With the looming deadline for the TikTok ban, many active users have been promoting and encouraging others to join another Chinese social media platform, Red Book. While the reasons driving this migration are worth analyzing, I find myself more drawn to the emotions behind the movement.
The #TikTokRefugees, as they call themselves, have been sharing videos that are nothing short of heartwarming. One common thread runs through them all, people being welcomed into a new community. Users of Red Book are posting welcoming comments, extending invitations for friendship, and embracing new members with open arms. They are even sharing videos teaching new users Mandarin to help them navigate the app.
The keyword here is community. It’s not just about a platform, technology, or an app. It’s about people coming together and how they engage with each other. That’s the magic of social media, the thing that so many platforms have lost or struggle to maintain.
Looking back, every social media platform, even those that no longer exist, had its own sense of community, however small.
MySpace: The OG of social media. I met some fascinating people there, bonding over an obscure Icelandic band that I couldn’t find fans for anywhere else.
Google+: It was a haven for tech geeks, where news and discussions about the latest gadgets and innovations thrived.
Path: A beautifully designed platform with the promise of creating and maintaining close connections with a small group of friends.
Vine: A creative playground where many creators launched their careers through collaboration and a shared love of content creation.
Yahoo Answers: Yes, I’m counting it as a social platform. While trolling was abundant, it also delivered real value when you needed an answer fast.
TikTok, however, won’t be gone anytime soon. Outside the U.S., it remains a major player, and time will tell if it can reenter the U.S. market and reconnect with its passionate users. But the emotional heart of this story isn’t just about TikTok. It’s about belonging.
At the end of the day, what everyone is chasing is the sense of belonging. A tribe to call their own. Social media, at its best, has always been about that. It’s not the algorithms, the features, or even the content, it’s the people. Platforms come and go, but the desire to belong never changes.
In 2011, I wrote my first social media caption for a brand. Well, it was more than just a caption, it was the entire post. Back then, photos or videos in posts weren’t common. In fact, brands barely had a presence on social media, and we were all just trying to figure things out.
What we did know was that conversations were happening, and marketers wanted their brands to be part of them.
We didn’t know much about how to market on social media, but we did understand two key things:
We had to be present consistently. Content would disappear from users’ timelines within 24 hours, so we needed to post daily. That’s how social media calendars became a thing.
We had to capture attention without being overly commercial. A balance was crucial to avoid pushing people away with hard-sell content.
Most brands adopted an 80/20 approach: 80% fun, entertaining, or engaging content to connect with the audience, and 20% promotional or commercial posts to push products.
This split gave us the opportunity to have fun with the brands we managed. For 80% of the time, our job was to create entertaining content, how exciting is that? The key was to ensure that this content evoked emotion, and on social media, the most common emotion was humor.
Luckily, the brands I managed back then made humor part of their DNA. For example, Cadbury Dairy Milk was all about Moments of Joy. What better way to spread joy than through funny or witty content? This was around the time Cadbury released its iconic Gorilla ad, yes, the one with the drumming gorilla to Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. If you haven’t seen it, or even if you have, it’s worth a watch (or rewatch). Watch it here.
Even years after its release, reposting that video would still generate incredible engagement. At the time, it was a 4-year-old ad, yet it resonated because it brought pure joy.
It became clear people engage with content that makes them feel something. The best performing posts weren’t overly polished, they were simple, emotional, and relatable. Whether it was a silly joke, a witty one-liner, or even a fun fact, the common denominator was emotion.
Those were simpler times, but what worked then still works today. Post something that evokes emotion, and you’ll always strike a chord with your audience.
A colleague of mine recently climbed all the way up Mount Kilimanjaro. I’m super proud of her for setting that goal and actually achieving it.
The outcome of all her planning, effort, and hard work is that she can now proudly say she reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
She didn’t celebrate the output. She didn’t dwell on the 6 days she spent hiking to the top or the estimated 70,000 steps she took along the way. The outcome was clear, standing at the peak of Kilimanjaro.
We often find ourselves focusing on the wrong things. It doesn’t matter if you send out 100 emails a day if none of them get a click. It doesn’t matter if you publish 100 social media posts if none of them convert a customer.
