The Media Buying Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The show for media buyers of any level.

New episodes published weekly on Thursday at 2PM EST.

Tips, tactics and strategies for media buying on Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Ads, Programmatic Display, Native Ads and any other type of media buying you are currently involved in.

Tell your media buying friends to follow the podcast.

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Episode Resources

• Milled - Competitor Analysis for Email
• Jim's Brand Advertiser Analysis Tool - Analyse competitors or prospects to find the gaps in their media buying strategies.
• The Pay Per Call Revolution by Adam Young - The "bible" for the pay per call industry and a blueprint for how to conduct yourself in the affiliate industry.
• The Media Buying Podcast - Official site for resources, show notes, guest information
• Spades Media
• Boardwalk Marketing

This week on The Media Buying Podcast, hosts Jim Banks and Rob Adler deliver a masterclass in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline media buying, improve campaign efficiency, and empower affiliates, no matter your team size or experience level.

• AI in Media Buying: Learn how AI can automate repetitive marketing tasks, analyze massive datasets for actionable insights, and double-check your proposals to ensure every spec is hit.
• Boost Productivity: Discover practical examples of using AI (like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) to handle emails, qualify prospects, generate proposals, and even automate ad targeting and copywriting.
• Solo Affiliate's Edge: See how solo affiliates can compete with bigger teams by integrating best-fit AI models into their daily workflows, from CRM automation to rapid landing page tweaks and creative testing.
• The Truth About Content Automation: Understand the risks and rewards of using AI for content generation, how to stand out in a marketplace saturated by AI-written copy, and why helping not just selling will build your reputation.
• AI Prompt Tips: Rob reveals his pro-level strategies for optimizing AI prompts and why swapping models can turn failed prompts into winners.
• Trust & Transparency: Get the inside scoop on payment risks, cap management, and integrity in affiliate marketing and pay-per-call networks, including vetting advertisers and working your way up the food chain.

Digital marketers, performance agencies, affiliate marketers, solo entrepreneurs, and anyone in media buying or lead generation who wants to cut through the hype and BS and learn to use AI strategically.

• Day-to-Day Efficiency: Automate the mundane, tedious tasks to free up your time so you can focus on high-impact activities.
• Long-Term Success: Use AI to generate insights, optimize campaigns, ensure ethical marketing practices, and maintain strong advertiser, network and affiliate relationships.
• Stay Ahead: Get actionable techniques to stay on the cutting edge of tech-driven advertising.

Follow the show for more insights or visit our website linked below for deep-dive resources.

Drop your toughest media buying or affiliate questions in the comments and we might answer them on air in a future episode.

• Spades Media
• Boardwalk Marketing

We hope you enjoy listening to this first episode of the Media Buying Podcast.

If you have friends or colleagues interested in the subject be sure to point them in the direction of the podcast.

Just search for the Media Buying Podcast wherever you listen to your podcast episodes.

And don't forget to subscribe so you can be notified when new episodes get published.

Unlock the secret world behind ad platform reports, attribution models, and performance optimization in this value-packed episode of The Media Buying Podcast. Jim and Rob pick apart the latest Alphabet/Google and upcoming Meta/Facebook earnings via the 10Q's, revealing how shareholder interests shape ad products and bidding ecosystems – and what that means for your business.

Key takeaways this week:

• Why reading quarterly 10Q filings should be part of your media buying research process. Discover overlooked insights on platform direction, product growth (like Gemini and Google Cloud), and future changes to ad products.
• How attribution settings (1-day vs 7/28-day) can transform your reported results, and how to avoid the most common tracking missteps in Facebook and Google Ads.
• Real talk on AI & LLMs: Are creative and digital agencies going to be obsolete? Find out how to leverage automation while keeping your unique edge, and why understanding data context remains crucial.
• Pro-level campaign auditing: Learn how to spot hidden issues with conversion tracking, mobile UX, browser compatibility, and more – often overlooked by both in-house teams and agencies.
• Tactical bidding strategies to protect your brand budget on Google Ads, including the best ad buying strategy that still outperforms target ROAS in many scenarios, and how to instantly reduce wasted ad spend on Google Ads.
• Pay-per-call goldmines & high-intent local services: Get actionable tips for finding evergreen verticals and matching bidding/timeframes to emergency vs research buyers.
• Debunking “broad targeting” myths and why trusting default platform recommendations without segmentation can tank your campaign (and job).
• How data warehousing (GA4 + BigQuery + Looker Studio) gives you a profitable edge for long-term reporting, attribution, and scaling.

