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:
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Meta ads testing protocol
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YouTube metrics changes
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Follow along on The Road to 3K
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🗞️ Industry news from Instagram, Meta, TikTok, and more
A Dynamic Creative Testing Recipe for Facebook and Instagram Ads
Want a faster way to learn which mix of creative, copy, and headlines drives your best Meta ad results? This testing recipe will help:
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Pick your setup by campaign type. For sales campaigns, use the Flexible (Flex) ad format. For lead campaigns, turn on Dynamic Creative in your ad set. The toggle sits in the middle of the ad set settings, and most advertisers overlook it.
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At the ad level, max out all 10 media slots with proven assets from your account: your 5 top-performing videos and your 5 top-performing images.
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Add your 2 top-performing ad copy versions, your 2 top-performing headlines, and 2 calls to action.
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If you accept Meta’s AI-generated variations, read every one before launch to confirm it complies with Meta’s ad policies. Some AI versions can create problems for your account.
Pro Tip: Even if manual targeting beats Advantage+ audiences in your account, spend a portion of your budget (not all of it) inside Advantage+. Those signals train the algorithm to find your buyers before Meta’s next system, GEM, rolls out more widely.
This tip was shared by Tara Zirker at Social Media Marketing World. Get your ticket to join us in Anaheim this April.
Turn Your Content Into a Career
You already know how to make good content. The hard part is everything after you hit publish: growing an audience that sticks around and earning money that doesn’t rely on the algorithm or the next brand deal.
That’s a marketing problem, not a content problem.
This April at Social Media Marketing World, Derral Eves, Sean Cannell, Maria Wendt, and more show you how they built their audiences and turned them into income.
How YouTube’s New View Count Changes Your Video Strategy
YouTube changed what counts as a view, and your numbers may look better than ever while your leads and sales stay the same. Justin Brown, the face of Primal Video, one of the world’s largest YouTube channels for video creation education, explains what the change means for you and how to earn more views, clicks, and leads as YouTube evolves.
Views vs. Engaged Views: Which Number Actually Matters
Find out how YouTube now defines a view, why your counts may suddenly look inflated, and which metrics should guide your decisions if you use YouTube to grow a business.
The Simple Production Tweak for Autoplaying Videos
With more videos autoplaying silently on mobile, desktop, and TV, the first few seconds of your video can matter more than your thumbnail. Discover the easy fix Justin credits with turning casual scrollers into engaged viewers.
How Ask YouTube Could Change the Way People Find You
YouTube’s new conversational search can send viewers straight to the part of your video that answers their question. Learn why Justin’s team now treats chapters the way it used to treat titles and why holding back the answer may be the wrong instinct.
Creating Videos AI Can’t Replace
As AI delivers faster answers, find out what viewers still come to YouTube for and how to build more of it into your videos.
Are Custom Shorts Thumbnails Worth Your Time?
Learn whether Justin thinks YouTube’s new custom Shorts thumbnails are worth the effort and the lighter approach Jerry is using instead.
Want to Learn More?
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Watch on YouTube
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Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
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Read the show notes on Social Media Examiner
Leave With a Plan, Not Just Notes
You’ve sat through conference sessions that sounded great in the moment. Then you got home, opened your notes, and couldn’t remember what to do first. A week later, the inspiration was gone.
At Social Media Marketing World, the speakers are practitioners. They show you the exact steps, so you can start putting what you learned to work before you leave Anaheim.
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. One voice is a testimonial. Five voices are proof. Mike had AI build a searchable index of testimonials filmed at the conference, then stitch clips from several attendees around a single theme. Now the team has themed videos of attendees sharing what the event was worth to them, ready for the sales page, promo emails, and ads.
2. If a page isn’t converting, try other people’s voices instead of more words. Mike replaced the photos on key pages with videos of attendees talking about the conference. Data from the sales page showed visitors with the strongest buying intent the team had seen in a long time.
3. Your most engaged fans can become your best partners. One of the show’s most loyal commenters offered to bring his AI community to the conference. Mike proposed giving that community its own room on day one, with one catch: you need a ticket to get in.
4. Give your audience a real job. Mike asked viewers to name his AI video editor and promised to shout out the winner. A viewer’s suggestion won, and the editor now officially has a name.
Watch the series and share your idea on YouTube.