Anyone running an agency or hiring for a social media manager knows how challenging it can be to find the right fit. The perfect candidate is often expected to be a master-of-all-trades, mastering everything from strategy and creativity to analytics and community engagement.
Before diving into the key traits I look for in a social media manager, it’s important to acknowledge one thing, it’s nearly impossible to find all these qualities in one person. That’s why you should consider the strengths of your existing team when hiring. For example, if you already have someone who excels at analytics and project management, you might focus on hiring a creative thinker or skilled copywriter to complement them.
Here are the key areas I evaluate when hiring a social media manager:
1. Hungry and Curious
While many skills can be trained, curiosity and hunger to learn are non-negotiable for this role. Social media is an ever-changing landscape, with new trends, strategies, and platforms emerging almost daily. A world-class social media manager must have the drive to stay up-to-date and continuously improve their craft. They should be actively seeking out the latest news, trends, and strategies to keep their approach fresh and relevant.
2. Creative
Creativity is essential in navigating platform algorithms and making content stand out. This involves more than just making things visually appealing—it’s about solving problems in innovative ways and leveraging the latest trends and creative formats to capture attention.
3. Storyteller
Storytelling is a separate skill from creativity. It’s about weaving purposeful narratives that hook audiences and create a meaningful connection between the content and the brand. Social media managers need to balance this with the understanding that they’re not creating art—they’re crafting content that must resonate with an audience and serve a brand’s objectives.
4. Analytical
On the flip side, data-driven decision-making is just as important. A great social media manager should be able to turn raw data into actionable insights. These insights not only inform better storytelling but also enhance the overall marketing strategy. Analytics provide the foundation for iterative improvement and help track the effectiveness of campaigns.
5. Social
This might seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked, being genuinely social matters. A candidate’s ability to connect with people in real life often translates to how well they build connections online. If they lack passion for engaging with others, chances are their interactions with an online community will feel robotic. You can always tell the difference between authentic, meaningful engagement and canned, rephrased responses.
Before jumping to buy the next fancy tool, take a moment to understand what you need it for and how it will help. If you lack a clear process or method, a tool will likely just accelerate the chaos rather than fix it.
Ask yourself: what exactly do you need this tool to manage? How will it support your workflow without trying to do the work for you? Many companies end up paying for over-engineered, bloated tools when simpler and cheaper alternatives could have done the job just as well.
For instance, do you really need a $1,000-a-month dashboard if an Excel sheet can get the job done? If you don’t know which metrics or numbers you need to track, no amount of fancy dashboards or features will make your work easier.
It might be worth taking a step back and looking at all the tools you have. Do they genuinely add value, or are they masking gaps where a better process or method is needed? Sometimes, the best tool is the one you don’t need at all.
Speak directly to the people who need your message. Don’t write for everyone, write for the ones with specific challenges you can solve.
Focus on Their Problems
Understand your audience’s struggles and offer solutions. They’re here for answers, not fluff. Make your content practical and helpful.
Focus on Better Ideas
Platforms change, tactics expire, but valuable ideas endure. Share insights that empower your audience to think differently and solve problems for the long term. Be impactful, not trendy.
You can’t win a war with one bullet, or fall in love at first sight, unless you are a hopeless romantic. It takes time, effort, and a lot of resources to succeed in war, love, or marketing.
The same goes for social media. Too often, everything gets crammed into a single post. Check most brand posts and you can clearly see this. Sure, it’s tempting to include opening hours, location, terms and conditions, and 20 other “important” messages in one post. But let’s be honest, expecting your audience to read, let alone engage with all that, is wishful thinking.
Instead, simplify. Break down your messages into smaller, focused pieces. Build a narrative around them, allowing each one to stand out and connect meaningfully with your audience.
In 2025, I’m challenging myself to write and publish a blog post every single day. It might sound crazy and blogs feel so 1999 and definitely aren’t trendy right now. But this isn’t about reach, likes, shares, or any platform metric. It’s about showing up, refining my ideas, and building a writing habit.
I owe this idea to the man who inspired me to get into marketing in the first place, Seth Godin. He’s been running his daily blog since 2002, and showing up every day.
