Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner...
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The weekend is almost here, Alluser! Here's a recap of the most important insights, trends, and updates from the week. Catch up in minutes and go into next week prepared.
In today's edition:
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Turn any Reel into a soundtrack
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Is Meta taking marketers out of the driver's seat?
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Results-backed TikTok growth strategy
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Maximize Your Instagram Growth: Getting More of The Right Followers
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Becoming an AI-First Company: From Chaos to Clarity
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YouTube Updates: Shorts Tools, Creator Features, New Ads, and More
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Amplify AI's power with GPT stacking
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3 expert ways to create images with AI
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🗞️ Industry news from Perplexity, Meta, TikTok, and more
Unlock the Perfect Soundbite from Any Instagram Video
Ever found the perfect Instagram audio, but couldn't figure out how to use it in your own video?
There's a simple CapCut workaround most creators don't know about—and it only takes a minute. In this quick tutorial from Keenya Kelly, you'll learn how to extract audio from any downloaded video and apply it to your own clip, no messy screen recordings required.
Whether you're repurposing viral sounds or customizing your own edits, this trick will save you time and boost your creativity. Plus, you'll never have to settle for offbeat timing or muted clips again. Learn more here.
The Meta Ads Algorithm is Changing
Ever feel like you're pulling all the right levers in your Facebook ad campaigns—tweaking bids, refining targeting, adjusting creative, but your results remain unpredictable?
Many advertisers operate under the assumption that they have complete control over their campaigns, only to be blindsided by inconsistent outcomes.
In his latest blog post, Jon Loomer delves into this phenomenon, revealing how the perceived control in Meta advertising is often an illusion. He discusses why traditional optimization tactics may no longer yield the expected results and emphasizes the importance of adapting to Meta's evolving algorithms.
By understanding the limitations of manual adjustments and embracing a more holistic approach, advertisers can better navigate the complexities of the platform. Read more here.
Account Growth on TikTok
Still think explosive TikTok growth is a thing of the past?
If you think the platform's golden age ended in 2020, creator and strategist Kenya Kelly says the growth window is still wide open—you just need the right approach for 2025.
Whether you're trying to build a business presence or an influencer brand, the rules have changed.
Kenya shows how she's growing two very different accounts right now: one built around expertise and lead gen, the other around personal storytelling and lifestyle content.
This episode reveals what's working now, what to post daily, and why strategic volume beats blind luck every time. If you've been sitting on the sidelines or stuck at 500K, this could be your roadmap. Watch more here.
Stop Wasting Time Trying to Figure Out AI on Your Own…
If you're like most marketers, you know you should be using AI. But how do you get started? And how do you know which tools to use…and which ones to avoid?
That's why we created the AI Business Society. When you join, you'll get instant access to easy-to-use resources and actionable training that you can start using right away to get the most out of AI.
Access our comprehensive resource library, connect with other AI-enhanced marketers, and learn from experts who understand your struggles.
Here's what member Marisa Shadrick said, "I have found my people. I love chatting about our experiences with AI and supporting each other on our journey toward the future. Thank you for starting this community."
Yes, I want help figuring out how to use AI.
Maximize Your Instagram Growth: Getting More of The Right Followers
Struggling to grow your Instagram following with people who actually care about your content? Wondering how to attract the right audience—without wasting time chasing trends that don't convert?
The GROWS Method: Five Pillars of Strategic Instagram Content
Lucas O'Keefe developed the GROWS method that provides a framework for creating Instagram content that consistently attracts and retains the right followers. His framework centers on five distinct types of content:
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Guide
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Relate
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Observe
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Win
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Showcase
The key to success lies not in implementing all five types, but in selecting two or three that align with your strengths and audience needs.
The reason for this selective approach is twofold. First, trying to create all five types of content can lead to burnout, even with a team supporting you. Second, your audience needs consistency to develop a clear sense of your account's identity. When you focus on fewer content types but execute them well, your audience knows what to expect and can form a stronger connection with your brand.
Explore the Relate Content Pillar
In an era where AI tools can generate endless content and ideas, success increasingly comes down to who is behind the content rather than just what that person is talking about. Relatable content reveals the human behind your brand or business.
