How to scale your content strategy across a large catalog

Introduction

Sreenath Reddy: Hello, everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Intentwise Connect Podcast, where we bring together industry experts to discuss real-world challenges and strategies.

Today, I am thrilled to have David Feinleib, Founder and CEO of It’s Rapid, an AI-powered creative automation platform. David has spent years thinking about content automation and scaling content strategies. He’s also the author of two books, Bricks to Clicks and Big Data Bootcamp, and hosts a podcast called Beyond the Shelf.

David, welcome to the show!

David Feinleib: Thanks, Sreenath! It’s great to be here. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss content at scale and how brands can leverage AI and automation.

The Story Behind It’s Rapid

Sreenath Reddy: You and I first met at Walmart’s ad conference in New York, and one of the things we connected on was that neither of us raised institutional capital while building SaaS businesses. Let’s start with your journey—how did It’s Rapid come to be?

David Feinleib: Yeah, great question. It started with my previous company, Content Analytics, which focused on e-commerce scoring. That business was acquired by Syndigo, and after I left, I was thinking about the next step.

At the same time, PepsiCo reached out and asked if we could solve a major challenge—creating high-quality, on-brand content at scale in a cost-effective way. That’s how we started working on content automation, and Pepsi became our first anchor customer.

AI-Powered Content Automation & Scaling Challenges

Sreenath Reddy: So, let’s get into the core of It’s Rapid. What specific problem are you solving for brands today?

David Feinleib: Great question. Let’s take CPG brands as an example. Imagine you need to create mobile-ready hero images—those images with product callouts for e-commerce listings. If you have a small catalog, you can do it manually.

But what if you have hundreds or thousands of SKUs across multiple retailers? That’s where automation becomes essential. We take structured data and combine it with templates to generate assets like:

• Hero images
• Retail media ads
• Product banners
• Sell sheets & catalogs

Rather than managing these manually, we help brands generate thousands of assets efficiently.

Adapting to AI and Workflow Automation

Sreenath Reddy: Given the rise of generative AI, were you a pre-ChatGPT or post-ChatGPT company?

David Feinleib: We were right on the cusp. We were already working on automation and workflows when AI became a huge game-changer. Tasks like headline optimization or Amazon product listing titles, which previously required heavy engineering, can now be handled efficiently by AI.

So, rather than just generating content, our focus has been optimizing workflows to ensure everything is on-brand, high-quality, and scalable.

Common Content Challenges for Large Brands

Sreenath Reddy: Many of our listeners work with brands selling on Amazon. What are the biggest challenges brands face with content at scale?

David Feinleib: There are three major challenges:

1. Managing Volume – When you have thousands of products, manually updating content is inefficient.
2. Ensuring Brand Consistency – You need a structured workflow to maintain a uniform brand voice.
3. Adapting to Frequent Changes – Packaging updates, compliance changes, or new retailer requirements demand constant content refreshes.

We provide workflow automation to solve these problems, ensuring content stays fresh without overwhelming internal teams.

Retail Media & Creative Testing

Sreenath Reddy: Retail media is exploding. How does creative testing play into what you do?

David Feinleib: That’s a great question. Brands first streamline content production, but the next step is testing and optimization.

1. Creative Testing – Running multiple versions of ads to identify the highest-converting creatives.
2. Performance Tracking – Using data feedback loops to refine ad strategies.
3. Retailer-Specific Adjustments – Tailoring creatives based on platform-specific engagement trends.

By automating these workflows, brands can test and optimize content continuously.

Scaling Content Across Retailers & Marketplaces

Sreenath Reddy: You work with CPGs, industrial brands, and furniture brands. How do they handle content at scale?

David Feinleib: Many large brands operate across multiple retailers—Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and others. The challenge is:

• How do you efficiently refresh thousands of SKUs?
• How do you adapt content for different platforms and formats?

Our platform helps brands extract product data from PIM (Product Information Management) systems and transform it into retail-ready assets.

For example, a Walmart Connect partnership enables us to:

• Streamline content uploads directly via API.
• Automate banner ad production for retail media.
• Enable data-driven optimization based on real-time analytics.

This helps brands accelerate content deployment and maintain a strong presence across multiple channels.

AI in Content Strategy: The Future of Automation

Sreenath Reddy: Let’s talk about AI’s future in content creation. How do you see this evolving in the next two years?

David Feinleib: AI is transforming the entire content lifecycle. Here’s what’s coming:

• Automated Video Creation – AI-driven tools will generate promotional videos with minimal input.
• Smarter Personalization – AI will dynamically adjust content for different customer segments.
• Integrated Data Insights – AI-powered analytics will enable brands to measure, refine, and automate content faster than ever before.

Brands need to embrace AI while ensuring quality control through structured workflows.

Final Takeaways & Advice for Brands

Sreenath Reddy: As we wrap up, what advice do you have for brands struggling with content at scale?

David Feinleib: My advice is:

1. Start Small, Scale Fast – Don’t try to automate everything at once; begin with key content areas.
2. Leverage AI & Automation – Use AI to speed up production, but maintain human oversight for brand integrity.
3. Invest in Workflow Efficiency – A strong process ensures you can scale content without sacrificing quality.

Sreenath Reddy: David, this has been an insightful conversation. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

David Feinleib: Thanks, Sreenath! I appreciate the opportunity.