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:

Your Trial Reels strategy may need to change
Try this new YouTube Thumbnail tool from Google
Are LinkedIn newsletters working?
The Content Album Strategy for LinkedIn content
Step-by-Step: AI operating systems
TikTok Updates: Retargeting, Hashtag Limits, and More
Intro to using Nano Banana
This Canvas tutorial will change how you work in ChatGPT
🗞️ Industry news from Claude, Instagram, Reddit, and more

Trial Reels Changes

Instagram's latest update is quietly changing how Trial Reels are ranked.

The new algorithm now penalizes duplicate or re-uploaded Trial Reels, meaning those identical tests you've been running might be getting buried before they even have a chance to perform.

Brock Johnson shares that the platform still rewards experimentation, especially when it comes to trying different hooks or visual tweaks, but you'll need to focus on difference, not repetition.

If you're using AI tools or scheduling platforms to scale your video strategy, especially for Instagram, this change has direct implications. A few adjustments to your workflow now can save your reach later. Read more here.

Google's Latest Tool for YouTube Thumbnails

What if creating professional-quality thumbnails didn't require a photoshoot, editing software, or even a designer? Google's new AI tool, Nano Banana, changes how marketers craft attention-grabbing visuals—and it's totally free.

In a few clicks, you can turn a simple selfie or screenshot into a cinematic thumbnail with customized backgrounds, lighting, clothing changes, and even on-image text… no Photoshop skills required. Whether you're A/B testing designs or reusing images from old campaigns, this tool gives you full creative control—without the time suck.

Nick Nimmin's tutorial and examples explain how to use the tool. You'll learn helpful tips for removing background clutter, simulating professional photo setups, and more. Watch more here.

What's Best for Your Newsletter: LinkedIn, Email, or Substack

LinkedIn's algorithm is still a moving target, and yes, it's frustrating. Email newsletters continue to be solid performers, but they come with their own quirks. And now, Substack is everywhere, buzzing through your LinkedIn feed like it's the next big thing.

In this episode, Coach Michelle J Raymond shares what's working across these platforms, based on her own first-hand experiments. From growing a LinkedIn newsletter to nearly 9,000 subscribers, to navigating the double opt-in headaches of email, to staking her claim on Substack.

You'll also hear how she's using one platform to build another, what's driving the Substack gold rush, and why more platforms doesn't always mean more results. Watch more here.

Want to Connect with Other Marketers?

Are you feeling isolated in your marketing journey, Alluser? When you attend Social Media Marketing World, you'll find your people and make valuable connections.

"The networking is probably the best you will ever experience at any conference. It's one of the things that makes Social Media Marketing World truly special," said Donna Moritz.

"One of the greatest things about SMMW is the access to speakers: I learned more from one-on-one conversations with key people than I could have from any session," shared Christine Gritmon.

Dominique Maez shared, "I was able to network with more than 5 people and I am extremely introverted so for me this was a big accomplishment."

Don't miss this chance to expand your network. Grab your All-Access ticket now!

I'm ready to find my people.

How to Build a Content Strategy for Sustainable LinkedIn Growth

Rather than relying on traditional content pillars that can become repetitive and boring, Bhandal developed a unique approach he calls the Content Album Strategy. Drawing from his experience growing up with eight-tracks, cassettes, CDs, and vinyl records, he recognized that successful albums contain different types of tracks that serve different purposes and resonate with different listeners.

Just as music listeners in the past would listen to entire albums rather than individual tracks, LinkedIn audiences benefit from experiencing a variety of content types that create a complete picture of who you are as a professional and person. This approach prevents the content creator from becoming "the guy or girl that just posts one kind of track"—avoiding the monotony that drives audiences away.

The album strategy ensures that different types of content resonate with different parts of your audience while capturing different segments at different times. Some tracks will appeal to people celebrating your wins, others will attract those seeking to learn from your experiences, and still others will connect with individuals going through similar challenges or transitions.

This diversified approach creates multiple entry points for audience engagement, ensuring that whether someone discovers your content during a professional high point, a learning moment, or a challenging period, they'll find something that resonates with their current situation and needs.