While educational content provides value through teaching, relatable content provides value through connection, humor, and shared experiences. This type of content can include funny reels that make people want to share them, memes presented as single images or carousel collections, and anything that shows you're human and understand the same problems or issues in your industry as the customers you're trying to reach.
For example, you might use a still frame image or GIF from the popular show Severance, which features workers who don't understand the purpose of their work. You could pair this with text that reads, "Marketers trying to figure out the latest Instagram algorithm." This combination works because people who watch the show will recognize the reference while also relating to the stress of keeping up with algorithm changes.
The Strategic Value of Relatable Content
Relatable content serves multiple strategic purposes beyond entertainment. First, it humanizes your brand, especially important for businesses that might otherwise feel corporate or distant. Instead of constantly trying to sell people, you demonstrate that you "get it" just as much as your audience does within your shared industry.
Second, relatable content often performs better in terms of shares and saves because it gives people something they want to pass along to others. When someone sees a post that perfectly captures their experience, their immediate instinct is often to share it with someone who will have the same reaction.
Finally, this type of content helps balance out more serious or educational posts in your content mix. If you're constantly educating or teaching, occasionally making your audience laugh provides variety and keeps them engaged with your account over time.
How to Combine GROW Content Pillars to Develop a Consistent an Instagram Content Strategy
As you explore each pillar, choose two or three that resonate most strongly with your communication style, industry, and available resources. The more consistently you show up with your chosen content types, the more likely visitors will recognize your value and hit that follow button.
You should also consider both the time investment required and the complementary value each type provides. Some content types, like educational carousels and showcase time-lapses, require significant time and effort to create well. If you choose one of these as a primary pillar, you'll want to pair it with faster-to-create content types like relatable memes or quick win infographics.
Lucas particularly likes pairing educational content with relatable content. This combination balances the serious, value-driven content with lighter, more human moments that help your audience connect with you personally.
Similarly, if you're creating showcase content that might be primarily visual with music overlays, adding relatable content helps "put the human back into it." This balance ensures your audience sees both your professional skills and your personality.
Another particularly effective pairing combines educational guide content with observational industry news content. This combination positions you as both a teacher and a trusted source for current information in your field.
For example, you might regularly teach people how to use various marketing techniques while also providing quick commentary on new platform features or algorithm changes. The educational content builds long-term authority while the observational content keeps people coming back for timely information.
This pairing works especially well because observational content often naturally leads to educational content. When a new feature launches, your audience will want to know not just that it exists, but how to use it effectively. You can address immediate news with quick observational posts, then follow up with detailed educational content that provides deeper value.
Alternatively, quick win content works exceptionally well as an extension of your guide content. If you're regularly creating detailed educational posts, you can repurpose that information into simplified checklists or visual summaries. This approach allows you to create multiple pieces of content from the same core information while serving different audience preferences and consumption patterns.
For example, you might create a comprehensive carousel about Instagram engagement strategies, then distill the key points into a single-image checklist. Both pieces serve your audience, but the quick win version might reach people who wouldn't engage with longer-form content while still providing genuine value.
Today's advice is provided with insights from Lucas O'Keefe, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
Becoming an AI-First Company: From Chaos to Clarity
If your team uses ChatGPT in an ad hoc manner daily, tinkering with it through random acts of artificial intelligence (AI), research shows they're probably about 30% more productive than they are without it.
Systematizing your AI usage—where you define something, and AI does it—could improve productivity by 300% or more.
#1: Assign 3 Critical AI-First Roles
The businesses making tremendous progress with AI projects in their operations have figured out how they need to staff three roles to lead the internal AI operations function. Once in place, these roles remove a ton of friction and help you move forward quickly.
Role 1, AI Visionary or AI Leadership: This person leads strategy conversations, ensures you're working on the highest-impact opportunities, and keeps business goals in mind.
Role 2, AI Operator: Think of this person as the AI operations project manager who bridges business processes with AI requirements and drives the AI-ification of your business processes.
Role 3, Implementor: This dedicated role handles the technical building, testing, and improving of your AI systems. They make changes based on feedback, fix problems when systems break, and upgrade systems as new capabilities emerge.
