Meta says “original content only”, mid-tier creators are outperforming… if they aren’t burnt out

Meta doesn’t want your remakes, reboots, and rehashing.

Unique ideas only: The platform has updated its content guidelines to crack down on Reels that stitch, react, or repost, all of which will now be deprioritised in Feed and Reels.

Original Reels views on Facebook roughly doubled in the second half of 2025 versus the year prior, so the algorithm is already putting its money where its mouth is.

Don’t let your creator briefs be loose enough to allow this kind of content. Tighten your requirements, and make sure your partners are producing something new.

Also, sometimes it pays to be smaller: Mid-tier creators are converting sales at 6%, a full percentage point above macro creators, and have grown 10x faster over the past six months.

Their audiences are smaller, more engaged, and more trusting. With social commerce continuing to grow, affiliate-driven partnerships at this tier could be your highest-ROI play.

But algorithm anxiety is causing burnout: A new report names algorithm changes as the top growth barrier for creators ahead of inconsistent brand deals, low pay, and actual burnout.

Only 12% say they’re growing without major issues, meaning most of your potential creator partners are navigating serious headwinds right now.

Feels like another thing to keep in mind when vetting possible partnerships.

Meta AI could surface your content, Instagram comment edits and WhatsApp stories are coming

While everyone else is fighting for AI citations…

Meta’s just opened a side door: Meta AI is pulling real-time, interest-based news directly into its responses through partnerships with major outlets like News Corp.

For you, this means a new discovery channel. Potentially.

If Meta AI starts linking out to publisher content, brands with strong content strategies stand to gain organic visibility in a space most competitors haven’t even considered yet.

Typo? No problem: Instagram is rolling out comment editing to select users, stamping any changed comments with an Edited label.

For years, a typo meant deleting your entire comment and starting over. Frustrating for anyone managing community interactions at scale.

The rollout is patchy for now, but the awkward delete-and-retype dance is on its way out.

I saw it on your Story. No, your WhatsApp Story: A beta test is placing a horizontal Status strip at the top of the Chat List.

It looks like a convenience update, but Meta already runs ads in Status and Channels, and this new strip is prime real estate headed straight for monetisation.

It’s time to start posting WhatsApp status updates…

If you’re not in the AI conversation, you may not be in the sale

How do users interact with AI during the buyout process?

A Semrush survey of over 1,000 US consumers explored it and it turns out it is deeply embedded in the consumer journey. Here’s what that means for you:

1) AI is now part of how consumers shop, at every stage: 85% of people who have tried AI use it at least weekly, and 48% engage with it daily.

ChatGPT leads with 64% monthly usage, followed by Gemini at 49% and Meta AI at 39%.

Your audience is already living in these ecosystems and if your brand doesn’t surface in conversations, you are effectively invisible to a massive segment of high-intent shoppers.

2) Consumers rely on AI to research, compare, and evaluate products: About 57% use it to narrow down choices, and 53% use it to compare products they are already considering.

Because users are so specific with their prompts, having clear, precise product descriptions is the only way to ensure the filter doesn’t catch you and throw you out.

3) AI and Google Search are not competing. Consumers use both: 77% use AI and traditional search engines together. Only 4% rely mostly on AI.

94% of users click links in chatbots, and 87% say AI summaries help them understand brands faster. AI compresses the research phase, but it often drives high-intent traffic back to your site for the final deep dive.

4) AI is changing how consumers discover and evaluate brands: About 43% of respondents have found a new brand through an AI tool.

However, ranking first in an AI list isn’t much of a flex since only 20% care about the order of mentions. Instead, relevance is the new ranking.

Since 43% of users are influenced by the clarity and detail of the explanation, you should focus on being the most helpful answer, not just the first one.

5) Consumers trust AI recommendations, but verify before buying: While 75% of users trust AI recommendations, they aren’t blindly following bots to the checkout page.

Around 86% of respondents verify AI suggestions elsewhere, too.

AI gets you on the shortlist, but your owned media still has to close the deal. If your site looks like it was built in 2005, that hard-earned AI recommendation won’t mean a thing.

6) AI already influences real purchases across every category: Half of the consumers surveyed have made a purchase after using AI for research, covering everything from groceries and electronics to travel and education.

With 69% of people expecting AI to play a bigger role in their future shopping, this behavior is only going to accelerate.

It’s time to start optimizing for AI discovery. Don’t let your competitors get there first.

Why do shoppers abandon carts?

For you, the most dangerous part of the journey is the “proceed to checkout” button.

A surprise fee, a slow delivery date, or another wrong move can tarnish that carefully curated cart in no time:

• 36% of shoppers bail because delivery is too slow.
• 35% leave if their preferred payment method isn’t available.
• Unexpected customs charges (33%) and having to pay for delivery (32%) remain massive conversion killers.

Cart abandonment is rarely about the product and more about the fine print.

That’s why every conversion rate expert will tell you that surprises belong in birthday parties and not at checkout.

Transparency of costs and speed is the best way to protect your margins.

Display delivery date estimates and all shipping costs early in the funnel, even at the product page.

If you eliminate this surprise factor at checkout, you should immediately lower abandonment rates.

Cart abandonment is a $260 billion problem, but it’s solvable. Pro subscribers get weekly insights on checkout friction like this, plus tactical strategies to recover lost revenue.

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