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Welcome to the DTC Podcast. Today we’re joined by Donatas Smailys, Co‑Founder & CEO of Billo, a creator‑marketing platform that helps DTC brands turn authentic creator videos into high‑performing ads.

Explore Billo

We dive into how brands can build a repeatable creator/content engine that integrates with ad funnels, why follower‑counts are becoming less relevant, how to brief creators with performance in mind, and why AI should support—not replace—human creators.

Key Takeaways

Why creator marketing must be treated as a systematic channel, not ad‑hoc influencer blasts
How to identify and match creators based on performance metrics (hook rate, CTR, ROAS) rather than follower size
The role of AI and data in briefing creators, generating content variants, and feeding back into ad performance
How brands at the $3‑M‑$10‑M revenue stage can structure the first 90 days of creator‑led campaigns
Why authenticity still matters: synthetic avatar creators may work short‑term but risk long‑term trust and accountability
The emerging concept of “Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)” and how creator/social assets feed into future search ecosystems

Whether you’re a DTC brand marketer responsible for scaling ads, or a founder looking to build long‑term acquisition engines, this episode gives you a clear blueprint for building creator marketing into your growth stack.

Timestamps

00:00 AI brief generator and purchase data

02:05 Why Billo started content at scale

04:15 Creator marketing as a system

06:20 Andromeda and creative diversity

08:25 Segmenting by the why

10:30 Let creators experiment and avoid fatigue

12:35 AI influencers vs authenticity

14:40 Meta partnership ads and Spark ads

16:45 Answer Engine Optimization AEO

18:50 Future of authenticity and human only

20:55 First three months on Billo plan

23:00 Performance backed creator selection

25:05 Pricing and ad volume cadence

27:10 Data loops AI variations and reuse

29:30 Scaling creator content into paid

Hashtags

#DTCPodcast #CreatorMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #UGC #EcommerceMarketing #PaidSocial #MetaAds #PartnershipAds #SparkAds #Andromeda #PerformanceCreative #AnswerEngineOptimization #AEO #Whitelisting #TikTokMarketing #AdCreative #CustomerAcquisition #DirectToConsumer #BilloApp #MarketingPodcast

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Bonus: The Future Is Human: How to Scale Your Creator Marketing Program (Without Losing Trust)

DTC Podcast