#2: Train Your Team for AI-First Thinking
Before you can create complicated systems for your teams to use, you'll need to help them develop the instinct to think, "How could AI help with this?" as a first response.
Set Clear Expectations: Require everybody to use AI in their work regularly and share what they've learned with others.
Focus on Real-World Examples: Giving your team hands-on experience with how AI can change real work they've already done will help them understand how to work with it. Walk through how they completed a project or stand-alone task, and then redo the work with them in ChatGPT.
Implement Habit Stacking: Find a process your team is already doing regularly, like onboarding a client, and figure out where you can insert a single prompt or AI-run task. Make it super easy by providing copy-and-paste prompts for ChatGPT with specific instructions.
#3: Identify and Prioritize Strategic AI Edge Opportunities
Once you've established an AI-first mindset across your team, you can start thinking about applying AI to your existing processes and systems.
As you list use cases, you'll notice they fall into two categories: Commoditized use cases, where you can leverage someone else's tool or process instead of building one from scratch, and high-leverage use cases that benefit from your unique expertise and processes.
The latter is what Woods refers to as your AI edge–specific use cases that not only save time but also help you build a competitive edge in the market. These use cases are where you should prioritize implementation and invest in custom development.
#4: Systematize Your Business Processes With AI: The CRAFT Cycle Framework
Once you have the right people in place and your entire team consistently uses an AI-first mindset, your AI Operator and Implementor can use the CRAFT framework to transform business processes into AI-powered systems.
C: Clear Picture
You need a clear picture of the current process. Collecting process information from teams can happen through questionnaires asking about inputs, steps, outputs, or deliverables, links to existing materials, and any templates currently being used.
Once you understand the current process, you need to map and convert it into a structured format with:
This structured documentation becomes the playbook for executing the realistic design phase.
R: Realistic Design
Realistic design involves figuring out what's achievable. If you're considering something that feels like a multiple-month process, you should pare it down to an initial version you can build and implement in a week. When you have the first version set, you can expand it.
When initially evaluating what's realistic, focus on AI-ifying processes that convert information into other types of information. For example, a content process that takes a transcript from a talk and converts it into multiple social media posts represents an ideal process because it involves clear transformation AI can handle effectively.
A: AI-ify and Automate
Waiting until this third step to build makes you much faster at creating what you actually need because you've completed the planning work upfront.
Implementation tasks can range from simple--such as writing out all the prompts to use in the process, to complex--plugging prompts into automated systems or setting up AI agents.
F: Feedback
Rather than pushing a newly built AI system live for everyone, Woods recommends rolling it out to a small set of people and tasking them with quickly providing high-volume feedback your implementor can act on.
T: Team Rollout
Training represents the most critical component of the team rollout. Everyone who will use the AI system needs to understand how to use it, how to provide feedback, and what their responsibilities are within the new process.
Making it convenient and natural for people to access the system dramatically increases usage. This can be as simple as ensuring links to your AI system appear where they are executed in your project management tool.
Today's advice provided with insights from Rachel Woods, a featured guest on the AI Explored podcast.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
On this week's Social Media Marketing Talk Show host Jerry Potter breaks down the latest YouTube news and what it means for marketers like you.
Shorts Visual Guide and Quiz Stickers Transform Short-Form Content
After successful testing, YouTube has made the visual guide for Shorts editors available to all creators. This feature displays exactly where elements like text and interactive components appear on viewers' screens, eliminating the guesswork that often leads to poorly formatted content.
The visual guide addresses a common frustration where text could be cut off or important visual elements could be obscured depending on the viewer's device. This update ensures creators can see precisely how their content will display across different screen sizes.
YouTube also launched quiz stickers for Shorts on both Android and iOS platforms. These interactive elements allow creators to pose questions directly within their videos, encouraging viewer engagement in ways that weren't previously possible with short-form content.
For businesses, these features mean Shorts can now serve purposes beyond simple entertainment or brand awareness. Quiz stickers can gather customer feedback, test product concepts, or create engaging educational content that keeps viewers watching and interacting.
