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:

10 ways to make your marketing funnier and relatable
Think ads are the next step in your marketing? Want to know for sure?
Is your Meta ad targeting too tight?
How to market when consumer distrust is the default
Creating case studies with NotebookLM
Instagram Updates: Carousel Insights, Edits App Enhancements, and More
This prompt will improve your content's traffic, engagement, and rankings
Veo3 Tutorial: Advanced uses and when other tools might do better
🗞️ Industry news from Anthropic, Instagram, TikTok, and more

Warmer, Funnier Marketing

Worried your social posts sound more like they were drafted by an intern in a rush or worse, ChatGPT on autopilot?

Plenty of smart marketers struggle to inject humor, warmth, and actual personality into their writing without sounding like they're trying too hard.

Good news: with a few deceptively simple tweaks—like playing with punctuation, sprinkling in comic-book words, or intentionally breaking grammar rules, you can instantly liven up your marketing copy (and still keep it strategic).

Leanna Patch shares 10 ways to make it happen. Read more here.

How to Know When You Should Run Ads

Allie Boyd breaks down the exact moment you'll know ads are your next step, the three warning signs that mean you should pump the brakes immediately, and the simple checklist that separates profitable campaigns from expensive lessons.

If you've been wondering whether now is the right time to start running ads or if you're already running them but not seeing the results you want, this breakdown could save you months of trial and error. Watch more here.

Your Meta Targeting Might Be Hurting Your Ad Performance

If you're segmenting audiences by age, gender, or detailed interests, thinking that precision equals performance, you might be creating more problems than results.

In this short video, Jon Loomer breaks down why Meta's algorithm now treats your targeting inputs as mere suggestions and how old tactics can actually increase costs, stall performance, and dilute your budget.

You'll also get practical advice for using ad copy and visuals to enhance and fine-tune your targeting. Watch it here.

Transform Your Marketing With AI

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"Had an amazing automation training that has changed my life. That was worth, like, the whole year's fee right there," said member MJ Johnston.

Join a trusted community where marketers like you learn, share, and grow together.

Start your AI journey today.

Building Trust in a Changing World: How to Make a Lasting Impact

Trust with customers has always been incredibly important for marketers and business owners. After attention, trust is the most powerful currency we have in marketing. Trust is essential for someone to give us their money, and we're all in the business of making money and selling our products and services.

What's particularly concerning is that we are currently in a major trust recession. The Edelman Trust Barometer provides concrete evidence of this decline. They've been conducting research every year since 2000, measuring trust across twenty-eight countries with over thirty-three thousand respondents. Their Global Trust Index shows we are at an all-time low compared to the past twenty-five years.

Sixty-eight percent of people believe business leaders lie to them—a significant increase from fifty-six percent in 2021. When asked about their trust in AI and comfort with businesses using AI, over eighty percent and seventy percent, respectively, expressed moderate to high grievance.

As business owners and marketers, we need to understand that we're entering the marketplace in a battle of decreasing trust. When trust is critical to making a sale, we must address this.

If people trust us, they will buy from us again and again.

Trust in Today's Buyer's Journey

Consumers constantly sort businesses into three categories:

No, I don't trust you.
I'm not sure I trust you, yet.
Yes, I trust you.

Most of the time, when people first discover you, you fall into the "I'm not sure" category.

So, you must first convince them why they shouldn't count you out before trying to convince them why they should buy from you.

Google's report Decoding Decisions, Making Sense of the Messy Middle defines this messy middle as the web of touch points and evaluation between when someone first discovers you and when they buy from you.

This customer journey used to be clear: click, sign up, buy. Now, there's a much longer buying cycle because people are in an extended evaluation phase, figuring out whether they should listen to you, like you, and trust you before deciding to give you their money.

Most people take much longer to evaluate their options because businesses offer what they do to the same customer base. Businesses that are patient and take time to do trust-building activities will come out way ahead in the long term because they can stay connected long enough for customers to decide to purchase.