Also inspired by Seth Godin, I’ve set some rules for myself. These are the guidelines I’ll follow throughout this challenge.
1 – Show up every day and write. This challenge is about building a daily habit, so no batch writing or scheduling posts in advance. Each article will be fresh, written, and published on the same day. The posts won’t be perfect, and that’s okay.
2 – Be real. And no, I don’t mean the social media app that had its moment. I mean authentic and genuine. Every blog will be rooted in personal experiences, real stories, real lessons, and real reflections.
3 – Keep it Simple. To remove any unnecessary barriers I will keep the format simple. Every post will have a simple format, a title and a body.
The posts don’t have to be as long as this one; they just need to communicate an idea clearly each day.
4 – Ignore the urge to promote and distribute. No social media posts or cringy LinkedIn posts promoting my blog. This challenge is personal. If you, the reader, want to follow along, you’re welcome to visit the website. I may add a subscription option later, but for now, my focus is entirely on the writing.
5 – No metrics, no monetization. I won’t even have Google Analytics installed, feel free to check for yourself. This challenge isn’t about reach, subscribers, or making money. I won’t track how many people read these posts. They’re free and available to anyone, but the focus is solely on the act of writing.
6 – Authenticity before trends. Avoiding metrics will help me stay focused on writing what matters to me, not chasing topics just because they might get more clicks or attention.
7 – Full transparency. Life happens. On the days when I’m unwell, traveling, or facing personal challenges, I will probably have pre-written articles to go out but they will be labeled as such.
8 – No ChatGPT. Sure, it’s tempting to write a prompt and have 20 articles churned out by everyone’s favorite LLM, but that would completely defeat the purpose of this challenge. I’ll only use it for proofreading and grammar improvements.
9 – Full commitment. I will not go to sleep without publishing a post. This single rule will drive push out a blog every day, no matter what.
Social media platforms have long been hailed as spaces for connection, entertainment, and sharing joy. They serve as windows into the lives of others, allowing us to peer into the world and, at times, marvel at the experiences they offer. However, over the past few days, this narrative has taken a sad turn, as a wave of distressing news continues to flood in from Palestine.
In the digital age, social media plays a pivotal role in disseminating information. Meta, who knows this all too well, seems to be limiting any mentions of Palestine on its platforms. As a significant global event unfolds before our eyes, content creators and social media users have awakened to a disheartening reality—severe reductions in the reach of their content. What’s more troubling is the scarcity of attention this issue has received, with major tech news outlets remaining conspicuously silent on the shadowban affecting Palestine-related content.
This shadowban, which has gone largely unnoticed, involves Meta labeling content related to Palestine as “sensitive.” This tagging severely limits the number of people who can access and view such content. The labeling process is driven by picking up on keywords within the content and an analysis of the images accompanying the posts or Stories..
Overcoming the Shadowban:
In response to this situation, users have been experimenting with various methods to bypass the shadowban. Here are some strategies that have proven effective for those affected:
Adjust Sensitive Content Settings: Users can modify their account settings to allow sensitive content. By going to Settings > Suggested Content > Sensitive Content, you can change it to “More,” enabling you to view Palestine-related content.
Diversify Your Content: To break the cycle of censorship, it is advisable not to solely post about Palestine. Intermingle your posts with unrelated content to regain visibility in the Stories feed.
Create Original Content: Instead of merely sharing content from others, try to recreate and remix it to make it appear fresh. Original content is less likely to be flagged as sensitive.
Explore Alternative Platforms: Instead of relying solely on Meta-owned platforms like Instagram and Facebook, consider using platforms like X (Twitter) and Telegram, which have not imposed similar restrictions. These platforms are used by journalists for a reason.
Engage Actively: Engaging with other content within the same topic can elevate your content’s visibility within the algorithm. Think of it as a way to “force” it to reach a broader audience.
Direct Sharing: Don’t limit yourself to Meta-owned channels or mainstream social media. Share your story through various networks and channels to ensure it’s heard widely.
Remember Your Humanity:
What is currently transpiring in Gaza is an affront to humanity. In times like these, it is imperative that we remember our shared humanity. Human lives are at stake, and as the world watches in pain, censorship is inexcusable. We must not allow the silencing of this critical issue.