Instagram Tests 90-Minute Videos and New Tools for Long-Form Content: Instagram is expanding its video strategy with Features, a new format that supports uploads of up to 90 minutes, alongside tools designed to connect longer content with its existing Reels ecosystem. The platform is testing Clips as Reels to help creators promote full-length videos through short clips, while also developing TV viewing capabilities, improved livestream discovery, and dedicated spaces for episodic content. The initiative could create new ways for creators and brands to engage audiences through more in-depth storytelling, although Instagram has not finalized a monetization model. Testing is underway in Brazil, with limited expansion to the U.S. TechCrunch
Instagram Expands Edits With Beat-Synced Effects, Caption Tools, and Android Carousel Support: Instagram has announced a new round of updates to its Edits video creation app, introducing audio-responsive effects, streamlined caption editing, and additional creative customization options. The release includes seasonal fonts, sound effects, and text animations, alongside automatic color correction and enhanced volume controls. Instagram is also bringing Carousel Editor to Android devices and introducing a creator-designed filter, giving users more ways to produce polished, engaging content directly within the app. Creators via Threads
LinkedIn Tests Simplified Navigation With New Profile Menu and More Tab: LinkedIn is introducing a redesigned navigation experience across mobile and desktop to streamline access to account management tools and platform features. The update consolidates profile settings, analytics, saved content, and managed Pages into a centralized menu, while a new More tab provides access to experiences such as newsletters, events, groups, and news. The changes could make it easier for professionals and marketers to navigate LinkedIn’s content and community features. The experience is currently in gradual testing, with availability varying across users and devices. LinkedIn
Meta Expands AI Ad Ranking With Andromeda, GEM, and GenRecs: Meta has detailed three advances in its AI-powered advertising infrastructure aimed at improving campaign delivery and conversion performance across Facebook and Instagram. An upgraded Andromeda system evaluates a broader range of eligible ads, while GEM uses shared learning across placements and campaign objectives to strengthen performance predictions. GenRecs adds language-model-based understanding of creative content and product attributes, helping newly launched ads find relevant audiences more quickly. These enhancements are integrated directly into Meta’s existing ad delivery systems, allowing advertisers to benefit without changing campaign configurations. Meta
Meta Adds Creative-Level Performance Reporting in Ads Manager: Meta is providing advertisers with more detailed reporting options to evaluate individual creative assets within their campaigns. Through Ads Manager’s breakdown tools, marketers can review performance data for specific images, videos, and text variations, helping identify which creative elements contribute to campaign results. The reporting also supports analysis of removed assets, although media-level results exclude additional collection and carousel formats. Availability may vary by advertiser, but the functionality offers greater visibility into creative effectiveness for campaign optimization. Meta
Pinterest Expands Programmatic Advertising Access Through Major Buying Platforms: Pinterest has launched Programmatic Deals in select global markets, enabling enterprise advertisers to incorporate its premium display and video inventory into existing media strategies. Through partnerships with Magnite, Google Ad Manager, Amazon Ads, Google Display & Video 360, and Yahoo DSP, brands can reach Pinterest users during the discovery and purchase consideration process without relying solely on direct platform buying. The expansion gives marketers access to Pinterest’s commercially engaged audience while supporting integrated campaign planning, activation, and measurement. Pinterest
Reddit Introduces For You and Following Feeds to Improve Content Discovery: Reddit is updating its feed experience with two distinct options that allow users to choose between personalized content discovery and posts from communities they already follow. The For You feed combines existing subscriptions with interest-based recommendations, while Following offers a dedicated view of joined communities. Users can easily switch between the two experiences, with their preferences retained between sessions. The global rollout aims to encourage community discovery and participation while giving users more control over their feeds, potentially creating additional ways for brands to reach audiences exploring new interests. Reddit
Threads Tests Private Group Sharing With New Friends Feature: Threads is introducing a new sharing option that allows users to publish posts for a smaller, curated audience of up to 50 people. Currently being tested in Ireland, Italy, and Japan, Threads Friends lets users select specific individuals who can view and respond to their posts, even if those recipients live outside the test markets. The feature offers a more intimate way to communicate and engage within the platform, potentially encouraging more personal conversations and community interactions. Threads
TikTok Announces Pulse Tastemakers for Creator-Aligned Advertising: TikTok has announced Pulse Tastemakers, a new advertising solution that enables brands to place ads directly after content from a curated selection of creators. The format is designed to help advertisers build stronger brand associations and reach new audiences by connecting their campaigns with creator content. The offering was scheduled for a limited U.S. advertiser rollout in the second quarter of 2026. TikTok
X Introduces Credited Image Sharing With Shared Creator Rewards: X has launched a new way for users to repost images while preserving attribution and expanding monetization paths for original creators. The feature adds a direct link to the original author’s profile when an image is reshared, allowing engagement to contribute to the impression totals of both accounts under X’s Original Content Rewards program. Previously excluded duplicated-image posts can now qualify for rewards when shared through this feature. The update aims to encourage content distribution while ensuring eligible creators receive recognition and potential earnings when their visuals are shared across the platform. Social Media Today
YouTube Tests 30-Day Cleanup Option for Channels Facing Termination: YouTube is experimenting with an alternative enforcement process that allows certain creators facing spam-related channel termination to correct policy violations before permanently losing access. Eligible channels will be temporarily locked for 30 days, giving owners time to remove problematic videos, delete their entire video library, or appeal the decision. Channels that successfully resolve violations can regain access, while creators who choose to remove all videos may preserve their subscribers, channel identity, and monetization program status. The experiment introduces a potential recovery path for affected creators while maintaining enforcement of YouTube’s content policies. YouTube
YouTube Introduces Shorts Series to Support Episodic Storytelling and Creator Monetization: YouTube is expanding its short-form video capabilities with new tools designed to help creators develop and distribute serialized content. Shorts series will allow creators to organize videos into seasons and episodes, supported by customized thumbnails and continuous playback to encourage content discovery and repeat viewing. The platform is also introducing new monetization paths through exclusive episodes, with upcoming mobile updates designed to simplify channel membership sign-ups during playback. The initiative aims to make episodic storytelling more accessible to independent creators while supporting audience engagement and subscription revenue. YouTube