And when you get added into the "yes, I trust" bucket in customers' minds, and you don't do something to lose that trust, that customer will likely buy from you repeatedly.

Alex Cattoni shared a three-pillar framework for establishing a trusted relationship with your customers. Here's the first one.

How to Build Trust by Prioritizing Time Savings Over Value Stacking

When people hear, "You're getting a hundred hours of content" or words like intensive or in-depth, they start to sweat, and their reaction is often, "Hard no, I can barely keep up with my to-do list."

If people aren't consuming content, they're not buying again, and the only reason someone buys again is if they got results the first time.

Instead of adding hours of additional bonus content to your offer, think about tools that focus on time-saving solutions and transformation. Give people something that can cut their time in half and make things feel easy:

AI prompts
Copy-and-paste swipe files
Checklists
Laser coaching
Personalized consumption paths

The better you create results, the more trust you create, the more likely people will buy again, and the less money you need to spend on new customer acquisition.

You may also need to restructure your content delivery.

When Cattoni realized no one was watching the replay of the fourth call in her program, she went from four ninety-minute monthly calls to three calls plus a WhatsApp group for anytime support.

Then, one call each month became a connection call that's not recorded, giving her a way to show up live and connect with people.

Advanced NotebookLM Use Cases You Can Apply Today

NotebookLM represents a significant evolution in how business professionals can interact with their content and data. Unlike traditional AI tools that draw from vast internet databases, NotebookLM creates what AI educator Jen Lehner calls "a private, large language AI model" that works exclusively with the information you feed into it.

The accessibility factor alone makes NotebookLM compelling for businesses of all sizes. Even the free version offers robust functionality that rivals premium AI tools.

For marketers and entrepreneurs, this translates into the ability to create highly targeted analyses, develop comprehensive case studies, and synthesize complex research without the noise and potential inaccuracies that can come from broader AI models drawing on internet-wide data.

How to Use NotebookLM to Create Compelling Case Studies from Raw Materials

Case studies represent one of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses. Yet, they often remain underutilized due to the time and effort required to create compelling narratives from project data. NotebookLM's audio overview feature transforms this challenge by automatically creating engaging story arcs from seemingly dry project materials.

Traditional case studies tend to read like data dumps, presenting facts and figures without the narrative structure that makes information memorable and persuasive. The psychological principle that stories sell better than statistics becomes particularly relevant here, as prospects connect more deeply with narratives that demonstrate transformation and results.

Lehner's work with digital strategist Sandra Scaiano illustrates the practical application of this approach. Scaiano offers comprehensive digital business packages that can cost upwards of thirty thousand dollars, making compelling case studies essential for prospect conversion. The challenge lay in transforming technical project details into narratives that would resonate with potential clients.

The process begins with gathering comprehensive project materials, with messier being better according to Lehner's experience. The collection included screenshots of positive client social media posts, email exchanges between Scaiano and her client throughout the project, rough audio overviews of the work performed, handwritten notes, and any other documentation that captured the project's progression and outcomes.

These diverse materials were uploaded into a single NotebookLM workspace, creating a comprehensive repository of project information. The platform's ability to handle multiple content types proves crucial here, as the most compelling case study elements often exist in various formats rather than formal documentation.

The audio overview feature then works its magic, creating what Lehner describes as two robots with remarkably natural-sounding male and female voices. These AI hosts engage in fourteen-minute conversations that automatically create story arcs from the uploaded materials. The resulting discussions sound genuinely human, complete with natural speech patterns, enthusiasm, and even occasional sarcasm or snark that keep listeners engaged.

The transformation from dry project data to a compelling case study narrative represents the feature's greatest strength. Even highly technical SEO projects, which Lehner describes as potentially the most boring content imaginable, become engaging stories that hold attention for the full duration. The AI hosts naturally identify dramatic moments, transformation points, and client success stories that might be buried in technical documentation.

