Happy Friday,
The weekend is so close we can practically taste it. And by “taste it,” we mean we’re already mentally checked out and thinking about what we’ll have for brunch tomorrow.
Should we apologize for that? Probably. Will we? Absolutely not. Just don’t tell our editor. Oh wait, that’s us!
Manage your Meta creator partnerships in one place, correct your YouTube videos without disruption, and AI-generate Shorts
We love it when a plan comes together.
Or, at least, a marketing hub: Meta has updated its Partnership Ads Hub to create a single, unified list for both Facebook and Instagram content.
This includes affiliate opportunities and any posts where creators tag or mention your brand.
You can now review performance metrics directly in the Hub and activate promotions without toggling between different tools.
To reduce friction even further, Meta launched a Facebook Partnership Ads API for agencies, expanded creator discovery to include Professional Mode profiles, and streamlined permissions, so you can share ad codes proactively.
Meta says partnership ads tend to see 19% lower CPAs and 13% higher CTRs, which would make easier access a win.
Make your mistakes seamless: YouTube’s new corrections feature lets you fix errors without ruining your video’s momentum.
Add a timestamped Correction entry in the description, and an info overlay appears during playback, directing viewers to the full explanation.
This saves you from losing views or resetting the algorithm just to fix a small error.
And if you’d rather skip the mistakes entirely, YouTube Shorts now offers Veo, an AI tool that generates 8-second videos with audio.
Simply describe a scene, pick a style, and Veo handles the video, dialogue, and ambient sound. It’s a fast way to prototype concepts or fill content gaps without a crew.
Your social media audience could start looking different, unless Reddit can turn it around
The ban hammer drops, and the stage is set.
Welcome to the future… maybe: Australia’s under-16 social media ban officially launched on December 10.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, and Reddit now have to deactivate accounts for users under 16 or face fines up to $50M.
The government admits compliance will be gradual, so don’t expect a clean sweep overnight.
This means your audience demographics have now shifted. If you’ve been targeting Gen Z on these platforms, a chunk of your youngest segment just disappeared. Together with their parents’ wallets.
Time to recalibrate your targeting parameters and audit your campaign performance data.
But it looks like Reddit isn’t going to roll over that easily: The platform filed a High Court lawsuit challenging the ban.
It claims the ban violates children’s rights to political communication and creates an “illogical patchwork” of which platforms get banned versus exempted.
Reddit argues its primary purpose is content engagement, not social interaction. Still, it’s complying for now using an age prediction model.
If Reddit wins, other platforms might challenge the ban too, potentially reversing audience changes you’ve already adapted to.
The outcome here could set the tone for similar laws in other places you do business…
These CRO tests can double your revenue—and you can set them up in minutes
Most CRO advice bombards you with endless, arbitrary optimization tasks—change button colors, test headlines, add more social proof…
But after helping 6- and 7-figure brands transform their funnels, CRO expert Carlos Valdivia has refined a conversion rate optimization process that can increase your revenue from 30% to 100%, by setting up 4-5 strategic tests.
It all comes down to knowing exactly what to change in your website, and how and when to run them. And he condensed all his processes and strategic approach in a 2 hours and 30 minutes course that shows you:
- The hidden Google Analytics 4 report that reveals your biggest conversion blockers.
- The research method that identifies your most profitable test opportunities.
- How to tap into the psychological triggers that influence and motivate customer decisions.
Each module includes real-world case studies and examples of tests that are working for real brands right now.
Discover how to turn your funnels into a sales-machine with a few tests you can set up in minutes.
What trends will shape social media marketing in 2026?
Keeping up social media appearances is tough. Especially when trends come and go as quickly as algorithm changes.
But if you’re trying to plan for 2026, the team at Social Media Today has some predictions that might actually help. And no, they’re not based on AI.
1) Social SEO is the new top-of-funnel: Google is losing its monopoly on answers.
Research shows 24% of people now prefer finding reviews and how-to guides on TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit.