Track Five: The Floor Filler for Community Engagement

The floor filler represents content that gets your audience to join you on the dance floor—think "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. This content resonates deeply with your audience, encouraging them to engage, share their experiences, and participate in meaningful conversations around topics that matter to them.

Floor filler content should comprise approximately thirty percent of your content strategy and includes personal stories, business setbacks, hosting events, and other experiences where your audience can relate and participate in the engagement. The goal is creating content where people want to come along for the ride, hold your hand, get on the dance floor, and share their own similar experiences.

This content type generates the highest levels of community engagement because it creates opportunities for your audience to share their own stories, challenges, and experiences. When you share a business setback, others comment about similar challenges they've faced. When you discuss hosting an event, others share their own event experiences. When you mention personal struggles or achievements, your audience connects through shared humanity.

Bhandal illustrates this concept through his work with a law firm that initially focused primarily on legal content about legislation, buying houses, getting divorced, and other service-related topics. While this content was necessary for demonstrating expertise, it generated limited engagement because legal topics don't typically inspire community conversation.

The transformation occurred when they began interspersing their legal content with floor filler posts about charity fundraisers, in-house events, team socials, and nights out. This content resonated with other organizations who commented about their own similar activities, creating the highest engagement levels the firm had ever achieved.

The floor filler strategy works because it creates what Bhandal calls "residual engagement." When you publish content that generates significant audience interaction, some of that engagement momentum carries over to your next post, even if that subsequent content is more business-focused.

Floor filler content doesn't need to focus exclusively on challenges or setbacks. Positive experiences like hosting events, running networking gatherings, launching podcasts, or creating new business initiatives all serve as effective floor fillers when presented in ways that invite audience participation and shared experiences.

The key to successful floor filler content lies in crafting stories that balance personal vulnerability with professional relevance. Share enough detail to make your experience relatable without oversharing inappropriate personal information. Focus on universal themes like overcoming challenges, learning from failures, celebrating community, or navigating business transitions.

Effective floor filler content often includes implicit or explicit invitations for audience participation. Ask questions like "Have you experienced something similar?" or "What would you do in this situation?" or "Who else loves hosting networking events?" These prompts encourage your audience to share their own stories and experiences, creating richer conversations and stronger community bonds.

The most successful floor fillers tap into shared professional experiences that transcend industry boundaries. Stories about difficult clients, technology failures, networking successes, team building challenges, or business growth struggles resonate across different sectors because they reflect universal business realities.

AI Operating Systems: The Next Level of AI for Business

The conversation around AI for business isn't just about feeling good about your technology choices. For marketers and entrepreneurs, building sustainable (and ethical) AI systems represents a critical competitive advantage that extends far beyond moral considerations.

Dr. Nicii Sweaney, founder of AI Her Way and creator of sophisticated AI operating systems, explains that while using AI might give you a temporary edge over competitors who aren't using it yet, this advantage will be short-lived. Very quickly, AI will become so embedded in everything we touch and do that it will be frictionless and unavoidable. At that point, just using AI won't be your competitive advantage.

The real differentiator will be using AI in a way that contributes to a greater mission, serves the greatest amount of good for the most people, and operates in a scalable and sustainable manner that will endure for the next ten, twenty, or thirty years. This ethical approach provides real market value and helps protect your brand from potential damage.

Beyond brand protection, ethical AI use positions businesses as leaders in a rapidly evolving landscape. As Sweaney notes, we are the cohort of adults who get to determine what AI means for the world and for entire generations to come. If we don't establish ethical practices now, we miss our chance to contribute to this crucial foundation.

Choose Your Automation Platform

For workflows that extend beyond the native capabilities of ChatGPT or Claude connectors, you'll need third-party platforms. Popular options include Make, N8N, and Zapier. Zapier offers more user-friendly interfaces at higher price points but with fewer customization options. Make and N8N provide greater flexibility and customization capabilities, making them preferred choices for sophisticated implementations.

