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Latest Episodes:

ChatGPT Plugins Added $500K ARR in Days Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Someone added $500K in ARR in a week by putting their app in ChatGPT plugins, and Eric wants Carrot, Answer the Public and Ubersuggest in there too. Neil says that at scale, plugins help retention more than revenue. He's also seeing clients arrive with business problems instead of asks, like revenue down 6% and leads down 32%, and Eric says that grows the market for agencies. Then customer service as marketing: a SpaceX growth lead fixing Grokbot before a webinar, On refunding an order without telling Eric, and Neil's Marriott check-in. They compare the Ritz-Carlton's budget to go beyond policy with Airbnb's 9-star idea, then trade travel tips on room service, compression bags and Sterling Pacific luggage. A practical episode on plugins and service.

Key takeaways

◾ChatGPT plugins are a distribution channel worth building for

◾Pitch the fix for the client's business problem, whatever the channel

◾Bending policy to fix a mistake earns word of mouth

Chapters

00:00 Plugins add $500K in ARR

01:13 Neil: plugins help retention more than revenue

02:05 Clients bring problems now

03:10 Revenue down 6%, leads down 32%

04:17 Solving the whole problem set grows the TAM

04:58 Customer service is marketing

06:06 On.com's surprise refund and split order

08:03 Neil's Marriott check-in

09:22 Charged for the night before, told to wait

10:11 A room appeared once it was their fault

10:58 Grokbot support hid behind policy

11:55 Ritz-Carlton and Airbnb's 9-star experience

12:39 Four Seasons prices, Disney cruise experience

13:56 Room service, laundry and one carry-on

14:48 Compression bags and Sterling Pacific luggage

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Neil Patel and Eric Siu's Biggest Business Wins and Mistakes of 2026 Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

It's Q4, so Eric and Neil run through their business and marketing highlights and lowlights for the year. Eric's win was hiring AI-native people after learning he couldn't train everyone, and Neil's was the lowest churn in a long time. Neil explains bankruptcy clawbacks, where the lawyers always win, with FTX legal fees near $700M, and how tariffs and war cut client budgets. Eric's team now makes and manages bots, including one that shortlists recruits every day. On marketing, YouTube is bringing enterprise leads, Neil found out he did 12.7M views in 30 days, and Gavin Baker reports 80% of token spend has flipped to open-weight models. Eric covers outbound, wedges and Higgsfield's weekly launches, and Neil explains why he wants the chill life. A candid look back at the year.

Key takeaways

◾Hire adaptable, AI-native people instead of trying to train everyone

◾Let bots handle evaluation work like recruiting shortlists

◾Test lots of ideas cheaply, then back the ones with traction

Chapters

00:00 Q4 business highlights

00:44 Eric's lowlight: thinking he could train people

01:28 Neil's lowest churn in years

02:32 Bankruptcy clawbacks and legal drama

03:29 Lawyers always win: FTX's $700M in fees

04:43 Tariffs, war and budgets

06:20 Optimistic about 2027?

07:05 Payment plans for groceries

08:31 We make and manage bots

09:13 Recruiters who say they can't build it

10:00 Marketing highlights

10:47 Enterprise leads who found us on YouTube

11:32 Ad Age's performance marketing agency of the year

13:33 Neil's 12.7M views in 30 days

14:38 A slow speaking summer, two months at home

15:37 Neil only buys companies at a good deal

16:21 Best returns with the least stress

17:14 Outbound, wedges and 15-minute standups

18:39 Skillsdojo: pair engineers with marketers

19:43 Crank out 100 ideas, double down on winners

20:48 Gavin Baker: 80% of token spend flipped

21:46 Higgsfield ships a new feature every week

22:28 Neil does better in services than tech

23:42 Think like a capital allocator

25:08 Neil just wants the chill life

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How We're Growing Our YouTube, the Wine and Dining Game and ChatGPT Plugins Create $500K ARR (Full Episode) Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

How to grow a YouTube channel with AI, win clients with the wine and dining game, and use ChatGPT plugins for growth. Eric's AI skills for thumbnails, editing and posting took his long-form views from about 500 to 15,000 to 25,000, and the people who wouldn't use them had to go. Neil says AI optimizes for average, and they cover hiring and why AI rewards whoever raises billions. Then the wine and dining game: Formula One boxes, Bank of America and Wells Fargo tickets, and a financial advisor's pitch after a friend's $25M house sale. Next, ChatGPT plugins adding $500K in ARR, clients arriving with leads down 32%, and service stories from Grokbot, On and Marriott. They finish with Q4 highlights and lowlights, from recruiting bots to Neil's 12.7M views in 30 days. The whole conversation in one place.

