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ICYMI - You Keep Falling For Secret Ads

Jun 10, 2026 · 33m

Coming soon to iPhone. Already have it? “Listen in Starcast” takes you straight there.

About this episode

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Rachel Karten , a social media consultant and the writer of Link In Bio . Storytimes and other caught-on-camera content frequently goes viral on social media, but now companies have started manufacturing their own skits to secretly advertise themselves. Countless “ambassadors” are telling the same fake stories all over TikTok, with links to brands in their bios but not disclosing that they are trying to get viewers to buy products. Even worse, people keep falling for it. The more we earnestly engage with these made-up scenarios, the more we push the secretly-sponsored content into people’s feeds. Will anyone stop them? This podcast is…