Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
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Michael Stelzner interviews marketing practitioners on Meta ads, YouTube, email, and Pinterest strategy.
Social Media Marketing Podcast is an interview program for marketers and business owners trying to keep pace with social and AI change. Michael Stelzner and guests focus on practical moves: stronger ads, sharper YouTube positioning, better email automation, and more persuasive customer journeys.
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This is a long-running weekly interview podcast produced by Social Media Examiner and hosted by founder Michael Stelzner. The dominant format is a one-on-one conversation between Stelzner and a marketing practitioner, agency owner, or platform specialist, though some episodes shift to a panel format co-hosted with Jerry Potter that recaps recent platform news and algorithm changes. Recurring subject areas include Meta advertising (creative strategy, Advantage+ automation, ad angles and customer avatars), YouTube strategy for businesses (AI creation tools, the Promote ad product, long-form content as a lead-generation asset), email marketing (list segmentation, automated sequences, list ownership versus rented social audiences), and Pinterest advertising for B2C and e-commerce brands. Guests tend to be working practitioners with a specific case study or client result to walk through — an ads agency owner, a YouTube strategist, an email copywriter, a Pinterest media buyer — rather than generalist commentators. Episodes typically run 40-47 minutes and are structured around a named framework or step-by-step system (e.g., a three-tier copywriting ladder, a whales-vs-minnows segmentation model, an offer-assets-architecture framework for Pinterest ads). The show frequently references current platform statistics and named updates (Meta's Andromeda update, YouTube's 2026 AI tools, Facebook's User True Interest Survey) rather than staying purely evergreen. Listeners get actionable, tool-specific tactics — recommended creative counts, opt-in placement tips, targeting settings — alongside broader strategic arguments about where attention and ad dollars should go. Marketers running paid social or email programs, rather than casual social media users, are the clear intended audience. Production is a straightforward conversational format with a promotional segment for Social Media Examiner's Social Media Marketing World conference woven into some episodes.
Made for: Digital marketers, social media managers, and small business or agency owners who run paid social campaigns and email lists and want specific, current platform tactics.
What sets it apart: Guests bring named frameworks and concrete campaign examples (specific creative counts, conversion lift figures, client case studies) tied to current platform updates rather than general social media commentary.
Publishing weekly since 2012, this show helps marketers navigate the ever changing marketing jungle with expert interviews from leading marketing pros. Join Social Media Examiner’s founder Michael Stelzner as he helps you discover new strategies and actionable tips to improve your marketing. Show notes at Socialmediaexaminer.com/podcast/
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Detailed questioning turns platform updates and marketing tactics into concrete decisions about content, advertising, email, and AI visibility.
Michael Stelzner turns marketing shifts into working decisions, using detailed interviews and occasional co-hosted discussions to move from explanation to execution.
Michael Stelzner keeps asking what actually works, so your next tactic arrives with its homework attached.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A practical look at Facebook reach, relevance surveys, and the privacy tradeoff behind better recommendations.
Facebook's 2026 reach and relevance changes get framed as a practical distribution problem for marketers: who gets seen, how Facebook reads interest, and what organic reach may depend on next.
A grounded Pinterest ads discussion for B2C marketers with a proven offer and a buying path ready to test.
Pinterest ads come through here as a sales channel that needs the basics in place first. Michael Stelzner and Karen Nelson keep the discussion close to operating reality: have a proven offer, make sure the buying path can convert, then get the creative assets ready before…
A practical look at organic video reach as a product of packaging, retention, and audience clarity.
Michael Stelzner frames organic reach as a business discipline, not a posting habit. The useful part is how practical the conversation gets: Sean points to titles, thumbnails, opening seconds, scripting, editing, and the full viewer journey, while Mari brings the same point back…
A grounded, test-first look at how businesses might use YouTube's coming tools without treating them as automatic wins.
This episode is most useful when it stays close to the marketer's actual decision: how a static, graphic-led idea might survive inside a Shorts-style feed.
A practical case for treating Facebook ad creative as real variety, not small swaps on the same idea.
Facebook ad performance in 2026 is treated here less as a bidding trick than a creative discipline. Michael Stelzner and his guest focus on a practical problem for marketers: changing the text on the same product image may feel like a new test internally, but the model may still…
A practical Facebook strategy episode that connects link rules with Meta's AI push and 2026 marketing planning.
Facebook's new link rules sit inside a broader 2026 planning question for marketers: how much can businesses still rely on Facebook for reach when Meta is also pushing hard into AI.
A blunt, practical look at AI, adaptability, and why marketing teams may feel the squeeze through jobs that never get added.
AI's threat to marketing jobs comes through as an operating problem, not a distant forecast. Michael Stelzner steers the conversation toward what marketers and business owners can change now: better systems, repeatable team processes, and a willingness to keep learning as AI…
A practical reminder that post-sale experience is where revenue promises either compound or break.
Customer experience is framed as a revenue issue, not a back-office courtesy. Michael Stelzner's episode points marketers toward a simple commercial risk: a strong sales promise can win the order, but profit depends on whether the customer can make progress after buying.
Stephen Dubner tests bourbon economics, Alzheimer's research, and money advice against hard data.