Key takeaways

◾Skills only work when someone spends real time tuning them

◾Thank-you tickets with no pitch keep clients around

◾Pitch the fix for the client's business problem, whatever the channel

Chapters

00:00 We got more views by firing

00:51 Skills took Eric's videos from 500 views to 25K

02:13 Cover the trend first, fix thumbnails and retention

02:56 Neil: AI optimizes for average

04:01 You still need humans in the loop

04:46 Bain's 94% and the coming job displacement

05:30 How we hire marketers now

06:17 A senior SEO candidate read off a Claude template

08:19 Lazy before the contract means worse after

09:27 The agency hire who said they're too slow

10:11 Hire people who never stop learning

10:53 Small touches build brands

12:19 Fundamentals move metrics more than campaigns

13:29 Uber won by subsidizing more than Lyft

14:48 Why a cheap Waymo rival can't win

15:51 AI rewards whoever raises billions

16:52 Muse is taking the market

17:38 Neil's Muse outreach lands a UK call

18:31 Red flags in the deals bankers pitch

19:25 The wine and dining game

20:12 Competitors win clients with Formula One boxes

20:55 Bank of America sent our CFO to the World Cup

21:56 Wells Fargo offers tickets after the deal

23:03 Tickets with no sales pitch keep clients

24:06 The bank that came too late

25:09 Too little, too late, like a bad hire

25:55 Steve Jobs to Tim Cook: do the right thing

26:39 Group texts gone wrong

28:10 Selling while pretending not to sell

29:12 The worst sales pitch

30:14 One client account next to Buffett and Ackman

31:26 70% leverage and 'it barely moves down'

32:20 AI showed the stock drops far more often

33:06 Big investors get deals you don't

33:53 Plugins add $500K in ARR

35:06 Neil: plugins help retention more than revenue

35:58 Clients bring problems now

37:03 Revenue down 6%, leads down 32%

38:09 Solving the whole problem set grows the TAM

38:51 Customer service is marketing

39:59 On.com's surprise refund and split order

41:40 Neil's Marriott check-in

42:59 Charged for the night before, told to wait

43:48 A room appeared once it was their fault

44:35 Grokbot support hid behind policy

45:32 Ritz-Carlton and Airbnb's 9-star experience

46:16 Four Seasons prices, Disney cruise experience

47:32 Room service, laundry and one carry-on

48:25 Compression bags and Sterling Pacific luggage

50:17 Q4 business highlights

51:01 Eric's lowlight: thinking he could train people

52:04 Neil's lowest churn in years

53:08 Bankruptcy clawbacks and legal drama

54:05 Lawyers always win: FTX's $700M in fees

55:19 Tariffs, war and budgets

56:56 Optimistic about 2027?

57:41 Payment plans for groceries

59:07 We make and manage bots

59:49 Recruiters who say they can't build it

1:00:37 Marketing highlights

1:01:24 Enterprise leads who found us on YouTube

1:02:08 Ad Age's performance marketing agency of the year

1:03:54 Neil's 12.7M views in 30 days

1:04:58 A slow speaking summer, two months at home

1:05:57 Neil only buys companies at a good deal

1:06:41 Best returns with the least stress

1:07:35 Outbound, wedges and 15-minute standups

1:09:00 Skillsdojo: pair engineers with marketers

1:10:03 Crank out 100 ideas, double down on winners

1:11:08 Gavin Baker: 80% of token spend flipped

1:12:06 Higgsfield ships a new feature every week

1:12:48 Neil does better in services than tech

1:14:02 Think like a capital allocator

1:15:28 Neil just wants the chill life

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/

SEO Strategy: Why 'Versus' Pages Are Your Secret Weapon Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Why versus pages are your secret SEO weapon. Noah Kagan shipped 19 SEO pages from a $20 Mac app and got six sales in three days, and Eric breaks down the two page types every product needs: versus pages and best-for guides. Neil adds two fixes, getting other sites to publish them and comparing the brands ChatGPT and Claude already recommend, and says comparison pages drive more revenue than listicles. Then Instinct: 10% daily growth, 40% of users adding a card, and why Neil would sell it to Apple. Sam Lessin says there is no moat in AI agents, Neil's Muse test turns hundreds of drafts into three sent emails, and Outrank's data shows sites with 400+ links got 115% more Google clicks. A practical episode on SEO and AI agents.

