by Here’s a recap of the most important insights, trends, and updates you need to know about today! Catch up in minutes and go into the rest of the week prepared.
In today’s edition:
-
Where to spend your time on Reddit
-
Instagram Reels tools to test
-
Follow along on The Road to 3K
-
🗞️ Industry news from Platform, Platform, and more
How to Find the Reddit Communities Where Your Customers Need You
Not sure which subreddits are worth your time, or what you could possibly add to the conversation? This research process will help:
-
Start with your customers' problems, not your product. Ask your own customer support team what people complain about most and what makes those problems go away. Then read your competitors' support forums and look for the gaps.
-
Copy every review you can find on sites like Capterra and G2, paste them into ChatGPT, and ask, “What are the biggest challenges this customer base is dealing with in my niche?”
-
Search Google and ChatGPT the way your customer would. Note what the ads and bolded words say, which Reddit threads appear, and where the pros and cons cluster. You'll start to see the same two or three subreddits come up again and again.
-
In each of those subreddits, sort by Top and set the range to the last 12 months. Open those posts and read the top comments to learn which kinds of answers this community values most.
-
Read the subreddit rules before you do anything else. Ask yourself whether you're allowed to participate and whether you genuinely have something of value to add.
Pro Tip: Accept that you are not the solution for every person. Focus on the few problems you solve really well, because the overlap between your customers' real problem and what you're truly good at is where Reddit comes through for marketers.
This matters because Reddit now shows up almost everywhere your buyers look. Brent points out that Reddit results appear in 97.5% of comparison searches and that Reddit is the top cited source across large language models (LLMs). Buyers skim an AI summary, then turn to Reddit to hear from real people. Showing up in the right communities with useful answers puts you in that validation moment.
This tip was shared by Brent Csutoras at Social Media Marketing World. Get your ticket to join us in Anaheim this April.
Meet Marketers Solving the Same AI Problems
You just figured out an AI workflow that saves you an hour a week. Your coworkers nod politely. You’ve also got a list of questions nobody around you can answer.
At AI Business World, you’re in a room full of marketers working through these exact questions. Trade what’s working over lunch, and leave with people you can reach out to when you get stuck.
Half-price tickets end Friday.
How to Create, Scale, and Measure Instagram Reels
Instagram keeps rolling out new tools to help you make reels faster, reach new audiences, and figure out what's actually working. But not every new feature delivers on its promise. Elizabeth Marberry, an Instagram marketing strategist and host of the Strut It podcast, shares what she's learned from testing Instagram's latest updates and how you can put them to work.
What Instagram's New One-Tap Editor Can (and Can't) Do Yet
Find out where First Draft saves you time and the editing work it still leaves on your plate, whether you're filming direct-to-camera videos or B-roll.
The Hidden Edits App Features Worth Turning On Today
Discover the secret menu tucked inside the Edits app that unlocks new creative tools, including a way to build carousels with far more control than the main Instagram app gives you.
Why Making More Reels Isn't the Answer
Learn why the quantity versus quality debate misses the point and the subtle video mistake that could be quietly limiting your reach.
How to Analyze Your Reels Like a Scientist
Elizabeth reveals what she looks for when comparing top performers side by side, why your flops deserve just as much attention, and the surprising audience insight cross-posting to Facebook can uncover.
Turning Your Profile Grid Into a Lead Generator
Find out how to use Instagram's new tagged-post feature as social proof, the pinned post strategy that makes a strong first impression, and how to build tagging into your business so it happens automatically.
Want to Learn More?
-
Watch on YouTube
-
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
-
Read the show notes on Social Media Examiner
Leave With a Working AI Setup
You’ve watched AI demos that looked amazing in the moment. Then you sat down to try it yourself and couldn’t remember where to begin. By the end of the day, you’d closed the tab.
At AI Business World, hands-on sessions walk you through the exact steps to build your own AI workflows, so they’re already up and running before you leave Anaheim.
This is the last week to save 50% off your ticket.
Here’s What You Missed From Our Short-Form Docuseries
Mike and the team test ideas submitted by fans to get 3,000 people to Social Media Marketing World 2027. Here are four lessons from the past week:
1. Go where your prospects already are. At another conference, Mike spotted big brands he’d never landed as sponsors. So he flew his sales director out on a few hours’ notice. In two days, she talked to about 25 companies.
2. Know when to kill an experiment. The team emailed 1,500 customers asking for video testimonials and got just two. So they stopped asking and turned to the 40+ professionally shot testimonials they’d already recorded at the conference in April.
3. Show AI great examples before asking it to create. Before having AI turn those testimonials into video ads, Mike had it study some great samples. The result was a reusable ad-making skill and a set of high-quality videos the team can use on the website and in paid ads.
4. If you do all the work, you’re also the ceiling. That’s what Mike’s coach told him. Now Mike is exploring how AI can help raise that ceiling.
Watch the series and share your idea on YouTube.
Meta Introduces Conversational AI Controls for Facebook Feed and Reels: Meta is rolling out new AI-powered personalization tools that give Facebook users greater control over the content recommended in Feed and Reels. The Your algorithm feature allows people to specify their interests in natural language, while expanded feedback options help refine recommendations based on individual preferences. By incorporating large language models into its ranking systems, Facebook can interpret user intent and adjust content recommendations within the same session. Meta
Instagram Expands Edits With Audio Links, Audience Insights, and Reusable Creative Kits: Instagram is introducing new features across Reels and its Edits app to help creators improve engagement, identify content gaps, and streamline video production. Audio Links allow viewers to explore songs and sounds directly from Reels, while Popular Topics provides insights into subjects followers are watching. Edits is also adding Kits for saving and applying consistent creative styles, alongside more than 50 video effects and new motion options. Creators via Threads
Instagram Introduces Use as Reference for Easier Reels Creation: Instagram is rolling out a new Reels creation tool that allows users to keep an existing video visible while filming their own content. The feature displays eligible Reels in a movable, interactive window within the camera, enabling creators to review, pause, and practice alongside the original. A synchronized countdown helps align recording timing, making the tool particularly useful for recreating trends, choreography, and other reference-based content. Use as Reference is currently available on iOS, with an Android release planned. Creators via Threads
LinkedIn Expands Networking, Creator Tools, and Monetization: LinkedIn is introducing new features designed to help professionals build relationships, grow audiences, and generate income from their expertise. The updates include a dedicated Network feed, customizable digital business cards, private connection notes, and pinned comments. For creators, LinkedIn is launching a centralized dashboard alongside new revenue paths through video advertising and paid consultations. LinkedIn
Meta Introduces New Brand Advertising Formats and Video Measurement Tools: Meta has unveiled new advertising capabilities at its Brand Building Summit to help marketers with visibility during major cultural moments and better measure brand engagement. Ads Super Burst enables advertisers to secure concentrated reach during high-priority campaign windows, while First Impression Ads is being tested as a premium Facebook Feed placement. Meta is also expanding Reels Trending Ads with additional content categories and targeting options. Alongside these formats, the company is developing Aggregated View Time to measure cumulative brand exposure across short-form video interactions, offering a different approach to evaluating attention and campaign effectiveness. Meta
YouTube Tests AI-Powered Ask YouTube Previews in Search Results: YouTube is experimenting with integrating conversational AI responses directly into its search experience, allowing viewers to explore complex questions through structured summaries and relevant video highlights. The feature is designed for searches that benefit from additional explanation, particularly tutorials and open-ended topics, and offers follow-up questions alongside traditional video results. The limited US desktop test introduces a new way for viewers to discover and engage with video content through AI-assisted search. YouTube
