🔥 The Billion-Dollar Blind Spot

👋 Hey Fastlane Insiders,

Ever feel like you're running harder than ever just to stay in the same place?

You're optimizing everything, launching new products, spending on ads... but the needle isn't moving like it used to.

Here's the hard truth: it's because the old playbooks are officially broken. The strategies that got us here—easy links, basic SEO, hoping for conversions—are becoming liabilities in an AI-first world.

But while most brands are still stuck on that treadmill, a handful are quietly building rocket ships. They're not working harder; they're working smarter by finding and exploiting the new leverage points that everyone else is missing.

And this week's edition is basically a map to those leverage points:

🎙️ New Podcast Episode — We're dissecting how Clean Boss is taking on billion-dollar giants like P&G and Clorox (and actually winning). Nevin Jethmalani reveals their playbook for turning celebrity credibility into category dominance.

💡 Knowledge Drops of the Week — First, why your current Digital PR strategy is probably bleeding money and what the smart brands are doing instead. Then, the truth about AI SEO: it's not a shortcut to being lazy, it's a secret weapon for being smarter.

🔥 Tool of the Week — We found something that turns your "lost" anonymous website visitors into paying customers. The early results are... well, you'll see.

The gap between the brands who get this and those who don't is widening every day. This week is all about choosing which side you want to be on.

Ready to get off the treadmill?

Let's dive in,
—Steve

P.S. After listening to the Clean Boss episode, you might start looking at the cleaning aisle a little differently. Just saying.

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🎧 New Podcast Episode!

How Clean Boss Cracked the Code on "Big Clean" (While Everyone Else Burns Cash on Ads)

Ever stare down a market dominated by giants—think the cleaning aisle—and wonder if there's any point even trying?

Here's the brutal truth: it feels impossible. You're up against century-old brands with fortress-like shelf space, marketing budgets that dwarf most countries' GDP, and customer loyalty that's practically embedded in DNA.

But Clean Boss, co-founded by Joy Mangano (yes, the Joy from the movie) and Pitbull, just proved the impossible is actually inevitable—if you know the playbook.

I sat down with their Chief Digital Officer, Nevin Jethmalani, to decode exactly how they're not just surviving against "Big Clean"—they're winning. And honestly? The strategies he shared will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about breaking into dominated markets.

Here's what caught my attention from Nevin's playbook:

• The celebrity founder framework that actually works (Spoiler: it's not about Instagram posts or red carpet appearances)

• Why they're doubling down on TV in 2025 while everyone else chases digital—and using MER tracking to prove it's working

• The Amazon flywheel strategy that shot them to #1 seller in their category within 30 days from a single product launch

• A simple three-channel feedback loop between Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart that creates momentum everywhere simultaneously

• Their "post-iOS secret weapon" attribution stack that's giving them crystal-clear insight into what's actually driving revenue

Look, the celebrity angle opens doors—but that's just the entry ticket. The real story is how they're backing it up with botanical products that outperform toxic alternatives, operations that scale across every channel, and a relentless focus on compound growth over quick wins.

This isn't another vanity brand riding fame to a quick exit. They're systematically building the next generation of category dominance, one strategic move at a time.

The brands making these kinds of bold, omnichannel plays? They're not just growing—they're becoming the new category kings while their competitors scramble to keep up.

LISTEN NOW: How Clean Boss is Rewriting the Rules of Challenger Brands

P.S. Nevin drops an exclusive playbook for turning TV buzz into Amazon bestsellers—plus he introduces a term you're about to hear everywhere: "Generative Engine Optimization." Get ahead of this curve before your competitors do.

💡 Knowledge Drops of the Week

Why Your Competitors Hope You Keep Doing PR the Old Way

Let's be honest for a second about digital PR.

Are you still playing the old game? Chasing backlinks, blasting out press releases, and hoping for a mention in any publication that will take you?

If so, you're not just wasting money—you're actively falling behind. The "spray and pray" playbook isn't just outdated; it's become a liability in an AI-driven search world where generic coverage gets buried and smart customers can smell inauthenticity from miles away.

The brands quietly pulling ahead? They've cracked a completely different code.

Here's what the winning playbook looks like:

• Your own data becomes your unfair advantage—while competitors recycle industry stats, smart brands mine their customer insights for stories no journalist can ignore

• Expert positioning trumps product pitches—the brands showing up in AI Overviews aren't the ones with the most links, but the ones Google's algorithms trust as authoritative voices

• Revenue attribution replaces vanity metrics—forget counting mentions; winning brands track which coverage actually drives sales and double down on what works

• Premium assets beat mass outreach—interactive reports and exclusive research get journalists coming to you, not the other way around

Look, the gap between brands who get this and those who don't is about to become massive. You can either build real authority that compounds for years, or keep busy with tactics that stopped working in 2023.

