1007 – New Ads Program from Google: Tom talks Google PMax

SUMMARY BY CHATGPT

🎯 Main Topic: Google Performance Max (PMax) Advertising
Tom discusses Google Performance Max (PMax), an automated cross-channel ad platform by Google. While it promises ease and reach, Tom is skeptical based on his experience with similar tools that favor the platform over the advertiser.
________________________________________
🔍 Key Points:
• What is Google PMax?
o A fully automated ad system that runs campaigns across all Google platforms (YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, Maps).
o Cross-channel: One campaign can be distributed across multiple platforms automatically.
o Not keyword-based like traditional search ads; instead, based on user objectives and supplied creatives (text, images, video).
• Why is Tom skeptical?
o Automated platforms like this often benefit Google more than the advertiser.
o Algorithms may take time to “learn,” meaning you could lose money during the learning phase.
o Google encourages users not to pause campaigns — potentially self-serving advice to keep ad revenue flowing.
o Users may neglect monitoring results, leading to poor ROI.
• Potential benefits:
o Saves time and may provide broad reach.
o May be helpful if closely monitored and used with proper strategy.
• Recommendation:
o If you want to explore PMax, read the Wordstream blog guide on Performance Max (linked in show notes).
o Use extreme caution and track performance carefully.
________________________________________
🧰 Resources Mentioned:
• Tom’s Automation Book: screwthecommute.com/automatefree
• Mentor Program: GreatInternetMarketingTraining.com
• Online School: IMTCVA.org
• Webinar on College Alternatives: screwthecommute.com/webinars
• PMax Guide: wordstream.com/blog/performance-max
________________________________________
🎙️ Closing Message:
Tom urges listeners to be cautious with automated ad platforms like Google PMax. While they can save time, they’re not set-it-and-forget-it tools. Monitor them like a hawk, or risk losing money.

===

Episode 1007 – Google PMax
[00:00:08] Welcome to Screw the Commute. The entrepreneurial podcast dedicated to getting you out of the car and into the money, with your host, lifelong entrepreneur and multimillionaire, Tom Antion.

[00:00:24] Hey everybody, it's Tom here with episode 1007 of Screw the Commute podcast. Today we're going to talk about a kind of a specialized way of advertising that I'm a little skeptical of, and I should be, called Google P Max or performance Max. So we'll get into that in a minute. Hoping to miss episode 1006. That was Google Alerts, which I am not skeptical of and I just absolutely love. And you should too. It's a free service that can have major corporations bowing to you. You'll you'll hear a story about that on that episode. Anytime you want to get to a back episode, you go to screwthecommute.com, slash, then the episode number. That was 1006 for Google Alerts. All right. Pick up a copy of my automation book. Version 3.0 is out. So if you're still on 2.0 throw it away and grab 3.0 at screwthecommute.com/automatefree. Check out my mentor program at GreatInternetMarketingTraining.com and my school at IMTCVA.org.

[00:01:30] Okay, I'm also going to have a link for you here. I'll mention it here, but it'll be in the show notes so that you can just click on it. It's wordstream.com/blog/performance-Max. This is a complete guide about what I'm going to tell you about today. All right. So what the heck is this Google Performance Max ads. Pretty much known as p max. And I'm skeptical of it because it's an automated placements for all your ads all at one time. And I have reason to be skeptical because I've been around a long time. And when these automated things. Hey, just let us put your ads out there. Yeah. That's nice. Save time and just go at the beach while we're taking every nickel you have, right. So that's been for many, many, many people and companies the way it was. Oh okay. Let them put their placements. Facebook knows better than us or Google knows better than us. So let them put the placements out there. Well, the reason I'm skeptical is because these people are for themselves, not for you. They have to be for you just enough to keep you giving them money. Okay? They don't care if you get rich or not or do really well other than the fact they'll brag about you just so they suck in a bunch of other people to lose money. I mean, literally, companies have lost millions and millions of dollars doing this. All right? So I don't want that to happen to you. But again, there could be benefits to this. So I'm not ragging on this program. I'm just telling you you got to be extremely careful when you do an automated advertising campaign.

[00:03:19] So what this is, is p max is is what is called a cross-channel, fully automated ad campaign. And that means that anything. And it's Google. This is Google. So anything that Google has control of your ads can show up from one campaign though even I think create some of them for you based on the creative creative as your videos and and graphics and things and text and anything you give them, they'll go ahead and make ads for you. Again, another thing that I wouldn't trust totally. And they'll put them on all the ad networks that they have control of. So where might that be? Well, YouTube is one display is another. The search function at Google is another. Their discover function. Gmail, even Google Maps your ads could show up on. And here's another thing that's kind of counterintuitive to What I've preached for, you know, all these years, is they're not really totally based on keywords, these ads, they're based on your objectives. And then they look at all the creative that you've given them, probably some keywords in there, I would suspect, and create ads and put them all these different places for you all at once. And here's another part that makes me a little bit skeptical. And it makes me skeptical, but it kind of makes sense in that they encourage you to run, run, run, run, run these campaigns and don't pause them or stop them.

[00:04:58] Okay, well, that sounds a little self-serving to them when you say, but it kind of makes sense in that it says, well, our algorithm to show where your best placements are has to learn about you over time, because that does make sense. But it's kind of like, oh, if you pause it, then the algorithm will forget about you and we'll have to start over again. So yeah, again, it's more money in their pocket. The problem is, is you could lose your shirt while the algorithm is learning about you. And then the algorithm says, oh well, I guess they lost their shirt. Let's find the next sucker. These algorithms are sneaky little, little people, right? So, um, so yes, this can save time for you, but if you don't monitor it closely and I kind of they I think they bank on that. Is that. Oh it saves time. You can be in all these places all over the web and show up. And then you say, great, I'm going to go do something else, but you don't monitor the results and then you lose your shirt. We don't want that. You got to commit to.

[00:06:08] If you use this service as opposed to specific networks you want to advertise on, you still have to monitor it like crazy. Now, all the details I, you know, I really, uh, like this word stream. Article, word stream. Max, if you're going to dive into this, you should know what you're up against and what you're doing, and they really go in-depth on on what the pros and cons and, and how to do it. All right. So that's my story I'm sticking to it. Check my mentor program at GreatInternetmarketingtraining.com and my school at IMTCVA.org, the only licensed dedicated internet and digital marketing school in the country, probably the world certified to operate by the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia. But you don't have to be in Virginia. And I could because it's distance learning, and I could literally save you and your family hundreds of thousands of dollars of getting a worthless four year degree. We actually have a thing at screwthecommute.com/webinars, where you can see a 90 minute webinar that could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars with regard to your higher education for either you or your your loved ones. All right. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We'll catch you on the next episode. See you later.