In this episode of the Paid Search NYC podcast, we sit down with Matt LeBaron, CEO and founder of Revvim, the company behind AdAi - a SaaS platform designed to help performance marketers optimize Google Ads and paid search campaigns with AI-powered insights.

We explore Matt’s career journey, the founding story of Revvim, and how he approached finding product-market fit in the competitive world of search marketing software.

Matt shares real lessons from the early days of building AdAi, what it takes to run a bootstrapped SaaS business, and where he sees AI and automation reshaping the future of digital advertising.

Whether you're in the SaaS startup space, performance marketing, or just curious about the intersection of AI and paid search, this episode is packed with practical insights and honest reflections.

👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations with leaders in search marketing and SaaS.

Timestamps:

00:20 — Introduction

07:42 — SEO Catalyst

13:10 — Realizing Success

18:30 — Learned Lessons

20:25 — Trial and Error

30:40 — Advice

39:30 — AI and Search

In this episode of Paid Search NYC, we sit down with Adam Rose, founder of Forum Digital - an agency specializing in retail media and ecommerce - to break down how TikTok Search and TikTok Shop are reshaping the way people discover and buy products.

Adam shares his perspective on what brands often get wrong about TikTok, the growing importance of quality creative and influencer strategy, and the challenges of measurement and reporting in this fast-moving space.

We also cover what makes brands successful on TikTok, the role of video ads, and the key best practices that can help marketers navigate TikTok’s unique user experience.

Whether you're skeptical about TikTok or already experimenting with it, this conversation offers grounded insights from someone on the frontlines of commerce and performance media.

00:17 — Introduction

04:09 — Reality vs Expectations

05:00 — Specialism

07:33 — TikTok

10:06 — Audience

16:45 — User Experience

18:20 — Video Ads

20:22 — Reporting

22:22 — Successful Brands

25:40 — Quality Creative

28:05 — Influencers

30:27 — Measurement

32:50 — Best Practices

Follow on LinkedIn for more advice, how-to's, founder stories and more:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/paid-search-nyc/

Learn more about Forum Digital:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/forum-digital-uk/

Co-founder of Lockhern Digital, Aric Whiteley, joins the Paid Search NYC podcast in person to share his journey - from marketing associate to agency founder.

We dive into the 7 power moves he believes can accelerate your career, plus how his agency is deploying AI tools and workflows to stay ahead in a fast-moving industry.

Whether you're thinking about starting your own agency or looking to level up your career, this episode is packed with insights and real-world experience.

#startingabusiness #digitalmarketing #careeradvice #aiadvertising

How do you optimize Performance Max campaigns beyond Google? In this episode of the Paid Search NYC podcast, we sit down with Jon Kagan, a seasoned search marketing professional and digital marketing speaker with two decades of industry experience.

Together, we explore the evolution of automated bidding strategies and dive deep into running Performance Max campaigns on Microsoft Bing—a platform many advertisers overlook but shouldn't.

From understanding Bing's unique inventory and settings to navigating the newer AI Max features, Jon shares practical insights on budget allocation, campaign setup, and the key differences between Google's and Bing's automated approaches.

Whether you're looking to diversify your PPC strategy or maximize your search presence across multiple platforms, this episode delivers actionable strategies for the next phase of search marketing.

00:20 - Introduction

01:45 - Background

03:38 - Agency Life

04:30 - 20 Years of Search

06:05 - 20 Year Skills

08:45 - PMAX

13:30 - PMAX vs Bing

15:15 - Inventory

17:05 - Settings Unique to Bing

19:55 - AI Max

24:24 - Budget Issues

27:05 - The Next Phase of Search

How do you run Google Ads when the goal isn’t just clicks—but credibility, exclusivity, and long-term brand value?

In this episode of the Paid Search NYC podcast, we sit down with Luxury Senior Digital Marketing Manager Janina Downey whose background spans high-end travel, lifestyle, and purpose-driven brands.

Together, we dive into what it really takes to succeed in the luxury space—from building campaigns that reflect elevated brand identities to navigating full-funnel strategies for high-consideration purchases.

Whether you’re working with affluent audiences or aspiring to break into the luxury market, this episode is packed with insights on how to combine performance, creativity, and brand integrity in your paid search strategy.

00:20 - Introduction

00:50 - Background

06:40 - Current

09:28 - Luxury

12:32 - Creative

16:18 - Key Differences

18:14 - Time

20:32 - Funnel Conversion

21:05 - Balance

23:53 - Video

25:29 - AI Tools

27:10 - Expertise

31:30 - The Future

Ready to unlock what's really working in Google Ads for local businesses? In this episode of the Paid Search NYC podcast, host Matt sits down with Jack Hepp, owner of Industrious Marketing, to dive into the strategies that are actually driving results in 2025. Jack shares his journey from agency challenges to success, revealing practical insights on Local Service Ads, Performance Max campaigns, and the client relationship tactics that make all the difference. If you're looking to level up your Google Ads game, this conversation is packed with actionable advice you can implement today.00:23 - Introduction00:56 - Background02:38 - Facebook to Google03:38 - Starting an Agency05:50 - Learning Curve08:00 - Google Ads10:55 - LSAs15:50 - PMAX20:15 - Standard Search23:20 - Broad Match24:52 - Micro-conversions26:22 - Human-led Testing29:20 - Best Practice30:49 - Clients34:45 - eCommerce36:12 - The Next Level38:55 - Moving the Needle

In this 3-part series, Wijnand Meijer, co-founder and CEO of TrueClicks - walks us through some of the key resources in the paid search industry.

In this final episode we cover a Google Ads Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allows LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT to query Google Ads accounts using the API query language.

Wijnand takes us through the setup and then runs a number of complex requests to demo the systems capabilities.

Link to MCP github: https://github.com/TrueClicks/google-ads-mcp-js

#googleads #paidsearch #ppc #ppctools #ppcautomation

In this 3-part series, Wijnand Meijer, co-founder and CEO of TrueClicks - walks us through some of the key resources in the paid search industry.

In this episode we cover ppc.software, the ultimate PPC software and automation directory. Wijnand explains how to navigate the different categories, what's trending in the industry right now and much more!

#googleads #paidsearch #ppc #ppctools #ppcautomation