This audio content becomes the foundation for multi-format case study campaigns. The fourteen-minute discussion can be transcribed using tools like Whisper, providing source material for written case studies. The transcript can then be processed through platforms like HeyGen to create video presentations, though Lehner notes this technology still needs refinement for professional use.

More successfully, the audio content can be transformed into interactive case studies using platforms like GenSpark, Canvas AI, Lovable, or Gamma. Each platform offers different presentation styles, allowing businesses to create multiple versions of the same case study optimized for different audiences or distribution channels.

By starting with the AI-generated narrative structure, businesses ensure their case studies follow proven storytelling principles while maintaining factual accuracy. The natural conversation format makes complex technical concepts more accessible to prospects who might struggle with traditional case study presentations.

For businesses implementing this approach, the key lies in comprehensive material collection. Rather than trying to create polished input materials, the focus should be on gathering authentic project artifacts that tell the complete story of client transformation and business results.

Trial Reels Access Clarified

Trial reels have been available for some time, but Instagram has now officially clarified who gets access to this growth-focused feature. This update is important for marketers who are wondering why they don't see the trial reel option when publishing content.

You have to have at least a thousand followers, and you have to have a public-facing account. "So, no, private accounts get access to trial reels," says Amber Figlow.

Content strategists are finding creative ways to integrate trial reels into their broader marketing strategies, and Figlow shares her personal approach.

"So I've been playing with it for myself and for clients. One of the fun things that I'm testing as I play with the new Edits platform from Instagram and Meta is their video editing tool. And even though it's not quite my typical content style, I'll edit something quickly on edits and push it out just as a trial reel, just to see."

This experimentation capability is particularly valuable for brands that maintain a consistent content style but want to test broader appeal content.

For client work, Figlow takes a more strategic approach. "And then for clients…specific pieces of content that we think are going to have a little bit more visibility, a little bit more reach. We'll also push it out as a trial reel. So we posted both in the regular feed for our audience to see, and then we'll also test it as a trial reel to see how things perform."

Brand partnerships present another interesting use case. "One fun bonus that I want to start pitching. If I have like a brand partnership or if I'm working on like a very fun piece of content with another brand or something like that, I want to start offering it as an add on as a bonus of, hey, it's going to be posted in my regular feed, but I'm also going to post it as a trial reel," Figlow explains.

Figlow also identifies specific content types that work well for trial reels: "For me, trends aren't a really big part of my content strategy, but if there's one that I love and it's really going viral amongst Instagram users, I am more likely to push it out as a trial reel to engage new community members."

This approach helps maintain brand consistency while still experimenting with broader appeal content.

Individual Carousel Slide Likes

Instagram is testing an analytics feature that could transform marketers' understanding of carousel post performance. This update provides unprecedented insight into user behavior by revealing exactly which slide in a carousel post triggers engagement actions like likes.

When you can identify which specific slides generate the strongest emotional response from your audience, you can extract those high-performing elements and develop them into stand-alone content pieces. This creates a data-driven approach to identifying your most valuable content elements rather than guessing which parts of your carousels resonate most strongly.

The initial testing has revealed useful patterns in user engagement that can inform content strategy. If you notice a big drop off after slide five, "maybe I only create five slides now," Figlow suggests.

Figlow sees particular value in using this insight for content expansion. If slide two or three receives a high number of likes, "maybe that could become a post of its own, or it could be a reel."

Instagram Notes Customization Options

Instagram has expanded the customization options available for Notes, the small text-based messages that appear in the direct messages interface. While Notes may seem like a minor feature, they represent an underutilized touchpoint for brand communication and audience engagement.

From a marketing perspective, Notes offer a unique communication channel that reaches audiences in a different context than typical feed content. Since Notes appear in the messaging interface, they catch users' attention when actively engaging in conversations and checking direct messages, potentially creating higher engagement rates than feed-based content.

The recent updates provide more visual control over Notes' appearance. "Now, instead of just quickly putting up some text on there, you can also change the background color and add like an emoji avatar, almost," Figlow explains.