You need to be optimizing for in-platform discovery. Keyword-rich captions and pinned Q&As are mandatory now, so it’s time to get fluent in each platform’s culture, not just its algorithm.
2) Multi-platform engagement is the new normal: The average consumer bounces between nearly seven platforms every month.
They don’t see your brand in silos, so you can’t market that way.
Ask yourself how you can connect them all. You need a unified story that works across the board. Disjointed campaigns waste budget; integrated storytelling wins loyalty.
3) Social customer care is critical for brand reputation: Half of US adults turn to social media for brand information. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re replying to people as consistently as you can.
Marketing and customer support can’t be enemies anymore. You need real-time listening and fast, empathetic replies. In 2026, a slow response is a bad review in waiting.
4) Reddit communities drive decisions: With 4.9B monthly visits, Reddit is dominating search results. It’s a goldmine for high-intent decisions, especially in B2B and tech.
But be careful. Redditors smell marketing from a mile away and will roast you for it. Success here requires genuine participation and adding value, not just dropping links and running.
Sometimes it’s nice to focus on the human side of the screen, isn’t it? Rather than AI…
When everyone’s using the same marketing playbook, psychology gives you an edge
Most marketers pull ideas from the same formulas, frameworks, and templates.
There’s no harm in using what works—but it also means your offer risks blending in.
But marketers who understand how people actually make decisions know how to package powerful offers and stand out—even when they’re selling similar things as their competitors.
Want to receive one psychological principle each week so you sharpen your instincts for positioning and persuasion?
Search priority #1: Truth
What do we want? Answers! When do we want them? Now!
And we also want to believe them.
When searching for products, “trustworthy results” is the top priority for 49% of users. This beats “easily understandable content” (38%) and even “Finding cheap prices” (35%).
The flashy stuff marketers obsess over ranks much lower:
- Video formats: 14%
- Audio formats: 8%
Users prioritize clarity and credibility over format. They want accuracy before aesthetics.
In a world of AI-generated spam, authority is the new SEO gold. Users are tired of scrolling through life stories to get answers.
They want facts, fast, from sources that don’t feel like content farms.
Quick win: Audit high-traffic pages for E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
Add clear citations, author bios, and “last updated” dates to signal fresh, verified content.
That should be a signal to all of the search engines, LLMs, and your users that your content is credible.
The difference between “interesting” and “profitable”? Knowing what to do next.
AI EDUCATION: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney… So many names, but what’s actually useful for you in your work? There’s a newsletter called The Deep View that exists to sift through all the noise and get you up to speed on what’s actionable with AI products, and it’s free. Join 512,000+ subscribers with one click and let AI empower you.*
SEO: Is the SERP shaking? Google launched its third core update of 2025 yesterday, taking up to three weeks to complete. If you notice ranking shifts, don’t panic; pages can drop without you doing anything wrong. Google will reassess. Keep an eye on your numbers and any updates.
AI MARKETING: Disney just poured $1B into OpenAI, allowing you to generate AI content starring copyrighted legends from the Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars universes. This signals that the future isn’t about blocking AI, but licensing it without fear of legal backlash.
GOOGLE: In a similar deal, Google has announced partnerships with major publishers to build on Google News and explore more AI features, such as testing article overviews and audio briefings. Could this raise more concerns over zero-click searches and Google’s search monopoly?
META: European marketers might start seeing a shift in ad performance. Meta will soon let EU users choose a less personalized ad experience without a fee. This means a drop in data sharing. The change will roll out in January 2026, so prepare your targeting strategies now.
META: Community Notes is now making fewer enforcement mistakes, but proactive detection of negative conduct has dropped 20% in recent quarters. More users are seeing extreme content that the system could catch but isn’t. Will this put people off using the feature?
SOCIAL MEDIA: A tweet from the past. A former trademark lawyer is petitioning to reclaim the original Twitter bird branding. He says the mark was legally abandoned, and you can already visit the dedicated landing page to claim your username before it launches. A new (old?) platform on the way?
*This is a sponsored post.
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