When selecting your platform, prioritize compatibility with your existing tech stack. Research which tools can connect to all your current software programs. It's counterproductive to choose a platform that can't communicate with fifty percent of your existing tools.

Establish Your Knowledge Base

Your AI operating system requires a centralized knowledge repository. Notion serves as the preferred platform for this purpose due to three key advantages.

First, Notion offers unlimited flexibility as a blank slate platform. Unlike structured project management tools like Monday or Asana that lock you into specific formats, Notion allows you to create databases, wiki pages, galleries, or any other organizational structure that suits your needs. It functions like an online notebook where you can store all parts of your knowledge base and tag each one by relevance, department, role, and responsibility.

Second, Notion integrates seamlessly with automation tools. It's popular in the developer space precisely because it communicates easily with automation platforms without requiring coding or special API permissions. This compatibility makes it ideal for AI operating systems that need to connect multiple tools and platforms.

Third, Notion includes integrated AI capabilities that can access everything in your workspace, plus connected tools like email, calendar, and Slack. This means both human contractors and AI systems can query Notion AI for information like brand guidelines, with the AI searching through all documentation and knowledge base materials to retrieve relevant information instantly.

For businesses using Google Workspace, Notion integrates natively with Google Docs and Sheets. You can embed Google documents directly into Notion, making them accessible within the Notion environment. When you use Notion AI to ask questions about processes or meetings, it can also search through your Google Drive for relevant information.

Construct Your Operating System Hub

Your AI operating system lives as a central space in Notion where every decision is made, all deliverables are tracked, all summaries are stored, all information is held, and all workflows are triggered. This becomes the command center for your entire AI operation.

For example, a marketing and campaign operating system exists as a central space in Notion where all marketing activities are coordinated. The head of marketing receives objectives and assignments from you as the business owner. This head of marketing is an AI agent designed with comprehensive marketing skills, trained on your business objectives, core values, and offers.

The AI agent makes decisions about campaign execution, whether that involves social media campaigns, email newsletter outreach, cold calling, podcast bookings, or media engagement. It then assigns tasks to the AI automations that live underneath it, each specialized in executing specific components like social media content creation.

These automations produce draft content while being trained in your voice, online presence, brand guidelines, and language. Another automation tracks every piece of content created, allowing you to monitor progress through a dashboard that shows completion percentages and enables quick review and approval of generated work.

After approval, the content gets executed through posting on social media, sending emails, or other designated actions. The head of marketing maintains oversight of all execution and provides comprehensive summaries including rationale, execution details, wrap-up analysis, and recommendations for future campaigns.

TikTok Retargeting Tool

TikTok is testing a powerful new retargeting feature that brings the platform's advertising capabilities much closer to the sophisticated targeting options available on Facebook and Instagram. This development represents a major step forward in TikTok's evolution as an advertising platform and creates new opportunities for marketers to maximize their return on ad spend.

The new retargeting tool works through a simple but effective mechanism. When someone clicks on a TikTok ad and then spends at least ten seconds on the advertiser's website, that person becomes eligible for retargeting campaigns. This creates a crucial bridge between TikTok's native content environment and external websites, allowing marketers to re-engage viewers who have shown initial interest in their offerings.

This ten-second threshold is particularly interesting from a user behavior perspective. While it may seem like a short timeframe, it actually represents meaningful engagement in the context of today's fast-paced digital environment. As Kelly points out, this relatively low barrier could actually provide valuable insights to businesses about their website's ability to capture and hold visitor attention.

The retargeting capability addresses one of the biggest challenges marketers have faced on TikTok: the difficulty of nurturing leads beyond the initial point of contact. Previously, if someone watched your TikTok ad but didn't convert immediately, you had limited options for re-engaging them. This new feature changes that dynamic entirely, allowing for the kind of sophisticated funnel marketing that has proven so effective on other platforms.

For businesses concerned about the ten-second threshold, this could actually serve as a diagnostic tool. If retargeting campaigns reveal that very few visitors are meeting this minimal engagement requirement, it may indicate issues with website loading speed, user experience, or the alignment between ad content and landing page messaging.

