In October 2026 I published a series of LinkedIn posts that map out my “Zero Click Marketing” thinking—from protecting play time to a three‑layer influence framework and the latest zero‑click search data.
You can’t hone good taste if you stop playing.
Play gives us something that optimized production workflows don’t: the freedom to experiment without knowing exactly what the outcome should be.
My friend Kevin Indig and I have been working through this question, and our thinking converges on a framework with 3 layers of influence: Exposure: Is your brand showing up? Behavior: Are people responding? Outcomes: Is the business growing?
68% of Google searches are zero‑click (2026, SparkToro study).
AI summaries get very few clicks: 8% click‑through when an AI summary is shown versus 15% when there is no summary (Pew Research).
82% of respondents said they believe backlinks influence whether AI engines cite a brand (uSERP State of Backlinks).
56% of AI shoppers prefer recommendations that pull from creator or influencer reviews (IAB report).
I link these insights back to my broader linkedin profile where I detail my role as Chief Evangelist at SparkToro and my Zero Click Marketing initiatives.