While Figlow doesn't personally use Notes in her strategy, she recognizes their potential value for specific use cases.

More Features, Tools, Changes, and Updates Discussed Include:

Auto-Scroll Feature
Enhanced Instagram Edits Features
Multi-Language DM Translation and Message Scheduling
Link in Bio Reach Addressed

Watch it on YouTube

1 Prompt to Benchmark Your Content Against 20+ Best Practices

Why does some content do well in traffic, engagement, and rankings—while other posts barely register a pulse? Andy Crestodina is sharing a powerful AI prompt that acts like your personal content strategist, auditing your blog post against 22 proven best practices.

Whether you're still figuring out how to get the most out of AI tools, or you've been using them to streamline your marketing for months, this prompt gives you a structured way to analyze and improve your content—without needing a degree in SEO or user psychology. It's practical, fast, and designed for marketers who want more results from every article.

You'll walk away with an in-depth checklist drawn from data-backed strategies and 10,000+ blog audits. Read more here.

Veo3: A Deep Dive Tutorial

Google's Veo V3 has quietly become one of the most powerful AI video generators on the market—creating cinematic clips from images, syncing dialog, and even pulling off viral-worthy scenes.

But if you've seen snippets floating around social media and thought, "How do people actually make these?"—this is your guide.

From free trials to surprisingly affordable alternatives, Matt Wolfe unpacks where to access V3, what it does well, and when to lean on other platforms.

You'll watch it tackle everything from stormtrooper vlogs and support-kangaroo skits to pop-punk bands rocking out in front of horses. And yes, it even explores the tricky stuff—like keeping characters consistent across scenes or prompting more nuanced, brand-friendly outputs. Watch more here.

Claude Code Adds Customizable Sub‑Agents: Anthropic's Claude Code now supports sub‑agents—specialized AI personalities each configured with its own system prompt, tooling access, and isolated context. These can be created via the /agents command and stored at either the project or the user level. Sub‑agents offer focused capabilities (such as code review or test automation), maintain clean context separation, and enable reusable workflows across teams. They may be triggered automatically based on task descriptions or manually invoked by name. Claude Code delivers more robust and structured automation across diverse coding and business workflows by delegating tasks to sub-agents with domain-specific instruction and limited permissions. Anthropic

Google Launches Opal: No-Code Tool to Build AI Mini‑Apps: Google has introduced Opal, a new experimental product from Google Labs that allows users to create and share AI-powered mini-apps without writing code. Opal turns natural language descriptions into multi-step workflows that link together Google's AI models for tasks like content generation or research. Users can start from gallery templates or build from scratch, and each app step is editable to fine-tune prompts and logic. Apps can be published instantly and shared with a simple link. Google Developers Blog

Google Introduces AI‑Enhanced Search Organization: Google has unveiled Web Guide, a new search experiment available via Search Labs that reorganizes standard web search results into meaningful topic-based clusters rather than a typical list of blue links. Powered by a custom Gemini AI model, Web Guide uses a multi-query approach to group relevant pages under headings tailored to different facets of your search. The feature is currently available in the Web tab for users who opt in and allows switching back to regular results at any time. Google plans to gradually roll it out to the All tab as well. While it complements existing AI features like AI Mode, Web Guide emphasizes structured links over generated summaries. Google

goo.gl URL Shortener Shutdown: Google will permanently deactivate all existing goo.gl links on August 25, 2025, meaning all URLs using the format will begin returning 404 errors after that date. Google discontinued new goo.gl link creation in 2018 and shut down the service for management entirely in 2019. Businesses and marketers relying on goo.gl links should audit and migrate them immediately to prevent broken links and loss of traffic. The Verge

Threads API Adds Polls, Metrics, and Advanced Search Tools: Meta has rolled out major upgrades to the Threads API, enabling developers to add location and polls to posts, and retrieve poll results. A streamlined parameter now allows quicker creation of text-only threads. Users can also manage posts more effectively, with options to delete them, restrict replies to followers, and receive real-time mention notifications via a new webhook. Additional updates include support for topic tags, enhanced keyword searches with date filters, click-through metrics, and GIF media access. Meta

