Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner...
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Here’s a recap of the most important insights, trends, and updates you need to know about today, Alluser! Catch up in minutes and go into the rest of the week prepared.
Quick question for you: Do you use lead capture forms on Facebook to build your email list? NO or YES.
In today’s edition:
Tips for using Flexible Ads on Facebook
More ways to make Instagram work for your brand
🗞️ Industry news from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more
When and How to Use Meta’s Flexible Ads
What if Flexible Ads aren’t improving your results… because you’re using them the wrong way?
At a glance, they seem like a simple upgrade—combine a few images, videos, maybe a carousel, and let Meta figure it out. Easy. But that’s not really what’s happening behind the scenes.
Flexible Ads were introduced because the way ads get shown has changed. The system now picks a winner much faster and pushes most of your budget into it early. Which sounds efficient… until that one ad burns out quickly and performance drops just as fast.
That’s where Flexible Ads come in, but not as a shortcut.
Most marketers are treating Flexible Ads like a mix-and-match tool.
They’re not.
If your ads have felt inconsistent lately, this shift is likely why—and there’s a smarter way to approach it.
Allie Bloyd shares when to use Flexible Ads and how to structure them for best results. Watch more here.
What Are These Marketers So Excited About?
They just spent three days at Social Media Marketing World 2026 — and they're leaving with strategies they can't wait to put to work.
And you can too.
With your Virtual Ticket, you get the recordings from every session, keynote, and workshop — yours to rewatch for 18 months. Plus, all of the sessions from AI Business World are included at no extra cost.
"I have absolutely found what I needed here. It's been a jam-packed three days. Every single session I attended, I've been able to take away probably three things, minimum, that I am going to be able to immediately implement," said Jules McGuire.
Get my recordings now.
Instagram Tool Updates to Drive Traffic, Optimize Your Content, and Establish Branding
Instagram is currently testing clickable links directly inside post captions. The test, limited to Meta Verified users, allows participants to use up to 10 clickable links per month.
Access to the feature appears to be tied to what Instagram calls Creator and Publisher accounts rather than Business accounts.
Chelsea Peitz notes that this distinction could confuse many marketers who hold business accounts and assume they simply don't have access yet, when the real answer may be that they need to switch to a different account type.
Switching between business and creator account types is still fairly easy in Instagram's settings, and Chelsea points out that Instagram hasn't made clear how it intends to enforce or verify the distinction, which makes it worth trying.
The same switching logic already applies to the music library. Business accounts have long been restricted from the full copyright-free music library that creator accounts can access. But Chelsea notes that business accounts can sometimes unlock music library access by changing their account category in the backend settings without fully converting to a creator account.
If caption links follow a similar pattern, category adjustments may provide a workaround worth testing before making a full account switch.
The obvious concern with any outbound link on a social platform is reach suppression. Chelsea acknowledges that Instagram will almost certainly never confirm whether posts with caption links receive reduced distribution, but she's clear-eyed about the logic: sending people off the platform works against Instagram's interests.
Her take is that Meta may be tying this feature to paid Meta Verified accounts precisely to offset that loss. Instagram almost certainly calculates a dollar value per second of watch time retained on the platform. When a caption link sends a user off-site, that watch time is lost. The subscription fee is the hedge, and it would explain why Meta Verified pricing exists at all.
Chelsea notes that at the $49/month tier, subscribers currently receive only two links in the bio, with very little else. She speculates that the 10-link caption feature may be bundled into that same tier, though no price point has been confirmed.
Chelsea says her first move would be to link directly to a paid product, such as a course, book, or physical product from a sales-focused post.
Start with a product or freebie you already have and treat the link as a direct trackability experiment.
She'd also reserve one of her ten monthly links for a pinned "start here" post at the top of her profile. New content constantly pushes older posts further down the grid, so a high-value conversion post without a caption link effectively loses its reach over time. Adding a clickable link to that pinned post keeps the conversion opportunity alive regardless of when someone first discovers it.
Other topics discussed include:
Profile Grid Customization
Branded Stickers for Marketing
Video Format Templates
The Voiceover Teleprompter
In-Reel Linking from the Edits App
Today's advice is provided with insights from Chelsea Peitz, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.