Enhanced Accessibility with Shorts Captions Editor
YouTube is bringing comprehensive caption capabilities to Shorts on both Android and iOS platforms. The captions feature will make videos more engaging and accessible to viewers, particularly those watching with sound turned off—a significant portion of social media video consumption.
Creators can edit automatically generated captions, reorganize them for better flow, and customize font and color to match their brand aesthetic. This level of customization ensures captions enhance rather than detract from the viewing experience.
Studies consistently show that a large percentage of social media videos are watched without sound. Captions ensure your message reaches viewers regardless of their audio preferences or accessibility needs and can actually increase engagement rates and make content more shareable.
For businesses creating Shorts, every video should be planned with captions in mind. Key messages should be reinforced both verbally and visually, and caption design should align with overall brand guidelines.
Google Lens Integration Opens New Discovery Opportunities
A new Google Lens integration for Shorts lets viewers identify and search for objects or locations they see in videos. This creates unprecedented opportunities for product discovery and location-based marketing, though it won't work with Shopping affiliate links or paid promotions.
The integration allows viewers to tap on objects within Shorts videos and instantly search for more information. This could include identifying products, landmarks, clothing items, or virtually any visual element that appears in the video content.
The real opportunity lies in creating content that naturally showcases products or locations without overtly commercial intent. A lifestyle brand could create Shorts featuring their products in natural settings, knowing interested viewers can identify and search for items they see.
This feature also opens possibilities for location-based businesses. Travel companies, real estate firms, and local businesses can create content featuring recognizable landmarks, knowing viewers can easily identify and learn more about these places.
Future Creator Partnership Tools Transform Influencer Marketing
At the YouTube NewFront event, the platform announced several new tools designed to help brands tap into YouTube creator influence more effectively. The new creator partnerships hub will make it easier to discover sponsored videos, search for creators, and track both paid and organic performance.
Upcoming APIs will allow eligible influencer agencies and SaaS platforms to access creator insights directly, enhancing their tools and strategy capabilities. A new report in Insights Finder will help marketers find relevant creators and understand their fan communities in greater detail.
New creator-led takeovers will allow videos to start with personalized messages from creators, increasing viewer engagement by providing context and personal endorsement before the main content begins.
These tools collectively make creator partnerships more accessible, measurable, and effective for brands of all sizes. Previously, successful creator partnerships required significant resources and trial-and-error experimentation. These new tools provide the data and infrastructure marketers need to make creator partnerships more strategic and predictable.
More Features, Tools, Changes, and Updates Discussed Include:
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Expanded Access to Auto-Dubbing
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Collaborative Playlist Voting and Searchable Playlist Functionality
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Important Changes to YouTube Studio Editing
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Side-by-Side Live Stream Advertising
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Cultural Moments Sponsorships, Peak Points Ads, and Immersive Masthead Ads
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Updates to Display & Video 360 Ads for Connected TV
Watch it on YouTube
Custom GPT Stacking
Ever feel like you're only scratching the surface of what AI can do for you? You may be right.
Molly Mahony has been quietly using a technique that amplifies its capabilities. She calls it GPT stacking—a method that lets you combine multiple GPTs to solve complex problems that single chats struggle with.
In her latest post, she gives a live demonstration to show how GPT stacking works, where most people go wrong, and the proper way to leverage this technique for exponentially better results.
She covers using a Viral Hook Generator custom GPT to create hooks for video content, a Tree of Beliefs custom GPT to develop belief statements related to the content, and a "Brand Voice" custom GPT to maintain consistent messaging. Watch more here.
Mastering AI Visuals Beyond the Basics
Does your visual content strategy rely on typing prompts into Midjourney or ChatGPT and hoping for the best? You might be missing the bigger picture. Most marketers haven't scratched the surface of what's possible with today's visual AI tools.
What if you could design a visual pipeline that delivers precision, brand consistency, and pro-level quality on demand?
In this interview from Isar Meitis, Luka Tišler shares three distinct paths to creating AI-powered visuals: chat-based tools, legacy generators, and the emerging open-source frontier that gives you full control.
Whether you want speed, style, or surgical accuracy, this session will help you understand the trade-offs—and the possibilities, so you can choose the right approach for your content workflow. Learn more here.