Anthropic Introduces Weekly Limits for Claude Subscribers: Anthropic will implement new weekly usage limits for Claude starting August 28, supplementing its current 5-hour reset system. The update targets excessive or policy-violating use patterns and aims to ensure more equitable access for all subscribers. While the weekly cap is expected to affect less than 5% of users, typical Pro subscribers can expect access to 40–80 hours of Claude Sonnet 4 per week. These adjustments will be applied at the beginning of users' next billing cycle and are part of broader efforts to maintain platform stability and fairness. Anthropic via Social Media Examiner Editorial

Instagram Edits Adds Preview, Audio, and Draft Tools: Instagram has rolled out several new features in Edits, enhancing flexibility and creative control for Reels creators. Users can now preview clips while recording, import audio files, and automatically cut silences from their videos. Other updates include extended track duration for audio, the ability to save Edits drafts directly on Instagram, seamless swiping between saved content, and access to nearly 150 new fonts. These improvements aim to streamline content creation and elevate production quality across Reels. Instagram

Meta Introduces Utility Messages for Messenger: Meta has rolled out utility messages on Messenger, allowing businesses to send timely updates—such as order confirmations, appointment reminders, and account alerts—through pre-approved templates. Designed to replace existing message tags, these templates streamline communication and ensure compliance with platform policies. Businesses can choose from Meta's library or create custom templates, enhancing customer experience with efficient, relevant notifications. The feature is now live for developers and businesses in the Philippines, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam. Meta

Reddit Launches Automated Bidding for Brand Awareness Campaigns: Reddit has introduced automated bidding options—Lowest cost and Cost cap—for Brand Awareness & Reach campaigns, aiming to streamline campaign management and enhance performance. Advertisers can now optimize delivery and maximize impressions without manual CPM adjustments. Early tests reported a 16% drop in CPM and a 17% rise in impressions. This global rollout, now in public beta, is available to all advertisers via Reddit Ads Manager and extends automated bidding to additional objectives like traffic, conversions, and lead generation. Reddit

YouTube Music Joins TikTok's Add to Music App: TikTok has added YouTube Music to its Add to Music App integration, allowing users to save tracks from TikTok videos directly to their TikTok Songs playlist on YouTube Music. The feature, accessible via an "Add Song" button in the For You Feed, lets users choose their preferred streaming service, which then becomes the default for future saves. TikTok

X Opens Waitlist for AI-Powered Text-to-Video Tool: X Premium users can now sign up for early access to "Imagine," a new image and video generation tool from Elon Musk's xAI initiative. Integrated with both the X platform and the Grok AI app, the feature aims to deliver rapid generative media capabilities, positioning xAI in direct competition with tools from Meta, OpenAI, and Google. The launch marks another step in embedding advanced AI functionality into the broader X ecosystem. Social Media Today

XChat Enhanced with Search, Notifications, and Blocking Tools: X has introduced new features to its revamped messaging platform, XChat, adding message search, typing indicators, and inbox reactions to improve the user experience. Premium users can also block messages from specific senders and receive enhanced push notifications. While the updates are incremental, they support X's strategic push toward becoming a comprehensive platform with messaging at its core. The new DM infrastructure is expected to integrate future features like in-stream payments and transactions, advancing Elon Musk's vision of a WeChat-like super app for Western users. Social Media Today

YouTube Eases Profanity Rules for Full Monetization: YouTube has updated its advertiser-friendly content guidelines to allow strong profanity within the first 7 seconds of a video without impacting full ad revenue eligibility. This shift aligns with evolving advertiser expectations and allows brands to better control their ad placements relative to profanity. However, monetization will still be limited if such language is used in titles, thumbnails, or with high frequency throughout a video. The platform emphasized that community guidelines remain in effect and credited creator feedback as key to shaping the update. YouTube