The Problem Isn't Using AI. It's Keeping Up With It.
New tools. New updates. New experts telling you what matters. How do you know who to trust?
The AI Business Society is built on 17 years of marketing expertise — the same trusted source that's guided marketers like you through every other major shift. We tell you exactly what's worth your attention and what to skip.
And you won't navigate it alone — you'll be surrounded by a community of like-minded marketers on the same journey.
"I trust Mike Stelzner and the whole SME team. I'm now getting bombarded by new people in this space looking to make a quick buck. They don't have the long-term expertise of SME," said member Corinne Baldassano.
Stay ahead with people I trust.
Instagram Edits Adds AI Video Generation: Instagram’s Edits app is introducing AI-powered video generation, enabling creators to produce clips from text prompts or existing media directly within the editing timeline. By integrating generation and editing into one workflow, the update simplifies content creation and accelerates production for creators experimenting with AI-driven video. Instagram
Instagram Expands Originality Protections to Photos and Carousels: Instagram is extending its content originality guidelines beyond Reels to include photos and carousel posts, limiting the reach of reposted content that lacks meaningful creative input. The update reinforces the platform’s push to prioritize original creators and ensure that unique, value-added content gets greater visibility in recommendations. Instagram via Threads
Meta Tightens Ad Transparency Rules for Agencies and Developers: Meta is updating its ad-buying policies to require clearer separation of advertiser accounts and enforce on-demand transparency around ad spend and campaign details. Set to take effect in 2027, the changes are designed to improve accountability and standardize reporting practices across the advertising ecosystem. Meta
Meta Launches Ads CLI to Streamline Campaign Management: Meta is introducing Ads CLI, a command-line interface that simplifies how developers and AI agents manage advertising workflows. By packaging the Meta Marketing API into a single, automation-friendly tool, the update enables faster campaign creation, analysis, and optimization—bringing ad operations closer to modern developer and AI-driven workflows. Meta
Meta Launches AI Connectors to Bring Ad Management into External AI Tools: Meta is introducing Ads AI Connectors, allowing advertisers to manage campaigns directly within the AI tools they already use. By combining secure data access with natural language controls, the update expands how marketers can analyze performance, automate workflows, and operate across channels without relying on traditional API integrations. Meta
Pinterest Expands into Connected TV: Pinterest is bringing its audience targeting capabilities to Connected TV through a new partnership with tvScientific, allowing advertisers to extend campaigns to streaming environments. The update connects Pinterest’s discovery-driven insights with broader reach across screens, signaling a push into cross-platform, full-funnel advertising strategies. Pinterest
Snap Introduces AI Sponsored Snaps: The new ad format embeds AI-powered brand interactions directly into Snapchat conversations. By enabling users to engage with brands through chat-based AI agents, the update reflects a shift toward conversational commerce, where discovery, engagement, and purchase decisions happen within messaging environments. Snap
TikTok Expands ‘Out-of-Phone’ Strategy with Billboard Ad Partnerships: TikTok is deepening its push beyond mobile by partnering with Vistar Media to transform in-app campaigns into custom-built billboard ads. By reimagining creative for out-of-home environments rather than simply repurposing it, the platform aims to extend campaign reach while maintaining engagement across formats. Digiday
YouTube Tests Conversational Search to Enhance Discovery: YouTube is experimenting with an “Ask YouTube” feature that transforms search into an interactive, AI-driven experience. By combining structured answers with video content and enabling follow-up queries, the update aims to make content discovery more intuitive and context-rich for users. YouTube
YouTube Tests AI Comment Search to Simplify Moderation: YouTube is experimenting with a new AI-driven comment search tool in Studio that helps creators find and manage comments based on meaning rather than keywords. By enabling topic-based discovery and faster filtering, the update aims to streamline moderation workflows while maintaining full creator control over engagement decisions. Google
YouTube Enhances Creator Tools with Smarter Notifications, AI Music, and Comment Search: YouTube is rolling out a series of updates aimed at improving creator workflows and audience engagement. From refining notification delivery to prioritize active viewers, to introducing AI-generated music for copyright fixes and semantic comment search for moderation, the platform is doubling down on AI-driven tools to make content management more efficient and effective. YouTube
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