Scaling Your Ecom Brand Beyond Meta: The Rise of Native Ads & AppLovin – with Val ShahStill scaling with just Facebook and Google? You're leaving money on the table.In this episode, I sit down with Val Shah, one of the top media buyers in the game, to break down how eCommerce brands are scaling outside the Meta-Google duopoly—using native advertising platforms like Taboola, Outbrain, Revcontent, MGID, and the explosive rise of AppLovin, the mobile in-app ad network dominating in 2025.Val shares:✅ His exact testing strategy for native ads✅ The realistic benchmarks for ROI and why most brands give up too early✅ How to structure high-converting advertorial funnels✅ The truth about AppLovin's $10K ad credit and who qualifies✅ Geo-scaling tips (Canada, UK, Germany, LatAm)✅ VSLs vs. advertorials in performance marketing✅ Why native ads are the biggest untapped traffic source for eCommerce in 2025✅ What brands like Ridge Wallet are doing rightThis is the ultimate guide to scaling with native ads, from beginner to advanced.🎯 If you're spending $1K+/day on Facebook and want to scale smarter, this is your blueprint to omnichannel growth.Chapters:00:00 Intro – Why Native Ads Are 2025’s Biggest Opportunity02:06 Val’s Background: How He Got Into Media Buying05:29 From Tech Jobs to Launching a Native-Ads Agency06:39 What Exactly Are Publishers & Native Widgets?10:15 How Much Traffic Do Yahoo, AOL & Other Majors Deliver?12:07 Native vs. Facebook: Better for Lead-Gen or E-Com?13:52 How Big Can You Scale on Native in Q4?15:08 What Skills Give You an Edge in Media Buying?16:06 Choosing the Right Native Platform for Your Offer18:18 Testing Budgets: Taboola/Outbrain vs. Revcontent/MGID19:28 Beginner Pitfalls & Why You Need a Rep20:33 When Should Brands Add Native After Meta & Google?21:50 Building High-Converting Ad + Advertorial Funnels22:52 What If the Offer Is Already Saturated?23:48 Which Geos Perform Best Right Now?26:17 Localising Creatives for International Scaling28:23 Why Pre-Sale Advertorials Are Mandatory on Native29:31 The –50 % ROI Benchmark: Does Your Offer Have Legs?31:47 Are VSL Funnels Still Dominating Health & Nutra?33:27 Where to Find Killer VSL Examples35:03 Best Ad-Spy Tools for Native & App Campaigns36:05 Yahoo × Taboola 30-Year Deal Explained37:15 What Is AppLovin & How Is It Different from Native?40:18 MoPub Acquisition: AppLovin’s Targeting Edge42:29 Who Qualifies for AppLovin’s $10K Ad Credit?44:14 Winning Products & Impulse Buys on AppLovin45:51 Funnel Structures & Compliance on AppLovin47:54 Hooking Gamers: Creative Best Practices49:22 First Tests & Optimisations on AppLovin49:55 Is Omnichannel Marketing the Future of E-Com?51:31 The Modern Media-Buying Stack in 202552:07 Where to Follow Val & Join the Native Hub Community53:12 Outro & Subscribe for Weekly Growth Insights🔗 Subscribe for weekly episodes breaking down modern media buying, DTC growth, and advanced acquisition strategies.