Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner...
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The weekend is almost here, Alluser! Before you unplug, here's one last round of insights and updates. Whether you read them now or save them for later, you won't want to miss these.
In today's edition:
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Turning UGC into highly-performing ads
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Should you use Meta's Optimization Score?
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Video vs. Video Experiences: The formula for conversions
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Customer Personas: Do yours leave money on the table?
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🗞️ Industry news from Threads, YouTube, and more
Are Your Ads Too... Polished?
Does your audience scroll right past your perfectly crafted ads? That's because today's consumers can spot traditional advertising from a mile away. Meanwhile, the brands crushing it are tapping into something much more powerful - their own customers' content.
UGC (user-generated content) ads are transforming how businesses connect with audiences. Instead of polished studio shots, imagine showcasing real people actually using and loving your products. The stats don't lie - these authentic ads outperform traditional campaigns by up to 29%, with a whopping 79% of people saying UGC directly influences what they buy.
Neal Schaffer shares a strategy that works across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook without breaking your marketing budget. But there's an art to doing it right.
From encouraging customers to create shareable content to navigating the legal considerations, there's a whole framework for turning everyday users into your most convincing brand advocates.
Want to learn how brands like Modcloth and Aerie have leveraged UGC to dramatically boost sales and engagement? Are you curious about the specific tactics that transform customer content into conversion machines? Read more here.
Meta's New Optimization Score: Friend or Foe?
That mysterious 0-100 rating that appeared in your Ads Manager a few weeks ago? It judges how well your campaigns align with Meta's best practices—but is it actually worth paying attention to?
Dara Denney went straight to the source and sat down with Sarah Redding from Meta's product marketing team to get the inside scoop on their new Opportunity Score.
Behind that innocent-looking number is a whole system of recommendations that could dramatically change your ad strategy—for better or worse. While some advertisers are already racing to hit 100/100, Dara discovered why blindly following these suggestions might not be the smartest move.
Her interview pulls back the curtain on when you should listen to it and when you should trust your own judgment instead. She even shares real examples from a client account showing which opportunities were worth taking and which definitely weren't. Read more here.
Struggling to Keep Up With the Rapid Evolution of AI?
Do you want to increase your productivity, enhance your creativity, and become truly indispensable in the age of artificial intelligence?
Join AI Marketing expert Dan Sanchez live for a free masterclass where he uncovers 25 tools that will forever change how you create content. You'll discover:
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Timesaving AI tools that turn hours of work into minutes
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Creative AI solutions for stunning visuals, videos, and written content
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Automation strategies that multiply your content output
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And much more!
Sign up for the free masterclass today.
Video Experiences That Create Loyalty, Engagement, and Conversions
There's a significant difference between simply producing video content and crafting an actual video experience. Luria Petrucci, founder of Live Streaming Pros, explains that this distinction is crucial for businesses using video in their marketing.
Her webinars convert at 28-38% regularly, well above industry standards, because she focuses on creating experiences rather than just delivering information.
Her strategy applies to all video formats: social platform live streams like YouTube or Facebook Live, webinars, and virtual events, launch events and challenges, and even Zoom calls and meetings.
Keep in mind, you don't have to implement all of the tactics at one time. Incorporating just one can raise your conversions.
Defining the Video Experience: What Are We Really Talking About?
As Maya Angelou famously said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
The most successful video creators begin by asking a fundamental question before planning any content: "What do I want my audience to feel?"
This simple but powerful question helps you align everything from your visual design to your word choice and call to action around a cohesive emotional experience that resonates with viewers.
Use Visual Aids to Enhance the Experience
Once you've defined the emotional experience you want to create, visual elements become powerful tools for reinforcing that feeling during your video.
These visuals are similar to what we might see in professional broadcasts, such as animations that appear during sporting events after a big play. In the digital environment, they function as overlays on top of your video, adding depth and emotional resonance to key moments.
During a technical explanation, Petrucci overlays math equations graphics to visually represent the feeling of being overwhelmed by complexity.
