Why the Most Human Brands Will Win the AI Search Era with Kristjana Hillberg

Did you know AI and affiliate review sites decide which mattress brand you see first—before you even step in a store? Here’s how to win that game. Think the best mattress wins online? Think again. In this eye-opening episode, Mark Kinsley and PR/affiliate powerhouse Kris Hillberg reveal the hidden playbook behind how mattress and bedding brands become household names—whether or not their products are actually better. Discover why today’s digital landscape is driven less by quality and more by who controls review sites, affiliate links, and the new “AI search” engines like ChatGPT and Google’s LLMs. Kris shares insider tips on how brands are gaming YouTube, leveraging social proof, and rewriting the rules of SEO—now called GEO and AEO. If you’re a retailer, brand, or even a curious consumer, you’ll learn why old-school tactics are out, how social media keywords and creator partnerships are essential, and why being “real” will matter more than ever as AI-generated slop fills the web. Feeling lost as Google changes everything, review sites lose power, and affiliate commissions plummet? Kris and Mark break down the new rules—plus the biggest mistake most mattress brands make: ignoring holistic, multi-channel strategies. With concrete examples (Liquid Death, Tuft & Needle, and more!), they’ll show you how to build digital gravity and create a surround-sound brand presence that’s future-proof. Timestamps: - 00:50 – Why top mattress brands win (it’s not product quality) - 03:45 – AI’s secret influence on what brands consumers see first - 06:20 – How YouTube & social media now drive mattress discovery - 10:05 – The end of classic SEO: What is GEO & AEO? - 14:30 – Mattress review sites: Are they losing their power? - 18:00 – The “affiliate tax” and the dark side of mattress marketing - 22:15 – Why local retailers are losing to digital-first brands - 27:50 – The surround-sound strategy: What 8-figure brands do differently - 34:10 – Liquid Death & consumer-first branding secrets - 42:00 – Why “realness” beats AI in building trust - 49:00 – The 5-year plan for launching a winning mattress brand Connect with The FAM Podcast: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-fam-mattress/ 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forallthingsmattress 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forallthingsmattress/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefamnews 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4wvSqPZaxehCSmwRpByLi4 🍎 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fam-podcast-with-mark-kinsley/id1452601818