Key takeaways

◾Build versus and alternative pages for the competitors AI already cites

◾AI agents have little loyalty, so the product has to keep earning it

◾Linkable assets still move Google clicks

Chapters

00:00 Noah Kagan's 19 SEO pages and 6 sales

01:16 Neil: get other sites to publish your pages

02:38 Listicles are the new links

03:39 Comparison pages drive more revenue than listicles

04:02 Instinct: 10% a day, 40% add a card

05:21 Neil: Instinct should sell to Apple

06:37 Eric bets the founder sells

07:39 Apple could build this itself

08:24 Sam Lessin: there is no moat in AI agents

10:02 Neil's Muse test: hundreds of drafts, 3 sent

13:47 Every's personal agent comparison

14:24 Jev as a classifier for a fraction of a penny

16:36 Nobody is loyal to an AI product

17:37 Outrank: 400+ links, 115% more Google clicks

19:48 Neil: building something good? Ignore the hate

20:58 Linkable assets beat bought links

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Stop Selling SEO: The New Way to Win $6M Deals Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire

Neil's team won a $6M, three-year SEO contract without talking about SEO: they pitched the business problem, the board's numbers and the ROI. Eric reads the September jobs report, 29,000 jobs against a 90,000 forecast, and they agree that without AI growth the economy would be in recession. Neil shares a grocery bill and a moment at Target, and his plan to stop taxing people under $100K. Then agents: Latin America's biggest retailer, optimizing for LLMs to choose you, and Eric's Meta agent haggling 40% off an order from On. Eric covers OpenAI's Dots and its new distribution channels to 1 billion monthly users, and they close on X Money's 6% offer. A grounded episode on selling in hard times.

Key takeaways
◾Pitch the business outcome, not rankings or links
◾Optimize for AI agents to choose you, not just list you
◾A great offer still beats a clever pitch

Chapters
00:00 Neil's team won a $6M SEO deal without talking SEO
01:28 Sell the business case, not features
03:23 September jobs report: no AI, recession
04:26 Neil's grocery bill and the grandma at Target
06:47 Bridging the gap to abundance
07:26 Neil's tax plan for people under $100K
08:49 How to win any deal: solve their problem
09:35 Latin America's biggest retailer and AI agents
10:35 Optimize for LLMs to choose you
12:28 Eric's Meta agent haggles 40% off at On
14:01 Neil won't let AI near his travel
14:47 OpenAI's Dots spots errors in your email
15:36 Dot.com is owned by SpaceX
16:08 OpenAI's 1B MAU distribution channels
17:21 Microsoft and Google will undercut the labs
18:23 X Money: 6% on cash, 3% back
20:36 Neil wants his cash back in SpaceX stock

The Companies That Pay MILLIONS For Your Data… Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire

AI labs are paying millions of dollars for company data through third parties, so should you sell yours? Neil says it depends on the business model, and Eric warns the labs will use that data to compete with you. Then a Bain study: only 6% of marketers say AI has had a significant impact on performance. Eric explains why that matches the top slice of any company, Neil shares the three places AI is actually winning for clients, and an a16z chart shows just 2.2% of households pay for AI. They explain why they stopped hiring clippers after YouTube's originality update, why niche videos bring qualified leads, and how Neil now picks topics from his sales pipeline. An honest episode on data and content.

Key takeaways
◾Do not sell data that lets the labs compete with you
◾AI only pays when it is aimed at work that moves revenue
◾Original, niche content beats clipped reach

Chapters
00:00 Should you sell your data to the AI labs?
02:06 Data is the moat as models converge
02:51 Eric's YouTube videos are driving leads
03:45 Bain: only 6% of marketers see AI impact
05:13 Neil asks: how many of you are growing?
06:10 Neil's top 3 AI wins in marketing
07:29 AI amplifies effort, and only 2.2% of homes pay
08:59 Why we stopped hiring clippers
09:58 YouTube's originality update for Shorts
11:54 Neil's team wanted 10 clip channels
12:58 Eric no longer needs an editor or a poster
13:32 Niche content brings qualified leads
15:27 Neil's channel: topics from the sales pipeline
16:52 Long form once a month, shorts twice

Instinct's Founder Proves You DON'T Need a Personal Brand. Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire

Instinct, the AI agent that lives in iMessage, is growing 10% a day, and Eric says its 23-year-old founder proves you do not need a personal brand to win. Neil explains why personal brands worked five years ago, why Neil Patel Digital became NP Digital to cut key man risk, and why shoppers now switch brands on a dime. Eric shares DHH's talk on all the things his team no longer does, and the OpenRouter chart where agents use 7.5 trillion tokens against 1 trillion for humans. Then the bill arrives: finance teams pushing back on AI spend, a friend burning $14K a day on tokens, and Hormozi's memo capping his team's AI budget. They close on hiring AI-native people who can keep up. A sharp episode on brand and AI spend.