The apparent shadowban on Palestine-related content on social media platforms raises significant concerns about censorship on a global scale. As users strive to overcome these limitations, the world must pay heed to the broader implications of such actions and champion the values of free expression and empathy in our interconnected digital age.
How Can You Help?
How can you make a difference? There are several humanitarian organizations that you can lend your support to.
Every week, I provide a summary of the latest digital marketing news, saving you the time and effort of going through it all yourself.
If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter thus far, it would mean a lot to us if you could take a moment this week to share it with someone you believe would also benefit from it.
During the recent Connect event, Meta introduced a range of exciting AI experiences that are set to transform the way we engage with technology. Here’s what’s happening:
Get Ready to Meet 28 Unique AIs: Meta is taking AI interactions to the next level by introducing 28 AIs, each with its own distinct interests and personalities. These AIs are designed to deepen your engagement with your favorite topics and activities.
Direct Interaction via Messaging Platforms: One of the most exciting developments is the ability to interact directly with these AIs through messaging platforms. For those of you who are part of the beta product rollout in the U.S., you’ll soon be able to send them messages on Instagram or Messenger.
Social Profiles for AIs: But that’s not all! Meta is also rolling out social profiles for these AIs on Facebook and Instagram. Now, you can follow these AI personalities and get to know them better. You’ll find that some of these profile pictures might seem familiar, as Meta has partnered with well-known public figures to represent these AI characters. It’s important to note that these familiar faces are embodying the characters, not themselves. Check them out here.
Creating Visual Content with AI: When Meta generates images for social posts using AI, you’ll spot #ImaginedWithAI in the post along with a watermark on the lower left-hand corner of the image. This is a testament to the power of AI-driven visual content creation.
AI-Generated Responses: The responses you receive from these AIs via direct messages are generated using Meta’s cutting-edge AI technology. This means you can look forward to engaging and personalized interactions with these AI personalities.
Even more exciting, this opportunity will soon be available to all. For brands, having Meta manage an AI character on their behalf could bring significant benefits, revolutionizing audience engagement. Social media moderators get ready for some change.
From the creators of one of our favorite social media channels comes a new platform for us to watch out for. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger teamed up once again and have launched Artifact. A news aggregator that just now introduced social discussions feature making it a social media platform. Artifact aims to use AI to learn your interests and keep you up-to-date with the information and inspiration that matters most to you.
Instagram Gifts are now accessible in more countries around the world, making it easier for creators to receive support from fans who love their content. Instagram
Another attempt to get us to livestream our life. Meta announces an improved Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. The Verge
Breaking the uncanny valley. Mark Zuckerberg and Lex FriedmanInterview in the Metaverse. Worth watching. YouTube
Meta Connect 2023: Everything you need to know about Quest 3 VR, Ray-Ban smart glasses and Meta AI – TechCrunch
Meta is trying out a “Boost” button for stories shared via Instagram. Twitter
TikTok:
TikTok Launches ‘Creative Assistant’ To Help Guide Ad Creation Process – Social Media Today
In major blow to TikTok, Indonesia bans e-commerce transactions on social media – Reuters
WhatsApp:
WhatsApp is introducing Flows for a richer in-app shopping experience TechCrunch
WhatsApp Channels will be available globally soon Twitter
Reddit:
Reddit Publishes New Guide to Key Ads Best Practices – Social Media Today
You can now make a living from Reddit? Reddit will start paying you real money for good posts – TechCrunch
Google:
Google launched AI-powered tools to power up your Search Ads – Google Ads Help
YouTube rolls out video view campaigns globally. According to Google VVCs help advertisers achieve 40% more views on average than in-stream skippable CPV campaigns – Google Ads Help
Links are not a top 3 Google Search ranking factor, says an analyst on the Google Search team – Search Engine Land
Another one joins the Google Cemetery. Google Optimize sunsets this weekend – Search Engine Land
Snapchat:
Snap partners with Microsoft Advertising to power Sponsored Links within My AI – MSPoweruser
Shopify Audiences supercharges customer acquisition with new Snap, Criteo, and TikTok integrations – Shopify News
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn introduces the Revenue Attribution Report. A new report that measures the influence your LinkedIn marketing has on revenue – LinkedIn
Other Updates:
Artifact is becoming Twitter, too, thanks to new posts feature – The Verge
Telegram starts to look like a super app, echoing WeChat – TechCrunch
You can now create AI generated videos on Canva – Canva
Brand Watch
Polestar Crafts the Perfect TikTok
In a time when unhinged content prevails on social channels created solely for the purpose of gaining attention and being shocking, Polestar stands out as a breath of fresh air with its purposeful and impeccably executed content. In their latest TikTok video, they successfully combine elegance with internet culture and inject humor without compromising their brand.