NotebookLM Adds Video Overviews and Upgraded Studio Tools: Google has introduced Video Overviews in NotebookLM, allowing users to transform complex material into narrated slide videos that incorporate visuals, diagrams, and document-based insights. These overviews are customizable based on user expertise, learning goals, and intended audience. Alongside this, NotebookLM's Studio panel has been redesigned to support multiple outputs of the same type within a single notebook and features a streamlined interface for easy content management and multitasking. Google

Google Enhances AI Mode in Search: Google is enhancing its AI Mode in Search with new features tailored for students and planners. Users can now upload PDFs and images on desktop to receive contextual AI responses, and the new Canvas feature helps organize study plans and projects dynamically across sessions. Real-time support through Search Live enables video-based queries using Google Lens, offering conversational help grounded in live visual input. Chrome users will also see a new "Ask Google about this page" option to explore on-screen content with AI assistance. These updates are rolling out to eligible users in the U.S. and India through the AI Mode Labs experiment. Google

Instagram Limits Live Streaming to Larger Accounts: Instagram has raised the minimum follower count required to access its live streaming feature, now limiting it to users with at least 1,000 followers. This change curtails the ability of smaller creators to use IG Live for direct audience engagement, pushing them toward private video calls instead. While video calls remain an alternative, they lack the reach and visibility that live streams offer on the platform. The update has already started appearing for some users in-app. Instagram

TikTok Launches TikTok Pro and Sunshine in Europe: TikTok has introduced TikTok Pro, a new app aimed at enhancing content enjoyment while enabling charitable support through its Sunshine Programme. Launching in Germany and Portugal with Spain to follow, TikTok Pro lets users earn virtual Sunshine by engaging with charity-related content and inviting others to join. This Sunshine is then converted into real donations for global and local partner organizations, including WaterAid and NABU. TikTok

TikTok Expands Out of Phone Partnerships: TikTok is scaling its Out of Phone initiative by partnering with Curb, Westfield Malls, Rockbot, and Hope Hydration to display curated content in everyday environments across the U.S. From taxis and shopping malls to gyms and hydration stations, these new channels embed TikTok videos and campaigns into physical spaces, broadening its visibility and engagement potential. TikTok

TikTok Unveils Creator Care Mode Tools Suite: TikTok has announced several new tools aimed at enhancing creator safety, content quality, and community interaction. The platform is rolling out Creator Care Mode, which uses AI to personalize comment moderation, and a real-time mute feature for TikTok LIVE chats. On the content side, Content Check Lite helps creators optimize videos for recommendation before posting, with broader guideline checks in pilot. To streamline engagement, TikTok is introducing Creator Inbox and launching Creator Chat Room—a feature allowing creators to connect directly with their followers in moderated, topic-based chats. TikTok

TikTok Launches Footnotes Context Feature in the U.S.: TikTok has officially launched its Footnotes pilot in the U.S., allowing nearly 80,000 eligible users to add and rate contextual notes on videos. This feature is designed to enhance content clarity by crowdsourcing written insights, such as expert commentary or relevant statistics. Public visibility of Footnotes depends on contributor consensus, with ranking systems expected to improve over time. TikTok will enforce guideline compliance through a mix of AI and human moderation, with additional support from community reporting. TikTok

YouTube Rolls Out More Creator Features: Creators gain more tools, including a new post shelf on channel pages, the ability to heart Community posts, and advanced AI-powered features for Shorts creation like Photo to Video and themed effects. Additionally, updates to playlist filtering and expanded access to shopping stickers are now live. YouTube

YouTube Premium Lite Expands to 10 More Countries: YouTube has begun rolling out Premium Lite to users in ten new markets, including France, Spain, Taiwan, and Chile. This lower-cost subscription tier offers an ad-free viewing experience while excluding other Premium benefits such as offline downloads and background play. The phased expansion means availability may vary initially, and interested users can verify access via the official Premium Lite page. YouTube

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