Good morning.
There are several advantages to reading our newsletter, but here’s one you probably never thought of:
Most headlines about earnings reports obsess over share prices and shareholder expectations.
But share prices and expectations don’t reveal what matters to marketers—namely audience growth, ad revenues, successful content formats, etc.
Yesterday’s newsletter about Snap’s earnings is a classic example of how looking at things from a marketer’s perspective is quite different from the general headlines you’ve probably seen since.
And that alone puts you ahead of most people. So, well done. You’re savvier than you think.
New political ad rules in the EU, and Google doubles down on AI Overviews
Unlike real politics, your ads must be totally unbiased.
We don’t remember voting for this: Starting September 2025, Google is banning most political ads in the EU.
That includes ads from parties, candidates, and referendum campaigns, unless they’re strictly informational and pass a new exemption process.
We’re mentioning this upfront so you can get familiar with what counts as a political ad, so your own ads don’t get flagged for mentioning certain topics.
If you do want to run political ads, you’ll need to apply for an exemption and follow the new rules. Be sure to self-declare by mid-August 2025, too, or you might risk automatic restrictions.
Trust me, bro: Google is doubling down on AI Overviews, claiming they’re driving better engagement through more complex questions, more relevant links, and higher-intent click-throughs.
But Google isn’t being transparent about its metrics, and many marketers and publishers are still seeing fewer clicks despite getting more impressions.
Ugh, this just feels like the Facebook algo change all over again.
The boys are loving Pinterest, and Instagram wants users to reconnect with friends
Bros need boards too: Pinterest is seeing a surge in Gen Z male users, who now make up over a third of its active user base.
And no, they’re not just browsing cars and video games. Pinterest claims they’re genuinely leaning into topics like skincare, Pilates, and parenting. Wholesome!
To keep the momentum going, the platform just launched a Pinterest Man hub, a curated space that shares trending interests and personalized styles.
Pinterest Mancave was right there, but whatever. Anyway, if men are your target audience, build on Pinterest.
Also, Instagram just remembered it’s a social platform: Its newest update is focused on what friends are up to. For example:
- Reposts now appear in followers’ main feeds.
- A new “Friends” tab in Reels shows what friends are watching.
- The updated Instagram Map now lets users share locations with select friends and explore content by place.
Hopefully this means more visibility and discoverability for you and your clients or partners.
Your free, simple guide to integrate ChatGPT into your daily workflow and unlock unparalleled productivity
Sometimes ChatGPT answers can be so bad that they make you want to punch the screen…
And if that happened to you, it might be because you decided to start using it without first understanding its working principles. Or maybe you’ve been writing prompts like you talk to a human.
You can change that today and start using ChatGPT to save hours of work every week. This free resource is your fast track to AI mastery:
- Industry-Specific Use Cases: 15+ real-world applications across various sectors
- Productivity Guide: 21 best practices to 10x your efficiency with AI
- Prompt Powerhouse: 100+ ready-to-use prompts for immediate implementation
- Challenge Buster: Overcome common AI hurdles with expert strategies
Plus, in-depth sections on email composition, content creation, customer support, and data analysis.
TikTok stats you need to know
Friendly reminder: TikTok isn’t just a place where people spend more hours daily than they’ll ever admit.
It also influences how they dress, shop, search, and engage online. And if you’re using it, there are several stats you should be aware of.
Tamilore Oladipo broke it all down here, but we’ll pull some of the most important ones:
1) Nearly 70% of TikTok’s user base is under 35.
Around seven in 10 users globally are between 18 and 34. The largest segments are men aged 25–34 and 18–24, followed by women in the same age ranges.
2) 50% of users have purchased something after watching a TikTok Live.
Half of all users say they’ve bought something directly after watching a live stream.
Whether it’s a product demo, creator collab, or limited-time drop, this format creates urgency and authenticity.
3) Tutorials are the top-performing content on TikTok.
62% of users prefer tutorials over reviews or personal stories. Whether it’s a 30-second hack or a 5-minute guide, how-to content is the shortcut to visibility and engagement.
4) 76% of users want a mix of video and images.
TikTok is video-first, but not video-only. Users enjoy a mix of formats, including image carousels, tip lists, and photo-based storytelling.
5) 68% expect brands to mine the comments for insights.
68% of users want brands to actually pay attention to what they’re talking about. It’s a goldmine for FAQs, content ideas, product feedback, and community engagement.
6) Long-form videos are gaining traction.
TikTok supports videos up to 30 minutes, but the sweet spot for engagement is three to 10 minutes. Users are willing to stick around if the content delivers.
7) 40% say brand personality drives relevance.
Slick isn’t always successful. Four in 10 users say personality is what makes a brand relevant on TikTok. That means humor, behind-the-scenes content, and human storytelling.
TikTok is culture. If you want to stay relevant in 2025, lead with value, speak human, and make data-backed decisions that match how users behave.
Easy, right?
The newsletter business is brutal. You should stay away from it
Starting a newsletter business was romanticized a lot in 2024.
But while it looks shiny from the outside, it’s dark when you get inside.
And some newsletter networks are graveyards to thousands of failed newsletters.
We know it’s tough because we brought Stacked Marketer from 0 to 100,000 readers combined. And we’re not kidding when we say it’s a brutal business.
But because we love this industry, we’re sharing the blueprint we followed to turn Stacked Marketer into a 7-figure business and one of the most popular digital marketing newsletters.
We can’t guarantee it will make you succeed…
But it certainly worked for us. And you can follow the steps we walked.
The most promising customer support channel? Social media
Is support going social-first?
If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, we suggest checking the data we found for our most recent Data Story:
56% of businesses plan to invest more in customer engagement on social media. That’s the top channel by far.
Another 40% are upping spend on live chat—signaling a demand for human support—while 32% are focusing on review sites—which shows businesses understand the power of social proof.
On the other hand, 30% are planning to invest in chatbots and messaging apps, showing that while automation and mobile convenience are on brands’ minds… they’re not as crucial.
The trend is clear: Customers expect speed, context, and convenience. And brands are racing to meet them in the channels they already use.
This creates a golden opportunity for marketing and service to partner in these high-engagement touchpoints. Especially social media and live chat.
What you can do: Think like a customer. Invest in support where they already spend time like social and chat.
And don’t forget: What you say and how quickly you respond both matter.
Let marketing own the message, but let service deliver the experience in real time.
MARKETING PSYCHOLOGY: When every offer sounds the same and channels are awash in AI slop, your edge is knowing what actually influences and motivates decisions. Psychology of Marketing delivers one powerful principle each week that shows how buyers behave—and how you can turn them into customers. Read it for free.*
E-COMMERCE: And the wins keep coming. Shopify posted 31% revenue growth, marking eight straight quarters of double-digit cash flow margins. Europe alone saw 42% growth. Merchants of all sizes seem to be seeing success with Shopify, which is good news for e-commerce marketers.
SEO: Take a deep breath. It seems there’s been a big spike in SEO chatter following the brief calm after Google’s June 2025 core update. Even though the update finished on July 17, volatility has remained high. Fluctuations started July 2 and have continued unevenly since. Hang in there.
SEARCH: Long time, no see. Google is bringing back the sticky search bar that stays fixed at the top as users scroll search results. Google officially launched this feature back in 2018, then dropped it. We can only imagine it wants users hanging around. Will it work? That’s the question…
*This is a sponsored post.
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