So What?
What made this work is how they found a key product feature to use as an anchor for the joke that involves dodging online comments. The community manager or creative team deserves recognition for truly understanding the product and brand, as well as grasping online humor and effectively combining the two. I suggest trying this approach for your product. Focus on a key feature and relate it to a human or common situation that your audience can relate to. You will earn bonus points if you can make it humorous.
If you’re not familiar with Jason Cohen, I suggest starting with this video. He consistently shares valuable information through his free newsletter, which is quite impressive considering his successful track record with two unicorn exits.
Every week, I provide a summary of the latest digital marketing news, saving you the time and effort of going through it all yourself.
If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter thus far, it would mean a lot to us if you could take a moment this week to share it with someone you believe would also benefit from it.
YouTube has recently introduced two exciting updates for content creators. The first one is YouTube Create, a cutting-edge video editing app that aims to enhance the editing experience for users. This app will provide creators with powerful tools and features to edit their videos seamlessly.
Auto captions – Available in English, Hindi, and Spanish
Filters, effects and transitions – Simplified video editing tools, all presented on a single screen
Access to royalty free songs and sound effects
Direct publishing to YouTube – Including both Shorts and long form content
Additionally, YouTube has unveiled Dream Screen, an innovative feature that allows users to generate AI-generated video or image backgrounds effortlessly. All users need to do is simply type in what they want to see, and Dream Screen will generate a visually stunning background accordingly.
Time to change all the Facebook assets again. Dust off those Facebook icons on your website and good luck if you have them printed on your product packaging or brochures. Facebook has an updated design that is not too different from its previous design.
Not all social media channels are for scale and reaching new people. Some are for a closer group and serve a purpose. Partiful streamlines the process of planning and communicating with guests. It’s great for when you don’t have everyone’s phone numbers or socials, like when you’re inviting friends-of-friends. You get a single link to share on any platform.
Partiful is also great for:
Listed events (where you want to approve each guest)
Parties when you need to ask questions of guests (e.g. dietary restrictions)
When you need to collect money via Venmo, CashApp, or PayPal
Expanding Meta Verified to Businesses. This will include business authentication with a verified badge, impersonation protection, access to account support, and features to help your business stand out. [Facebook]
Whatsapp:
WhatsApp has recently introduced animated avatars, a feature that was already available on Telegram. Not to be cynical, but it seems that we can now anticipate WhatsApp’s product roadmap by observing the features that Telegram has already released. [Xeet / Tweet]
Whatsapp Channels are going global. Expect it to hit your market soon. [Whatsapp]
Google:
Google has made it clear that it expects advertisers to include their logo and brand name on the landing pages of their ads, effective from September 25, 2023. Yes this will affect your Adrank. [Google]
YouTube:
Which Mr Beast thumbnail works best: mouth open or closed? With the new YouTube tool, you won’t need third-party tools to A/B test your YouTube thumbnails. [Xeet / Tweet]
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn Adds A Brand Partnership Search to Discover Posts Created by Creators on Behalf of Brands [Lindsey Gamble]
TikTok:
Don’t drop SEO from your marketing strategy just yet. TikTok is testing Google results in its search pages [The Verge]
New labels for disclosing AI-generated content [TikTok]
TikTok introduces Attribution Analytics: TikTok’s first-party measurement solution that enables web advertisers to go beyond the last-click model and truly understand the customer journey on TikTok. [TikTok]
These are the products you are not allowed to sell through TikTok Shop [TikTok]
Snap has partnered with Microsoft Advertising to power Sponsored Links within My AI [Snap]
Maybe don’t dismiss Snap just yet. Snapchat now has over 5M paying users for Snapchat+ [Techcrunch]
How to become a verified Snap Star? Simple fill up the form and cross your fingers. [Snap Support]
Amazon:
Amazon’s Prime Video to include ads from 2024 unless you pay more [SkyNews]
Newsletter to Consider
If you’re not familiar with Jason Cohen, I suggest starting with this video. He consistently shares valuable information through his free newsletter, which is quite impressive considering his successful track record with two unicorn exits.