When participants make purchases during live events, she displays confetti graphics with personalized welcome messages to create excitement and tap into FOMO (fear of missing out).
Choose Words That Match Your Intended Feeling
Infusing your language words that evoke the emotional qualities that match your intended experience can powerfully shape how viewers feel during your video.
For example, if your goal is to help viewers feel cared for, phrases like "I know this is overwhelming, but this is a safe place for you to get through the messy. I've got you covered" creates an entirely different emotional experience than simply stating "Step one, step two, step three."
Even simple catchphrases can become signature elements that foster connection. Petrucci uses "abso-freaking-lutely" in her videos, which often gets a smile from viewers and creates a moment of emotional connection.
The key is intentionality - consciously choosing words that align with how you want people to feel rather than focusing solely on information delivery.
Align Your Call-to-Action with Your Personality
Many content creators struggle with calls to action because they try to follow formulaic approaches that are inauthentic to their personalities.
When your calls-to-action align with your authentic personality and the emotional experience you've been creating, they feel like natural extensions of the conversation rather than jarring sales pitches.
Petrucci's student Evan Gregor is a naturally calm, chill person who struggled with traditional high-energy sales approaches. By shifting to a more authentic approach—"I'd love to take this a step deeper with you, and here's how"—he tripled his conversions in just two months.
More Examples of Video Experiences Based on Emotional Goals
To build trust and credibility, use a clean, professional background with subtle branding as your visual element. Choose words and phrases like "I understand that...", "Many people struggle with...", and "Here's what I've found works best..." Address viewer questions by name and acknowledge different experience levels to create an interactive element that builds trust.
To create excitement and motivation, incorporate bright colors, movement, and celebration graphics for milestones as visual elements. Use phrases like "Imagine what this could mean for you...", "Let's get started!" and "This is where everything changes..." Add interactive elements like countdowns, progress bars, and real-time recognition of participants.
To foster community and belonging, showcase community members and highlight shared experiences visually. Use phrases like "We're in this together...", "Our community has found...", and "You're not alone in feeling..." Create interactive moments by highlighting comments, developing inside jokes or references, and asking viewers to share their experiences.
Pre-Production Planning Tips
Before you ever turn on the camera, write a clear statement describing precisely what you want viewers to feel during and after watching your video. List several emotions that align with your brand's personality and note which emotions might conflict with your intended experience to avoid sending mixed messages.
Then, outline your video's structure using a simple spreadsheet, including the introduction, key points, and call to action. For each segment, identify specific opportunities to reinforce your intended feeling. Note which visual elements, word choices, or interactive moments will enhance each segment.
Finally, practice authentic delivery by recording yourself delivering your content, especially your call to action. Listen back critically—does it sound like you or like someone else? Refine until it feels natural while still conveying your intended emotion.
Today's advice is provided with insights from Luria Petrucci, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
Buyer Personas vs. Ideal Customer Profiles and How AI Can Help
Ever confused about the difference between buyer personas and ideal customer profiles? You're not alone. In this week's In-Ear Insights, Chris Penn and Katie Robbert dive into this common marketing confusion and why it matters more than ever in the age of AI.
They unpack why most buyer personas are missing the mark, how this creates massive blind spots in your content strategy, and why focusing only on buyers is leaving money on the table.
They also challenge conventional thinking about customer journeys and reveal why separating your marketing between prospects and existing customers might sabotage your growth.
Then, they explore how deep research and AI tools can transform your understanding of potential customers without crossing into creepy territory. Plus, they introduce practical frameworks like the "Five Ps" and "CASINO" approach that can immediately upgrade your customer analysis. Read more here.
