2 Ecom Exits, +142 Brands Scaled, 11 Yrs of Meta Ads Experience | Chris Erthel | Ep.42
Sun Feb 01 2026
This week’s podcast episode is different. I had the chance to sit down with Meta marketing expert Chris Erthel.
He’s helped over 142 ecommerce businesses scale their Meta advertising and has even consulted for mega-brands like Red Bull, Uniqlo, and Visa.
For the past 11 years, Chris has done Meta ads.
Obsessing over every detail, every test, every iteration that differentiates brands that struggle from brands that scale.
What really separates him is his testing discipline.
Most brands run a few tests and hope for the best.
Chris has a system—documented in thousands of rows of data—that turns creative testing into predictable growth.
In this episode, we break down 11 years of Meta advertising experience into one honest conversation.
We cover:
- Why most e-commerce brands are failing at Meta ads, and the one testing habit for you to master, that changes everything
- The exact workshop framework Chris uses when Fortune 500 brands fly him out to fix their advertising
- A counterintuitive landing page strategy that’s worked across dozens of brands (most people get this completely wrong)
- The ad format that accidentally hit nearly 4× ROAS on what was supposed to be just a branding campaign
- How to get the algorithm working for you instead of against you—and why most advertisers waste budget fighting it
This isn’t theory or surface-level, general tactics.
It’s a detailed insight into what it takes to build and operate at an elite ecom level.
If you care about scaling ecommerce brands through Meta, this episode is a must-watch.
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Guest's Website: https://chriserthel.com/speeches/
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CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 - The Meta Ads System Behind Scaling 142 Ecom Brands
00:05:30 - How One Local Meetup Created a Global Ecom Advantage
00:10:30 - How Speaking on Big Stages Makes Elite Brands Chase You
00:16:12 - Why the Right Viewer Matters More Than Views
00:20:33 - How Brands Fix Ads When Growth Is Failing
00:25:35 - The Ad Testing Process Top Brands Rely On
00:31:19 - How to Make Ads People Can Feel and Trust
00:34:30 - Why Big Brands Fail When They Stop Testing Ads
00:38:15 - Street Interviews Turned into a Branding Ad That Makes Profit
00:41:10 - How Big Brands Use Ads to Teach Skills Before Selling
00:45:14 - One Tool to Connect 120 AI Services and Automate Workflows
00:49:41 - Using AI to break down what winning ads have in common
00:54:41 - How to find ads that spent millions and still run
00:59:26 - Why TikTok ads train b
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This week’s podcast episode is different. I had the chance to sit down with Meta marketing expert Chris Erthel. He’s helped over 142 ecommerce businesses scale their Meta advertising and has even consulted for mega-brands like Red Bull, Uniqlo, and Visa. For the past 11 years, Chris has done Meta ads. Obsessing over every detail, every test, every iteration that differentiates brands that struggle from brands that scale. What really separates him is his testing discipline. Most brands run a few tests and hope for the best. Chris has a system—documented in thousands of rows of data—that turns creative testing into predictable growth. In this episode, we break down 11 years of Meta advertising experience into one honest conversation. We cover: - Why most e-commerce brands are failing at Meta ads, and the one testing habit for you to master, that changes everything - The exact workshop framework Chris uses when Fortune 500 brands fly him out to fix their advertising - A counterintuitive landing page strategy that’s worked across dozens of brands (most people get this completely wrong) - The ad format that accidentally hit nearly 4× ROAS on what was supposed to be just a branding campaign - How to get the algorithm working for you instead of against you—and why most advertisers waste budget fighting it This isn’t theory or surface-level, general tactics. It’s a detailed insight into what it takes to build and operate at an elite ecom level. If you care about scaling ecommerce brands through Meta, this episode is a must-watch. --- TheoClarkePodcast: Bi-weekly podcast with top eCommerce entrepreneurs: brands, agencies & dropshippers, recorded in the heart of Dubai. --- Make $10,000/Month in 90 Days (or Less) with Google Ads Dropshipping 👇 https://www.gadsecomacademy.com/google-ads-dropshipping?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=free-training&utm_content=01-02-26 --- FREE Live Training With Theo 👇 https://www.gadsecomacademy.com/registration?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=free-trainaing&utm_content=01-02-26 --- FREE Google Ads Dropshipping Skool Group 👇 https://www.skool.com/google-ads-ecom-academy-free-6052/about --- Get Started With Private Processing👇 https://affiliate.privateprocessing.com/ref/x6v10s9a --- Follow our Socials: Theo's Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheoClarkePPC Theo's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoClarkePPC Theo’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theo_clarke Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoclarkepodcast/ Guest's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_erthel/ Guest's Website: https://chriserthel.com/speeches/ --- Subscribe to the Podcast: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoClarkePodcast Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoclarkepodcast Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/TheoClarkePodcast --- CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - The Meta Ads System Behind Scaling 142 Ecom Brands 00:05:30 - How One Local Meetup Created a Global Ecom Advantage 00:10:30 - How Speaking on Big Stages Makes Elite Brands Chase You 00:16:12 - Why the Right Viewer Matters More Than Views 00:20:33 - How Brands Fix Ads When Growth Is Failing 00:25:35 - The Ad Testing Process Top Brands Rely On 00:31:19 - How to Make Ads People Can Feel and Trust 00:34:30 - Why Big Brands Fail When They Stop Testing Ads 00:38:15 - Street Interviews Turned into a Branding Ad That Makes Profit 00:41:10 - How Big Brands Use Ads to Teach Skills Before Selling 00:45:14 - One Tool to Connect 120 AI Services and Automate Workflows 00:49:41 - Using AI to break down what winning ads have in common 00:54:41 - How to find ads that spent millions and still run 00:59:26 - Why TikTok ads train b