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.
In today's edition:
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Your Meta ads targeting isn't what you think it is
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What YouTube's latest Shorts and Promote features tools can do for your business
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🗞️ Industry news from Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and more
How Meta Ads Targeting Works, Now
Many advertisers still believe their targeting selections on Meta determine exactly who sees their ads. In reality, that level of control has changed significantly.
Detailed targeting and lookalike audiences are now frequently treated as suggestions rather than strict parameters. In many campaign objectives—particularly those focused on conversions, leads, link clicks, and landing page views—advertisers cannot require delivery to stay within those selected audiences.
Understanding when audience inputs are mandatory versus optional is now essential for campaign planning. Without that clarity, performance results can appear inconsistent with the targeting strategy.
Jon Loomer outlines where control still exists, where it does not, and how performance goals influence the role of audience suggestions—helping advertisers make more informed decisions when setting up campaigns. Read more here.
Finally, Marketers Who Speak Your Language
Marketing feels lonely when you're figuring out AI integration, platform changes, and budget pressures all by yourself. What if you didn't have to?
"Networking and talking with others who speak the language of the online marketing industry is refreshing," said Amanda Long.
Social Media Marketing World isn't just training—it's community. Participate in table talks with peers facing your exact challenges, structured networking that actually works for introverts, and industry-specific meetups that feel natural, not forced.
✨ Connect with marketers mastering Instagram growth
✨ Learn alongside professionals scaling video content
✨ Build relationships that support you year-round
✨ Find accountability partners who understand your goals
Stop navigating marketing alone.
I'm ready to find my community.
Are YouTube's Latest Tools Ready for Businesses
How to Test and Use Image Posts in Shorts
YouTube will soon roll out static image posts directly into the Shorts feed.
Liron takes a deep breath before addressing this because he doesn't know what YouTube is thinking. Why post a still image on a platform that's fundamentally about video? It makes no sense to him.
The only scenario where images might work: pattern interrupts. You're scrolling through video after video, then suddenly an image appears. The lack of motion catches you off guard. That's weird. Let me see what this is.
Businesses could test these image types as pattern interrupts using infographics to show visual data in a single frame, memes with cultural relevance, and charts or graphs presenting information at a glance
To test this feature, upload the image as a video with a voiceover. Create your infographic, then record yourself explaining what it shows. For example, start by saying "This is the biggest mistake" while the graphic displays. That gives people a reason to pause, transforming the static image into engaging video content in which the visual serves as the anchor while voiceover provides context and value.
Pro Tip: When YouTube launches something new, they actively promote it. Early adopters often get algorithmic favor. But you shouldn't restructure your entire content strategy around this feature. For example, don't pivot to patterns like three shorts, one image, three shorts, one image.
How to Leverage YouTube's Promote Feature and Interest Targeting
YouTube added Interest Targeting to its Promote tool, letting creators target viewers based on interests like gaming, beauty, or travel. The feature targets based on anonymized viewer activity.
The Promote tool functions like Facebook's boost feature and is affordable for many marketing budgets.
Marketers are asking two critical questions about this feature.
Does Paying to Promote Your Content Hurt Organic Reach on YouTube?
No, YouTube won't penalize your organic reach for using paid promotion.
Liron has tested this himself multiple times and spoken directly with YouTube representatives who confirmed it repeatedly. These are two completely separate algorithms—Google AdWords and YouTube itself. They have different outcomes, different KPIs, and measure completely different things.
You can now see proof in YouTube analytics. The platform outlines YouTube advertising as a completely separate line item.
How Should Marketers Use the Promote Features?
Promote becomes valuable when you use it for the right strategic reasons.
If you're chasing vanity metric numbers for the sake of numbers, you're wasting money and damaging your channel's data signals. Liron can get you 100,000 views tomorrow from viewers who will never buy from you. As a business, does that excite you? Not really. This is the trap of vanity metrics. If they're the wrong views and wrong subscribers, it just muddies your data.
Here are four scenarios where YouTube Promote does make sense:
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Testing New Concepts: You have an idea you're not sure will resonate with your core audience, but you want to lean into this new direction. Promoting just this video lets you test the concept before making bigger content strategy decisions.
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Geographic Expansion: Instead of relying on YouTube to organically reach people in specific locations, you can target them directly. For example, test whether customers in Canada care about your content by promoting specifically to people interested in your topic who live in Canada.
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Interest-Based Discovery: When you're targeting creators learning about YouTube features, you can promote only to people interested in that specific topic. Those viewers might share your video, embed it on their website, or include it in their newsletter.
