SOCIAL MEDIA
TikTok’s usage predicted to beat YouTube’s
The popular social media platform already raced past apps like Facebook and Instagram when it comes to usage time.
And now it seems the clock is ticking and tocking for YouTube, too…
Mind the gap: eMarketer reports that over 40% of Gen Z average 3 hours a day on TikTok, and just over 3 hours a day on YouTube.
The difference between both apps’ usage is about a fraction of a minute.
That may not sound like much, but those minutes add up. Researchers predict TikTok will close the gap and outrun YouTube next.
Why we care: More time spent watching TikTok videos means more time your customers could spend watching your ads.
So if you’re already running ads on YouTube, you might consider TikTok, too.
In the meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg is trying to catch up with both…
META
Have you started making short videos yet?
So far, we’ve seen enough evidence to conclude that Facebook and Instagram are very serious about making short video work:
- At the end of February, Instagram said it will stop supporting the IGTV app. What will they focus on instead? Reels, their TikTok clone.
- Around the same period, Facebook expanded Reels to (almost) all countries around the globe.
The latest one? Meta is pushing publishers to shift toward short videos, because it’s the segment where the platform is experiencing the most growth in user engagement.
This will be a headache for news organizations.
But it’s a useful trend for you: When a large platform focuses heavily on a specific content format it usually rewards people who use that format. Whether it’s organic or sponsored posts.
TikTok is growing bigger than ever. Meta is aggressively shifting toward short videos… If you didn’t do the shift to this format yet, now it’s the right time.
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MARKETING
How to make advertising claims without getting sued by the FTC
John made $60K in 30 days following my system.”
“Jessica went from $0 to $20K a month without applying for a single gig.”
In case you weren’t aware…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently started cracking down on money-making claims like these.
And if you make these similar claims in your advertising, you could be held liable—and even sued.
Which is why you should pay attention to Rob Freund’s Instagram post.
Rob is a lawyer for brands, agencies, and creators, and he has some advice for making claims that won’t get flagged by the FTC.
He suggests keeping two points in mind:
1) If the results in your advertisement don’t reflect what a typical client can expect to achieve, you need to disclose what a typical result is.
And you need to disclose typical results “clearly and conspicuously.”
Tiny disclaimers at the bottom of your landing pages won’t save you. And according to the FTC, neither will fine print saying “Results are not typical.”
2) You must be able to substantiate typical results, which in legalese means you need to be able to back them up with proof.
Note: We are definitely not legal experts here. You should always consult a lawyer about FTC regulation.
But if you use testimonials in your marketing, these points may give you enough guidance to help you stay out of legal trouble.
SPONSORED BY PAVED
Unlock high quality audiences with this overlooked channel
In our experience, newsletters provide the highest quality audiences.
And Paved makes it easy to run newsletter campaigns at scale by matching your brand with high-performing newsletters.
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THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
5 pieces of popular writing advice you can ignore—and what to do instead
The Crew has collectively read thousands of pieces of writing advice.
And while you’ll find a lot of great info out there, there are a few popular mantras that just aren’t always useful or true.
Here they are, along with what you can do instead:
- “Write at an elementary-school level.” This isn’t helpful. Instead, write at your audience’s level. If you’re in a space with high-level readers who use a very specific vocabulary, you can take advantage of that. It’s all about context.
- “Stop using phrases like ‘I think’ and ‘I feel.’” This bad advice applies to communications at work. When you remove a phrase like “I feel,” you fundamentally change the meaning of what you’re saying. Your writing goes from a subjective opinion to an objective assertion. Instead, make the decision case by case.
- “Write how you talk.” Writing saves the world from our roundabout way of talking. A better interpretation of this advice is to write naturally. Know your audience and write for them.
- “Always write short sentences.” We’ve seen this one pop up on Twitter. In reality, many of the world’s best sentences would be considered run-ons. Instead of taking this advice, vary your sentence length and build up to the big ones.
- “Don’t use adverbs.” You’re often told to stay away from adverbs. That’s because they’re overused. A better rule? Only use an adverb if it makes a real impact on the tone or emotional impact of what you’re writing.
A final piece of advice from The Crew: Remember, only a Sith deals in absolutes. All advice you get in writing and marketing should be taken in context and broken when appropriate.
If you’re ever given a piece of advice as an absolute, the person is either wrong, or a red-lightsaber-wielding movie villain.
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
COPYWRITING: Meet Peggy, an AI who crafts high-converting copy, quickly and easily for hundreds of companies. She says she’s one of the world’s best copywriters and you can put her to the test – just describe the product in at least 50 characters. Try Peggy for free.*
GOOGLE: Another peak behind the Google curtain. Someone noticed that the search giant is testing a brand new swipeable carousel ads format. The question is… Will the carousel stick around?
E-COMMERCE: More and more companies are giving advertisers access to their first-party data. Shopify introduced Shopify Audiences. Similarly to Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences, it lets you create audience clusters from the platform buyers’ data. The catch? For now, it’s only available to Shopify Agency Partners.
ANALYTICS: Ready to make the jump to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)? It’s okay, nobody else is, either… But this article might help. And yes, you can run GA4 together with Universal Analytics while you’re preparing for the transition.
GOOGLE: Extra safe meetings? You can now ask people to verify their email when booking appointments in Google Calendar. It might help you keep malicious parties away… and maybe follow up quality leads.
*This is a sponsored post.
BRAIN TEASER
What can’t talk but will reply when spoken to?
You can find the answer here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
Miss the iPod? Turn your phone into one
Remember the days of turning the iPod click wheel to scroll through your albums and songs?
If this memory hits you “right in the feels,” open a new tab.
… Because this app is bringing the iPod back in a new form.
How it works: Open the link with your smartphone, sign in to your Apple Music or Spotify account, and blast your favorite tunes. Simple as!
Now excuse us while we turn on the shuffle and pretend it’s 2006 again…