Every week, I provide a summary of the latest digital marketing news, saving you the time and effort of going through it all yourself.
If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter thus far, it would mean a lot to us if you could take a moment this week to share it with someone you believe would also benefit from it.
Clubhouse, the platform we’ve known for its social audio rooms, is undergoing quite the makeover. They’re rebranding themselves as more of a messaging app.
They’ve introduced something called “chats.” Picture it like those group Instagram stories, but with a twist – it’s all about voice! You start a chat by recording a voice message, and your friends can hop in, adding their own voice notes. It’s like creating a lively voice collage or having a fun conversation.
So What?
The social media landscape is always evolving. Clubhouse’s focus on personal, voice-based interactions is a signal that user engagement and tailored content are becoming more important than ever. While they’ll still support live audio rooms, the heart of Clubhouse seems to be leaning towards cozy chats over big broadcasts.
Did you know that iPhone users tend to spend seven times more on apps compared to Android users? This is a fascinating statistic that highlights the strong engagement and enthusiasm of iPhone users when it comes to exploring and purchasing apps. This should not be a surprise to anyone that has been keeping a close eye on their website and user analytics. This just reinforces what we know as iPhone users continue to be the big spenders online.
Here is a social channel that you might have overlooked. Peanut is a social media channel that aims to connect mothers at various stages. Peanut marks itself as a “Safe space for women to meet and find support” Peanut allows mothers to create profiles, connect with other moms in their area, and join group chats based on shared interests or experiences. The platform also provides a forum for discussions on topics such as pregnancy, parenting, and mental health. With features like a swipe-based interface and personalized matching, Peanut offers a convenient and inclusive space for mothers to connect, share advice, and find support in their motherhood journey.
Google PageSpeed Insights is updated with new features from Lighthouse 11 [SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL]
Google Site names now work for all languages. So if your site is not in English, check how your Site name appears in Google Search. [SEARCH ENGINE LAND]
A Comedy of Errors – Search Console Errors as explained by Google [GOOGLE]
New level of YouTube Partner Program (YPP) to launch in 33 more countries soon.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn page admins should expect a drop in the number of Page Followers. [TWEET]
TikTok:
Similar to YouTube, TikTok now allows users to hum to search for a song. [TWEET]
AI Marketing:
eBay rolls out a tool that generates product listings from photos [TECHCRUNCH]
Newsletter to Consider
If you’re not familiar with Jason Cohen, I suggest starting with this video. He consistently shares valuable information through his free newsletter, which is quite impressive considering his successful track record with two unicorn exits.
Marketing in today’s landscape often calls for unconventional strategies, and Liquid Death, the canned water brand, is no stranger to pushing boundaries. In a recent campaign, the brand took an edgy turn by inserting strands of Steve-O’s hair into 300 voodoo dolls, with the belief that this would make him experience every pin prick, punch, and burn inflicted on these figures.
While this move might sound bizarre, it aligns with Liquid Death’s commitment to stand out in a crowded market. The brand’s willingness to embrace the unconventional and occasionally flirt with the supernatural or dark themes underscores its focus on entertainment over traditional marketing.
So What?
As marketing managers, there are valuable lessons to be learned here. Liquid Death’s approach reminds us of the importance of daring to be different. While not every strategy needs to involve voodoo dolls, it’s essential to think outside the box to capture attention and generate buzz.
In an age where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages, embracing a playful and edgy approach can help your brand break through the noise. Liquid Death’s unique campaigns serve as a reminder that, sometimes, a touch of the unexpected can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.