Fair warning: this isn't another "10 hacks to get more links" listicle. It's the new blueprint for defensible growth in an AI-first world.

READ THE FULL BREAKDOWN: Digital PR in 2025—How to Outpace Every Competitor Still Stuck in the Past

P.S. We've got a simple Digital PR Campaign Checklist that helps us kill bad ideas fast and focus on what actually drives revenue. Want it? Just reply and ask—I'll send it right over.

The Truth About AI SEO (And Why Most Shopify Brands Are Getting It Wrong)

Think AI is just for writing product descriptions or generating ad copy?

Think again.

It's quietly revolutionizing the entire SEO game, and most stores are completely unprepared. If you're treating AI as a "nice to have" or just a shortcut for content, you're missing the real opportunity—and letting your competitors get a massive head start.

I just broke down exactly what's working right now. This isn't about theory; it's about what the smartest brands are already doing to outrank their competition with less guesswork.

Here's what you'll discover inside:

• How AI becomes your 24/7 SEO assistant—automating keyword research, technical audits, and content optimization while you focus on strategy and creativity

• The shift from traditional SEO to "GEO" (Generative Engine Optimization)—positioning your brand as the go-to source when AI chatbots answer customer questions

• The content structure that forces Google's AI Overviews to feature your brand—turning search results into your personal sales funnel

• Why smaller stores can now compete with industry giants—AI levels the playing field by giving you access to enterprise-level optimization insights

The bottom line? The brands who get this aren't just saving time on manual tasks. They're uncovering hidden ranking opportunities and building authority that compounds for years.

Quick heads-up: This isn't about letting robots run your SEO strategy. It's about using AI to amplify what already works while you stay focused on what only humans can do—understanding your customers and telling your brand's story.

READ THE FULL BREAKDOWN: How to Build an AI SEO System That Actually Grows Your Brand in 2025

P.S. I've got a simple "AI-Ready Content Checklist" that helps us get cited more often by search engines and AI tools. Want it? Just reply and ask—I'll send it right over.

🔥 Tool of the Week 🔥

Let's talk about the 98% of people who visit your Shopify store and then vanish into thin air.

You know exactly who I'm talking about—the ones who browse your best products, click around for 10 minutes, maybe even add something to cart... and then disappear forever. Gone. Like they were never there.

What if you could email them anyway?

That's exactly what Opensend does. And honestly? It feels a little like having superpowers.

Instead of annoying visitors with yet another email pop-up (that most people close faster than a spam email), Opensend quietly identifies a huge chunk of your anonymous traffic and turns those "lost" visitors into a real audience you can actually reach.

Here's why this changes everything:

It's not a guessing game anymore. Benchmade Knife Company used Opensend to generate $85,000 in new revenue in just 30 days. How? By reaching their "ghost" traffic with email campaigns that hit a mind-blowing 55% open rate.

You're talking to high-intent shoppers, not cold leads. These aren't random people who stumbled onto your site by accident. They're customers who were already browsing your products, reading your descriptions, and considering a purchase. The interest is already there—you just needed a way to reconnect.

Look, while most brands are still A/B testing pop-up colors trying to squeeze conversion rates from 2% to 3%, the smartest operators are skipping the line entirely.

This is one of those tools that gives early adopters an almost unfair advantage. It's a direct line to the customers you've been losing every single day without even knowing it.

Ready to see who's really been visiting your site?

🚀 Build Your Unfair Advantage

Thanks for digging in this week. I know your inbox is a warzone, so spending a few minutes here means a lot.

Did this week's edition spark something? Are you testing Clean Boss's omnichannel approach, rethinking your PR strategy, or diving into AI SEO? Hit reply and let me know—I read every single one, and the best insights come from this community.

If you know a founder who's still stuck playing the old game while giants like Clean Boss are rewriting the rules, do them a favor and forward this. We all win when we share what's actually working.

Next week, we're shifting gears from acquisition to retention. I'm breaking down a customer lifetime value strategy that's boosting repeat purchases without the endless discount trap. Plus, a deep dive into the Shopify personalization tools that are turning one-time buyers into brand evangelists.

The brands building unfair advantages today are the ones everyone else will be studying tomorrow. Make sure you're on the right side of that equation ;)

Until then, go find your leverage.

Talk soon,
—Steve
eCommerceFastlane.com