I took August off the map, and came back to find the world still spinning, just a little slower, like it knew to wait.
If you’re new here, welcome. I write about building brands (especially DTC Shopify) and the strange joy of navigating digital work with a human core. Thanks for finding your way to this. Let’s get into it.
1. I became a dad in July.
No tweet could do it justice. No newsletter, either, but I’ll say this: becoming a dad instantly reorders your priorities without asking permission. The word "presence" went from concept to oxygen.
I don’t have the bandwidth I used to… but what I do have now is clarity. Every hour I protect has a purpose. And that’s affecting how I show up to work in a surprisingly great way.
2. If you want to show up in AI, write for the source—not the summary.
Search engines are about to be less about search.
In the past few months, I’ve been quietly testing how to get LLMs—particularly the ones powering Google’s AI Overviews—to surface your content as the citation. Here’s what I’m learning:
Schema matters. But not more than clarity.
Long-tail topics get picked up more often than obvious ones.
Structured formatting (H2s, lists, short definitions) beats personality… unless you can do both.
I’ll be sharing more tests soon, but here’s the thing:
Search is about to reward signal more than style. That changes how we create.
3. Opening up time for one Shopify brand this fall.
With time more limited (see: dad), I’m saying “no” more often but also making room for one yes I’m excited about.
If you're building something on Shopify and want help pushing past plateaus (conversion strategy, retention flows, or content that drives more $$$), I'm carving out time for one brand this fall.
Just one. Quiet, focused, let’s-make-it-count energy.
Crunchy Bite
Google’s not giving up ad revenue. It’s just moving the auction upstream—from keywords to AI prompts. And we’re all about to learn what that means, in real time.
Fuel Your Funnel
On top of taking on a lucky new Shopify brand partner, I’m also offering Growth Snacks newsletter sponsorships at $79 per mention. Curious to learn more?
