Weekly Digital Marketing & Generative AI for Marketing News from Your Digital Marketing Coach
Every Friday I provide a curated newsletter for thousands of marketers, entrepreneurs, business owners and content creators that covers the latest news as well as actionable advice on all things digital, content, influencer, and social media marketing. I try my best to also provide advice on the latest developments of generative AI and how to leverage it for marketing as well as personal branding for your digital presence.
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Meta Is Considering Restricting Business Pages Posting Links | Organic Social Media Strategy: How To Grow Without Paid Ads In 2026 | Google Exec Says AI Search Optimization Is ‘The Same’ As SEO + More!
Published about 2 hours ago • 6 min read
Latest Digital / Social Media Marketing News & Insights
OpenAI’s new GPT Image 1.5 raises real concerns about trust and fakes
Meta may soon limit business Pages to just two link posts a month
Google’s Nick Fox says AI search optimization is basically the same as SEO
Hey Reader,
As we near the end of 2025, I want to ask you all a simple question:
Is your marketing better—or more cost-effective—than it was a year ago?
If not, I don't think you have leveraged AI to its potential today.
Would love to hear about your experience as I prepare more educational content around the topic of how small businesses and entrepreneurs can better leverage AI to compete with larger brand.
Feel free to respond to let me know what you are experiencing and what immediate advice I might have for you!
Now on to this week's top news and insights!
Please note: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you.
In this episode of the Your Digital Marketing Coach podcast, we dig into storytelling—a skill that matters even more in the age of AI. My guest, Aurora Winter, shares how small shifts in your message can drive big jumps in results, and why your stories, brand, and IP are real business assets. This talk will help you see your words as tools for true transformation. Dive in and get inspired.
This interview with fellow Adobe Express Ambassador and Author of AI for Small Business, Phil Pallen, breaks down simple, real-world AI wins for small business owners. Phil shows how tracking your time and asking three key questions can reveal tasks ripe for automation—from cleaner email workflows to smarter daily systems. It’s all about using AI to work with more focus and excellence, not stress.
Get AI-powered access to mentions across social media, news, blogs, videos, forums, podcasts, reviews, and more. Brand24 offers the most complete access to online mentions out there. Be the first to know and get ahead of the story.
Meta Is Considering Charging Business Pages To Post Links - Meta may soon limit business Pages to just two link posts a month unless they pay for Meta Verified. This test shows Meta pushing harder into subscriptions while cutting down on low-value, spammy links. For brands, this could reshape how you drive traffic on Facebook and force a shift toward Reels, brand building, or alternative platforms. Worth watching as you plan for 2026. Social Media Today
OpenAI’s New ChatGPT Image Generator Makes Faking Photos Easy - OpenAI’s new GPT Image 1.5 makes photo editing almost too easy. It blends text and images in one model, letting anyone create highly realistic edits—from changing poses to adding objects—just by chatting. It’s faster, cheaper, and far more convincing, which raises real concerns about fakes, trust, and how we judge images online. Worth knowing as AI visuals reshape our world. Ars Technica
62% Of B2B CMOs Not Ready To Compete Against AI-Enabled Companies: Report - A new report shows 62% of B2B CMOs don’t feel ready to compete with AI-enabled rivals. As search, websites, and social lose visibility, teams must shift to AI-first discovery, GEO, and strong confidence signals like fresh content and PR. With deepfakes rising and brand stories fracturing, CMOs face real risk. This is your cue to modernize fast for 2026. Martech
Grow your brand with Thrive, a trusted team that helps businesses get more leads and real sales online. Their experts make marketing clear and simple, so you can see what works and scale with ease. Sign up today and start building steady growth with a team that knows how to win.
Google Exec Says AI Search Optimization Is ‘The Same’ As SEO - Google’s Nick Fox says AI search optimization is basically the same as SEO—the goal is still great sites, great content, and building for real users. His comments echo guidance from Danny Sullivan and Gary Illyes that strong GEO = strong SEO. For marketers, that means your existing skills still matter; the playbook isn’t dead, just evolving. A useful reminder to stay focused on quality. Martech
How To Get YouTube Subscribers Using Google Ads - Wordstream explain two legit ways to grow YouTube subscribers with Google Ads—either through YouTube Studio Promotions or Demand Gen campaigns. Studio offers simple setup and cheaper cost per subscriber, while Demand Gen gives more control and targeting. Real tests show big swings in subscriber quality, CPAs, and view rates. A helpful read if you want to boost growth with paid support. Wordstream
5 SEO Keyword Research Tools That Help Teams Show Up In Search - This post from Hubspot shares the best free SEO keyword tools and shows how to turn simple searches into a real content plan. You’ll see how tools like WordStream, Semrush, and Ahrefs help you find high-value keywords, validate demand, and build topic clusters that drive traffic. It also explains how HubSpot brings research, writing, and tracking into one workflow. A helpful guide for sharpening any SEO strategy. Hubspot
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Organic Social Media Strategy: How To Grow Without Paid Ads In 2026 - This blog post I wrote breaks down how to grow on social without paid ads by leaning into authentic content, UGC, and a clear brand voice. With organic reach shifting fast, the brands that win in 2026 focus on engagement over followers and real community, not vanity stats. Give this a read to sharpen your strategy for the year ahead. Neal Schaffer
What Is An Instagram Broadcast Channel? - In this blog post I wrote, I break down Instagram Broadcast Channels—a powerful way to bypass the algorithm and talk directly to your most engaged followers. You’ll learn how they work, who can create them, and how brands can use them for product drops, community building, and traffic. If you want deeper reach without extra noise, this guide will show you the path forward. Neal Schaffer
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Weekly Digital Marketing & Generative AI for Marketing News from Your Digital Marketing Coach
Neal Schaffer
Every Friday I provide a curated newsletter for thousands of marketers, entrepreneurs, business owners and content creators that covers the latest news as well as actionable advice on all things digital, content, influencer, and social media marketing. I try my best to also provide advice on the latest developments of generative AI and how to leverage it for marketing as well as personal branding for your digital presence.
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