The timing of this feature is particularly significant given the increasing restrictions on cross-platform tracking due to privacy regulations. By keeping retargeting within TikTok's ecosystem, the platform can provide more accurate tracking and targeting while respecting user privacy preferences. This closed-loop approach may actually result in better data quality than cross-platform tracking methods that have become increasingly unreliable.

Looking ahead, it's reasonable to expect that TikTok will expand these retargeting options to include different time thresholds and engagement metrics. The ability to set custom parameters—such as thirty seconds for deeper engagement or specific page visits for more targeted campaigns—would bring TikTok's capabilities in line with more established advertising platforms.

Enhanced DM Features

TikTok has significantly upgraded its direct messaging capabilities, introducing features that bring the platform's private communication options closer to the sophistication found on more established social platforms. These updates address long-standing limitations that have hindered marketers' ability to provide effective customer service and build relationships through TikTok's messaging system.

The most significant addition is voice messaging capability within DMs. This feature addresses a major frustration point for marketers and content creators who have been limited by TikTok's restriction on clickable links in direct messages. As Kelly explains, the inability to share clickable links has made it challenging to direct interested viewers to specific resources, landing pages, or additional content.

Voice messages provide a more personal and efficient way to communicate with followers and potential customers. Instead of typing lengthy explanations or trying to work around link restrictions, creators can now record voice messages that convey tone, personality, and detailed information more effectively than text alone. This is particularly valuable for businesses that rely on personal connection and trust-building as part of their marketing strategy.

The platform has also enhanced image sharing capabilities within DMs, which Kelly has cleverly leveraged to overcome the linking limitations. She now screenshots her profile page, circles the link in bio area, and shares this image in DMs to visually guide users to her external links. This workaround not only solves the immediate problem but also eliminates confusion about where users should look for additional resources.

This image-sharing strategy addresses a common assumption that marketers make about user sophistication. Not everyone immediately understands what "link in bio" means or knows how to navigate to find it. By providing a visual guide, businesses can reduce friction in the conversion process and ensure that interested prospects actually reach their intended destinations.

The addition of stickers and other interactive elements within DMs creates opportunities for brands to add personality and visual interest to their private communications. This is particularly valuable for businesses that want to maintain brand consistency across all touchpoints, including one-on-one customer interactions.

These DM enhancements represent TikTok's recognition that private messaging plays a crucial role in the customer journey, especially for businesses that rely on personal relationships and direct communication. The improvements make it easier for businesses to provide customer support, answer questions, and guide prospects through their decision-making process without forcing them to leave the platform.

For customer service applications, these features are particularly powerful. Voice messages can convey empathy and understanding more effectively than text, while image sharing allows support teams to provide visual guidance for troubleshooting or explaining processes. The combination creates opportunities for the kind of personalized support that builds customer loyalty and positive brand associations.

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

Hashtag Limits
Avatar Sticker Mixing Adds Branding Potential
Affiliate Program Expansion

Watch it on YouTube

How to Use Google's Nano Banana

While most AI image generators focus on pixels, Nano Banana taps into something smarter: reasoning. Built into Google Gemini's 2.5 Flash model, this next-gen tool understands context, brand cues, and even sketchy napkin ideas.

Rick Mulready shows you how to turn a hand-drawn logo into a clean vector file, create on-brand Instagram story ads in seconds, and maintain character consistency for YouTube thumbnails or storyboards.

You can even visualize data, generate meeting backgrounds, and build consistent visual narratives across campaigns—all inside Gemini or Google AI Studio. Watch more here.

A 3-Part Workflow for Using ChatGPT Canvas

Are you treating ChatGPT like a scratchpad—chaotic threads, lost subject lines, content buried under a scroll of past prompts? What if your AI assistant could think with you instead of just for you?

Our latest tutorial video shows you how to use ChatGPT Canvas. this little-known feature transforms AI from a one-way content generator into a dynamic, collaborative workspace. Think editable documents, version tracking, and multi-format content creation–all inside your existing ChatGPT thread.

