55 Indexing citations faster; NAP consistency checklist 12:40 Community-led growth & seeding new agencies on LocalRank 15:05 Why local SEO is “stupid easy” right now (and where it’s competitive) 17:30 Prospecting & pricing: pick high-CPC verticals, value-based fees 20:15 Packaging offers: guarantees, radius games, productized services 22:40 The funnel behind LocalRank Academy → software upsell 25:20 Paid vs. organic: X threads, remarketing, long email drips 27:15 Launch data: YouTube > X for paid conversions at launch 29:10 Reddit distribution, parasite SEO, and gaming brand mentions 32:20 Cold email that drives site visits (naked domains, link timing) 35:05 Manufacturing branded search & CTR spikes (digital PR ideas) 38:10 AI Search (AISCO): what (might) influence LLM surfaces today 43:05 Building moats: being the practitioner, faster iteration loops 46:10 Experiments, ethics & sustainability of “gray-hat” tactics 49:10 Where to find Jackie & final CTAs Key Takeaways Community beats cold: educate first, then sell the tool that powers the play.Map pack wins local: Reviews + consistent NAP citations + real-world engagement drive outsized results.YouTube converts: Long-form demos/education create buyer-ready traffic for niche SaaS.Branded search compounds: Cold email, content, PR, and job posts can stimulate searches for your name/category.TAM expansion via education: A paid community can breakeven ad spend and prime higher-ticket software deals.

    52 min
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About

In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.

Information

  • Creator
    Cody Schneider
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Cody Schneider