In this episode of Create Like The Greats, Ross dives into the evolving landscape of digital marketing in the era of artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs). He challenges brands to rethink their approach by understanding that today’s most influential "audiences" aren't just humans—they're machines. Ross outlines how AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews, and others scrape public content to generate recommendations and answers for users, and how brands can strategically position their content to become part of this intelligence loop. Whether it’s SEO, Reddit commentary, or owning bottom-of-funnel content, Ross shares powerful frameworks and tactics to help your brand stay relevant, present, and impactful in the age of AI-driven search results.
Key Takeaways and Insights:
🤖Brands Must Market to Machines
Brands can influence LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.
Marketing today isn’t just targeting people—it's also about reaching the machines that influence them.
AI-generated answers are impacting consumer decisions more than ever.
🔍Understand How LLMs Source and Surface Information
LLMs are trained on public and proprietary web data.
Your content must live on platforms that LLMs can access and trust.
📍 The Realization: You’re Marketing to Machines
Machines are pollinators of your content to future customers.
Brands must understand search intent and align content accordingly.
🧵Why Reddit is a Goldmine for AI Training
Reddit is a top source for unfiltered opinions and bottom-of-funnel content.
LLMs scrape Reddit threads extensively due to their public availability and authenticity.
Tip: Don’t spam Reddit. Instead, add value consistently and transparently.
🪴Practical Example: Plant Delivery B2B Brand
Illustrates how niche brands can create bottom-of-funnel content (e.g., comparisons, Reddit engagement).
Great content can be repurposed across platforms like Reddit and industry forums.
🔄 Content Repurposing + Distribution Strategy
Resurface evergreen content in ecosystems that LLMs crawl.
SEO tactics and AI-driven discovery are not mutually exclusive—they are interconnected.
📈 What Kind of Content Should You Create
Focus on:
Comparison pages
Buying guides
Objection-handling content
Use-case & case-study based content
Localized landing pages can help capture region-specific AI queries.
💡 Where to Distribute Your Content
Distribute into ecosystems LLMs are known to crawl or partner with.
Example: OpenAI Partnerships help identify valuable distribution hubs.
🧠 Build EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust
Include author pages, cite real research, and use industry language.
Demonstrating trust and authority increases visibility in AI responses.
Resources & Tools:
🔗Google: Google AI Overview Info
🔗 Reddit: reddit.com
🔗 Foundation's Generative Engine Optimization
🔗 OpenAI Partnerships: OpenAI Partner Channels
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