OpenAI to Feature The Washington Post in ChatGPT: As part of this partnership, ChatGPT will display summaries, quotes, and links to original reporting from The Post in response to relevant questions. ChatGPT will highlight The Post's journalism across politics, global affairs, business, technology, and more, always with clear attribution and direct links to full articles. Open AI
Google Scraps Plans to Phase-Out Cookies: Google has decided to maintain its current approach to third-party cookies in Chrome rather than implementing a new stand-alone prompt for users. This decision comes after considering diverse industry perspectives, accelerated adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies, emerging AI opportunities for browser security, and evolving global regulations. While continuing to enhance privacy protections in Incognito mode (including IP Protection planned for Q3 2025), Google will engage with the industry to redefine the role of Privacy Sandbox APIs and develop an updated roadmap for these technologies in the coming months. Google
LinkedIn Highlights Premium Page Enhancement: In a recent post, the platform made note of the ability for Premium Company Page users to invite followers of similar Pages. LinkedIn
LinkedIn Verification Expands to Other Sites and Platforms: is expanding its free verification system to the wider web, allowing external sites and platforms to integrate LinkedIn verification rather than building their own tool. Adobe is among the first companies to sign up. Adobe is integrating LinkedIn verification into its new Content Authenticity app and existing Behance portfolio platform. It allows creators who've gone through LinkedIn's verification to display a "Verified on LinkedIn" badge on their profiles. If verified creators use Adobe's digital Content Credentials tools, their identity will also appear alongside their work whenever it's shared on LinkedIn. Alongside Adobe, other early adopters of the expanded verification system include enterprise platforms TrustRadius, G2, and UserTesting. The Verge
Meta Announces Anti-Spam Measures for Facebook: The company is launching initiatives to reduce spammy content that disrupts user experience and authentic creator visibility. Facebook will limit reach and monetization for accounts using tactics like excessive hashtags, unrelated captions, or content duplication. In addition, a comments system allows users to flag irrelevant responses and enhanced Moderation Assist tools will automatically hide comments from suspected fake identities. Meta
Meta Testing Enhanced Verification Features: One new test feature offers advanced original content protection that allows subscribers to request human review of original content on Instagram. The feature adds an "Original by" label linking back to the subscribed creator on any reposts, helping maximize engagement for original content. Meta is also testing new in-app education that more clearly tells people when a business account is not yet Meta Verified. Meta
Snapchat Affiliate Program: Marketers, publishers, and creators around the world can now earn rewards for each qualified advertiser they refer to Snapchat. Snap
Ads in Threads: Meta is expanding Threads ads to all eligible advertisers globally and opening access to the inventory filter. This new placement for the Threads feed will be on by default for new campaigns using either Advantage+ or Manual Placements. Advertisers have the option to opt out of Threads feed via Manual Placements. These ads will be delivered in select markets at launch and will roll out to additional markets as Meta continues to test and learn. During early testing, ads in Threads feed will be image ads that appear between pieces of content in the Threads home feed for a small percentage of people. Meta
YouTube Announces Future Features: YouTube TV members will soon be able to build their own multi-view configurations with select non-sports content, starting with popular channels and expanding later. More creators will gain access to voice-reply capabilities for comments on their videos later this year. "Ask Music" will let Premium and YouTube Music users create personalized radio stations by describing the type of music they want, currently available in English on iOS and Android in select countries. YouTube Premium users on mobile can access expanded playback speeds of up to 4x. A TV interface upgrade is coming this summer with improved navigation, playback controls, and streamlined access to comments and channel information. YouTube
YouTube Tests Video Results Carousel Search Results: This new feature will use AI to highlight clips from videos that will be most helpful for your search query, providing another way to discover content when searching on YouTube in addition to topics and information related to your search query. This is most likely to show when you search for more information about products you're shopping for (such as "best noise canceling headphones") or when you search for more information about locations or things to do in those locations (such as "museums to visit in San Francisco"). We're rolling this test out to a small number of YouTube Premium members in the US for some English search queries. YouTube
What Did You Think of Today's Newsletter?
Did You Know?
The name "cranberry" comes from Dutch and German settlers who called them "crane berries" due to the resemblance of the cranberry flower to a crane's head. Over time, the "e" was dropped.
Michael Stelzner, Founder and CEO
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