Gmail Gemini Summary Cards for Mobile Users: Google has launched Gemini summary cards in the Gmail app for Android and iOS devices. This new feature automatically generates summaries at the top of email content for longer threads or messages with multiple replies, eliminating the need to request summaries manually. Currently, the feature is only available for English emails. For emails that don't automatically display summary cards, users can still request summaries using the "summarize this email" option or through Gemini in the side panel. Administrators can control the default personalization setting for their users through the Admin console. End users must have smart features and personalization enabled in Gmail, Chat, Meet, and Google Workspace to access the summary cards. Google
Perplexity Launches Perplexity Labs: The new feature, available to Pro subscribers, transforms how users can bring projects to life. This tool can create complete packages, including reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and simple web applications, all supported by comprehensive research and analysis. Labs performs self-supervised work using multiple tools like deep web browsing, code execution, and chart and image creation to convert ideas into completed projects. All assets created during a workflow are organized in an "Assets" tab for easy viewing and downloading. Perplexity
Meta AI User Numbers Announced: The AI-powered assistant now has one billion monthly active users across its apps. Source CNBC
Meta API v23.0 Updates: Daily budget flexibility is increasing from 25% to 75%, allowing Meta to spend up to 75% over your daily budget on days with better opportunities while maintaining your weekly spend limit of 7 times your daily budget. The Advantage+ Campaign Experience now allows advertisers to leverage Advantage+ performance benefits while accessing the complete range of ad features for both shopping and app campaigns. A new "advantage_state" indicator shows when these campaigns have Advantage+ enabled. For audience targeting, the "advantage_audience" parameter will now default to enabled (value of 1) when creating new ad sets. Selected advertisers can now set age and gender as suggestions rather than requirements for OUTCOME_SALES and APP_INSTALLS objectives, allowing ads to reach people outside those demographics when it might improve performance. Product catalogs now feature a "videos" field that shows properties of videos added to product items immediately after ingestion, making it easier to confirm videos are ready for use in ads. These changes will gradually roll out, with some version 17 features being deprecated by September 2025. Meta
YouTube Live Stream Ads and Shorts Updates: The platform is launching side-by-side ads for live streams on TV and web platforms, allowing ads to play alongside content with minimal disruption while creators still earn revenue. Additionally, a new Google Lens integration for Shorts lets viewers identify and search for objects or locations they see in videos. However, this feature won't work with Shopping affiliate links or paid promotions. YouTube
Bing Video Creator Features Sora: Microsoft's latest update makes OpenAI's Sora AI video generation free for the first time through the Bing mobile app. Users get ten free five-second vertical videos, then pay 100 Microsoft Rewards points per additional video, with points earned through Bing searches and Microsoft Store purchases. TechCrunch
Character.AI Expands with Video Generation and Social Features: Character.AI has rolled out new multimedia features, including AvatarFX for video generation, and social sharing tools like Scenes and Streams. Users can create animated videos featuring their AI chatbots, upload photos, select voices, and script dialogues. These videos can be shared within the platform's new community feed, enhancing user engagement and content creation. TechCrunch
Instagram Comment Filters: The platform has expanded access to additional comment filtering tools for creators with over 100,000 followers, introducing filters for "top comments," "newest first," and "follower count" alongside existing options to view comments from people you follow, verified users, and subscribers only. Social Media Today
LinkedIn Q3 FY25 Results: Microsoft reported that LinkedIn surpassed one billion users with 7% revenue growth in Q3 FY25. For marketers, key highlights include a 36% increase in video engagement and 32% growth in comments, indicating stronger content opportunities. Premium Pages for SMBs grew 75% quarter-over-quarter, while LinkedIn Marketing Solutions achieved two consecutive quarters of accelerated revenue growth, reinforcing its effectiveness for B2B marketing. The platform's growing AI adoption for coaching and hiring also presents new opportunities for marketers to leverage AI-enhanced tools in their LinkedIn strategies. LinkedIn
NotebookLM Introduces Public Notebook Sharing: Google's NotebookLM now allows users to share notebooks publicly, enhancing collaboration and knowledge dissemination. This feature enables marketers to create and distribute interactive content, such as campaign briefs and research summaries, fostering greater engagement and transparency. Google