This hidden tool is a game-changer for marketers juggling campaigns across platforms. Whether you're crafting a blog post, slicing it into LinkedIn snippets, or turning it into a podcast outline, Canvas keeps everything organized and editable in one place.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by AI's pace but hungry for practical ways to streamline your content flow, this feature might be your new secret weapon. Watch more here.

Google Workspace Rolls Out Major AI Enhancements Across Its Apps: Google's August Workspace Drop delivers powerful AI-driven tools to streamline workflows and boost productivity. In Sheets, the new =AI function enables large-scale text generation, categorization, and analysis in multiple languages. NotebookLM now offers video-based summaries and flexible audio overview creation. In Chat, Meet, Forms, Drive, and mobile Docs, Gemini-powered summaries and insights help users stay informed effortlessly. Visual creators benefit from image-editing tools and audio balancing in Vids and Slides, while Drive's improved PDF editing and support for much larger documents enhance document handling. Altogether, this update brings smarter, more dynamic AI functionality across Google Workspace. Google

Instagram Lets Users Pin Their Own Comments on Posts and Reels: Instagram now enables users to pin their own comments to the top of the comment section on posts and Reels. By pinning a comment, creators can supplement their captions with updates, clarifications, and calls to action, and ensure they remain visible. The feature began rolling out this week and will be available broadly in the near future. Adam Mosseri via Threads

Snapchat Debuts Imagine Lens for AI-Generated Image Prompts: Snapchat has introduced its Imagine Lens feature, enabling users to generate AI-powered images by typing custom text prompts. Available to Snapchat+ Platinum and Lens+ subscribers, the Imagine Lens appears prominently in the app's Lens Carousel. Users can select from pre-populated prompts or input personalized ones using the caption bar and then share the resulting images with friends, post them to Stories, or export them outside the app. This expansion boosts Snapchat's growing emphasis on generative AI and creative tools. Snap

Claude Adds File Creation and Editing for Spreadsheets, Docs, and Slides: Anthropic has launched file creation capabilities in Claude, allowing users to generate and edit Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint decks, and PDFs directly within Claude.ai and its desktop app. Users can describe what they need or upload data, and Claude will return polished, functional files complete with charts, formulas, or formatted layouts. This feature, currently in preview for Max, Team, and Enterprise users, leverages a private computing environment that enables Claude to write code and run programs for complex outputs. Pro users will gain access in the coming weeks. Anthropic

Claude Opus 4.1 Boosts Coding and Reasoning Capabilities: Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4.1, enhancing its flagship model's performance in complex coding and agentic tasks. With a 74.5% score on SWE-bench Verified, the model excels in multi-file code refactoring and detailed debugging, earning praise from GitHub and Rakuten for its precision. Windsurf reports that Opus 4.1 outperforms Opus 4 by a full standard deviation on junior developer benchmarks. The update is now live for paid users and accessible via API, Claude Code, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud's Vertex AI, with no pricing changes. Anthropic

Google Veo 3 Adds Vertical Video and Cuts Pricing: Google has updated its Veo 3 AI video model to support 1080p resolution and vertical 9:16 video formats, catering to developers creating content for mobile and social platforms. The feature is available via API by setting the Aspect Ratio parameter, with 1080p currently limited to widescreen (16:9) outputs. Veo 3 and its faster variant, Veo 3 Fast, are now ready for production use within the Gemini API. Google also reduced pricing significantly, with Veo 3 now costing $0.40 per second (down from $0.75) and Veo 3 Fast at $0.15 (down from $0.40). Google

LinkedIn Launches Major Verification Expansion: LinkedIn has rolled out new verification requirements to build a more trusted professional network. All companies with a Premium Company Page subscription can now access verification badges, helping them stand out as credible and trustworthy. In addition, LinkedIn now mandates workplace verification for members listing recruiter or executive-level titles, including roles like Vice President and Managing Director. LinkedIn