Who should watch:

This podcast episode is essential for digital marketers, eCommerce managers, paid media buyers, agency pros, in-house media buyers and affiliate marketers eager to elevate their paid traffic performance, avoid costly mistakes, and future-proof their strategies in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

✅ Subscribe for more media buying insights and expert strategy breakdowns every week (and tell your friends about the show)

Resources Discussed in this episode

• Affiliate Summit
• Spades Media
• Boardwalk Marketing

Are you a digital marketer, affiliate media buyer, or agency pro looking to master the art of industry networking and maximize your ROI at conferences like Affiliate Summit, Mailcon, and Mailer Meetup?

In this episode of The Media Buying Podcast, Jim Banks and Rob Adler break down the REAL differences between major affiliate events, revealing how to turn every handshake, hallway chat, and session into long-term business growth.

➡️ You’ll uncover:

• Key differences: Affiliate Summit vs. Mailcon vs. Mailer Meetup—Which is right for your goals, and how can each help you connect with the right partners?
• Conference strategies: How top-performing affiliates and brands approach booth presence, meet markets, networking, and exhibition planning for maximum value.
• Relationship-building wisdom: Why trust, reciprocity, and vetting are more important than ever in digital marketing, and practical tips to expand your circle.
• Actionable media buying hacks: Reduce risk with better payment structures, offer selection, campaign data integrity, and optimize lead quality and returns.
• Real talk: Stories from industry veterans about the true ROI of conferences, cultural shifts in affiliate marketing, and giving back to the community.
• How to avoid common pitfalls: Guard yourself against bad actors, payment issues, and discover why some "secret" events can change the trajectory of your business.

Whether you’re prepping for your next big event, seeking new affiliate partnerships, or want to sharpen your media buying and networking skills, this episode is packed with honest advice, memorable stories, and actionable insights tailored for digital marketers, performance marketers, affiliate managers, and agency owners.

Jim Banks and Rob Adler unravel the complexities of seasonality in digital marketing, sharing proven strategies for weathering both the high and low cycles in paid traffic and affiliate offers.

Discover how to future-proof your media buying with robust workload planning, strategic pivots, and by always having a backup buyer for your leads.

They break down the crucial difference between targeting offers and targeting audiences, and why monetizing by demographic unlocks lucrative cross-sell and upsell opportunities.

Rob and Jim also demystify industry acronyms (IOs, pay terms), and share hard-won lessons on negotiating payout bumps, payment terms, and managing offer shutdowns or sudden pauses.

Hear real-world tactics on:

• Navigating advertiser restrictions on bidding and overcoming competitive challenges
• Email marketing monetization, including smart segmentation & suppression list strategies
• Attribution in post-iOS 14.5 environments: modeling, data integrity, and practical workarounds
• Affiliate pivots: From paid search to organic, and why knowledge of your target user journey can turn a failing campaign into a winner
• Little-known funnel tweaks (offer walls, upsells, insurance add-ons) that make a big difference to your bottom line
• Using screen recordings and heatmaps to uncover hidden friction points and fine-tune your landing pages
• The “Trojan horse” quiz funnel approach for gray or restricted verticals

Whether you’re seeking affiliate marketing tips, need help with seasonality in paid media, or want advanced media buying growth hacks, this episode arms you with actionable takeaways to improve your daily campaigns and long-term strategy.