Reddit Introduces Profile Content Hiding Feature: Reddit has launched a new privacy feature allowing users to hide individual posts and comments from their public profiles. This enhancement gives users greater control over their visible content, catering to those who wish to curate their online presence more selectively. The feature is now available across all platforms. TechCrunch
TikTok Content Discovery. Controls: The "Manage Topics" tool allows users to adjust the frequency of content from over 10 popular categories in their For You feed, tailoring their viewing experience without excluding topics entirely. Additionally, AI-powered "Smart Keyword Filters" enable users to block specific keywords and related terms, with the capacity to filter up to 200 keywords. To assist users in navigating these personalization tools, TikTok has released an educational guide detailing how to customize content preferences and understand feed recommendations. TikTok
TikTok Unveils AI-Driven Marketing Tools: The platform has unveiled a range of new features and tools to enhance user experience and provide marketers with advanced solutions. At the TikTok World 2025 summit, the platform introduced AI-driven tools like TikTok Market Scope and Smart+ to optimize brand performance. The global launch of "TikTok for Artists" offers musicians detailed analytics and promotional tools, including a 'Pre-Release' feature for upcoming albums. To improve content personalization, TikTok is rolling out AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters and expanding the "Manage Topics" feature globally. TikTok
YouTube Livestream Leaderboard: The platform is testing a feature for live streams that awards points to viewers based on their engagement and displays the top 50 most engaged viewers per channel. The top three viewers earn special badges that appear next to their names during streams. For marketers, this gamification of viewer engagement could significantly increase audience participation and retention during live streams, potentially making live streaming a more effective marketing tool. The feature is currently being tested with a small group but may expand further, making it worth monitoring for future marketing strategy considerations. YouTube
LinkedIn Launches New Video Tools for B2B Marketers: LinkedIn has introduced First Impressions Ads, a full-screen vertical video format that ensures brands show up first in the feed each day. The platform also expanded Connected TV Ads for reaching professional audiences on streaming platforms and integrated Adobe Express into Campaign Manager to simplify video ad creation. These changes are designed to help B2B marketers cut through the noise at a time when 91% say attention is harder to earn, and 66% fear being left behind without a video strategy. LinkedIn
Meta Expands Conversion Tools to Align with Advertiser Goals: Meta has introduced a range of updates to its ad platform designed to help advertisers focus on conversions that reflect their true business value. The expanded Value Optimization tools allow campaigns to optimize for ROAS based on profit, custom events, or subscription actions. The newly global Incremental Attribution feature lets advertisers track and optimize for incremental conversions in real time. Meta is also testing Custom Attribution using partner analytics tools and expanding Value Rules, enabling higher bids for customer segments with higher lifetime value. These changes aim to make Meta's ad system more responsive to diverse business strategies and performance metrics. Meta
Mistral Launches Enterprise-Ready AI Coding Assistant: Mistral has introduced Mistral Code, a comprehensive AI coding assistant designed for enterprise developers, now in private beta for JetBrains IDEs and VSCode. The platform integrates advanced models like Codestral and Devstral, offering features from intelligent code completions to full-ticket execution workflows. Unlike typical SaaS copilots, Mistral Code ensures all data and models reside within enterprise boundaries, supporting secure, on-prem, or cloud deployments. Global enterprises such as Abanca, SNCF, and Capgemini have already adopted the tool at scale. General availability is expected soon. Mistral
Lens Studio Expands to iOS and Web: Snap has released experimental versions of Lens Studio for iOS and web, making it easier for casual creators to design AR Lenses without relying on the full desktop software. These versions allow users to apply AI effects, animate Bitmojis, and personalize content based on moods or trends. The move aims to open up AR creation to a broader audience while maintaining the full-featured desktop tool for professionals. Snap
YouTube Launches Major June 2025 Update with AI Tools and Monetization Features: On June 4, 2025, YouTube rolled out a comprehensive update introducing AI-driven tools that streamline content creation and enhance monetization opportunities. Key features include automated video summaries, multilingual dubbing capabilities, and extended support for 3-minute Shorts, all aimed at helping marketers and creators expand their reach and engagement. YouTube
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