Threads Simplifies Multi‑Part Thread Viewing and Posting: Meta is introducing a series of updates to make multi-part threads more intuitive on both mobile and web. Users will now see visual position labels—automatically added numbering within a thread—eliminating manual sequencing like 1/3. Profiles will present only the first two posts from multi-part threads, with a "View more" option to access the rest. Additionally, when someone views a thread, all replies to the original post will appear at the top for an organized, cohesive reading experience. These enhancements improve clarity in threading and help ensure audiences can follow your connected thoughts more seamlessly. Threads

Google Adds AI-Powered Ads Tools: Google announced major updates to Asset Studio, offering AI-powered tools to help advertisers rapidly produce and refine creative assets across image and video formats. Features include lifestyle image generation from product photos, bulk transformations, style reference inputs, and shareable previews for easier team collaboration. Google also expanded AI Max for global Search campaigns, with one-click experiments and upcoming text guidelines to maintain brand safety and performance. These tools aim to streamline holiday campaign execution for retailers and brands. Google

LinkedIn Adds Saves and Sends Metrics to Post Analytics: LinkedIn has introduced two new creator analytics: Saves, showing how often posts are bookmarked, and Sends, capturing shares via direct messages. These metrics offer a clearer picture of lasting value and personal engagement. They join recent analytics enhancements such as follower gains per post, profile views, and Premium button interactions. The update supports LinkedIn's broader push to improve tools for creators and deepen audience insights. LinkedIn

Meta Expands Community Notes With New User Features and Notifications: Meta is enhancing its Community Notes program by allowing all users—not just contributors—to request notes and rate their helpfulness. Users will also receive notifications when posts they interact with get a note. So far, 70,000 contributors have written over 15,000 notes, with a 6% publish rate determined by a bridging algorithm that checks for helpfulness across diverse viewpoints. The update aims to boost transparency and broaden participation in moderating online information. Meta via Threads

Meta to Launch Instagram and Facebook Creator Discovery APIs: Meta will roll out new APIs to streamline creator-brand collaborations: the Instagram Creator Marketplace API on October 1 and the Facebook Creator Discovery API on October 6, 2025. These tools let agencies and partners search for creators using advanced filters, access detailed performance insights, and find similar creators (Instagram only). Designed to improve branded content campaigns, the APIs will be available after developers complete app review on launch day. Meta

Pinterest Debuts Shoppable Where-to-Buy Links: Pinterest has launched where-to-buy links that turn standard image ads into shoppable experiences for CPG brands. With a single tap, users can now view and select from various in-stock retailers to purchase featured products, combining convenience with flexibility. For advertisers, this update delivers valuable purchase intent data without sacrificing conversions or user experience. Pinterest

Reddit Replaces Subscriber Counts With Active Engagement Metrics: Reddit has removed public subscriber counts from all subreddit pages, replacing them with real-time activity metrics that show how many users visited and contributed in the past seven days. The move emphasizes engagement over passive membership, aligning with Reddit's push for more meaningful participation. It also supports new moderation policies, limiting how many high-traffic subreddits one person can moderate. While subscriber totals remain available to mods, they're no longer visible to general users. The Verge

Reddit Launches Publisher Tools and In-App Article Reading: Reddit has unveiled new Reddit Pro tools for publishers, designed to streamline how media outlets engage with Reddit's massive user base. Now in beta, the suite includes tools for tracking article performance, auto-importing stories via RSS, and receiving AI-driven community posting recommendations. Reddit is also testing a new in-app reading experience, letting users view articles and swipe up to access comments without leaving the platform. Publishers can join the waitlist at Reddit's business portal. Reddit

X Reveals Updated Ranking Signals for Post Reach in For You Feed: X has detailed how its "For You" feed ranks posts, emphasizing reply-driven engagement as the top signal for boosting reach. Posts that prompt conversations—especially ones where the original author replies—receive the highest algorithmic weighting. Other beneficial factors include video view duration, dwell time, and verified status. However, posts containing offensive content, links, or excessive capitalization may be penalized and hurt an account's reputation score. This latest update helps creators better understand how to increase visibility on the platform. Social Media Today

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