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Starting a Brand New Channel With Proven Expertise from Another Platform: If you're bringing expertise from another channel—it's proven on TikTok, proven on LinkedIn, you've got the content creation skills down—and now you're just bringing it to a new YouTube audience, absolutely use Promote. Launch with four videos, then promote them. This gives you the leg up to get your channel going from zero to one.
The critical factor in all these scenarios is alignment with your ideal customer profile (ICP). You're trying to reach new eyeballs that organic distribution isn't reaching—but they must be the RIGHT eyeballs.
Pro Tip: Look at your ten or twenty most recent videos. Identify which ones performed well organically—videos that outperformed your baseline metrics. Your current audience really liked these videos. That's a strong signal to put promotion money behind those specific videos. If your main audience loved it, maybe a new audience will love it too.
Other topics discussed include:
Today's advice is provided with insights from Liron Segev, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.
LinkedIn Bans Automated Comments to Protect Authentic Conversations: LinkedIn announced that automated comments—those posted through browser extensions, scripts, or third-party tools without direct human action—are not permitted on the platform. The move is aimed at preserving genuine, high-quality interactions and ensuring that comment sections remain authentic and valuable for professional conversations. LinkedIn
Meta Consolidates Web Messaging Into Facebook Platform: Beginning in April 2026, messenger.com will no longer support messaging, and the standalone Messenger desktop app has been discontinued. Desktop users will be automatically redirected to facebook.com/messages to continue conversations via the web, while the Messenger mobile app remains fully functional. Users who access Messenger without a Facebook account can continue using the mobile app without interruption, as Meta streamlines its web messaging experience under the Facebook domain. Meta
Google Adds Scenario Planner to Meridian, Making MMM Insights Actionable: Google has launched Scenario Planner within Meridian, its open-source Marketing Mix Model, to help marketers translate analytics into real-world business decisions. The no-code interface allows teams to test budget scenarios and receive real-time ROI projections, addressing a common industry pain point where MMM insights fail to inform strategy. By turning retrospective measurement into forward-looking planning, Google positions Meridian as not just transparent, but accessible and practical for everyday marketing decision-making. Google
Reddit Tests AI-Powered Shopping Carousels in Search Results: Reddit is piloting a new AI-driven shopping experience that surfaces interactive product carousels within search results for select U.S. users. When users search for product recommendations—such as electronics—the platform displays items mentioned in relevant community discussions, complete with pricing, images, and direct retailer links. In some cases, results are also sourced from Dynamic Product Ads partner catalogs. Reddit
Snapchat Launches Creator Subscriptions: Snapchat has introduced Creator Subscriptions, a new monetization feature allowing fans to access exclusive content, priority replies, and ad-free Stories from participating creators. Launching in alpha on February 23 with select U.S. creators—and expanding soon to Canada, the U.K., and France—the program enables creators to set flexible monthly pricing within Snap-recommended tiers. Snap
Threads Adds One-Tap Sharing to Instagram Stories: Threads has introduced a streamlined sharing feature that allows users to post Threads content directly to Instagram Stories without leaving the app. Accessible via the share button, the update simplifies cross-posting and strengthens content distribution across Meta's ecosystem, helping creators and brands amplify reach between Threads and Instagram more seamlessly. Threads
TikTok Shop Rolls Out Automation Tools to Streamline Seller Operations: TikTok Shop has introduced a series of efficiency-focused updates, including automated sample approval workflows that allow sellers to pre-set creator eligibility criteria and reduce manual vetting. The platform also launched Creator Picks to help brands discover high-performing affiliate partners, along with automated monthly commission receipts for simplified financial reporting. Additional upgrades include LIVE Highlights Auto-post for real-time content amplification and new bulk editing tools for Shopify sellers, designed to accelerate catalog management and product listings. TikTok
YouTube Expands Shorts Tools for Creators: YouTube introduced a grid view for Shorts in Studio Mobile to align with the main app experience, alongside expanded in-app editing capabilities, including clip-level adjustments, overlays, and preview tools. Android users gain additional split and slip editing controls, with iOS support planned, as YouTube continues investing in more robust native creation tools. YouTube
YouTube Tests Conversational AI Tool on Smart TVs and Streaming Devices: YouTube is experimenting with bringing its conversational AI feature to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices, allowing viewers to ask questions about the content they're watching in real time. Eligible users can access the tool through a new "Ask" button or by using voice commands via their remote or on-screen microphone option. Initially rolling out to a limited group, the test signals YouTube's push to make interactive AI assistance a more seamless part of the living room viewing experience. YouTube
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