Daily business news with Kai Ryssdal, tracking Fed policy, oil shocks, and private credit.
Galloway rotates Office Hours Q&A, Raging Moderates politics, and China Decode geopolitics weekly.
Joel and Matt answer listener money questions weekly in the show's Ask HTM segments.
Brené Brown's long-form conversations linking grief, caregiving, politics, and nonviolence to her vulnerability research.
Real expertise beats extra polish.
Paul Gowder, founder of powwows.com and host of the Side Hustle Suitcase podcast, joins Michael Stelzner to explain how email sequences — not social media followers — are the foundation of a loyal online community.
Social Media Marketing Podcast host Michael Stelzner interviews Ben Heath, a Meta Megaphone partner and Facebook and Instagram ads expert, about building ad creative strategy from the ground up for Facebook and Instagram.
Karen Nelson, a paid media specialist, joins Michael Stelzner to explain how B2C businesses can scale sales through Pinterest ads.
AI is changing the hiring math.
Customer experience needs to back up the promise.
Reach comes from holding attention.
Short-form video starts with the hook.
Local TikTok discovery gets practical fast.
Short-form video still rewards hooks that bite.
Social Media Marketing Podcast co-hosts Michael Stelzner and Jerry Potter interview YouTube strategist Liron Segev about YouTube's 2025-2026 updates: AI creation tools reaching one million daily channels, image posts in Shorts, YouTube's paid Promote tool gaining interest-based targeting, and educational content data showing 93% of 18-27 year olds say YouTube helps them learn new skills.
Meta still owns distribution.
Chris Orzakowski, email strategist and author of 'Make It Rain,' joins Michael Stelzner to explain how segmentation transforms an email list into a revenue engine by putting the right offer in front of the right subscriber.
AI trust now reaches into your website's code.
Ideas need room before judgment.
Reels metrics change the planning math.
Videos worth saving can win attention later.
Creative diversity matters now.
Two-thirds of marketers feel overwhelmed.
This episode explores how marketers and business owners can leverage AI tools like AI images and AI video to create effective ad creative for social media marketing in 2026.
This episode explores how to establish thought leadership on YouTube to gain exposure, leads, and sales for marketers and business owners.
This episode discusses personal branding strategies for marketers and entrepreneurs to build recognition and attract business.
This episode explores how to apply behavioral science principles to marketing strategies to increase conversions, sales, and revenue, featuring an interview with author Richard Schotten.
This episode explores email marketing automation strategies to help marketers and business owners generate more leads and sales.
This episode explores new research on how marketers are using AI, featuring an interview with Michael Stelzner about the 2025 AI marketing industry report.
Michael Stelzner interviews Georgiana Lottie on creating high-converting customer experiences from initial interest to purchase.
Michael Stelzner interviews Mandy McEwen about a never-before-publicly-revealed LinkedIn strategy to generate more qualified leads.
Michael Stelzner discusses how marketers can adapt to changing algorithms and AI-driven search to drive traffic and sales.
Michael Stelzner interviews an expert on productizing services to break through to ideal customers, with a promotional segment for Social Media Marketing World.
Michael Stelzner introduces a LinkedIn content strategy episode with guest Gus Bandel, preceded by a promotion for Social Media Marketing World conference.
Michael Stelzner interviews Brittany Crossan on creating short-form video that drives sales and exposure for marketers.
Michael Stelzner promotes Social Media Marketing World and discusses how to confirm positioning when messaging isn't connecting with customers.
Michael Stelzner promotes Social Media Marketing World and introduces an episode about improving content performance with guest Scott Murray.
Michael Stelzner promotes Social Media Marketing World and introduces an episode about building trust in marketing.
Michael Stelzner promotes Social Media Marketing World and introduces an episode about becoming well-known in your niche to boost leads and sales.
Michael Stelzner promotes the upcoming Social Media Marketing World conference and introduces the podcast's focus on marketing strategies for businesses.
Michael Stelzner interviews Pat Flynn about creating a short form video series for marketing.
Michael Stelzner interviews Mark Schaefer about disruptive storytelling to help marketers stand out.
Michael Stelzner promotes Social Media Marketing World and interviews JJ Peterson on storytelling to convert leads and sales.
Michael Stelzner interviews Justin Moore about succeeding with influencer marketing in 2025.
Michael Stelzner interviews Chris Mercer about the free Microsoft Clarity analytics tool and its AI features for marketers.
Michael Stelzner interviews Judy Fox about using LinkedIn newsletters to grow a business, with case examples and actionable strategies.
Michael Stelzner interviews Emily Hirsch on creating a custom marketing strategy to grow leads and sales.
This episode explores anticipation marketing strategies to improve product launches without being overly salesy, featuring guest Brenna McGowan.
This episode features an interview with Kevin Anson exploring practical strategies for creating persuasive video ads that convert, with a focus on using smartphones for ad creation.
This episode features a discussion with Pamela Slim on developing strategic partnerships that scale effectively with minimal effort, focusing on mutual benefits for marketers and business owners.
Michael Stelzner interviews Tara Zerker about Facebook and Instagram ad updates and the role of AI in advertising.
This episode features an interview with Brent Satoris discussing how marketers and business owners can get started with Reddit as a platform for online conversations and its future potential.