YouTube’s AI ad upgrade (do we think it's all that?)

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Hey Ecom Conqueror,

It’s Ada again, coming at you with another high-voltage dose of growth fuel to power your store this week.

This issue is packed with AI ad breakthroughs, social selling pivots, and one trend that's got TikTok obsessed with big, bright eyes.

Here’s what we’ve got:

•  Industry Update: YouTube’s peak points

•  Growth Hack: Micro-influencers & UGC are outperforming big names

• Weekly Challenge: Find your next micro-influencer

• Trending Product: Doe Eyes

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YouTube’s new AI ad upgrade: Peak moments

YouTube just dropped “Peak Points,” a new ad tech built with Google’s Gemini AI…and it's changing how brands show up on video.

Basically, Gemini analyzes viewer engagement to find the most emotionally charged moments in popular YouTube videos.

You don’t have to do anything as a YouTube advertiser. Your ad just shows up right after the peak moment…when viewers are the most locked in.

The thing is, we’re not sure about this one. YouTube ads have already reached peak annoyance, and users will literally pay VPN companies in order not to see any ads.

Personally, I don’t think ecom brands are about to make more money by advertising on YouTube. If anything, using micro-influencers might be a better bet… because they have their own audiences who actually want to hear from them.

Growth Hack: Tap into micro-influencers

Moving away from YouTube’s iffy ad developments, we already know that celebrity influencer campaigns just aren’t landing like they used to. Engagement’s down. Costs are up.

But micro-influencers (under 50K followers) and authentic UGC (user-generated content) are absolutely killing it.

Why?

• Their audiences are tight-knit and trust them.

• Their content feels real and less intrusive

• They’re cheaper and often happy to trade posts for product.

If you want to leverage micro-influencers, think short-form: YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels, and Stories are where the action is now.

Not sure where to start? That’s where this week’s challenge comes in.

Weekly Challenge: Find 3 Micro-Influencers Using Roster

Ready to find your next brand champion?

Step 1: Head to Roster and set up your free trial.
Step 2: Filter for influencers in your niche (beauty, fitness, pets…whatever fits!).
Step 3: DM or email them with a simple pitch: “Love your vibe—want to collab?”
Step 4: Track reach and conversions in one place. Roster does the heavy lifting.

Bonus: Offer them an affiliate code…they’ll promote harder and you’ll track sales.

Smarter Growth for DTC Brands on Amazon

Ad spend keeps climbing. ROAS? Not so much.

The smartest Amazon sellers aren’t spending more—they’re spending smarter.

The Affiliate Shift Calculator models what could happen if you reallocated a portion of your ad budget into affiliate marketing.

Built for sellers doing $5M+ on Amazon.

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Trending Product: Doe Eyes – TikTok’s Favorite Makeup Trend

The Doe Eye makeup trend is turning heads (and racking up millions of views).

The trend is all about big, rounded, doll-like eyes, achieved with strategic lashes, white eyeliner on the waterline, and lifted shadow placement.

According to Ahrefs, there are 41,000 searches for doe eyes every month and not enough stores cashing in. TikTok beauty creators are swearing by it and tutorials are pulling in millions of views

How to ride this wave:

• Bundle lashes + liners into a cute “Doe-Eye Kit”

• Target Gen Z beauty shoppers on TikTok and Reels

• Run a quick UGC challenge: “Show us your doe-eye transformation!”

If you’re in beauty, accessories, or anything aesthetic, this trend is a goldmine. 🤑

That’s a wrap for this week. Test new ideas, ride the right trends, and remember: progress over perfection. Every 1% counts.

Catch you next Monday,
Ada