Key takeaways
◾People buy the product now, not the founder's personal brand
◾Every AI tool needs an ROI number, not an estimate of time saved
◾Hire people who are AI native and can prove a return

Chapters
00:00 Instinct grows 10% a day, no personal brand needed
01:21 Lisa Su's Formula One badge moment
02:06 Personal brands worked five years ago
02:41 Why Neil Patel Digital became NP Digital
04:01 Shoppers now switch brands on a dime
05:32 It has never been easier to make
06:19 DHH: look at all the things I'm not doing
07:34 Agent tokens now dwarf human tokens
10:50 Finance teams push back on AI spend
11:32 A teammate maxed out the Ahrefs tokens
13:02 A friend spends $14K a day on tokens
13:44 B2B tools ship too many features
14:49 Hormozi's AI usage cap memo
16:44 Training won't fix a mindset
18:28 Hire AI-native people who can keep up

The AI-Native Marketer Looks Like This Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire

Eric shares how Cody Schneider works as an AI-native marketer, and Neil talks about his interview on Cole Gordon's show and why research is what separates a good interview. Then Neil says out loud that his personal brand is dying, judged by fewer photo requests at events, and Eric explains it with the four burners theory and the shift from social media to interest media. They talk about the content an experienced operator should make, why Neil keeps playing the game, and Eric's travel stats. The close covers why brand takes ten years or more, YouTube's coming thumbnail tests by audience segment, and Clay's CEO on why brand has to start with the founder, not the CMO. An honest episode about brand, time and attention.

Key takeaways
◾Interest media rewards the post, not the follower count
◾A real brand takes ten years or more to build
◾Brand starts with the founder; a CMO cannot install it

Chapters
00:00 The AI-native marketer: Cody Schneider
01:36 Neil on Cole Gordon's podcast
04:24 Research is what makes an interview good
04:54 'My personal brand is dying'
06:35 The four burners theory
07:19 Social media became interest media
09:03 What Neil's team does for him now
12:49 Addicted to the game
13:27 Eric's travel stats
16:36 Which speaking gigs are worth it
17:54 Brand takes 10+ years
20:03 SEO has always evolved
20:24 YouTube's big changes: thumbnails by segment
22:11 Clay: brand starts with the founder

Jev Is A MASSIVE Deal for Marketers Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire

Eric shows the Jev use cases he is running for his teams, from classifying every Instagram follower to scoring hooks and offers across competitors for a few dollars. Neil explains how his Muse agent now writes the follow-ups on M&A deals he first discussed two or three years ago, and why he gives Meta access he would never give the AI labs. Eric predicts Google and Apple will each ship their own Muse, and they compare it with OpenClaw. Then the story of an AI answer nobody checked and why Neil told them he would fire the person, followed by the core idea: AI is leverage, and leverage on a bad position just loses you money faster. They close on an $80M real estate pitch Neil walked away from. A practical episode on putting AI agents to work.

Key takeaways
◾Classification at scale now costs dollars, not an analyst's week
◾The deals you close come from follow-ups on talks two or three years old
◾AI is leverage: it multiplies good judgment and bad judgment equally

Chapters
00:00 Jev use cases for marketers
02:50 Neil's AI writes his M&A follow-ups
06:02 Prediction: Google and Apple ship their own Muse
07:53 OpenClaw vs Muse
11:13 'I would fire you': AI output nobody checked
13:07 Slop cannons in an AI-native company
13:54 AI is leverage
15:11 The $80M real estate pitch
17:12 Location, location, location

Jensen Huang's Moat Is Dead. But He Has A Plan Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Need marketing help? Visit: https://www.singlegrain.com/ and https://npdigital.com/
Want to recruit great marketers? Find them here: https://marketingschool.io/hire

Eric brings Peter Diamandis's take that Nvidia's greatest moat, CUDA, is leaking now that AI can port code to any chip, and why Jensen bought Mellanox years ago to own the interconnect instead. They debate the three moats that survive: speed of reinvention, capital velocity and brand. Neil keeps brand, drops capital after Harry Stebbings' three rounds in three weeks, and adds talent density, showing six of the top ten companies come from the Bay Area. Then Meta Muse: the $14B Scale bet Neil admits he would never have made, Eric's bot Doodoo picking his wardrobe, and Muse plus Jev sorting 116,000 followers for $3.30. It ends on the personality test that explains the show. A sharp episode on what still protects a business.

Key takeaways
◾Your moat lasts until the next one; speed of reinvention is the durable edge
◾AI shoppers still buy brands, because people tell them what status looks like
◾Neil waits for proof, then bets big; Zuckerberg bet first and won

Chapters
00:00 Nvidia's CUDA moat is leaking
02:29 Neil: brand is a moat, capital isn't
03:35 Harry Stebbings: three rounds in three weeks
05:07 Six of the top 10 companies come from the Bay
07:02 The three moats that survive
09:13 Neil: AI shoppers still care about brand
11:46 Meta Muse and Scale's $14B bet
12:16 Doodoo picks Eric's wardrobe
13:04 Muse + Jev sort 116K followers for $3.30
14:29 Neil's influential followers
15:43 Why Neil waits for proof, then bets big
18:11 Why this podcast works: persist vs change
19:03 The personality test: 99% vs 1%
20:50 Empathy at work

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